Remember Me?

I know, it has been months, but it is time for us to get back on the road.

Did you miss your regular Cruising and Musing emails (it has been a while)? 

If so, guess what? They are about to restart. 

However, if you are not interested in coming along with me as I share my written/photo perspective of areas of the country you may have never visited, reflect on some of the most spectacular natural beauty our country has to offer, or laugh at the humorous, (sometimes dumb) things that happen during a multi-month trip such as this (have you ever seen Robin Williams movie, RV?), feel free to unsubscribe below. You won't hurt my feelings.

But, if you want to stay along for the ride, we are about to take off on a 100-day exploration of America. The 10,000-mile journey will go through 23 states, including Manitoba, Canada; we will visit at least a dozen National Parks and camp in numerous State, County, and Municipal parks. Of course, there will be plenty of boondocking and moochdocking. This year's journey will also help me achieve a lifetime goal of visiting and spending the night in every state in the U.S. (I still need North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, and Oklahoma).

Since we last connected, so much has happened over the past few months. Many modifications and upgrades have occurred in our motor home to increase our traveling functionality, comfort, fun, safety, and flexibility in our Leisure Travel Van (yea, you will hear about them in future blog posts). There have also been some twists in the road; LisaMarie and I will no longer be traveling with our adorable puppies, Zac and Zoe; we are still sad; both will be forever in our minds and hearts.

Like me, LisaMarie has taken on a few significant volunteer responsibilities that gobble up her free time. Additionally, I was elected President of the Florida LTV (Leisure Travel Van) Travel Club, and Lis is now the Director of Communications and Event Registrar. The Club has over 300 members and runs two massive rallies (up to 100 motorcoaches/200 people) semi-annually and several mini and micro rallies too. We are very busy. Enough of the boring stuff; so where is garyO going this year? 

Hmmm. Ok. How about a super, high-level, Rand McNally-like overview?

You are probably right if you are guessing places like,

• Harbor Springs, MI (maybe the most gorgeous town in America)

• Duluth, MN

• Sturgis, SD

• Fargo, NB

• Winkler, Manitoba

• Pierre, SD

• Cody, WY

• Bozeman, MT

• Jackson Hole, ID

• Moab, UT

• Winslow, AZ

• Albuquerque, NM

• Amarillo, TX

• Oklahoma City, OK

This excursion will also feature a few notable National Parks, such as,

• The Badlands

• Mount Rushmore

• WindCave

• BlackHills

• Medora

• Glacier

• Yellowstone 

• Utah's Big Five (Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Zion) 

Since this journey is over three months long, there will likely be several unplanned surprises (like last year), opportunistic 'longer stays,' and who knows what else. Hopefully, you will enjoy the trip with us, engage in conversation along the way, and encourage us to take a detour off to a road less traveled. 

Remember to check your inbox; my 500 or so-word emails (3-minute read) tend to arrive before your first coffee. I love having you along for the ride; Club Level is ready to go!