Leisurely and then frantically

We are revisiting the roadtrip calendar that I made some time ago. There's a lot to think through about the trip, and many details that were unknown when I first made the calendar. Now there are fixed points- the departure, Islesboro, Williamsburg, and the end date. This is good. If it weren't for these fixed dates, I'd be contemplating the idea of expanding the trip.

At first I didn't want to spend a lot of time doing research about our locations. I figured that we'd get to a place and find things to do. Then Matt and I started talking and learned that we had some different ideas, so some thought was in order. It also made sense to think about what we wanted to do in order to do some more specific budgeting than I had done initially. (Can we ride the Maid of the Mist in Niagara, when it's our first stop? Or should we save our money?) We each started thinking of things we want to do in the cities, especially Boston and New York. This resulted in a list long enough to last us a week in Boston and two weeks in NYC. We also started looking at the map more, which led to wanting to see more (e.g., the Maine coast, Salem, Stonyfield farm in NH- the source of most of Calvin's protein).

In addition to more thought about where we're going, I plan when under stress. I'm not really that stressed about the trip. But I am working on at least one grant proposal due before we go, we're starting to homeschool, and we are going on this trip. So, my planning response has kicked in.

The result is that now I see a leisurely beginning to the trip and then a frantic end in big cities. The schedule is like the planning for the trip- first leisurely and then a little more frantic!

We have friends going on a trip around the world. Last night Lisa told Matt that they are not trying to see everything. Their children are young, they are young, and the cities will be there in the future. She is right. The journey is the adventure and that is why we are going. The cities will be there. In fact, they are driving distance (unlike on a trip around the world!). We can go again during the homeschool year if we want to!