Tag: travel

Road Trippin’

~ Richard Solano ~ Leave a comment

 

When I was a young kid in Fresno, my dad would pile us kids in the VW bus and head out of town many Sunday afternoons.

When we’d come to an intersection, he’d ask which direction to go.

Sometimes we’d end up in the mountains. Sometimes we’d pass miles of fields before turning back.

It was about the adventure.

That idea stuck with me.

My early teens in San Mateo (on the San Francisco Peninsula) were spent exploring the area by bike. My wanderings took me as far as Half Moon Bay and Fisherman’s Wharf.

The people and places fascinated me.

Then I got a car.

That old wagon took me all over the area. I learned all the back roads between San Mateo and Santa Cruz.

I was able to explore the natural beauty of the mountains and coast.

When I moved to Virginia at 16, I could not afford to explore much in my gas guzzler, but our neighbor’s land bordered the National Forest.

I would explore on foot for hours.

Decades later, the exploration bug still bites me regularly.

I’ve driven coast to coast several times.

My favorite trips were when I took the time to explore.

I don’t mind flying but if driving is a practical option, I’m all over it.

Last year, to get to a writer’s conference in Wheaton, IL, I drove the old Lincoln Highway from Cheyenne to Wheaton.

Old Lincoln Highway somewhere in western Nebraska

I took three days to cover the distance that I had to cover in one on the way back.

I loved it (the three-day part that is).

This summer, we are heading to Oregon.

Most of the family is flying.

I’m driving.

I’ll take three days to explore the country between here and there (along with my youngest daughter).

If course, it helps that we’ll be saving airfare and a thousand bucks on renting a minivan out there.

But those benefits are just my justification to take the time to explore.

We plan on taking the old highways when we can, going to places like Steamboat Springs in Colorado, Promontory Point in Utah, Mount Lassen in California, and Crater Lake in Oregon.

If I’m lucky, I’ll drive through Yellowstone on the way back.

If you have suggestions for other places to check out between Denver and Portland, let me know!

I plan on posting video from this and last summer’s trip on my soon to be refreshed YouTube channel this summer.

Be sure to join me there.

In the meantime, comment below about your greatest adventures.

 

 

The View From Here

~ Richard Solano ~ Leave a comment

My flight back from North Carolina made a detour. Despite swinging clear down to New Orleans, we still encountered turbulence from the large thunderstorms in our path.

Isn’t that just like life.

I arrived home to a misfiring minivan, a broken toilet, weeds threatening the garden, foot high grass in the backyard (it rained so much there was no time to mow), a leaky basement, a failing shower head, and a wife leaving me (just for the week to help her parents. Calm down.)

We managed to get through the week and got all the repairs taken care of but we are still in an emotional fog as my mother-in-law has taken a turn for the worse. She will likely take possession of her heavenly body this week.

This is the view from the middle of the storm.

Emotional and physical exhaustion threaten to rule.

Other than my daily devotional, I’ve only had one chance to sit down and write. The words wouldn’t come.

Even as the storms rage, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there will be sunlight on the other side.

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”

Psalms 23:4 NLT

My wife and I will rest in God’s strength and guidance as the storm passes.

When we reach the other side, I will update you on my writing journey and the next exciting steps.

Until then, if you are in the middle of life’s storms,

seek the strength and shelter of the one who can calm storms with a word.

When the storm passes, rejoice in the clear new day.

Not all who wander…

~ Richard Solano ~ Leave a comment

I started to write a blog on travel,

but it wasn’t going anywhere.

I told my daughter that this morning without even thinking about the double meaning.

Sometimes the dad jokes come naturally.

Regardless of that, I now sit at a small desk in an AirBNB in Franklin, TN.

The trip here kept me from finishing this blog on Sunday. The concert we attended at the Bridgestone Arena that night didn’t help either.

Now it’s Tuesday afternoon and I’m finally sitting down to some serious writing time.

Why not Monday?

I love exploring and seeing new things. Between dropping my daughter off where she needed to be and picking her up, we went to Nashville and spent some quality time at the Lane Motor Museum.

I’ve always liked to explore.

Even driving to drop off and pick up my daughter, I have a hard time not looking at all the sights on the way. 

I see historic sights and imagine the stories that took place there.

I see natural wonders and imagine the reactions of the first people to see them.

I see grand houses and wonder about the lives of the people who have occupied them.

You could say my wandering tendencies are as much a product of my overactive imagination as my writing.

Maybe a new story will crop up in Franklin.

For now, I am heading back to the inside of a mountain in Arizona in my mind to try to make some much needed progress on Reymons. The characters there are evolving and starting to get to know one another.

I really want to be a significant way through the first part of that story by the time I go to the Blue Ridge Christian Writer’s Conference at the end of May. This trip is the perfect opportunity to get some momentum going.

Or maybe I need to check out downtown Franklin…

Old Dog, New Tricks

~ Richard Solano ~ Leave a comment

Due to COVID, I currently work in a hospital print shop. I have for the last 7 months. With the help of my coworkers, I’ve acquired several new skills.

Newly acquired skill, painting with glue.

We often have people from other locations help us out as we are the busiest print shop in our company in this area. One day, a guy I’ll call George (not his name) was helping us. He was at the workstation next to mine and was applying a second coat of glue to a project that I was taught only needed one coat.

I was curious. Did I miss something? I asked, “Hey George, didn’t you glue that already?”

Maybe I phrased that wrong because his reply was almost violent. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years, don’t tell me how to do my job!”

I was stunned silent. I thought about explaining that I was just curious but he shoved his earbuds back in and went about his redundant work.

I had to wonder, “Do I get that way?” When someone criticizes my writing, do I get defensive, or do I try to learn.

I have to admit, I sometimes get defensive. When someone points out an issue, I’ll try to explain it away. My reaction should be to learn from that criticism. Even if the critic has no writing experience, they have reading experience and can tell when something doesn’t sound right.

This old dog can learn new tricks. I was over 50 when I started getting serious about writing. I have learned a ton last few years. I still have a lot to learn.

In just a few days I take off on a road trip bound for the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. I hope to refine my writing more and make some great connections.

I will be vlogging my road trip and time at the conference on The Wandering Pen, my YouTube writing channel. I can’t guarantee that I will be posting every day as I will be busy but I will do my best to make it fun and informative. See you there!

Oh, and if you criticize my videos, I’ll try to appreciate it and learn how to do them better.