Traveling Man

 I love to travel. I love seeing new places and re-visiting places I’ve been before. I always see something new when I go back. I’m fortunate that my work allowed me to travel over most of the continental US. And I was lucky that I could take my family with me a lot of times. I’ve seen so many beautiful, interesting, and historic places, mostly from the cab of a Mack truck!  Niagara Falls. Lake Tahoe. Washington, DC. Alcatraz.  I’ve even fished at the mouth of the Mississippi River!  

Susan loves to travel too.  She’s been a world traveller. She has lived all over the US and lived in Europe while she was growing up.  She’s without question the best travel companion I’ve ever had. We enjoy the same type things. She doesn’t complain. She doesn’t rush.  She doesn’t have a rigid schedule or agenda. She may have things she really wants to see or do, and I’m always glad to go along. Otherwise, she just rolls with it.  Her only fault is deciding where to eat! But I think that’s just a genetic thing in women!  

When I gave my father’s eulogy, I told how he loved to travel.  I said the difference between me and him is, I will stop and see things.  He wouldn’t! He didn’t believe in stopping!  He wanted to put as many miles behind him as he could! He was a “goer” not a “stopper”!

As much as I’ve traveled, I’ve never really been out of the country.  I have been across the border into Mexico and Canada, but only just for a short while to look around and came right back across the border. Susan goes to Mexico every year to the Riviera Maya with a group of girlfriends.  She’s been trying to get me to come down and stay a few days after the girls leave. The only problem I have with that is, I’m not much of a beach person and she loves just sitting on the beach. I’d be bored out of my mind! But I might try to go next year.  

When I travel for pleasure, I love to try new places to eat, and try different foods that are local specialties. I rarely eat at chains when traveling. I’ve had barbecue in Memphis and Texas.  Deep dish pizza in Chicago. Scrapple and shoe fly pie in the Pennsylvania Amish country. Real Buffalo wings from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, where they were invented. Those huge pork tenderloin sandwiches in Indiana.  And of course, all the delicious things in New Orleans! My favorite places are little Mom and Pop places.  They almost always have real home cooking and treat you like family.  

This summer, Susan is giving me a wonderful gift for my 70th birthday.  She’s taking me to Chicago to see the Cubs play!  I love the Cubs and have been to a game at Wrigley.  We took the boys in 1999 and had a blast!  Dan even caught a warmup ball from Sammy Sosa!  I can’t wait!

I’m always up for a road trip! Hit me up and we’ll hit the road!  


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