The Wild, Wild West -May 13, 2015

Captain’s Log:  May 13, 2015

As if I could ever be considered the captain.  More like the washer woman in the bottom of the ship….

Big huge, big huge, big huge trip looming on the horizon.  At least I consider a 6 week vacation a huge vacation!  We had to skip a big vacation last summer to Washington D.C. because my self employed husband was in the middle of building big wonderful houses and couldn’t get away.  That happens when you are self employed because the job has to get done very well or else you don’t eat.  However, on the flip flop side of that idea, when you are self employed if an opportunity arises, you don’t have to beg for someone’s permission to take it! And that is why we are setting out on a six week vacation, the opportunity has arisen!  Actually, vacation may not be the proper word here.  It may be more of an adventure in the long run rather than a vacation. 

Now I know the first thing you think is “How in the heck can one afford no work for six weeks and just take off on a big trip that will cost a fortune even if one tries to make it as inexpensive as possible?”  The simple answer to that question is that in this United States of America, a small business owner is governed in such a way that he cannot just have a good year of business and save his money for the lean years.  Nope. Mike had a good year last year, but he will lose it all this year in taxes, if he doesn’t play his cards right.  We love our country and are very patriotic, but there is a limit to how much we are willing to donate to our beloved country.  So a long trip has been born to keep things fair on both ends with Uncle Sam. 

About five years ago, my daughter and I were cuddled up on the couch doing some language arts school work.  The basal reader story we were reading was about John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt setting aside land for the National Parks System.  We were both captivated.  We gobbled up the pictures of El Capitan in Yosemite, a giant drive-through tree in Sequoia, Old Faithful in Yellowstone, and, of course, the heads of our beloved presidents on Mount Rushmore.  There is just something that twists a big muscle in the middle of my chest  when I see these pictures.  A big lump forms in my throat.  These places are true Americana.  The foresight of Muir and Roosevelt to save these special, unprecedented vistas for us makes them true heroes.

While Natalie expressed how much she wanted to see the Giant Sequoias, especially General Sherman,  I longed to see it all, but whenever I attempted to plan a vacation out West, it seemed impossible.  The drive to California from Indiana is just immense.  It would take a week just to drive to California and back without seeing one thing along the way.  Flying is too expensive for us and limits what you can see and what you can eat.  So then I tried to plan a  two week vacation, still not leaving much time to see more than one or two places.  Last  fall, before Christmas, Mike suggested we just go ahead and plan a month so we could see it all.  Well, a month wasn’t enough either!  So we have planned a huge, big six week vacation that will encompass the entire West , leaving very little out.  Oh, yeah…..one little detail…..We are camping. See why it is going to be an adventure instead of a vacation? 

Up next:  Preliminary Plans