I already had a 2004 Focus that I purchased used in 2007 - it was my second one and I loved it! I had just finished paying it off in March 2012 when I sold it to my niece, Samantha, who was in need of a car. Wisely, I used the cash as an excellent down payment on the 2012 - the very first brand-new car I had ever purchased! For a brief few days, however, both cars were registered to me so as a joke, I referred to them as my fleet!
So .....
here I am a little over a year later and I am still in love with my Focus. What I am not in love with, however, is being out of work. It is crazy that while I have time to actually take a trip, there is the small matter of $3.51 per gallon for gas which is THE deterrent to an out of work adventurer.
But I can dream and play the 'what if' game. So where would I go? Well that's a bit hard to say because I have recently watched Ken Burns' National Parks documentary and have realized how many parks in my time zone that I have not yet had the privilege to visit.
If I could throw a bag into the car, I'd head to Great Smokey Mountain National Park in Tennessee. I've never been to Tennessee or Kentucky so it would be virgin territory all the way.
Since the famous Route 66 takes a dip through Tennessee, I'd travel a bit of that highway. The postcards are probably awesome!
I'd like to take a stop in Pigeon Forge, TN which is the birthplace of the spirited Dolly Parton. While I'm not a fan of amusement parks, I hear there are some excellent displays of local crafts & artisans at Dollywood and I would love to explore those.
I would also make a side trip to Knoxville and take a drive past (but not visit) The Body Farm, a forensic anthropology center at the University of Tennessee (http://fac.utk.edu/). I am a great admirer of Dr. William Bass and the work he started at UT.
Of course there would be a stop in Maryville, TN to visit two of the most adorable nieces an Auntie can have!
Other places I might visit: Appomattox Courthouse and Shenandoah National Park (both in Virginia) and Gettysburg's battlefields and cemeteries in PA.
Sigh.
Sounds like great fun doesn't it? Well in the meantime, I will go online and order every piece of free tourist materials available and embellish my plans until the day I can dance a jig and hit the road!
Don't worry - photos & travelogue to follow should I ever get to make this expedition!
If you are interested in visiting any of America's wonderful National Parks and Monuments, click on the 'Road Trip Suggestion' button on the website's main page - it links to the website of the National Park Service!