Wednesday May 6th 2020

The triple digit temperatures were back today. The town was reported at 105 degrees during the afternoon. When I pointed my infrared thermometer at the black paved road in front of my RV it reported a temperature of 145 degrees. The bottom line is it was hot.

My morning walk was short. The sun was high enough in the sky to be dangerous, so I only made a walk around the perimeter of the RV park. My evening walk as the sun set was full length. It was still very warm, but the sun was not beating down.

Between my walks I worked on travel research and contemplation. It is interesting to note that at this time last year I hadn’t started my summer travels. I was still in Florida planning out my path to the northwest and the places I might visit. I passed through northern Arizona the last week in May heading for Utah and Bryce Canyon National Park. This year that seems unachievable because of the uncertainty of the reactions of governments and business to the virus.

Planning is a challenge. It is hard to give up my well developed plans. This is the first year that I planned heavily and made a full half year of reservations. Once I made the plans, I developed a strong sense of anticipation around the places I would be able to visit. Now I need to come up with another plan that accommodates the mitigations necessary to travel in this virus plagued world. It is hard to know what to do or to develop any real enthusiasm for the task. I want to get moving, but when and where are big unknowns. I think the best I’m going to be able to plan is a month in advance, just like I did last year.