Looking forward to 91/2 hours alone in the car...

It may sound strange, but I enjoy long trips in the car. I always have and probably always will. I especially like driving places by myself. I'm going to Colorado tomorrow and will be on the way before dawn, driving to the west in my little car.

I am also glad for the evolution of cell phones. This may seem like an unrelated comment, but let me explain. Before the advent of cell phones, people looked over at someone like me, alone in the car, chattering away and attempted to put as many miles between us as possible. Nowadays, folks just assume that I am talking to someone on a hands-free device and continue to talk to their friends on their cell phones.

Here is my car trip tradition.

  1. I already have directions to the hotel - Yes, Tawnya, I did download the directions at the beginning of June and have posted them on my bulletin board where I ALWAYS put trip details. This way I can find them in a hurry.
  2. Today I will do laundry, pick up prescriptions, wash dishes, and pack. I take two coolers, one for water, and one for food. I will pack everything into the car this evening before I go to sleep.
  3. I will set out early tomorrow - the earlier the better, probably around 6am. This should bring me to Fort Collins sometime around 3pm, accounting for bathroom and gasoline breaks.
  4. I will take a book full of CDs for my listening pleasure during the trip. This will increase the likelihood of singing rather than talking to myself, but I am not at all afraid of being caught talking to myself during the trip - hence, the beauty of cell phones!
  5. I will drive 5 miles over the speed limit at all times - just enough to feel like I am breaking the law (because, technically, I am), but not enough to catch attention of any state troopers out there looking for speeders - Thank goodness for cruise control!
  6. Once in Fort Collins, I will hunt out a place to purchase everything that I have forgotten at home - tradition, and call my contact at CSU.

I like spending time completely alone, and I typically take a road trip during this time every summer. The difference this summer is that I am not going to Southern California (the place I call home), but to a place that I have not driven to before. No In-N-Out Burgers - sniff. Lots of time to sing, plot, practice, fantasize, and ponder.

Oh! And play the alphabet game.

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