3,659.9 Miles

According to the GPS system that is. Why am I still so tired?

I learned a lot about myself on this trip. And I can scratch a few things off my bucket list too.

I have said before I despise heights, but with all the bridges I had to do, I realized that I can do it and not close my eyes. While driving.

I found that I still don't like heights when they are in the mountains and high winds or down pouring rain are involved. Especially when there is a big drop off to the side of me.

Sandstorms are cool to watch, just a pain to drive through.

I remembered to turn my a/c off in the car, open the windows and turn the defroster on high when the car temp starts to rise. Brings it right back down. I learned that in a movie and to this day I don't remember which one, but that piece of advice stuck. And it works. Went from 210 back to 183 in less than 5 minutes.

I found that people are genuinely nice no matter when I travelled. Including the guys at the Cherokee stop after I had left OK City. We got talking about my trip, the weather and how the rain had been following me. They asked if they could put me up in a hotel for a couple of days since they really needed the rain. LOL

That truck drivers still watch out for four-wheelers, especially women travelling alone. I used to see it when I drove back and forth from Syracuse to Boston.

That I like small privately owned motels more than big chain hotels for the most part. I highly reccommend the Monteray Non-Smokers Inn in Alburquerque, NM. They have the cutest doxie there and are just the nicest people.

That I can travel with less crap than I think I need. Next time, I will do better.

And there will be a next time. I still haven't hit all 50 states. I want to drive across country again, this time going across the midwest or up north. I want to do it when I have no agenda in the end, just a final destination. I want to do it with someone I may not want to strangle by the end of the trip. Maybe. Maybe alone again since I had only myself to please.

I have a lot of things on my bucket list. However, I also believe that there should be one thing on it that is unattainable. That way when you have done everything else, there is still something left to live for. My unattainable- fly to the Moon. I don't know if I will still be around when that is a common thing, but it gives me something to look forward to and a reason to live as long as I can, doing things I want to do.