My Bucket List: Turning 60 Tour

 It's still hard for me to believe I'll turn 60 later this year! Yowza! To help me make the birthday something

to look forward to, I decided to create a bucket list, and have dubbed it my Turning 60 Tour. It's still a work in progress, but I've already started working on some of the things on my list. Items on my list include a trip to Asheville, North Carolina, to stay at the Grove Park Inn, having lunch with five different friends, and attending home games of each of North Carolina's professional sports teams (Carolina Hurricanes, Carolina Panthers, and Charlotte Hornets). I'm excited about the adventures ahead!

Easter Weekend Trip to Delaware

A few weeks ago, I decided it was time for a weekend adventure--a nice change of scenery, as well as something to reset the brain. Work has been good but challenging, and my sister and I have been planning our father's graveside service and interment of ashes. All important stuff, but I needed a break. I thought about it, and made a hotel reservation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Why Rehoboth Beach? First of all, a beach location sounded great! Next, I've never been to Delaware. And it was driveable. Another big lure for me--finding a geocache in a "new" state!

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

My boyfriend had planned to join me, but wasn't feeling well late last week. So, with his blessing, I got up early on Saturday morning and headed north toward Delaware! Between home and Reboboth Beach was a big bridge-tunnel that I was a little nervous about, but looked to save me some travel time. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is 17.6 miles long. I thought I'd be nervous about it, but once I got started, it was really nice! Each side of the bridge (north and south-bound) was two-lane, with plenty of room. The two tunnels were one-lane each way, and little more nerve-wracking for me at first. By the time I came through south-bound, though, the tunnels were a breeze! Whew! The views of the Chesapeake Bay from the bridge were lovely, to boot.

Old Northampton, VA, Courthouse, Eastville

On the way up, I found a geocache in the pretty little town of Eastville, Virginia. The cache was located in the area of the old Northampton County, Virginia, courthouse.

Once in Rehoboth Beach,  I checked into my hotel, found my first Delaware geocache (yay!), then went to dinner at the Pickled Pig Pub (cute name award!). Back at the hotel, I hit the sack early.

Sunday (Easter) morning, I got up early, and decided I couldn't leave without seeing the Atlantic Ocean and the famous Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk. I drove there after checking out of the hotel, and arrived about 7:30 in the

Korean Noodle Stirfry at the Pickled Pig

morning. It was so pretty and peaceful, it was a perfect thing to do! I'm so glad I made the effort.

Afterward, I found another geocache nearby, and then headed toward home.Along the way, I found two geocaches in Maryland and another in Virginia.

This trip was just what I needed, some much needed time away, with the challenge of geocaching. That being said, I was very

glad to get home, which was a good sign!

Getting Roadtrip Ready

On Tuesday's daytrip to Merhcants Millpond State Park, I noticed a big sign (hard to miss) about ticks, which included not only a picture, but tips for avoiding them. I made me think about what I would do if I found a tick on me while I was still on the road. I didn't have any tweezers, not to mention a full-fledged first aid kit, with me in the car! I started thinking about what I should have on hand in the car for future trips, whether daytrips for the NC Odyssey Project or longer trips/vacations. Here's a list I've started:

First-aid kit
Bug Spray
Change of clothes
Flashlight and extra batteries
Current American Automoble Association (AAA) card
Medium-sized cooler and ice packs
Umbrella
Spare key(s)
Spare cash ($20?) tucked away in car
Jumper Cables
Notebook and pen
Blanket
Car charger for cell phone
Spare trash bag(s)
GPS for car (don't have one built in--any recommendations?)
Sunglasses

Okay, so this is what I've come up with so far. Can you think of anything to add to the list? What items have come in handy for you while on the road? Is there anything you've wished you had while on the road?

More cleaning

This weekend I did more cleaning and purging as I think about this summer's move. It's a great feeling to clear things out, and in the mean time it's a walk down Memory Lane. Yesterday I came across a bunch of pictures that need to do in photo albums at some point, pictures that included my years of teaching 1st and 2nd grades, my cross country trip with Lisa, Mom, Laura, and Emily, trips that my friend Donna and I took to Wilmington and Savannah, beach trips to Pine Knoll Shores with my family, my friend Anne's wedding in High Point, a trip to Maine for my cousin Christina's wedding, and a trip George and I made to the North Carolina mountains. It was a lot of fun to look through all those photographs, eventhough it slowed down my cleaning a little!