Chasing Weather as a Way of Life

Today we entered a whole new phase of our trip: we woke up, looked at each other, and said, “Where do we want to go today?”

No deadlines. No plans. No expectations.

All we knew was that we were leaving Baltimore and heading north in search of cooler weather.

To chart today’s course, we checked out the national weather report at weather.com, where we discovered predictions of high heat and thunderstorms for the south and west.

We didn’t want to spend 10 hours to drive all the way up to the deliciously cool 66 degree weather in Maine, so we headed for the closest cool spot in our general vicinity instead: northwestern Pennsylvania, where a comfortable 74 degrees was predicted for today.

After a brief detour to Bird-in-Hand Village, in the Amish area of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, for a rib-sticking late lunch (to call it hearty would be an understatement), we meandered along the back roads up to Pittston, just short of Scranton.

Pittston is currently cloudy and 73 degrees (and, for that matter, dark). The temperature is delicious.

We haven’t really traveled this way up until now.  We’ve had people to see, things to do, and (free) places to stay.  Today was our first day of absolutely open road. (Hooray!)

Knowing that we can go absolutely anywhere (in the continental US) feels really exciting.  Knowing that we’re now paying for our accommodations after a month of being sheltered by our incredibly generous friends feels a little intimidating. Overall, the mixture averages out to feel pretty good.

It also feels strange to change gears from a “regular” life of schedules and deadlines to a life where we don’t have to rush.  The sudden absence of social fetters is reminiscent of removing a cast or braces: it feels strange and new and very free to have all those weights and shackles fall suddenly away.

I am guessing that the adjustment we are going through is probably similar to what many people go through when they retire.  On one hand, I hope we can get the hang of this quickly, and make the most of our wandering opportunities rather than fritter this trip away on turnpikes and highways. On the other hand, I hope we retain our sense of wonder at this strange new life for as long as possible.

Tonight we sleep in the charmless but affordable Knight’s Inn of Pittston, which has proven easy to find and satisfyingly clean.  Tomorrow we check the national weather and set our course accordingly.

And the only question we need to answer is: “Where do we want to go today?”