Love the lush, green, and isolated.
I've been back since early afternoon Thursday. Drove some 5800 miles in twelve days. I think I counted 17 different states. Particularly enjoyed the Ozarks, Mark Twain National Forest, and the Smoky Mountains.
Traveling through Kansas always surprises me. Normally, one expects to see old, crumbling tiny towns in rural areas. Relatively speaking, most of the Kansas small towns are somewhat modern and well kept. South central and southeast Kansas is amazingly green. Quite a contrast to the blandness of driving I-70 through the middle of the state.
My primary purpose with this trip to "nowhere in particular" was to see some lush green and milk the sense of freedom that is pretty much status quo for me, anyway. Is there any freer feeling than driving anywhere you want, in a great reliable car, and having money being of no concern? Especially when the scenery is spectacular.
The one disappointment, so to speak, was the amount of heavy traffic in the towns of any size (don't get me started on Lexington, KY), but there is nothing better than being on a rural road, lined with lush green trees, early in the morning, when there's no traffic around. Since I have a stick shift, it's especially a pleasure to go up and down hills and around curves. Where I live, "driving" primarily means keeping the steering wheel straight and steady pressure on the gas.
Now that I'm back, I have fresh mental images to turn to whenever I want to reach for a sense of peace and "all is well".