Back to the snow

 I thought I had left winter behind, but today, as I drove through Nebraska and into Wyoming, it reappeared -- rolling hills and stony outcroppings, covered with snow. The roads were dry, though the sign warning of 50 mph winds was a little scary. I made two fun stops along the way. First in Ogallala, Nebraska, at the Petrified Wood Museum and shop (amazing artwork and a pair of jasper earrings I couldn't resist) and in Cheyenne, where the road crossed over the largest and busiest train yard I'd ever seen.
   I am spending the night at a Microtel in Rawlins, Wyoming, about 4 hours east of Salt Lake City. Not much of a town, with only fast food restaurants as my dinner choices. But, I finally broke down and went into the Walmart, where I bought a prepared salad for my lunch tomorrow, and sweat pants and shirt, both on sale for $5 each. An irresistible bargain which saves me from doing laundry for another couple days. I had a nice conversation there with the clerk, who told me she made a good wage and got benefits even. So, maybe I shouldn't feel bad about shopping there.
     I remember driving thru Wyoming before in summer, and it looks and feels so different now in winter. There's still the wide open spaces that go on forever, rocky landscape and sage brushy bushes along the road. Lots of oil wells, and now, also, wind generators, and what I think may be huge oil refinery plants. When I fly cross-country, I love looking out the window at the land below. Its so different actually driving thru it and experiencing the changes as I go from one state to the next. I'm a little more than 1/2 way there. It hasn't been the least bit boring. There's so much land to look at!
What I learned today: 1. Wyoming has mountains; and 2. driving in high winds uses more gas. 

From -22° to 25° in one day

Yesterday I drove from Portage, Indiana, to Iowa City, Iowa. I was lucky enough to stay last night at Prairie Hills Cohousing.  I was greeted by Michele, an original member, and then settled into the "Nancy Drew Guestroom." From what I could tell, Iowa City is mostly a university campus. Even though it was frigid out, downtown was busy with students walking everywhere. I found a great art gallery and discovered a huge selection there of Motawi tiles. I just love when I see stuff made in Ann Arbor when I travel. One time I was in a small town in Spain in a paper store and found art kits made by Colorbok, a company just down the street from us on Little Lake.

Val and my frozen pants

    Prairie Hill just opened in March 2018 so is in its infancy as a community. They are a 3rd sold and are their own developers. I shared some marketing ideas with them and other things about Ann Arbor cohousing that works well for us, like our work hours and multigenerational activities. Right now they are all older folks, with no young families. I couldn't imagine Touchstone without our kids and young parents. They make all our lives so much richer. I enjoyed a delicious community dinner and then watched a movie with a dozen or so folks in the common house. Everyone was so welcoming. Their common house is 2 stories, with a number of small studio apt. units on the second floor. I think its a brilliant idea. The owners of one of the units, Val and John, have decorated so beautifully and gave me some good ideas for my basement space. I'm hoping to see John, and maybe some of the others, at the Coho conference in Portland in May. One really funny thing that happened was when I brought it the pants I had washed out in the morning and laid in the back of the car to dry. Needless to say, they didn't dry but instead froze solid. They literally could stand up on their own.

    It was -22° when I awoke this morning. But, after getting reassurances from the Subaru dealer that my car would be just fine, I hit the road. And, it was just fine. There was a small stretch of strong wind blowing snow around, but basically the highway was dry. Slowly, as I headed west, the temperature rose, and eventually, somewhere in Nebraska, the snow disappeared. I was doing so well, in fact, that I didn't stop as originally planned at 4 pm, and drove all the way to North Platte where its a balmy 25°. Tonight I'm in a Rodeway Inn, comfortable and warm. I'm remembering back in 1976 when Ray and I drove cross country and I was reading the book Colorado by Michener. There was a lot about the Platte River and tonight, I'm sleeping just down the road from the river. I'm thinking maybe its time to reread that book.
What I learned today: 1. Cohousers are the best!; 2. don't get the pretzel crust pizza at Little Caesars, and 3. there's a lot of windmill farms and cattle farms in Nebraska.

I beat the snowstorm

Up at 6:15, out the door by 7:30 and in Jackson by 8:15 am. It wasn't until I got closer to Jackson that it started snowing, but then very lightly. To avoid driving thru Kalamazoo, I took M-127 instead of continueing on 94. I think that wasn't the best decision because I ended up driving south on a less traveled road, then west on M12, which was snowy and slow. But doable, and by 11:30 I was warm and cozy inside my hotel room in Portage, Indiana. I was told the road to the lake and sand dunes would probably not be drivable so I spent the day relaxing on the bed, watching movies. I guess today's storm really was bad north of here (and in Ann Arbor!) and the temperatures are dropping fast and furiously.
    Driving today was good. I felt confident and safe. Only when trucks passed me and blinded me momentarily with snow, did I get a bit nervous. Fortunately that didn't happen too often. I drove by Hillsdale and Coldwater, two Michigan cities I'd never been to before. So that was good. I guess I like seeing new places, even if its just driving thru. But this photo out my front window is really what Michigan looks like in February. White and grey. This is actually a color photo (note the red roof on the right.) I really need more color in my life.
   Tomorrow I'm going to check out downtown Portage, then drive 3 hours to Davenport, Iowa, to visit the Figge Art Museum. One of my goals on this trip is to take full advantage of my new membership in the North American Reciprocal Museums Association. By becoming a member of the Ann Arbor Art Center (for only $100), I got this card that gets me into about 1000 museums, cultural centers and botanical gardens across the country. It includes the DIA and other museums in Detroit, tons of places in California, and other places like the Rock and Roll Museum in Cleveland. If you travel and like museums, this is a great deal! Thanks to my sister Judy for telling me about this.

