For all the years I knew my sweet Aunt Margie, she loved to drive, but would defer to Uncle Clark on occasion. In her heart of hearts though, I know she felt her driving abilities superseded his.  (One look at their cars told the tale – his “island car”, was always a simple small sedan designed to get him where he needed to go.  Hers – the shiny just-off-the-line Cadillac, replaced frequently).  Ever the tactful wife, her way of getting him going (and maybe very subtly reminding him of who ran this particular show), was to sweetly say, “Put it in gear, Clark”, when they’d get in the car.  It never failed to crack us up, and in fact applied to how she handled her husband in many situations!

Aunt Margie lived her whole life “in gear”.  Never slowing down or stopping, up early and productive every moment of the day.  The daughter of a dairy farmer from Butler, PA, she valued early mornings and hard work.  Sometimes she just had to bring her dear husband along a little bit so he could keep up.

I hadn’t thought of that phrase for years, but today it popped into my mind as it pertained to my own adventure.

Getting it in Gear

Truth be told, I’ve had a hard time getting it in gear these past few weeks, and more than a few doubts about the journey I had laid out in front of me.  Really, what was I thinking?  A month away from my new house? (Seriously, what could go wrong in a 155 year-old house in a month?  Gulp.)  Thirty days on the road in a car with over 150,000 miles on it?  I sound so wise when I lay it out like this.  (This is my very prevalent sarcastic streak for those new readers.)   Not to mention that this trip entailed So.  Much.  Planning. 

But, I finally put it in gear and to mix metaphors; got outta Dodge.   Thirty-six hours later, I think we’ve traveled close to 900 miles and are settled in (now on day two!)  watching the stars in an ever-darkening sky in the hills of Wisconsin. 

Anxiety – gone.  Doubt – mostly in the rear view.  Sense of adventure – renewed. 

Sometimes you just have to go for it. In my case, it meant getting in the car and going forward.   In the truest sense, “ready or not, here I come”!  More on that subject in a longer normal blog post.  The topic at hand, though, is my first installment of “Around the Bend”.

Good Gravy

Beginning at our home near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, we headed west, covered a lot of miles, and will continue to do so for these first four days.  Then the adventuring of slowing down begins.  Anything that happens between home and Sheridan, Wyoming is gravy.  And I’ve already been served up a few heaping helpings.

Unexpected Neighbors in Pokagon

Lexi the Golden and I spent our first night at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana.  A fantastic park on Lake Pokagon, and our site sat just above a quiet part of the lake.

I had reserved the site over a month ago, just to be safe.  We checked in at the gatehouse and wound our way through the woods to the loop where our site was located.   Turns out site 120 is at the top of a little rise, and very out in the open and super close to its next-door neighbor.  Even more close, or so it seemed, to the folks across the narrow way.  All 20+ members of a very fun and somewhat raucous Amish family.  Insane amounts of laundry, laughing children, bikes and babies filled every inch of the space.

My thought process in my exhausted state (exhausted because getting it in gear that morning and actually pulling out of the driveway seemed a great feat, let alone driving 450 miles dreaming of peace and quiet and a campfire) . . . but I digress a bit . . . my thought process, all in the space of about 10 seconds as I parked the car was this:

Did I really want to put up my little tent by myself, sweating and struggling, while five burly capable Amish men who can raise a barn in one day watch me struggle? I think not.

Did I want to have the incredibly capable women feel pity for me as they watch me eat a cold supper of pasta salad and Lebanon bologna while they no doubt roasted whole chickens with all the trimmings over their campfire?  Again, no.  I should note here, however, that I was perfectly happy about my choice of dinner food.

A quick tour of the loop resulted in the discovery of the perfect and more secluded spot where I could struggle alone and have great access to the bathroom.  Back to the gate to see if it was available, and bingo!  It was ours.  I was prepared to struggle, if necessary, in peace.

Settling In

Within an hour my little home away from home was ready.  Okay, so honestly setting up the tent, inflating the air mattress, finding everything, getting the food together, building a fire and getting organized takes a lot of time. But each time it takes me fewer minutes, and the feeling of accomplishment is worth it even while I think that it would’ve been so much simpler to hand over my debit card and check in at the local Hampton Inn.  Simpler, but so much less satisfying. 

All in all, a productive and satisfying day one!

Future Just Being Bing & Finding Freedom News

I’m excited to share the road with you!  If you’re keen to follow along on my Northwest Passage trip, check back on the home page of Just Being Bing, or follow me on Facebook or Instagram for all the updates, news and photos.  My ultimate goal is to inspire others to find their own freedom on the road!

To make sure you get all the upcoming news about my upcoming book, Finding Freedom:  A Girls’ Guide to the Open Road – join The Wander-Bings, a Facebook group for anyone looking to find and share the wonder in their travels.

Travel on!

Bing