My Nomad Journey – Weeks 32 to 35

Another month has passed and, aside from one post a while ago, I’m back to the monthly’ish posting frequency. Oh well and ok kay. 🤣 It is what it is. This summer has been packed with activity and I’ve had a LOT happening! I covered many states, cities, towns and climate changes. It’s been a fun ride and I’ve been keeping up with the work and the planning all along the way. In the interest of saving myself time, I’m going to try to reduce the amount of detail I’ve included in the past. Since I’m covering more destinations and more ground, I’m trying to say less about the day-to-day and more about the newness. Wish me luck!

Here’s what I did:

Vermont: After my time in Maine, I drove to Burlington, Vermont. I took the northern route that drove me through the mountains and back roads. It was a peaceful, scenic and relaxing drive. I passed through many small towns and villages, getting a chance to see what more of the Northeast looks like and imagining what life is like here. Since it was summer, I was also thinking a lot about how different it will be in the wintertime. I don’t think I would enjoy that as much, at least not for the long stretches of the season.

On the way, I stopped in Montpelier, VT. I didn’t realize that this was the state capitol, so I walked the few blocks of the downtown area and Capitol grounds, taking pictures and checking things out. I stopped at a local coffee shop/cafe to get something to drink, and treated myself to some carrot cake. This shop was on the main street, very historic and scenic. After walking around a little more and poking through some shops (no buying), I got back in the car to continue to Burlington. It was hot for the Northeast – about 93 degrees.

When I arrived in Burlington, I was pleasantly surprised by my “discount motel”. Since I travel on a very tight budget for accommodations, I don’t always stay in nice places. I’ve developed a knack for recognizing what to look for when booking online. This property, while still lower end, was a pleasant surprise. The building had a pleasant vibe and the room was large and comfortable. It also has both a desk and a table and chairs, which made it more relaxing. (Often, I only have the bed and desk. I’m not the kind of person who likes to lounge on beds – they are for sleeping, in my mind.) I was also on the 3rd floor with 2 traditional type windows that looked out onto large, leafy trees! It was private and scenic. I relaxed in my room for a bit, before heading out to explore. The motel was in a neighborhood away from downtown, but I was surrounded by book stores, restaurants, several types of grocery markets and the “original mall” was across the street. I didn’t need that.

When I wasn’t on work calls and meetings, I carved out time to go explore. I found a local gym where I could buy a day pass (my gym chain has no locations there). I was able to get 2 days’ workouts in. I made my way into downtown and the lake front area. Burlington is on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, one of the 7 great lakes. Champlain is the smallest of the great lakes, long and narrow, stretching from north to south. It is beautiful, though. There are hills and mountain around it, with the Adirondack Mountains visible on the western side of the lake. Downtown was active and scenic, while also having its vacant and untended blocks too. I walked the main street that is closed for pedestrians and lined with shops, cafes and national chain stores. While it was fun to look, I don’t really have a need for shopping anymore. Much of this is lost on me now. I did, however, buy a small pendant to hang on my neck chains. It was made of steel and crafted by a local artist. Priced right, too! I spent some time walking the paths on the lake front and looking at their marinas, tourist spots and the park spaces they’ve built up for the people. I had dinner at a crepe restaurant and sat on the patio by myself. It had started to sprinkle, but I was under an umbrella and thoroughly enjoyed the cool down in temperatures and the sound of the rain was relaxing.

On my last day in Vermont, I drove to the town of Stowe, which is up in the hills/mountains from Burlington, about 40 minute drive. This tiny town had a few blocks of tourist draws in the historic-themed shops and eateries. For someone who doesn’t get to see these kinds of towns, it has a lot to offer and is a great experience. I am fortunate to have been to many similar towns and was able to appreciate the investment this town had made in building themselves up. It was also fun to see the headquarters for businesses like Ben & Jerry’s, Cabot Creamery, and I can’t remember the third one. I had lunch and walked a bit, then headed back. I wrapped up my time in Vermont and added this to the list of places I might like to come back and spend some more time!

