It’s All About the Journey, Right?

I love road trips. Always have. Something incredibly inspiring and thrilling about driving across America’s roadways and seeing other parts of the country. It appeals to me.

And the truth be told, I don’t require exotic locales or extreme distance driving either. I’m rather fond of my roots, and the Midwest is full of “fresh territory” to explore or old haunts to reclaim, and so I have much more to investigate nearby. Day trip visits to Newark, Ohio or Fairmount, Indiana work just fine for me, and those locations are easier on a single girl's budget and her time, too.

Yes, eventually I’d love to make it out West to California, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Colorado and Oregon someday. Those are all on my to-do list. I also have the urge to return to New Mexico and revisit the Dakota badlands as well. I’d love to re-discover the East coast again as an adult, and it is common knowledge that I never tire of visiting the South (like the Carolinas, Tennessee, etc.) or Washington, D.C. either. However, when I can’t get away for an extended retreat, a short road trip is good for all that ails me.

Last Friday, I had scheduled a quick trip to Dayton, Ohio to pick up the bridesmaid dresses for my niece Janet’s wedding in August. My sister and I are both in the wedding party, and since I have my Fridays off on my 4x10 day schedule, I volunteered to make the drive to collect them. Originally on this venture, I had planned to make a stop and visit the Dayton Art Institute again. It's a favorite of mine, and it made sense since I would be so close, but then another thought occurred to me the night before the drive. Hmmmm...I wonder where the Dawes Arboretum is again? Wasn’t it in Ohio?

The back story here is that several years ago, 3 friends and I took a fun-filled, breathless, blitz, weekend road trip to Washington, D.C. On the drive back through Ohio, we happened upon the Dawes Arboretum in Newark. We stopped for an hour or so to stretch our legs, did a running highlight tour of the gardens and then got back on the road towards Indianapolis. It was quite fun, the gardens were lovely, and the whole stop was rather memorable.

So back to Thursday around midnight, I got out my atlas and hopped online and chartered a route to the center of Ohio and back again. I immediately realized that Newark was NOT on my way to Dayton at all. In fact it was about an hour and a half beyond Dayton. AHEM! So I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to make that long of a day trip or not, but I headed back to bed, my head pondering the many possibilities.

I woke up Friday morning, still debating what to do. I started out for Dayton and along the way called my sister and told her I was opting for the longer, scenic tour. I was going to go to Dayton and beyond. This girl was out for an adventure and a chance to revisit a spot I had enjoyed once before.

Nearly 4 hours later, I arrived at the Dawes Arboretum and set off to explore the many gardens, snapping photos along the way. It was a hot, muggy day, but I was still in my element. I was elated to be back again, strolling through the Japanese gardens and marveling at the hedge that spells out “DAWES ARBORETUM.” I had a marvelous time, and I’m so glad that I opted to head out on such an amazing excursion on my own.

Honestly, I think Friday’s excursion gives me some real spontaneity points! COME ON! I earned them! I wanted to be more spontaneous in 2010, and so my “to-Newark-and-back” trip definitely deserves several points. I showed real spontaneous promise what with my lack of decision-making and unplanned detour along the journey. It was a win-win situation really!

Bridesmaid dresses safely and timely retrieved from the Alfred Angelo store in Dayton – CHECK!

Savoring the view of the Japanese Gardens (and plotting my future wedding on location there) – CHECK!

Life enriched with spontaneous nature adventure and discovering new roadside scenery – DOUBLE CHECK!!