I Need a Plan

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Ocracoke Island, October 2014 ... here we come!

It takes a great deal of energy to offset my seriously Type A personality.   Which is why right now I feel like I’m in limbo-land, treading water.   Combining the boat and travel trailer we want to switch our lifestyle.   Taking advantage of places to see & things to do as they come up …  making a change to embrace “the journey and not the destination”.

Ocracoke Island, October 2014 ... here we come!
Ocracoke Island, October 2014 … here we come!

Sounds great, so why am I’m struggling?  Maybe it’s just temporary frustration because we picked up our travel trailer hoping to have a week of fun camping and the weather just didn’t cooperate.  After three days sitting inside staring at each other in 40 degrees, wind and monsoon rains, we gave up and brought the trailer south to the lake…. and put it in storage until the 3rd week of June when we’ll camp in it for Y Flyer Nationals.   That’s only 3 weeks….

In the meantime, I need a plan.  Not just an outline – like leaving here in October, heading toward the Outer Banks of North Carolina, camping our way down the coast through the N Ga mountains until we arrive back at the boat sometime mid-November.

Needing a bluewater fix bad ....
Needing a bluewater fix bad ….

And hopefully leave the marina & go sailing somewhere.

Then in mid-March 2015, we’ll meander west from Florida all the way to Utah where we’ll meet up with our long time cruising buddy boat friends, Doug & Rayene (formerly the NW Caribbean weatherman aboard s/v Kristiana), and camp our way through S. Utah and the “4 corners” area of National Parks.

So many opportunities, so little time ... even with 2 1/2 or 3 months planned, how will we ever decide?
So many opportunities, so little time … even with 2 1/2 or 3 months planned, how will we ever decide?

For most people, this would be a pretty good “plan”.  For me it’s a roadmap or outline.  I need details!  Part of the fun in cruising or camping is wandering and NOT having a plan.   Taking advantage of places to see and things to do along the way. …    Why am I struggling so much to do what I want to do!   Aaaarrrggg…

The best hiking guide for Southwest Utah's Canyon Country ... recommended by someone who lives and hikes there.
The best hiking guide for Southwest Utah’s Canyon Country … recommended by someone who lives and hikes there.

So I’m deluging myself with “not-planning”.  Doug & Rayene sent us tons (literally) of literature about the parks and adventures that await us next spring in Utah.  And Rayene’s Mom – who lives in St George, Utah, recommended the BEST hiking guide for Southwest Utah’s Canyon Country … and she should know.  In addition to living there, Rayene’s Dad is a fly fishing guide.

I’m researching places to leave Winterlude for the “commuter cruiser” summer, that don’t include South Florida.   But at the same time we’re struggling with do we really want to leave yet, with my Dad moving back to his apartment next week…

In the meantime, I have some more research to do …. a new grill for the trailer, pots & pans, things that we’ll need to camp for 8 days at Y Flyer Nationals.  And I need to research which National Park campgrounds we want to stay in this fall and make reservations for at least one — Ocracoke Island maybe — so there’s some “anchor” to our “going with the flow” new lifestyle.  Yep, just called the Ocracoke Nat’l Park campground, only to find out we won’t need a reservation for mid-October.

Does anyone else have a problem letting go and just enjoying the flow?  I’m working on it, really I am!  Comments?  Please leave a comment and share.  Cheers!  Jan

1 COMMENT

  1. Relax, it really is about the Journey. Between you and Utah there are a number of great wineries and micro breweries.

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