Extreme Road Trip

I love to travel. Traveling has always consumed more than its fair share of the budget. One of the primary ways in which I organize my time is around my vacation schedule. Its been a few months since I took a trip (the Italian extravaganza), so I'm very excited about next week when traveling time comes around again.
Around this time next week I'll pack some clothes, take my Ipod, a few books, and my camera, grab the map from the backseat, and drive. I don't have an itinerary. I don't have a schedule. I'll just be gone.
I am adopted. I sometimes joke that I think my biological parents were carnival workers, or hobos, or cross-country truckers or some other nomadic people, because I have a nomadic streak in me that my parents definitely do not have. I have thus far lived in five states. They have always lived in rural yet suprisingly cosmopolitan Sikeston. If instead of sleeping in a filthy railcar hobos went to a nice hotel every night then I definitely could have been a hobo.
I try to take a trip like this at least once a year. Some people are not a big fan of the driving, but I love it. I love to wander. When I head out with a map and nowhere in particular to go it is nothing short of exhilarating. Its an adventure. It is also incredibly relaxing. Like I said earlier, I'll take some books to catch up on my reading. I'll take my Ipod for music. I'll take my camera with some black and white film so I can practice photography.
After a few days the solitude will get boring. However, until it does, there is rarely a time when I'm so content. Its a great way to get away from life's daily stresses and make extended time for meditation, thought, and prayer. And then I'll return, rejuvenated, ready to plan my next vacation.

By the way, I'm very happy to report that this is my official first post from my new place. I'm currently sitting at my computer, which is in the front bedroom/guest bedroom/office. The desk is up against the windows, through which I'm looking out across to Capitol Hill and the Nashville skyline. All in all it was about the most painless move I've yet encountered. And its a very very fine house.