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It was a brief South Florida visit; now my Element is parked and I took to the air for the first time since pre-pandemic 2019. Yes, I'm off the road and testing out the flying experience as I look toward my travel dream list that's been ignored for too long. While I remain domestic this year to spend time with familiar faces, I'm hoping 2027 will be a little bit saner and safer to head on to international adventures. My first stop is Austin, Texas, a town I've explored multiple times, but it's been 8 years since my last visit. Much has changed in this trendy city so I held to the people and a few familiar places of interest.
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I’m looking at the calendar in disbelief at how quickly the summer is passing. While impatiently spending extended time on the Eastern Shore was fine, my current frustration stems from the vision I had concocted of this summer’s possibilities. The ability to stay on Honeybee Flower Farm through early July was certainly a gift. It was comfortable and peaceful with familiar surroundings. I was also able to connect with friends now living in South Carolina as a result of my new itinerary; while local friends found time to reach out in multiple ways during their busy schedules. Added to my usual activities, I also took a walk down memory lane in Easton to see spots that have stayed with me. While I wasn’t surprised to find my shoe repairman gone; it’s criminal the in-town Hill’s Drugs with a lunch counter is no more. So much has changed. I'd say Talbot County is a microcosm of what this country feels like right now: a cross-section of social classes that rarely meet. People were not friendly, though kids still seem to be quite sociable. Once I accepted I wasn’t driving north to nowhere, there was just one location to park my car so I can carry-on. I put myself back on the terrifying Beltway then the surprisingly busy Auto Train for a return to Florida. Yes, Florida in the summer is bloody hot but weather seems to be a challenging variable everywhere right now. Mark needs help, and I need to regroup while plotting travel and f-u-n for the remainder of the summer and into fall. A significant birth month is right around the corner, so trust me, travel and celebrations lie ahead. It was late March when I began planning a stay in the Berkshires for the summer. I’d discovered an area near Mount Greylock offering a rail-to-trail, a lake and an affordable room in a Victorian house. My thought was to use this pleasant location as my summer home base to write, ride, hike and tour, while traveling to visit people and attend events. Of course, there was just one glitch – Was the tenant leaving this room in June or renewing his work contract through summer? The answer wouldn’t come till mid-May but I was feeling positive and being patient. It felt just right so it was destined to be mine. In mid-April, I rolled into Talbot County from Virginia on a Saturday morning and this was a traumatizing experience. The drive from the Auto Train was 92 miles of fear and stress, so unnerving that with just 20 minutes to my final destination, I stopped to spend an hour walking to decompress. When I arrived at the farm stay, I was so pleased I had chosen a relatively calm, semi-rural area. Sunday, May 31 (post-Memorial Day weekend) was the date on my calendar to begin the journey further north. Since I was convinced I was heading to the Berkshires, I plotted my way from the Delmarva Peninsula onto a route that would keep me away from mountain passes or insane cities. I planned a 2-night room stay in Pennsylvania and a 4-night camping stop in New York, before alas, I’d be there. I did discover my route -- 81 North through Pennsylvania -- is under construction until 2031 and, no surprise, is a more dangerous mess than usual. You know where this is going, right? On May 15, the bad news arrived about my perfect little summer situation just as I was two weeks from departure. Spending 30-40 hours, I kicked many tires looking for an affordable spot in Massachusetts or Rhode Island where I could at least ride my bike, damn it. Most people didn’t bother to respond to my inquiry. One woman sent me an essay assignment to complete before consideration. Another household story kept getting more and more complicated. I had less than slim pickings. During this time, I also discovered the World Cup is about to disrupt the already maddening summer travel in Massachusetts, while simultaneously realizing the nearby DC celebration is a 16-day hullabaloo. How the hell was I getting out of here and where the hell was I headed? This was what I began to ask myself at 3AM too many mornings in late May. Yes, I was tired; fear was setting in about driving north; and it wasn’t clear what I was pushing toward. Finally, I was without a doubt, mentally and physically immobilized. Wow, I do remember when travel could be spontaneous and definitely fun. Perhaps it was the two full moons in May. Perhaps it’s the toxicity blowing east from the Beltway. Perhaps it’s simply the universe having a good laugh by trapping me in the place I said so long to many moons ago. Thankfully, my host was flexible, so I’m in a comfortable place. Where do I go from here? I’m taking a short pause from thinking so my head doesn’t explode. More to come, hopefully.  |
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August 2026
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