While most people were watching the ball drop in Times Square, fireworks, or singing ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ I was zzzzzzzzz, fast asleep. Even though I was in California (PST), I couldn’t make it to midnight in New York (EST).
What would make me, a forty-something, sleepy at 9pm (PST)?
The culprit was a week-long cross-country adventure of over 2,400 miles in a minivan.
Route 66 – Our Way
Although my PIC and I didn’t start in Chicago, where the famous Route 66 starts, we hit all of the other major waypoints from Illinois to California with our start in Indianapolis, In. We came. We saw and went through St. Louis, MO, Tulsa, OK, Amarillo, TX, Albuquerque, NM, Flagstaff, AZ, and Santa Monica, CA. Some of the destinations were worth a little extra time, others not so much (sorry Tulsa and Amarillo).
Kinda like the Sinatra song, ‘My Way’, my PIC and I did Route 66 our way. This meant taking the faster interstate version, I-44/I-40, and adding some detours to Utah and Nevada (not on Route 66).
Highlights Along Our Way
Gliding in Moriarty, NM with Sundance Aviation
Hiking in Zion National Park (not on Route 66)
Sunset in Joshua Tree, CA
Renting a Duffy (electric boat) in Long Beach, CA with Friends from Florida
Hiccups Along Our Way
*Driving in the winter without heat in the minivan = bundle up, use the seat heaters, and purchase a 12-volt heater for our feet (I certainly wasn’t in South Florida anymore.)
*12-volt heater led to a blown fuse which knocked out the radio = Pandora & Audible to the rescue
*Terrible snowstorm in Flagstaff, AZ = travel away from the storm to a lower elevation
*Numerous inconvenient closures due to the holidays, including rest areas, restaurants, and cargo pier in Long Beach, CA = au natural bathroom, many picnics (even Christmas night), and additional time in CA
Lesson from Our Way
Like any adventure, I returned home with a new perspective. I was grateful to be out of the van and warm again in South Florida. Removing myself from the norm allowed me to see my world, this New Year, and new decade differently, with new eyes. On Our Route 66, the challenges reminded me that Plan B’s are oftentimes better than Plan A’s could ever be. This is hard to process when all balls are dropping and the you know what is hitting the fan, but it is true. In this New Year and new decade, don’t we all need this Plan B reminder?
