Light at the end of the Tunnel?
First off, is COVID actually going away soon? I don’t know. Vaccinations are up, but so are infection rates. I am not a scientist or anything and I don’t know how to interpret that information. I am going to be an optimist and ASSUME that COVID lockdowns will ease up more in the next couple of months. *crossing my fingers*
Let’s Prepare anyway
Since I am getting my 2nd shot in just a couple of days, I am starting to make plans to travel. It will be a month or so until I do anything good, because I have a lot more than just getting vaccinated.
- I will still wear a mask until the CDC says it is safe not to.
- I will social distance until the CDC says I can hug people again.. I am looking forward to that.
- I will still use hand sanitizer, as always.
I will be road tripping more this year than I have in the past 2 years. I do have a “normal” day job now, so I can plan weekend trips, and I have some vacation time coming up. But, I have more to consider than my health safety. I need a good road trippin’ vehicle.
- Buy a Road Trip worthy vehicle (done)
- Make new vehicle more Road Trip worthy (WIP)
- Put in a bed
- Make room for bike
- Add storage
- Add extra battery
- Drive
Yes, I have a new vehicle (actually 2)
I sold the Hyundai with 63,000 miles on it. Not a lot of miles, but that was a lot of rideshare driving, and rough miles. Not to mention, I wanted something a little more versatile. When I sold the car, I bought a new eBike. I need to exercise, and that is one way to get me to do it. If I just bought a standard bike, I doubt I would have had the motivation to ride it as much. I am using it as a main commuter and getting around my neighborhood. I work from home, so I don’t really need a car to get around that much in the warmer weather.
Then, I bought my Road Trippin vehicle. It is a 2021 Ford Transit XLT Connect Cargo Van. I have a lot of work to put into it. I can easily fit the bike in there, but I need to squeeze a bed in there, too. I have been looking at a lot of YouTube videos and blogs on how to do it. I have a decent idea of what I want to do, but I haven’t started, yet. I am waiting for curtains to be delivered right now to put them in. That will be my first “modification” to it.
Where to go?
That is the million dollar question! If I can muster 2 week’s vacation this year, I am driving Route 66. Although I have driven it many times, I have never done it as a vacation, it was always for work. I have friends in LA I would like to visit, and this would be a great way to hang out with them. One of them will let me stay at their house for a few days. That would be perfect 🙂 I also have a friend in Taos that I may try to meet up with. I have not been there before. And I like going places I have not been to before!
If I can only squeak out a week of vacation, I will do some sort of circle tour around the midwest and meet up with some friends in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, maybe even Iowa and Kansas. Maybe I will just go to the Ozarks and enjoy nature there. It is a beautiful area.
In the meantime, I will take weekend trips and sleep in the van, probably down by the river. LOL I plan on traveling around places that are less populated and be in nature as much as I can. I could use COVID as an excuse, but I like the open spaces and not being in large crowds. I like small gatherings and meeting new people in that type of environment.
I just want to go now
I am sure I am not the only one itching to get out there. That is going to be a bit of a problem. There is a shortage of camping spots nationwide. I am not expecting to be able to find much in the way of camping spots. The big plus of having a small van is that I can use a tent camping spot easily. Hopefully those are more readily available. I don’t expect it, but I can sleep in a parking lot or rest area if I have to. That is why I got this particular van!
Moral of the story:
BE SAFE! Be healthy! Get out and #JustExploreIt
Until next time, safe travels.