Buffalo: Next on the journey was Buffalo, New York. Ultimately, I was headed to Cleveland, Ohio. However, I needed to break up the drive and have a place to spend a day of work. For the drive, chose to take the route that was a few minutes longer, but instead of the interstate, took me a northern route through mountains, forests and the Adirondack national park. It was scenic, peaceful and calm. On these less traveled roads, I’m able to keep to a calmer speed of driving and not have people dogging my ass because I’m driving too slow. (Mind you, I’m now 100% committed to driving the speed limit, because I can’t afford any tickets!!!) This route was also stressful because I went for almost 100 miles without seeing a single gas station!!! I was getting low on gas and thinking surely there would be a station at the next town. I drove through multiple “towns” where there was no gas station. And guess what… no cell signal to search for gas! I got down to only 20 miles left in the tank before finding a station. Problem solved and I don’t go below half tank anymore. The route put me back onto the interstate near Syracuse New York. Here’s another observation… The state of New York has made the main interstates that cut through the state into tollways. Not a “faster, shorter” version for people who want to go more quickly through the state. The MAIN road through the state that everyone pretty much HAS to take. There are no toll booths, which is common. So there is photo/scanning equipment used to capture toll information. I swear, I passed through dozens and dozens of the toll portals. There are no tolls published, so I have no idea if I’m paying to complete a section, begin a section, go through a special section…??? Since I don’t have a tolltag for these eastern freeways, I’ll get my tolls in the mail. I have NO IDEA how much I paid to drive halfway through the state of New York. Their system is so antiquated that I can’t just go online, enter my license plate, and pay my toll. I have to wait for a physical bill in the mail to do that. It’s now August 1st and I still have no bills from the tolls I incurred back in May and June, much less July! Shaking my head…

I arrive in Buffalo, got settled at the hotel, walked to a fast food place for dinner and back to the motel to settle in. The next day was reserved only for work calls. I had a full day booked. As the morning progressed, a combination of internet issues and some cancellations opened up my afternoon. So I decided to head over to Niagara Falls. I hadn’t originally planned on this. Not just because of work, but also because I had seen the falls in the past, as part of a work conference event. I am so glad I did!!! I was able to park and walk through the park areas right up to the falls. This was something we hadn’t done before – we saw the falls from the other side of the river, through a restaurant window. While it was really hot and humid outside, standing next to the raging waters and seeing, hearing and feeling the water was awesome! I stayed a while and walked to many different spots on both sides of the waterway, taking pictures of the falls and surroundings from many different angles. What a treat! I also got to watch the people and make observations about how families and people behave in public. I finished the day at a local Indian restaurant, a soak in the tub and pack for getting on the road the next day.

Cleveland: The next day I drove to Cleveland to stay with old friends for the weekend. Since my friends had a schedule that day, I timed the drive to allow for a stop in Erie, Pennsylvania and to take some work calls with clients about midway. I had lunch in downtown Erie, on the shore of Lake Erie. I didn’t explore much here, as it was brutally hot in the town center and I wanted to continue on to Cleveland. I was able to find a shady spot at a gas station and take some calls from the passenger seat of my car, laptop in my lap and AC blowing to keep me cool. Worked fine, even if not the best thing for the environment. I arrived in Cleveland and started visiting with my friends. That night, we went to the grocery store for supplies and cooked at the house. We had so much to catch up on, that when we did look at the clock it was 11:00pm! Mind you, I like to be in bed by about 10pm, even if I’m reading. We called it a night and continued the next day. While in Cleveland and visiting, we did a little exploring in nearby towns and I got an opportunity to walk the dog, catch up on some laundry and plan my next stops. We met up with some other friends on the west side of Cleveland for a lunch that stretched on until 7:00pm! We had so much to talk about!!! It was great catching up with friends and I was so grateful for their hospitality. Also, I worked for a Cleveland based company many years ago. I had spent a lot of time in Cleveland and the area for 7+ years in the past. It was fun going there, in the summertime, and not having any work associated with the time spent! LOL

While there, I also needed to decide about my next stop. Originally, I was planning to go to Chicago. But I realized I’ve seen Chicago many times and I had never been to the state of Michigan. I had also heard that the upper peninsula of Michigan (upstate) was very beautiful. So, in nomad fashion, I decided I was going to see a bunch of the state. I found a motel in a small town called Mackinaw City, which is at the tippy-top of the main part of the state, at the base of the Mackinac Bridge. This bridge crosses over to the land mass that is part of Michigan, but separates Lake Superior from Lake Michigan. From there, you can cross into Canada at Saul Ste. Marie.

Michigan: The drive to Mackinaw City took me up the eastern side of the state, through Toledo,Ohio, Ann Arbor Michigan, the western outskirts of Detroit, Flint, Bay City and into the less populated areas of Northern Michigan. I arrived to Mackinaw City and appreciated the town, the lake fronts and the amazing bridge. The Mackinac Bridge is a long bridge that looks like the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. Same construction/design. It’s over twice as long, however. From the little town, you can see the bridge as an icon spanning the distance between the two peninsulas. I took lots of pictures and drove the bridge on my last day in town, just to see what was on the other side.

