Westward

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Oh, Kansas

The freedom of retirement could not be more evident than in the planning of this trip. While scheduling my life and having to say no to pickleball, mahjong, coffees, lunches, dinners, playing on the worship team and other assorted commitments, my reason has been, "Oh, I can't we'll be traveling."

The next question I get is typically, "Where are you going?" 

When I answer, "west," the responses I get are very telling.

"West. Huh." Often accompanied by head-scratching.

"West?" With an unspoken invitation to say more.

"Uhh..." Complete confusion.

Following last year's ultimate teacher retirement trip to New England in the fall, conversation began soon after for the fall 2026 trip. We both gravitated towards the National Parks of southern Utah. We had not been there since the summer of 2007 during the OG 28-day roadtrip--the origin of this blog. While we have had a good amount of flexibility in the years that followed that first big roadtrip, we were limited to summer. I think it's why we typically plan our biggest trip in the fall now.

Many of you know how we ended up on such a long roadtrip in 2007--one conversation about the Badlands (Tim's choice) and San Francisco (my choice) led to dreaming about more--maybe we could see both. If we were going to drive, maybe we could see more, aaaanddd by the time we hit the road, we had an itinerary that took us all the way out to the West Coast and back with amazing stops along the way! The blog happened because we had anxious people at home who wanted to know we were safe. It turned into a beautiful way to relive that trip.

Sorry, back to this year. In some ways, this trip morphed in the same way. I added the Redwoods to the Utah destination. Tim couldn't imagine going there without seeing Yosemite again. I kept being reminded of the Pando--an aspen colony that is considered the largest living organism (by weight/mass) on Earth. Tim discovered some beautiful scenic drives through Colorado.

So...we have time. We have the means. We hope to hit as many of those places (and more). Our limitations? There have been some wildfires, floods, and landslides that may restrict access. I have to be back for a worship team rehearsal on October 17. Tim has a loose plan with many chose-your-own-adventure options.

There you have it. I'm going to try to blog each day. It was grueling in 2007 to upload tons of photos, master the technology involved to publish a blog, and write with any amount of creativity. I've mastered the technology which has becoming more streamlined and efficient. I am not so sure about the writing. There were days I stayed up early into the next morning trying to finish it all. I'm too old for that nonsense, but I'll do what I can. :)

Day one when you head west is always a slog. I was born in Kansas so I can't completely trash it, but the scenery? Well...it leaves something to be desired. We covered a lot of ground today and are spending the night in Goodland, KS.

First stop--Sweet Springs, MO.

We had to stop here because of a conversation I had with my niece, Hayley. You'll have to ask her the story.

Second stop--The Old School Social

Stopped here for coffee (also in Sweet Springs). We always try to support local when possible--especially coffee shops--great coffee with a couple of housemade syrups.

How we eat lunch when we're trying to cover a lot of ground in one day

Don't worry, I fed Tim his cheese and crackers. The Cheese Shop (along with grapes and blueberries we threw in the car from home) made a tasty lunch on the road--and no fast food chains! Thanks to my friend, Eileen, homemade chocolate chip cookies hit the spot for dessert.

Driving through Kansas, online trivia was our friend. I'm always amazed at how much history and geography Tim knows.

Dinner at Traditions in Goodland, KS--chicken fried steak

Strawberry-rhubarb pie for dessert--haven't had pie that good in a loooong time!

And now to get a little rest before heading to the great state of Colorado. Leave a comment if you're so inclined--always good to hear from home!