Before I became truly a full time realtor, I was an attorney in the Federal Government. One of the things that I worked on was an international agreement between the U.S., the European Union, the Russian Federation, the Japanese Government, and then later, the Canadians and the Chinese. I got to travel to those countries and to explore the Great Wall of China, St. Petersburg, Munich, Oxford and lots of places in between. It was wonderful to see such different places - and not even have to pay for it!
Then I retired from the Federal Government and concentrated on my passion for selling real estate. It has been a great trade. However, for a variety of reasons, international travel is no longer feasible. Last spring I made up a bucket list of travel destinations in the United States that I wanted to visit. The list includes places that are far away from DC like Mount Rushmore and day trips like the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown West Virginia.
Last week I got to check off a big one on my list. It was a fantastic trip, driving along Route 66 on my 66th birthday, going from Santa Fe to Flagstaff. We stopped at the Painted Desert. We drove through the Chaco Canyon. We had lunch at a hotel in Gallup that was opened by D.W. Griffith's brother and visited by seemingly all the movie stars working on Westerns nearby. Then the day after my birthday we went up to the Grand Canyon! There is certainly a reason that people call it Grand!
We had lunch at El Tovar on the South Rim and talked to people visiting the park. We met people from England, New Zealand, and China. I realized that if there were all these people visiting the United States to see our sights, then I should probably be doing the same thing!
As a realtor, it is hard to get away. Every transaction is challenging - even the "easy" ones, and with the market starting to shift, it seems like each transaction is now precious! It is hard to break away from the wash, rinse, repeat cycle that we find ourselves in.
I know that if it had not been for this being my birthday trip - 66 on Route 66, I probably would have cancelled out but I am glad that I didn't. I saw a lot of the United States from Santa Fe to Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon to Phoenix. I now know what the University of Arizona looks like and that the Chaco Canyon has lots of red in its rocks but it is more open than the red rocks outside Glenwood Springs in Colorado. I remember that I love green chili hamburgers but that one is enough in a week of travel!
I also know that it is important to build adventure into your life - and to be generous in the definition of the word. Later this month we will go to see the illuminations at the Gettysburg National Cemetery to commemorate the day that Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. Each grave is decorated with a small candle - and it is supposed to be lovely. It isn't the Great Wall of China but it is different and it is a nice trip with my husband and my poodle. I will let you know how it is!
and in the meantime - what is on your bucket list of adventures? Lets start checking them off! Maybe it is a good topic for a little contest?
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