Planning a Trip

I said I’d go at the end of January, but I was not really sure if I would actually do it. It hit me this morning that the departure time is only a month away. Yikes! Am I going to do this? I am involved in a lot at the moment, but I definitely need a vacation. Yes, I will still work while on the road, but getting out of the house and away from the home area will do my mental wellbeing good. My thoughts settled into planning mode as I did the morning journaling.  

What is different from this trip than the one in 2013? The main point is that I have a better idea of the highways. Last time I was totally clueless as to what the driving would be like and how far south I would need to be to find warm weather (a lot farther south than I’d thought). I know more about the kinds of hotels in which I want to stay.  

The beginning of the trip will be following the same route as before. And of course, being winter, everything depends on the weather. I am looking forward to driving Rte. 9 across Vermont. I saw places where I wanted to take pictures, but didn’t stop. This time I want to stop. I won’t be quite as nervous driving through New York and I’ll know what to expect on the New York Thruway and on I-84W.  

I don’t know if I’ll do the Sky Line Drive in Virginia again. I may do it, depending on the weather, just because of that scary road coming down into Sperryville along Rte. 211. Sperryville was another area that I wanted to stop for photos and didn’t. 

There’s a Comfort Inn I stayed in Fredericksburg, Va., on the way down and the way back and I want to stay there again. My sights, though, will be set on Charleston, S.C., as there are places I want to revisit such as Magnolia Gardens, Middleton Place, and I want another carriage tour around the city. 

Heading south from there will have a different destination than before as I’ll be heading for the west coast of Florida. I’m not sure of that route yet. A lot of planning and map looking need to be done.