"Back" at it

After months of dealing with a medical problem, having surgery to fix it, and working through the initial physical therapy, I am back on the road.  I had been off the road for over 7 weeks around the surgery - the longest stretch in many years.

Having driven over 3000 miles over the last two weeks, I have had a lot of "windshield time" to reflect on what I've missed and what I haven't about traveling all the time:

Things I've missed:

• Being on the road - I know that sounds a little redundant, but traveling is in my genes, and not having been on the road has been hard.  Being out seeing summer come on into full bloom and the endless fields of corn and soybeans just beginning to mature was soothing and had a great restorative power in my soul.  This period has just confirmed that a desk job is not for me.
• The kindness of some folks - I had a very interesting convo with a check-out clerk at a little local pharmacy, who blessed me as I left and said she'd be thinking about me and praying for my safe return home this week.  
• Sunny cool mornings, perfect for driving - and some of the more pleasant sensory experiences of the road; freshly cut grass, the smell of grain elevators emptying their contents into trucks for transport to a processing plant, and the warmth of the sun on your skin as you are putting some miles behind you.

Things I've not missed:

• Crappy hotels - only had one of these over the last two weeks, but it was an older hotel of the chain I frequent that had not been updated recently.  Nor were the hotel staff particularly pleasant or helpful.  I'm not asking for 5 star hospitality for the price I can pay for my stays, but can we at least be kind to one another.
• The odor of factory animal farms  - don't get me wrong, I love a good steak, pork chop, or chicken sandwich, but being downwind of these factory animal farms can be quite unpleasant.
• Folks who are distracted and not using cruise control - FYI - if you are driving and cannot take a phone call or type a text (which we all shouldn't be doing anyway) without slowing down, at least figure out how to do it while using cruise control.  Hopscotch is a playground game for elementary school students, not a game for folks driving down the interstate.

Looking forward to again sharing some of the sights and sounds of the road.

Updated summary from my prior post to 5/31

Monthly summary (thru 5/31/12)

Driving miles – 5831

Flying miles - 0

Nights in a hotel – 13

Days driving at least 100 miles for work – 10

States visited (unique to 2012) – 1

Canadian provinces visited (unique to 2012) - 1

Year to date summary (thru 5/31/12)

Driving miles – 13145

Flying miles - 2110

Nights in a hotel – 35

Days driving at least 100 miles for work – 32

States visited (unique to 2012) -14

Canadian provinces visited (unique to 2012) - 1