Still have all kinds of madness going on, but travel of any kind is one of my biggest joys, so hopefully elaborating on today's gratitude will add some real joy to my day.
1. Day trips while traveling with DD15s travel ball team- We don't usually do much if it's travel around the greater Houston area, unless you count the possibilities of watching college ball if collegiate games match up with our schedule and downtime. That's also now far less likely now that most of the girls are high school age and we wouldn't be doing travel ball during the high school season...which aligns with the college season. If we're playing in Colorado, day trips on break days or half days of play to places like Rocky Mountain National Park or whitewater rafting are such a treat. We played in Columbia, TN last May and had a really fun daytrip to Nashville after a partial rainout. We were in Birmingham this past November and took a little side trip to Tuscaloosa during some downtime. Earlier that same month, the girls were playing in Clearwater, FL and it made for a nice daytrip into Tampa before flying home. If we can work out some details with one of our tournaments this summer, we'll be in CA and should have some daytrip time for Anaheim/
Disneyland. I may even step away for a day or two with my older one (before she heads off to college) and day trip to Palm Springs or San Diego.
2. Day trips in transit- We're a big fan of massive road trips. We haven't been able to do much of this of late, but I like to seek out little things to make the journey as interesting as the major points of interest in points A, B, C, etc. During our last big one, the first big leg of the trip took us from Houston, TX to Medora, ND. Rather than drive straight to Medora, I built in day trips to OK City for the National Memorial and Softball Hall of Fame, another day trip to Pipestone National Monument in MN, and a stop in Fargo, ND since at that point it was a reasonable day stop along the way. Several legs further into the trip, instead of going straight from Yellowstone to Salt Lake City, I took us off course for a day trip to Shoshone Falls in Idaho since I had no idea when we'd ever have the chance again. I did something similar on a previous trip in Colorado (non-softball). We were supposed to go from Cortez (Mesa Verde NP) to Alamosa (Great Sand Dunes NP). While it was an out of the way day trip, I decided to veer off course and drive up to Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP near Montrose. Some make more directional sense than others. We were supposed to drive from Zion NP in UT to see Monument Valley in AZ. When I realized the route would take us through Glen Canyon, I added in a partial day trip to Horseshoe Bend.
3. Day trips near home- In our current location, day trips could be to places like Galveston or Lake Charles, LA. It's a bit much, but we have had some day trips involving Dallas and Austin. When I lived in Florida, day trips could be anything from trips to Disney and Universal or coastal areas like Homosassa Springs and St. Augustine. Day trips changed a little when my parents moved to the FL west coast, but the changes were more significant when they moved Ft. Lauderdale area. If we're staying with them, day trips are places like the Everglades, South Beach, or Key West. When I lived in upstate NY, day trips were often places like the Finger Lakes, the Adirondacks, or even areas heading towards Albany for spots like Little Falls. I was too young to remember our time in Georgia, but for the years we lived in Ohio, day trips often involved places like Serpent Mound or driving into Kentucky (Mammoth Cave was one) or Indiana (more little things tied to work trips for my dad). I spent most of my time growing up in NJ and we had two houses (I know- sounds spoiled), not to mention family in different parts of the state, so day trips could be all over the place. If we were at our main residence, which was more central NJ/NY metro area, day trips were often hiking in the Watchungs, boating in Round Valley (during my dad's sailing years- a short-term interest), or popping into NYC for a museum, show, etc. Being on the NJ side, Liberty State Park was another popular day trip. If dad was up for more of a drive, historical places like Morristown would enter the mix or even eastern PA for places like Roadside America or the Stroudsburg Railroad. If we were visiting family in south Jersey, we'd sometimes pop into Philly to visit the Franklin Institute or drive to Atlantic City or see Lucy the Elephant in Margate. He once even went as far as Cape May for a day trip. If we were visiting my maternal grandparents, day trips might be to Monmouth, the twin lights (Navesink) in the Atlantic Highlands, or their favorite area farmer who had the most adorable farmer's market with the best produce. If we were at our summer home down the shore, day trips could be land or sea. My dad loves saltwater fishing and crabbing, so day trips could be miles offshore or near scenic crabbing spots in the bay areas. Land trips could be to a nearby county park, Great Adventure (Six Flags), or even farther down the shore to spots like Brigantine and historic Smithville.
I like variety and don't like feeling confined to one spot, so I'm grateful for all of them!