Mackinaw City is very much a tourist town. Most of what is there is designed for travelers and visitor. Lots of hotels, motels, and shops and eateries. While much of it wasn’t really of interest to me, I did enjoy the layout of the town, its proximity to the lake, the original neighborhoods and the tremendous amount of park space along the lake. They really invested a lot into making it a nice place to live and visit. I also discovered some “off the path” places to eat, which made it nicer for me. I did a lot of walking, since my motel was not “on the strip”, but down at the south end of town. It was only a 1 mile walk from my door to the village center, so each time I needed to eat or wanted to get ice cream, I had to do some walking for it. That was great. This was a work week for me, but I carved out an afternoon to go to the neighboring town of Cheboygan to find a gym. I also took a day off late in the week to go back to the gym, explore that small town a little bit, drive across the bridge to St. Ignace and see a broader patch of the area. That day I discovered (by accident) a spot called Castle Rock. This was a rock outcropping that jutted out from a hill, about 8 stories up. There was a funky little gift shop at the bottom that charges $1.00 to go up. You have to climb stairs all the way up and back down again. That was a great workout. I was winded – but only for a minute or so (that’s a good sign of health!). I enjoyed the view and taking pictures. Also that evening, I discovered a long pier that the city had set aside for the public. It walks a good ways out into the lake and I had it all to myself in the late evening. It was so quiet out there and I just sat and looked at the water, islands and sky. And the occasional ferry that passed by.

One thing I did NOT do while there was go out to Mackinac Island. This is “the” tourist draw of the area. I should have gone, but chose not to for a few reasons. One of them being that I might just see more touristy stuff there and be disappointed. The other being the schedule and having to allow time to take the ferry out and back again. A 40 minute trip each way, at a cost of $38 (and that’s walking, not with a car). So I decided to skip it. Turns out, I really missed out on an experience. The island is car-free and apparently has historic architecture, horse-drawn carriages and lots of great nature to see. So that’s on my list for a future trip. I know I would have enjoyed the ferry ride, as well. Honestly, this was an area that I could see myself going back and spending time at again. The summer season was lovely (although warmer than normal this time) and I just loved being close to all that water.

Indiana & Illinois: From Mackinaw, I headed to visit friends in Iowa, but I broke the drive up with a stop south of Chicago. On the drive out, I went down the west side of the state and drove through a few more smaller towns in Michigan: Petoskey, Cadillac and the much larger city of Grand Rapids. In Petoskey I stopped for breakfast and walked through an artisan’s market in the park. In Cadillac, I stopped for gas and had a woman remark about my California plates, then drop a comment about “the problems in your state”. Mind you, I had only compliments about my experience in “her” state. I wanted so bad to comment about how well her state was taking care of her, given the condition of her car and the amount of belongings she had piled up inside. But that wouldn’t have been nice. I drove on. In Grand Rapids, I stopped for a workout at my gym chain and a quick lunch. From Grand Rapids, through northern Indiana, to Joliet Illinois, it was a non-stop freeway run through construction, rain storms, traffic, trucks, towns and obstacle courses. This is a heavily trafficked corridor that leads into the greater Chicago area – even though you’re skirting around the farthest southern border of the metro. I arrived at my motel on the outskirts of Chicagoland for the sole purpose of sleeping and breaking up the drive. There were not many options for food nearby and I didn’t want to get back in the car. But I discovered a place on the corner called Louie’s Waffle House. I was craving breakfast for dinner and was pleasantly surprised by how nice the place was and the food was good. I asked for fruit with my omelette and, I swear, they brought me an orchard on a plate! Loved it! A pint of ice cream from the gas station and a soak in the tub, then it was bedtime.

Iowa: Next it was on to my friends’ house in Ames Iowa, a college town north of Des Moines. Again the drive was marked by construction and thunderstorms, which made for very hazy and slow driving. I broke the drive up by stopping in Davenport Iowa to workout at the gym and grab lunch. I arrived at my friends’ house and we began the catching up and stories. That day we went for a long walk (Iowa was experiencing higher than normal heat and humidity) which got us all sweaty. That night we walked to a local restaurant for dinner and then visited until late in the evening. I had work calls during the week and the house was full of people working from different rooms. We reconvened in the evenings for dinner and more stories, jokes and gossip. Also while there, my friend took me on a tour of the town, including the Iowa State University campus, downtown and other local spots where people visit. The town has a tight community and a strong sense of pride in their town and the university. It was fun to walk through the historic buildings, see the architecture and imagine life there for the college students during the school year. There’s a lot of history there and the older buildings are grand and beautiful. Ames is another town that is investing heavily in new developments, public amenities and infrastructure. A final stop at the botanical gardens gave us a chance to check out the butterflies and greenery, as well as many a chipmunk prowling through the grounds. Also while there, I was able to get in a gym workout each day, take care of a car wash and oil change, and run my “presentation clothes” through the dry cleaners.

