What better place to write a blog entry than in my Airstream? For 14 years I’ve been blogging steadily, rarely missing more than a week in all that time, and probably 90% of my blatherings have been composed and written right where I’m sitting now: at the dinette table of my Airstream. It’s the most inspirational place I know, because it holds the memories of every place I’ve been and the view out the window is always changing.

So it feels like I’m sitting in a well broken-in saddle on my favorite horse, as I flip open the laptop and resume the Man In The Maze after an unusual six month hiatus. I needed some time off to take care of “life” (you know, all the stuff that happens while you’re making other plans) but lately I’ve been looking forward to writing again.

There’s a light warm breeze causing the palm trees to sway ever so slightly in Tucson this morning, an iced coffee on the table, and Bruce is singing “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”. I’m anticipating an inspirational summer full of adventure. In short, conditions are ideal for writing. So the blog is resuming today, and it’s going to continue until at least October.

This year my travel will be a bit different. I’ll be traveling solo from Tucson to (eventually) Jackson Center, Ohio, the home of Airstream and of course the 10th Alumapalooza. Emma will be busy with college classes and her part-time job, and Eleanor will be staying back with her for a while. She’ll fly up to Ohio to participate in Alumapalooza, of course, doing two culinary demonstrations this year.

Since I’m going to be alone for the drive, it’s up to me alone to figure my route. I’ve decided to look up friends that I haven’t seen in a while, with the first major stop being Austin, TX. If we’ve met but lost touch, and you live anywhere near the route from Austin to Dayton, ping me. Or, if you want to suggest an interesting place to stop, I’m open to suggestions. I’ve got a few extra days in the schedule to spend on “whatever”, which is really my favorite way to plan an Airstream trip.

If you want to follow along, saddle up. My rough itinerary after Alumapalooza will be:

• Vermont to visit family and friends for a few weeks
• some sort of motorcycle trip in New England or New York … or Quebec
• likely a side trip to Montreal
• WBCCI International Rally in Doswell, VA
• Massachusetts to visit friends
• Vermont again for a while, with another side trip likely
• bicycling the Great Appalachian Path and C&O Canal trails from Pittsburgh PA to Washington DC
• some sort of random route back to Arizona, arriving in October.

In short, it’s going to be a fun summer, filled with adventure and wonderful people. I know I’ll be seeing a lot of you in Ohio at the Airstream factory in a few weeks, and I’m really looking forward to that.

If you’re not one of the 400+ Airstreamers coming to Alumapalooza, I hope you’ve got some other fun summer travel plans. Life is good and there’s a lot of this great country to explore.