Kathy & I departed this morning for what we expect to be an 8,000 +/- mile journey to the Oregon coast, visiting Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Montana before making the big turn through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Utah before heading back through Colorado and home. With any luck there will be a Monte sighting along the way. 😉
We’re doing a few things differently this trip than we’ve ever done before. First, and the biggest departure for us, is that we have made zero hotel reservations beyond the first night. I’ve always been an ‘anal’ planner, preferring to have all my I’s dotted and T’s crossed, weeks and sometimes months before we leave home. We wanted to make this trip as flexible as possible, and figured that we shouldn’t have trouble finding a place to sleep as long as we keep the “requirements” to a minimum.
The second departure – for me – is that this is the longest trip we’ve taken with the least amount of camera gear. I have my X-T4 and my 3 zoom lenses – the sweet 16-80, the 55-200 and the 10-24. And it is all in a shoulder bag! I have always ended up with at least one backpack, sometimes two. This time the backpack holds our computers and peripherals, but not camera gear. Nice!
So stay tuned for some “Postcards” from the road, plus some hopefully interesting photos – and stories – along the way!
Well, this is going to be good. Some really nice states you will be driving through. Looking forward to the photos and stories. And the Monte sighting. I like the no-planning concept and the light-on-the-gear option. My kind of road trip. Stay safe and have fun.
Thank you, Cedric. We’ve just finished Day 3 and have seen some interesting things. I just need to have a few minutes to put together some posts…hopefully in the next few days. 😉
Glad you’re on the road and hoping all has gone well and finding the awe and wonder in unexpected places. Dang, I was surprised with the 8,000 miles. Heck, you could almost get to Cedric’s place and sleep on the couch!
You really are stepping out and that will make it even a better experience, IMHO. The unexpected always seems to add something special to the trips. The lighter load for gear in one shoulder bag is a good idea. It’s always more enjoyable when gear is easily accessed and we are not tired from lugging around an extra lens we never used at the end of the day.
Looking forward to meeting up with you guys and where’s the post cards!
Yep, it’s a lot of driving but what a way to go! So far so good, but I haven’t been spending much time with the computer – so much to see and do!
Good luck on your adventure Tom. I know you are well into it by now as I have been seeing your postcards. The long drives through rather empty countrysides is always a part that needs some patience for me. Have fun!
Thank you Mark! We’re calling it our Social Distancing Tour since we’re mostly staying away from the busy parks. So far so good!