Nebraska: After wrapping up my time in Ames and with many sad farewells, it was time to continue on to Omaha Nebraska. I had chosen Omaha for a few reasons. First, I was continuing westward according to my itinerary. I have a friend who lives in Omaha, so we had made arrangements to visit too. Finally, I also needed to have an airport I could fly from for a work trip, and Omaha fit the bill beautifully. I arrived in Omaha and checked into my motel. Fortunately, it was located in close proximity to downtown Omaha, on the Council Bluffs side of the river. That first night, I explored the river front and an impressive pedestrian bridge that crosses the Missouri river, connecting Iowa to Nebraska and Council Bluffs to Omaha. Again, it was abnormally hot and humid in the area. I did a LOT of sweating while in the city. I grabbed dinner and settled in for the night. My stay was a mix of work calls and meetings and visiting with my friend. She showed me around the historic part of downtown, called the Old Market. Lots of turn-of-the-century buildings, filled with shops, eateries and attractions. My gym also had a location in this quarter. We also explored other parts of town, including some of the older neighborhoods. She even took me to a home that is commonly known by the locals as “Warren Buffet’s house”. A mini mansion, my assumption was that this might once have been one of his homes. It was definitely a house that someone would need money to live in, but it was not a grand mansion with pretense and prejudice. During my stay, the weather got hotter and hotter. My weekend was spent with a little bit of walking and exploring on Saturday morning that really tapped me, to running errands and taking naps in the air conditioned motel room. My trip ended with my flight to Orlando for a work engagement. I arranged to park at the Omaha airport. Temperatures were up to 100 degrees F, so I didn’t want to leave my remaining bags in the trunk. I was able to leave these bags with my friend while I was away.

Orlando: The final stop on this month’s post, I flew to Orlando for a client engagement. I had a 2-day class to teach for a client and it went exceptionally well. I enjoyed the experience and felt good about the session. I also received stellar evaluations for ALL 26 participants! That was a pleasant way to end a very busy 2 days. Normally I would fly back the morning after, but due to a full schedule of calls and meetings on Thursday and Friday, I didn’t really have a good window to fly in. So I decided to stay in the same hotel and work from there, flying back Saturday. There wasn’t much time for exploring or getting out, but I did walk to dinner each evening, working up plenty of sweat in the heat and humidity, followed by the predictable nightly rainfall.

It is from Orlando, on a Friday night, that I am writing this post. I finally got tired of the procrastination and guilt. Now that all of my work for the week is done and it is the first of a new month, it seemed like a reasonable transition point to get this done! (And several of you were asking when I was going to post. Keep that up – it is good for my accountability!)

Here’s what I learned:

I covered a LOT of ground over the past month. Not only was it a lot of driving and new places to see, but also a lot of packing, unpacking loading the car, airports, hotels, motels and eating out. It occurred to me that many people would let this drive them nuts. As I reflected on this myself, I realized it really hasn’t bothered me. There’s the occasional inconvenience and sometimes a little loneliness, but overall this doesn’t bother me. Why? Then I realized it’s because I don’t have a home to keep up with. (Well, I do have a home. But I’m renting from friends right now. I’m not keeping up with a full house or apartment.) It occurred to me that I’m not dropping the ball on things at the home front. I’m not missing my own bed. I’m not thinking of things that need to be done, utility bills to be paid, maintenance, upkeep, or cleaning. I’m not wishing I had access to my abc thing or my xyz comfort. Frankly, out here “is” my home and I’ve brought everything I need with me. I’ve got the basics and there hasn’t been much of anything that I’ve really needed out here. When I do need something, it’s generally small and inexpensive. I don’t shop on Amazon anymore. I go to grocery stores often, but rarely for “full groceries”, unless it’s for meals we are preparing while staying with friends. I had to add an item to my shopping list today and realized I haven’t even been using that very much!!!

