A Friday Thing on Sunday

Every week I check to see what's posted over a the Friday Five site, even though I don't usually participate. But a couple of weeks ago they had one I thought would make a pretty interesting meme so I saved it and today feels like a good day to share it. So here we go... On The Road Again 1. If you had to move 100 miles or more to the north, east, west, or south, which would you choose, where would you end up, and what's so great about there? Well, I think it would have to be "or more" to get me to move. 100 miles in 'most any direction wouldn't put me anyplace that would have any advantage over where I am now, and moving that far in most directions would put me further away from my family, which I would consider a Bad Thing. I'm not sure how many miles I'd have to travel to move someplace that would seem worth the trouble to me, but the direction would pretty much have to be either south or west. If we ever move again I want to go someplace with less winter, not more! 2. Do you have a favorite stretch of highway or byway for driving, touring, or wandering? I like to drive on the stretch of road known as Paris Pike. It runs between Paris, Kentucky and Lexington, Kentucky, and has been called "one of the most scenic byways in the nation." It's always had very pretty scenery. It's bordered with a lot of horse farms, so there are big old houses set way back from the road, majestic trees scattered across deep lawns, nicely maintained barns and paddocks. There are miles and miles of fences, either rail fences or dry stone, and you can often see Thoroughbred horses in the fields. When I was growing up, it was a rather dangerous stretch of road - two narrow, twisty lanes with no median and little or no shoulders. A few years ago the highway department started renovating it and now it's a four-lane divided road, but it isn't a standard cookie-cutter freeway. The designers worked very carefully to integrate the road into the existing landscape and to maintain as many of the historic features as they could. They maintained most of the existing dry stone fences, had new ones built in some areas, and added a lot of landscaping into the green space between lanes. When it was all finished it turned out to be a road where the scenery is just as beautiful as the one I remember from my childhood, but the road itself is a lot safer and more fun to drive on. It's won several design awards and is often held up as a model for a more modern sort of road design. 3. Are you happier to start a trip or return home? Start. I love the sense of anticipation and adventure - wondering what's ahead. When I come home, I'm always glad to arrive safely, of course, and to get to see my dogs and cat again, but the end of a trip always leaves me feeling a little let down. 4. Plane, train, automobile, bicycle, or foot? Well that depends entirely on how far I need to travel! I love to walk - I go for walks almost every day. When we lived in Wisconsin I used to bicycle a lot, but ended up getting rid of my bike when we moved to Kentucky because the last two areas we've lived in have no safe place to ride. I've never really traveled by train other than just short rides run as tourist attractions, but I've always thought it sounded like it might be a cool way to travel. And I love to fly, although I must admit that crowded planes with small seats, no leg room, and lousy food service are not the optimal way to experience flight. 5. Do you overplan or underplan your travels? (Assume that "no" is not a valid answer.) But...but...but...the answer IS no! I always plan perfectly. (snort!) Ok, ok, if I must choose I have to say I overplan. But only a little bit! If you want to play along, you know the drill - tell me so in comments and you can consider yourself tagged. Here's today's Daily Art Thang: "Cactus Flower" (clickable)