We miss The Wanderer! While traveling in The
Beast is quicker (3-1/2 days vs. 9 days) and one could argue a bit more
comfortable, especially for Captain, we tired quickly of hotels and
restaurants. And we missed meeting other travelers at Harvest Host stays.
One thing we have learned is, all Hampton Inns are not the same. Having made many trips over the past 30+ years to Captain’s hometown in College Station, TX , we were familiar with the one in Texarkana, AR, so that was a no-brainer. However the one in Las Cruces, NM and the one in Midland, TX (a TRU hotel) are on our Never Again list.
Traveling the familiar route to Arizona, a lot of our conversations were about previous trips, so we revisited a couple of our past Harvest Host proprietors.
It was not the same as our memories were of sipping wine on the patio visiting with other travelers after the winery closed.
Our memory of this Harvest Host stay was sleeping in the parking lot, waking to a construction crew.
We did find an interesting brewery in Midland, TX.
On the other hand, there are pluses to traveling in a SUV over a motorhome, other than using a lot less gasoline; there is no worry about parking spaces; consistent high speed internet; and no need for dumping stations.
Even though we miss our “home”, in the vacation rental we
enjoyed the full size shower, no laundromats and a full kitchen.
Our Airbnb in a retirement community was very nice with all
the modern conveniences and many miles of walking trails.
We missed seeing the beautiful western sunsets, the view of the mountains, camaraderie of other travelers and the familiarity of our tailor-made comfort creatures. But we were conveniently located near Fry’s grocery, Trader Joe’s and many other commercial entities. Most importantly, we were located midway between our friends in Gold Canyon and family in Chandler, and we had the opportunity to share our space with other friends and family.
To live life to the fullest as we age, we are embracing the changes.
