Restless...

Spring is edging closer, but it's not here yet. The equinox is just a short week away; I have to remind myself that the feeling of spring will probably lag that by several weeks. This week? It's a real jumble of seasons. I was able to take advantage of our unseasonal warmth earlier this week - riding in summer attire - and now the weather map shows an impending snowstorm. Ouch! I think I'm in a bit of a winter funk, and yes, that has been hanging over my head for about the last 6 weeks...

I know better; I haven't been to any interesting destinations since my September trip to Nova Scotia. I suspect that my winter funk is a combination of the months of cold weather (even though this hasn't been a bad winter overall) and my stay-at-home life. I guess I need a mid-winter escape, whether it's a full-length vacation or a simple long weekend away. My goal for next winter is to plan ahead of time and avoid the funk!

For now, I know that spring is not too far away. Even knowing that, I've planned a short escape to help my attitude along. My rules for a long weekend destination is that it is a non-stop flight away, and then that it is within a reasonable distance from my target airport.

Three weeks and counting... I'll be flying into Las Vegas, then driving to Springdale, Utah to play at Zion National Park. I found what appears to be an interesting B&B to serve as my home away from home, and I've always enjoyed wandering at Zion. I'll have two full days to play there, then a traveling day. Since my flight home is in the late afternoon, I'm planning to stop at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada for a little more exploring on my way back to the airport. This will be a hiking and a play with my camera trip...

It's times like these when I really wished I lived on the west coast within reach of Hawaii. And yes, I really would go there for a long weekend. After all, flying to Hawaii from the west coast for an extended weekend isn't much different (from a time perspective) than my planned east coast to west coast jaunt.