I talk a lot about the work I do with my coach, working on my limiting beliefs, doubts, fears, etc. etc. The longer I’m out here on the road, the more work I do on this. What I’m coming to realize, as well, is that the longer I’m out here, the easier it gets to do this kind of internal work. I think there are a few reasons. First, by its very nature, I’m out here in discomfort. I’m finding that if I’m already getting used to some level of discomfort, then a little bit more isn’t a big leap. So if I’m already in the water, I may as well paddle and see where it takes me. Second, I think it has a lot to do with the thing I mentioned above. I’m not spending time worrying about my possessions, belongings and home environment. The environment changes every few days. The belongings all live in 2 duffel bags, a roll-aboard and a backpack. Not much to be worrying about there. This “dispossessment” from material things doesn’t distract me from the introspective work, like it used to in my old homes. Lastly, I think part of it is how important it is for me to enjoy this experience and find ways to do more of this. I am extremely motivated to identify and overcome the obstacles to having what I want. I’m not naive to the fact that there’s no perfect future but I’m pretty darned clear on the future that I want for the rest of this year and into next year. I’m slowly naming the fears underneath the fears that hold me back from doing more and enjoying what I’m doing and having.

I’ve gotten more comfortable with doing things “on the fly” than I ever have before. While this whole journey is about figuring things out along the way, I’ve been booking my motels a few weeks in advance. Now, I’m sometimes booking them the night before! When I made the decision to switch from Chicago to Michigan, that was on a 2 day advance. I realized it gave me a lot of freedom and flexibility to change my mind and do things spontaneously. Also, I’m booking motels at a really low price point. These motels are often undesirable to a majority of people, so there’s often plenty of options available on short notice. Doing things this way goes against every grain of my past self. I have always been a planner and had a need to know my path well in advance. I still am, in many ways. But this is giving me new options and training me in applying this skill in new ways. I’m excited to see how and where else it changes me!

Some random observations from all these travels… some with judgment, some with curiosity.

• I don’t personally partake in cannabis. Not my thing, never even tried it. Also not my business. However I have been amazed at how MANY cannabis stores and dispensaries I have seen along this journey. They have been everywhere!!! And they have been using clever marking and branding. Soothing shades of green colors, organically shaped logos and fonts. You would expect this, just given the product itself. But I’m also noticing how they take liberties with their branding, referring to their stores as “wellness” or “health”. This is kinda wild to me.
• I have been all over the outer edges of the country, but I have YET to see another license plate from California. And I also haven’t seen any other western states represented! No Arizona. No Nevada. No Washington, Oregon, Idaho… In fact, aside from their local and neighboring states, as of Nebraska, I haven’t seen any cars with plates from any states west of Nebraska!
• Lets talk about families and summer vacations. I think it’s awesome they are getting out! I also notice how chaotic, noisy and often turbulent these family groupings are. From the fights and conflicts while walking on the sidewalks, to the complete disregard for others in their vicinity, to food spills and complete messes left behind at their dining tables. I have never seen so much disregard for anything that happens outside the family unit. As someone who doesn’t have kids or a spouse, I can’t comment on what goes on in the family. That’s none of my business. But c’mon… For the rest of us out here, could you please at least notice the folks who are trying to go about their business and get around you or enjoy their dinner or listen to their own conversations too????

Here’s what’s next:

Tomorrow I fly back to Omaha to collect my bags and my car. I haven’t ever been to North or South Dakota, so tomorrow night I will drive to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a night. Sunday I’ll drive to Bismarck, North Dakota for a few days. From there, Rapid City, South Dakota.

After the Dakotas, I have a client engagement in Denver. Since it’s in the route, I’ll drive there and take care of my work engagement. Then I’ll stay in Denver to visit friends.

From Denver, I’ll be working my way back to Sacramento (home) for a while. I’ll make a stop in Salt Lake City. There is a vegan barbecue restaurant there that I want to check out.

Back in Sacramento, I’ll take care of some appointments and catch up a bit. I have a class to teach and a work trip back to Philadelphia, as well. I’m not stopping, though. I will also be looking at the rest of the year and next stops. I have lots of options and will be thinking about where the journey will continue for me!

Well, so much for being brief. Once I got into the writing, I realized I had a LOT to cover! This has been an amazing month and one that I’m very proud of. I hope you have been enjoying your summer and finding your own enjoyment in your own ways. I’m sending you the best from yet another corner of the country!!!

As always, please interact with this post. I love getting your questions, your thoughts, and your comments. I’ll reply when I’m able.

Please enjoy yourselves in this week ahead and look for another update from me about the adventures of the journey. Be well my friends!

Want to hear other people’s stories about getting off their commas? Check out the podcast!

Are you sitting on a comma? Let’s talk! As an ICF certified professional Coach, I work with all kinds of people who are sitting on a comma and looking to find their next steps to get moving again. If this is you, let’s talk about your comma. Book a session and let’s get started. Or, if you’re not quite ready, you can book a short inquiry call and we can talk about it first. Both have high value for you!