Author: eric Date: Tuesday August 18th, 2026

I'm going on a road trip in September with my father. The destination? The Arctic Ocean. I've got all hotels/B&Bs booked (do note that is B&B like Bed & Breakfast, not the disgusting Airbnb), and all the major preparations are, if not completed, at least prepared for. Heh. I'm down to looking up ideas for places to stop and see along the drive. If I were driving myself, I'd be buying topo maps and getting old prospector claims from the library and tracking down abandoned mines throughout the mountains for exploration, but that's probably beyond the physical capacity of dad nowadays. If I'm honest, it's probably getting past mine too. At least safely.

I love this part of the vacation preparation. All of the "for sures" are taken care of, now it's compiling lists of potentials. It's nice having something sort of in your back pocket and the decision to stop and visit just happens on the fly. Something a little more planned than just completely winging it, but not regimented.