What I learned On Vacation

What I learned on Vacation

 

First I learned that not all vacations are restful or relaxing. Sometimes vacations are so we stretch ourselves and we can try something new and out of our comfort zone.

Next I learned that sometimes you do something you would rather not do so someone else is able to do what they want to do. (Try not to complain too much when it is hard or scary!)

I also discovered as I pushed myself out of my comfort zone that I could do some things I thought I could not do. Whether it was courage or exhaustion that forced me on is still up for debate!

No matter what you are doing, you can see goodness in something. The beauty of the world around you, the people you get to meet, the experiences you had all make an impact on who you are.

We have a beautiful diverse country. I knew this before, but seeing the big sky country of Montana and the badlands of the Dakotas, the rivers, and fields renewed in my heart how blessed we truly are.

I love the people I travel with. We don’t all get along perfectly all the time, but more often than not!

I like camping, better than staying in motels. I like having my own pillow. I like drinking my own water. I like eating my food. I will admit my camper does have air conditioning and a potty and shower. Those things all help!

Be flexible. Sometimes things don’t go how you planned. Some are better; some are not as good as you hoped. We spent money on out-of-state fishing licenses and didn’t catch any fish.

Sleep is essential. You need to be rested to drive lots of miles. You also need to be rested to do all the things you might want to do. It also keeps everyone smiling more often. Tired people are often moody people.

Talk about your plans, expectations, and dreams before you go, while you are on the trip and later, too. Know what each of you are hoping for and what each expects of the others. I said more than once, “You didn’t tell me that!” There is much more cooperation when we understand what is expected and what is happening!

Those ten things were the main things I learned, but there were many more. This is the short version of how our trip went.

Our trip was to Billings, Montana, and we started out after supper one evening. We drove on and on until all of us were too tired. We tried to sleep in the car for a few hours, but believe me, those were not restful hours! We got to Glendive 2 hours before the Dinosaur Museum was open so had to wait before we could tour it. It was interesting and well done. We enjoyed that.

Then onward to Nye, Montana! We didn’t quite get there the first night so stayed in Columbus in a city park and then moved on to Woodbine Campground near Nye. We hiked to the Falls and hung out hoping someone would vacate their camping site! It worked and we got the only available one. My husband had memories of going there when he was 8 years old. Obviously his memories were not detailed and he could not answer the many questions we had for him. He wanted to hike back to Sioux Charley Lake and trout fish because he didn’t get to when he was there before.  I am ashamed to say I wasn’t very supportive. I don’t like heights; I don’t like bears; and I don’t like long hikes. It was a 3 ½ mile hike-one way! It was next to a raging river at times, climbed to a higher altitude than I was used to, and signs said to bring bear repellent. I was not the most cooperative participant. And after all that, we didn’t catch any fish! I was tired, hungry, achy, sore, and a bit crabby. I didn’t make my husband’s dream of reliving that very pleasant. But to my defense, I did do it!

We did see one bear, but he wasn’t much interested in us. We saw many deer, mule deer, and an abundance of bunny rabbits. Some of the scenery was spectacular-when I was able to look around and see it!

After our wilderness experiences, we traveled back to Billings to the BMWMOA rally. We arrived early so Janaya, our youngest daughter, could participate in a GEARS (Gaining Early Advanced Riding Skills) class. While she and my husband did that for 2 days, Mandy (my other daughter) and I shopped and toured Billings, mostly to get out of the heat. Everyday we were there, it was in the 90’s+. We also did some volunteering at the rally. Over 5800 people were registered. That’s a lot of bikes! We stayed through the closing ceremony and then headed out to get a few hundred miles done yet that evening. Sunday is travel day as both my husband and daughter have to work on Monday.  

It wasn’t a perfect trip, but we will all carry memories from it! It was very hot and that changed our plans on numerous occasions. But it was a break from the ordinary and a change of pace for all of us. It was good to get away and experience new things. We all learned more about ourselves, each other, and our world. It was an adventure, for sure and a learning experience, as well!