What I Did On My Summer Vacation
First off, I waited until fall to do it, so does that disqualify it as a Summer Vacation? It was before the autumnal equinox.
And apparently the working world (i.e., my office) nearly fell apart in my absence, which fills me with a certain amount of glee, but unfortunately may mean (unless everyone has serious memory loss in the meantime) that I won't be able to do my usual September getaway next year, 'cause, gee, we wouldn’t want to make anyone else do the harder parts of our job, would we?
I won't bore you with the entire itinerary. Here's what I learned:
1) If a man in a very small town not known for its sophistication tells you that his is the best coffee in town, and especially if you haven't seen anywhere else that even advertises coffee (as in, coffee as a special feature of their business), take it with a grain of salt. "Best in town" doesn't necessarily mean "awesome" or "acceptable" or even "palatable", it just may mean that everyone else's is worse. If that's possible.
2) Never miss an opportunity to earnestly inquire at the nearest Visitors' Center about the likelihood of bear attacks in the area, given your sister's recurring bear-in-the-back-yard dream.
2) a. Be aware that paybacks are a stone bitch.
3) No matter how sketchy the directions, it's worth it to seek out "that place on the corner in the middle of town that serves awesome breakfast." You won't be disappointed.
4) Afghani food is not that dissimilar from more readily-encountered things like Lebanese or even Greek (at least as rendered in Indiana restaurants). Try the Tibetan instead.
5) Tourist maps are almost universally unreliable.
5) a. For every map on which the blocks look long but are really short, there is another on which the blocks look short but are appallingly long (a corollary of which is "are we there yet?" or "are you sure you know where we're going?")
6) Not everyone thinks that a missed used book store is a tragedy.
7) Not everyone thinks that flea markets are fun.
8) There are places in this country where there is only one multiplex.
8) a. The likelihood that they will be showing anything that does not feature gore and/or car chases is slim.
9) When wine tasting, step outside your usual boundaries. You might be surprised and come home with something remarkable.
10) Watching border collies work sheep is an awesome experience.
11) Seek out the unusual, like an architectural driving tour. Wandering around in unfamiliar locations can lead to you unexpected treasures.
12) Sometimes heading for home (and familiar places to sleep) may be as eagerly anticipated as leaving was.
