Spring Getaway

Travel had been scheduled next week.  I had reservations at an attractive consumer level hotel, a franchise of a major chain, with indoor pool and hot tub, at the eastern reaches of Long Island where I could indulge a bit for three nights.  As restful as this seemed, I cancelled.  When I travel to a new place, I like to visit the attractions that make it unique.  Long Island has wineries, which left me mostly unimpressed when I visited a few not that many years back.  Theodore Roosevelt lived his final years there.  The homestead would be burdensome to visit with scheduled hours only minimally intersecting my time there.  Sag Harbor has remnants of its whaling heritage.  Closed for the season.  And Montauk Point with its lighthouse and park is more of a schlep than I really want to pursue in mid-winter.  

Spring Break, the final week in March, offers more opportunities.  My wife's choral obligations will have eased, leaving us an extra day or two of travel.  This means either a longer trip or more time at where we decide to visit.  Think of this as a box of time:  leave Sunday/return Thursday.  Ground rules a little up in the air.  Basically, as sole driver, I do not want to stop overnight en route, so not more than eight hours of driving, or about 400 miles.  There are now maps that draw a radius from my home.  There are maps that will draw a radius.  Allowing 350 miles, as highways have their curves and turns, North gets me to about the Thousand Islands, South to the Southern Outer Banks, East deep sea fishing, and West to Central Ohio.  And just beyond range:  Ottawa/Montreal, the LL Bean flagship location, and Duke University.  And a good deal of stuff within the circle:  all of Pennsylvania, eastern West Virginia, all but Western Virginia, all of NY State, all of southern New England.

And let's not completely dismiss a short air trip with car rental, especially now that I have access to a convenient discount airline.

Some will depend on what I like to do.  I like visiting museums, historical sites, and national parks.  I like hotel aquatics.  I like having supper at brew pubs and visiting wineries or breweries or distilleries.  Amusement parks leave me indifferent.  I prefer going out for breakfast to a hotel buffet.  And I like stopping at a place or two along the route, if only for lunch and a driving break.

My wants seem few.  The travel radius large.  The need for a change of scenery, which by then will be about six months after my European trip, fairly large.