Planning in Polson

It's our last afternoon in Polson, Montana. Our two weeks here have been great fun and very relaxing. But, tomorrow it's time to move on. The price we have to pay for extending our trip here is spending the next three nights in three different places as we make a beeline for Colorado. Even with crummy wifi, it was worth it!

This two-week stint has been our longest in one spot. Contrary to our old beliefs, we weren't struck with boredom or hitch itch. These 14 days gave us plenty of time to get to know the area, wait for the weather and see everything we wanted to see, including Glacier National Park. Yesterday, we made time for a 10-mile bike ride along a nice bike path and through a gorgeous subdivision we imagined living in one day. (We can dream!) You just don't get to do stuff like that when you're in one spot for a few days or even a week.

All that said, we are ready to get on the road again. We spent today making preparations. I spent much of the day in serious planning mode, working through our beeline route and possible stopping points from here to Kansas City. I also finished up one of my big to-dos for this stop: I made a bunch of reservations!

The first "leg" of our fulltiming adventure was planned for months before our departure. And, we've executed that plan flawlessly. Over the last two weeks we reminded ourselves that after October 1st we don't have any reservations anywhere. And, especially in the winter, we're going to need them. It's not that we need to book ourselves solid. After all, one thing we want in this lifestyle is flexibility. But, when the temperatures drop up north and the snowbirds go south, we want to have a nice place to call home.

It takes time to research and plan when and where to stay. Don't get me wrong: I love this stuff. Fulltiming has brought out my inner planner! But, I need to remember to make time for this vital task. Paul and I are making a great team when it comes to planning our journey. We have wonderful conversations about what we want to do and what we don't want to do. Then, I'll do some research and we talk about it some more. When we have it all figured out, I take care of the details. It works!

The planning we've done in Polson has resulted in month-long reservations at two spots in South Texas this Winter. We couldn't see ourselves spending an entire season in one spot just yet, so we decided to add some variety to our Winter and split it up. We also made a reservation for a one-month stay next Summer in Idaho. It's not like us to plan so far ahead. But, if you want a good spot near Yellowstone in the Summer, it's what you have to do. We also freed up six weeks this Fall to do some yet-to-be-determined exploration. We had planned to spend the time in Texas wandering around and establishing our residency in that state. But, we can get everything set up when we head to Texas in January. So, now we're looking for wonderful places to travel in October and November. How fun!

Let the planning continue.