Four years ago Michael found our GMC for sale. It was in good condition. It worked. It was in our price range. At the time, Michael had been retired for a year. I knew I still had a few years of teaching in front of me before retiring, but I also knew our retirement years were on the horizon. Our thoughts: We could spend those golden years traveling --- in an old RV! We bought it and dubbed it "The Pickle."
Fast forward to today. I'm now retired and we still have the GMC. Following this admittedly thin line of logic, we decided it was time to plan the big trip that would justify the Green Machine's purchase. How big? Well, three years ago Michael and I drove the Incredible Hulk around the northern edge of Lake Superior, veering west from Minnesota to Corsica, South Dakota, to attend my family reunion before returning to Michigan.
Two years ago Michael (and Nina) journeyed to Du Quoin, IL, to the National GMC Convention, and last summer, we, with the help of some good friends, babied the rig to Sedalia, MO.(It was 106 degrees! Really! Oh, where can we find some unpolluted-non-ethanol gas?) We were towing a 4,000 lb.trailer containing two motorcycles and an air conditioner to attend the National BMW Motorcycle Meet.
Obviously, our retirement trip needed to be bigger, yes, AND it needed to save us from another Michigan winter.
Suddenly we were telling everyone we talked with about the trip, and curiously, it seemed to take on a life of its own. The words "West 'til we run out of land and then south 'til we hit water" became Michael's mantra. He mapped, he Google Earthed, and he came up with a route. So it was set and it felt right to have an adventure to anticipate and prepare for.
As summer waned, we set a departure date, and as we have gotten closer to that date, we've wavered between two distinct emotions. Dread (when I think of our trip's potential catastrophes and side-of-the-road breakdowns) and eager anticipation (when I am confident of the unfolding eventualities of adventure.)
Looming or promising.
Apprehensive or optimistic.
Cloudy or sunny.
Four days to go!! Clouds are lifting!!
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