We recently took an amazing vacation. When your husband is a farmer, you do not take time away in the summer (when the weather is nice all over the country, not just in the south) lightly. We do this every other year or so. In the opposite year we usually take a nicer winter time vacation to somewhere warm just to get out of the deep freeze, which is a Northern Michigan winter.
We have a 'bucket list' if you will, of vacations dreamed of to far away places (and even some not so far places). It's fun to go and experience something we've never seen and always wanted to see and enjoy. We are so blessed to be able to do so!
Last winter we began chatting about places to go and see. Places that we wouldn't want to be in the colder weather, but would be ideal in July or August. And one place kept coming up...Glacier National Park. Montana. A place I had never been and Dave had not been to since he was a child. I went straight to our local library, as I have done many times in the past, but they really did not have anything specific to this area. Books with excerpts of Glacier, but not specific to it. I looked it up online, ordered info on Montana and the National Parks (free guidebooks to locations are wonderful resources!) and waited. And I have to say, media mail is cheap and I know WHY they use it to send their free info, but it takes FOR-EV-ER!
I then spent an entire Saturday reading reviews online of places, both parks and lodging, restaurants, etc and mapped out a basic plan. The next big decision was to determine if we were going to fly or drive. Remember...Michigan...to Montana. When I figured out the miles (1996.42 miles), it was as if we were going to be pioneers traveling by covered wagon. Holy cow! Even to drive it would take 3 days. And that's with 75-80mph speed limits of Montana factored in. And did I mention that we are farmers? (I say that lightly because "he" is a farmer...I am merely the farmer's wife). Farmers don't want to be away that long (and often can't be). But we also live in RURAL Michigan. No close airports. And the ones we can easily leave from (defining easily as drive 2 hours to the airport, arriving 1 1/2 hours early), then having at LEAST one layover, but usually two (because we are also going to another somewhat remote area). So even flying did not give us too much extra free time.
So we made the decision to drive. I figured we could leave really early and hit the road hard for 17 hours, stopping only for gas, stretching and quick meals. Not ideal, but do-able (and we had been prepped for this kind of driving when our son when to college several states away and we visited him). Then have a second long driving day (12-14 hours) before we arrived at our destination.
And that's where my planning ended. Oh I wanted to make calls. And I wanted to get reservations. But life got in the way (a very enjoyable work and fun filled life) and it sort of never happened. I still had a few weeks left before vacation...or did I? Turns out I had one. And it was full of lots of good things, but not a lot of leftover time. The sort of week when you don't have time to gather your own personal thoughts.
Did I mention that I am a Planner? yes, that is a Planner with a capital "P"! I plan well and over plan to cover all of my bases.
So what's a girl to do? You'll have to wait for the rest of the story....
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