I woke up this morning with more vigor than I’ve had in a while. And when breakfast was over I bounded toward my treadmill with a little more spring in my step. The primary reason for this energy comes from the fact that today I’m going to be getting in my car for a weekend road trip to Colorado.

I love road trips. It’s no secret. Road trips are in my top ten list, right up there in my bio next to gardening and hunting for the perfect cheeseburger. So far this year I haven’t been able to get my fix like I normally would have. I did go on one trip with my Z earlier this year which was a substitute for the original adventure we had planned for her graduation. That was also to Colorado.

I was talking with my friend Steph yesterday about how Colorado is the perfect quick getaway for those of us who live just to the east in the flatland. The driving is pretty boring, admittedly, until one gets away from the monotony of Rolling farmland, unless of course an alternate route through the Sandhills is chosen.

The Sandhills and northwest Nebraska are beautiful and often overlooked, but if the goal is Colorado and you are limited on time like we are this weekend, then the scenic route is not really a good option.

Nope. The goal for us will be to get to the mountains as quickly as possible which means it will be I-80 west across the length of Nebraska.

Steph lives in southern Texas and was thinking they need to discover their perfect road-trip getaway. New Mexico maybe? I’ve never been but would like to visit sometime. I’d love to visit all 50 states. I should keep track of those I’ve visited and make a point to go to new places.

As it is now I often frequent the same spots. Mostly because of the people I’m visiting or, like this weekend, proximity. Who knows when air travel will be ok again so I’ll take what I can get!

This will also be the first time since my honeymoon in February that I’ve gotten to go anywhere alone with my love. The last bit of time off we both had we elected to try “staycationing.” We planned a week when no kids would be at the house. Just us, you know.

And then Jim’s adult son decided he was going to come stay for that entire week. And then his other son decided he was going to be over too, with friends, so it did not turn out quite as we had planned. So this road trip is also a welcome departure from the kids and house and chores and adult responsibility.

Normally we would reach out to family and friends who live near Denver and try and schedule a meet-up. But not this time. We will be short on time anyway, so all that we have will be dedicated to just us. Jim said, “I’m packing stuff for hiking but we might not even do that.”

By contrast, were bringing three swimsuits for the hot tub at our air B and B. Plus lounge clothes and food to sustain us for the duration. That’s it.

My prime directive today is to get the car packed up while Jim is at work. Other than that, I’m planning on chipping away at that list of stuff I’ve been procrastinating. This includes sorting through mail, paying bills, and cleaning. But probably I’ll end up working on the GLR or putting together manuscripts for submissions. Goodness knows I’d rather do the latter any day of the week, which is probably why the procrastination happens. I mean, who wants to scrub toilets anyway?! Not this girl!

Perhaps if I just pack the car really slowly I won’t have to do anything else. 😜

In any case.. I feel the rest of the day calling now and should prolly move along.

Next stop, Ogallala
~Miss SugarCookie