Over the years I’ve built up a mountain of memories all over
the week of Thanksgiving. Over ten years ago I started planning and taking
trips over the week of Thanksgiving. It started out simple, just leaving the
day before Thanksgiving after work and coming home Sunday. Those trips involved
going to Prescott, AZ and just relaxing, spending time with myself, and having
some fun. As the years progressed, I came to love my annual trips so much that I
looked forward to going away on these trips.
I quickly realized that I could take a vacation the week of
Thanksgiving getting the maximum amount of time off, using the least amount of vacation
hours from work, nine days off and using only three vacation days. My trips quickly
expanded to the entire week and I have spent many years since taking a trip of
some kind during the week. I kept it local for most years. Staying in Arizona, spending
my week in Prescott.
I remember one year I rented a small house near Thumb Butte
for the week and loved every minute. I took time to decorate for fall with miniature
pumpkins and gourds. The place had two fireplaces, one in the bedroom, one in
the living room. It was so nice to spend time enjoying a fire in the fireplace
and putting a puzzle together. It was relaxing and nice to spend time just
enjoying my visit.
One year, I finally took a huge step. To this point, most of
my trips had been safe. A drive to Flagstaff or Sedona. Spending a week in
Prescott. But this year, 2015, was the first time I was taking a major road
trip. The plan was to drive from Phoenix to Fresno, Fresno to San Francisco by
way of Yosemite, San Francisco to Sacramento, then to South Lake Tahoe, Vegas,
and then home. This was my first major solo road trip which I had quickly
dubbed Epic Road Trip 2015. 
I was terrified the day I left, afraid to face a trip alone.
I had rented a car and met with my mom and best friend in Phoenix for breakfast
before I hit the road to make the long eight-hour drive to Fresno. After
breakfast I even tried to talk my mom into joining me. Heck, she was retired,
she had the time. She and my friend both pushed me to go, on my own. They were
both sure that this solo trip would be good for me. Just what I needed to do. I
am so happy to say, there were right!
I remember flying down the I-10 with Rascal Flatts’ Life is a Highway blasting through the
speakers of my rental car. I loved the views I saw that day, the craggy
mountains as I headed toward California. I was enchanted by the rolling hills
and farmland as I made my way north from Pasadena toward Bakersfield and final Fresno.
By the time I finished my first day of travel I was wiped out and extremely
grateful that there was a nearby Italian restaurant that delivered wonderful
food, right to my hotel door. 
The rest of the trip was filled with wonderful memories,
exploring Yosemite, seeing the beauty in San Francisco and Sausalito. I loved
dining on a converted riverboat to restaurant and hotel in Sacramento. Experiencing
the freezing temperatures in south Lake Tahoe was a whole new experience.
Seeing the deserts of Nevada in drastic change from the mountains of Tahoe was
overwhelming. Then spending an evening wandering the bright intense business of
the Las Vegas strip. Ending my trip with a visit to Hoover Dam and driving
through Northern Arizona back to my home.
Every experience was unique, one of a kind and one I won’t
get to experience again. There are places I want to visit on these trips again.
There is so much I still want to see and know that I will be making another
trip to each of these stops from this trip and I look forward to each and every
destination I will be visiting.
Over all, I've loved every single one of my Thanksgiving trips, whether a local vacation, a stay-cation (which I've done a couple of those) or taking an epic road trip. This year I look forward to a trip to the Grand Canyon over the holiday weekend with a couple friends who've never been. I'm excited to see what new experiences we will have and what new memories we will create on this trip.
