My oldest grandson is getting married in September. He lives in Wichita, Kansas; the wedding will be in Kansas City, Mo. I said I’d go – and I’m driving out. The difference in this trip and the last couple I took is that there is a specific time limit in which to arrive.
I was excited when I first heard and pored over the maps. Soren’s dad and grandfather are flying to KC where I will meet up with them for the last leg of the journey to Wichita. This will save them a car rental and give me company on the road for a bit.
As the weeks went by, my enthusiasm waned. The old fears over traveling popped up. This time there’s the added pressure of a holiday weekend. I prefer traveling when crowds are less. I don’t like booking hotels ahead because I like to be spontaneous. Who knows what I’ll see along the way? Maybe I’ll want to stay in a particular area for more than an overnight.
Eric made his arrangements and this morning he informed me of hotel bookings. I went online and found there are no vacancies at either of the places he is staying. I prefer Comfort Inns anyway and although I don’t like booking in advance, I figured I’d better do so. I don’t want to take the chance of not finding a place nearby the others if I put it off. I now have three nights taken care of.
Google Maps says it is 20 hours, 38 minutes from here to the hotel in Kansas City. The major routes would be I-90 and I-70. I’m generally OK at five to six hours driving in one day which means I would need five days at a minimum to get there. That would not leave me a lot freedom to do much sightseeing on the way out, but there is a little leeway.
Right off the bat there is Niagara Falls within an 8-hour drive. The question is whether I want to stop there. I’ve never seen the falls, but would I want to do so at the end of August when there would be all the last-hurrah crowds before schools start for the year. Should I take the time? Would I regret it, if I didn’t?
Today I am thinking no.
The earlier planning had me listing rivers and lakes I’d be crossing or by-passing. I got as far as the Missouri border. I’ll want to finish that. I also researched various routes; some to bypass the big cities and I may elect to come back a different way. I’ll also make notes of points of interest although, for the most part, I’ll make choices in the moment and within the time frame.
Back to planning.
No comments:
Post a Comment