Tomorrow, Caroline and I leave for a trip to the Great Plains. This will be the first time in 8 years that we’ve been out there and nearly 20 years since the two of us were as far north as we hope to get this long weekend. Our destination is supposed to be somewhere in North Dakota. I have to say “I hope to get there” because I finally checked the weather forecast, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s calling for wind, rain, and thunderstorms. It’s almost comical because it was on our last big road trip back in 2015 nearly to the day when we detoured from our itinerary due to flooding as we passed between Texas and Oklahoma. Certainly, a more favorable outcome is on the horizon this time around. The traces on this portion of our U.S. map are roads we’ve driven, the empty area is a mystery.

Should anyone wonder, where exactly out on those wind-swept plains are you two going? It doesn’t matter as all that’s important is we are going to where the rest of America is not going over Memorial Day. This journey will be a meander and has the flexibility to change course should we need to or simply want to. To those we told we’d be in Europe at this time: that was delayed while we wait for the economy to fall into an actual recession so the cost of travel can come down. We could have chosen the Oregon Coast for this getaway but flights and the crappiest of motels would have been more expensive than spending time in Germany. Driving to Oregon wasn’t an option, not due to the price of gas but the fact that we need 4 days of driving for the roundtrip, and that would then only offer us 2 days on the coast, and that’s no bueno.

There are aspects of this drive that have different meanings such as the fact that I simply enjoy the drive where my eyes fall upon different scenery and just might inspire something or other. For days, Caroline and I will be next to one another nearly 24 hours a day and will likely enjoy every minute of it. There’s also our trophy map of the United States on which we track the roads we’ve driven. The path we’re taking will take previously untraveled roads as much as possible. This feat will allow us to add two fat lines going out and coming back. And then there are the unknowns where little delights and unexpected surprises will help make the entire experience memorable. Even if it were truly boring, rest assured that I’ll get at least a few photos that show otherwise and I’ll write a simple narrative that will demonstrate that love and beauty greeted us at every turn, that is if there are any turns on this bolt north.