I love traveling

This scrapbook page is about the fact that I love traveling. That's what this figurine belonging to Don's friend J.R. reminds me of, people a long time ago packing up and going on a road trip. I'll do that from time to time. I don't know when - or even if - I will make it all the way to St. Louis, Missouri, which is the city this reminded me of, since its something to market the city's baseball team. I have been to St. Louis before, but I don't remember. (Maybe several times, but all when we lived in Illinois, when I was five months to 22 months old.) I have been to Missouri twice that I do remember, but not to St. Louis either one of those times.

Traveling in 2012, at least before September, is complicated by a lack of funds. Don will get his first pension check in September, we have learned. And by that time, he should be underway with his second semester at Cal. Baptist University. Which seems to me would prevent him from making a long trip until semester break in December 2012.

But we can hope for short trips within California. We have already made one this year. We started out the year in Cayucos, a beach town on the central coast. That's what my parents wanted to do this year. Going back from that trip, we traveled mostly down Pacific Coast Highway until we reached Ventura. We visited Vandenberg Air Force Base, Refgugio Beach and the Ellen Porter Performing Arts Center at Westmont College. I say that we also saw the Ellen Porter sunset at Westmont College. We spent the night in Ventura at a charming yet very inexpensive motel, then explored its downtown along with the smaller towns of Oak Park, Ojai and Santa Paula. All fun!

And sometimes, we will find new things not very far away at all. This bridge is in the Santa Ana River, with one side crossing at the trail Don and I frequently hike on. But this picture is from the other side, in Riverside. We recently discovered our neighbor city's Martha McLean Park on Jurupa Avenue. It's a nice park, and if you hike all the way to its western edge, you will then be on Riverside's paved Santa Ana River Trail. Find a break in the fence that divides the trail from the river itself to hike down to the south bank of the river. If I were to go straight across the river, I am less than one mile from my own house, but this was a cool bit of travel itself.