Confusing headline, eh? Weren’t we just heading East?
Well, I guess this is where whim comes in. Theo and I just spent several days in Arkansas. It is a truly beautiful state. While in Arkansas we visited two of my step-cousins, whom I haven’t seen in way-too-many years. It was a delight to see both of them and their families. It reminded me that we have to see each other again much sooner. I really like these folks! We spent the afternoon yesterday in Fayetteville, AR where my mom, dad, aunt, uncle and step-mom all attended college. It is lush and gorgeous.
The thing I had somehow forgotten was that from Arkansas eastward it is also terribly humid (duh!). When Theo and I were at Crater of Diamonds State Park it was in the 80’s and 90’s with about 80% humidity. Theo was red and felt ill within about 30 minutes. I lasted all of two hours before I was beet red and overheated. It was my big aha moment where I realized I did not want to spend the next two plus weeks feeling miserable. (As a kid I would get heat stroke and heat sick from the heat/humidity. I tried to get used to the heat/humidity in Miami for 7 years. It never worked.)
So, since this is my party, I decided (with Theo’s agreement) to head back West and spend more time exploring there. The down side is that there are some friends in Asheville and Ohio that I was really looking forward to seeing. I think I will just need to do some travel to those spots in the fall or over spring break – certainly during the lower heat seasons. Part of me feels sheepish and foolish. The other part is now thoroughly convinced that I am more of a Westerner than I realized. I started to breathe easier as we got back to the big, open spaces of Oklahoma. Go figure!
I am looking forward to some additional time in Colorado. The change in plans will also afford us a trip to see our friends in Mt. Shasta, CA and Ashland, OR on our way home.
Theo and I will still go to New York to meet Nina, Michael’s sister, who lives out on Long Island in Southampton. We will just fly there from Denver. So we will be in NY the 17-23 and then come back to Colorado and on with our road trip.
So we are headed to Colorado, and are currently just about to head across the great expanse called Kansas. Happy trails from your western friends…
