My vacation takeaways

I like pinpointing the peak of an experience — sometimes during, sometimes afterward. Any experience can have a peak — eating a sandwich, a day at work, a weekend away. Whatever.

A couple of weeks ago I took my first true solo vacation. I hit the road by myself and drove a total of about 1,800 miles. I wasn’t sure I’d have much fun without a traveling companion but honestly, it was great and I did have lots of fun. My trip involved revisiting a familiar place — the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, including Cades Cove and Townsend, TN. I also picked a couple of new places to visit — Beaufort, SC and Savannah, GA. Both new places were towns I’d heard nice things about. A few years ago, my scattered family and I had talked about meeting up in Savannah for a vacation but that trip never materialized. But I’d researched Savannah online and it sounded really cool.

So the itinerary I cobbled together on MapQuest had me heading north to Townsend, TN, and then on to Beaufort, SC and Savannah, GA. I had my vehicle loaded up and left my driveway around 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning. My goal was to be checked into my motel in Townsend early enough to enjoy the pool and maybe get inside the national park for a bit that day. And that’s exactly what I did. That was the peak of the day — kicking across a rectangle of cool, clear water while my eyes scanned the green hills.

The next day, while driving through the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, I reached a point on the Tail of the Dragon where I was at the same lodge and the same restaurant where I’d been with my Mom and brother about six years ago. The restaurant was closed but the staff was gracious enough to make me a lunch to go. I took my turkey sandwich and chips and this time, did my lunch right. I climbed down to the mountain creek that gurgled just below the lodge and ate my lunch on a sunny rock. That was Tuesday’s peak!

Wednesday, I headed to Beaufort. The drive was on interstate I hadn’t traveled before so I enjoyed that. My room was really nice, with plenty of room to spread out. After swimming in the pool, I retrieved my boom box and CDs from the car and ran a very hot bubble bath. With a candle lit and Abba playing, I soaked in the tub and continued reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. That was the peak of the day — I was sore and tired and the hot water was just the ticket.

Thursday I had twin peaks! The salt marsh kayak tour was truly awesome. I peaked somewhere out on the water with no one nearby and I looked around at where I was as I propelled myself through the water and thought, This is so cool. Later, when I returned to Hunting Island to ride my bike on the beach, I had a second peak. The wind had really picked up and the water had gotten rougher. I was riding my bike on the hard packed sand when I realized what would be more fun — and steered my bike into the surf. Yahooooooo. The peak of the trip.

Friday riding my bike on the rails-to-trails bike path near Tybee Island, GA, I was the only person on the trail as far as I could tell. It was hot as hell. I stopped to sit on a picnic table and down some water when I took off my shirt and wiped off my sweaty face. Then it dawned on me I really didn’t need the shirt. So I stuffed it in my backpack and continued my ride without it. Of course I had on a good sports bra. But the ride was much more pleasant without the shirt. And that was the peak on Friday. Although I also really enjoyed my lunch. The place was classic beach bar and grill on Tybee Island — the North Beach Grill. It is basically a screened porch with a big rambling patio. I sat in front of the only fan. The young woman who waited on me was friendly and made helfpul recommendations for my lunch. I enjoyed sitting there watching all these young people bust ass getting ready for the crowds that must have been on the way. They were a portrait in industiousness. I especially enjoyed it because I was on vacation. My lunch was perfect in volume and taste — artichoke and crab dip and a single fish taco. A secondary peak but a peak nonetheless.

The trip was a peak for the year — I discovered I can travel solo and truly enjoy myself. That’s a liberating discovery to make!