2 things I learned today: 1. don't order Chinese takeout in an unfamiliar city; and 2. ask if there's a dog staying in a hotel room close to yours when checking in.

Its crunch time

The last couple days I have slowly inched my way towards being ready to leave on my trip. I stopped by Dunning Subaru on Friday and had a multi-point inspection done on my car. It passed with flying colors. (No charge and excellent service!) With 4-wheel drive and all its safety features, I feel like my car will serve me well. I'd never bought a new car before but for my 65th birthday (2017) I took the plunge. I'd driven with my friend Roddy in her Outback for the D.C. Women's March and loved her car. As it was, I ended up with the exact car as her, even the same color. Afterall, with Social Security checks now coming in, I would barely see those car payments going out -- a 0% interest loan and now, only 3 more years to go. I figured this car should last me at least 20 years, and 200,000 miles if I do regular maintenance. Not only is the car big enough for me to lie down in the back, but I can carry both my bicycle and kayak in it if I want though not all at the same time, of course. So, yesterday afternoon, after vacuuming and basically emptying out my car, I am confident that my Outback is now ready to pack up.
    Last night, coming home from the Ann Arbor Folk Festival in a snowstorm, all I could think was 2 more days. Just 2 more days. I'm still not sure whether I can leave tomorrow although I am determined. Edging my bets, I made hotel reservations yesterday morning along 2 different routes. I have to decide today, before 4 pm — depending on the weather forecast —which one to cancel.
    And today, the serious packing—what clothes to take for 30+ days and every kind of weather imaginable — begins. Is 5 pairs of shoes too many?

Getting my ducks in a row

When I leave town for a month or more, there's lots of work involved. For this trip, I had even more to do before I could leave and I'm exhausted. But, one item at a time, my to-do list is getting shorter. Living at cohousing certainly makes my life easier. I know my neighbors will watch my house and my next door neighbor is coming in to water my houseplants. (and raid my freezer and pantry if she wants).  I've even rented out my garage to another neighbor for the month so she won't have to scrape the ice off her car! My taxes have been paid and all my bills will be paid automatically. With online banking, I won't have to worry about the money end of things.
     And then there's the trip planning. What route to take to avoid the expected snowstorm. Where to stay as I drive west (first choice is other cohousing communities and friends). How many hours a day can I drive without falling asleep? Where should I stop along the way to fully appreciate where I find myself? A friend suggested I stop at The Archway outside Kearney, Nebraska. Maybe I can find a book that describes all the sites along Route 80 that are worth stopping for.
     Meanwhile my packing system is coming together -- plastic totes for food items, plastic totes for electronics and camera equipment, packing cubes for clothes sorted by weather all in a duffle bag, a small gym bag for everything I'll need for one night stays, a very large bag with baby gifts, a tote for jackets and shoes, stuff bags for pillow, blankets, linens, and more. The goal is to pack my car in a way that makes it easy to find what I need while I travel. Wish me luck!

Getting ready

First thing this morning I checked the weather apps. "Best laid plans of mice and women...." snowstorm coming to Chicago area on Monday, my set departure date. So, new plan. Drive Monday for 3 hours to Michigan City and stop for the night. Savor winter on Lake Michigan and the sand dunes. And of course, there's always the outlet mall. Then, I'll head out the next day (which is forecast to be sunny) to Iowa City.

    Part of the fun of a trip is researching where to go, how to get there, where to stay, and of course, what to pack. I googled "road trip packing list" and found lots of great ideas. I ended up with over 150 items on my list. Seriously! Categories include gifts, car stuff, food, snacks (yes, it  deserves its own category), toiletries, electronics, clothes and shoes. And furniture, which is one reason I'm driving to Oregon but certainly not the most important. There's a wealth of suggestions from those who've done this before, even how to pack your car so its most convenient. Isn't the internet amazing?

Yes, I'm driving cross country and yes, I'm doing it by myself

I'm officially retired now. That means I can be gone from Ann Arbor any time of the month. Before, my editing schedule was such that I had to be here the last 2 weeks of every month (except December and June), which really put a crimp on my traveling. I feel confident that Clare, the new editor, can do it without me from here on, so I'm hitting the road next week. My plan is to be in Portland, Oregon, by February 6. That gives me 8 days to drive 3400 miles. After coffee with Nick R. today, I realized I might have been a bit too optimistic is my ability to drive 6-7 hours every day for 5 days straight. So, I vow to be flexible, smart and take time to enjoy the scenery. I will drive on freeways, not back roads, and if the weather is bad, I will wait it out. Along the way, I hope to stay in other cohousing communities (Iowas City and Salt Lake City for sure) and explore as many museums and cultural centers as possible, thanks to my membership in the North American Reciprocal Museum Association. (more on that later.)
     So, yes, I am driving in winter by myself, and yes, I will wait out any winter storms I encounter along the way. I feel confident because my car is awesome — a 2017 Subaru Outback with 4 wheel drive, and lots of safety features, and an iPad filled with music, podcasts, and audio books. And, a long list of friends I've been meaning to call for way too long. After a week or so in Portland, I will head south with my Ben thru California, all the way to Santa Barbara. Tentatively I'll then continue on my way to LA, then maybe to some national monuments in Utah, before heading south to see friends in Austin and San Antonio. I need to be back to Ann Arbor by mid-March. Its road trip time!!!