This is a light post today. I hope it brings a modicum of joy to anyone feeling stressed about the upcoming election—or any other troubling current events.
The two sounds I love most when walking in the forest are the crunch of leaves and snow underfoot. It remains to be seen if we’ll have deep enough snow before we depart in five weeks, but this afternoon’s shuffling through our nearby woodlands was a delight.
The first part of this film is for those of you who don’t get to enjoy this annual autumnal occurrence.
The second portion is one of my favorite clips from our travels. It’s a reminder that our fellow mortals can know joy and play as much as you and me or Samwise and Emily.
I also offer up Grant Snider's lighthearted comic strip poetry. Over the past week, I have looked at this countless times. Grant is a genius at wordplay, and I hope you enjoy his ABCs.
Our Trip Countdown
In five weeks, we leave for our longest Great American Road Trip yet—5 months. It will be here before we realize it!
Our itinerary is finally set, although we’ll make allowances for weather and climate change. We are scheduled to visit 25 National Parks and an additional 50 National Monuments, National Historic Sites, Natural Wonders, and State Parks. I estimate that we will put 20,000 miles on the HMS Beagle, our new Kia Seltos (which currently has 5,000 miles), while visiting 38 states.
We’re also continuing the quest of the last trip to visit the homes and graves of many of America’s most noted authors, poets, and artists. Although there will be fewer than last time, 15 literary pilgrimages are currently planned, and I expect that number to grow.
Yes, I’m a literary geek.
Photo Giveaway
We recently asked you to vote on our October 2025 calendar photo, and you chose this one. We randomly selected one reader to win a framed version of the image. The winner is Gail Rice. I emailed Gail, but I’m still waiting for her to respond with her mailing address. Congratulations Gail!
Update: After reading today’s post, Gail responded with her address, and the framed photo will be delivered next week.
Random Travel Photo
We’re revisiting the Monterey Peninsula again, but we’ll only stay three nights instead of a week. It’s too expensive to stay longer. Besides, we had to nip and tuck to spend time with friends later in our travels. But we’ll enjoy our time in the land of Steinbeck, where we’ll also visit with three special friends.
“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we
had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road
