Vacation is always worth it.  No doubts.  But, dang, catching up when you get back can take twice as much time as you were gone.  I can’t believe I let the poor little blog lay dormant for over a week.  I am blaming the financial crisis (because its only once in 50 years that something like this comes along and can shoulder your blame.)

That being said, so much to be grateful for on trip:

• tent staying dry during post-Ike rains
• an AWESOME reunion trip to Miami of Ohio
• driving by the house I lived in Senior year in college and having all the great memories come flooding back in an instant
• Bagel & Deli still being there; still having cool hippies making great sandwiches
• discovering an outside garden at Kona,my favorite restaurant in Oxford.
• souping up with new Miami gear
• the luxury Sedan that brought us through WI, IL, IN, OH and KY in comfort, style and without any breakdowns.
• S’mores and the way camping can justifying eating about 5 of them day, at any time in the day
• hiking through the Red River Gorge in 80+ degree weather and feeling happy
• watching the “Cultural Night” at the campsite, being amazed that everyone knew every line dance, and agreeing with Diene that it felt like we were visiting a foreign country.
• keeping an audio log of the vacation on the dictaphone – so much fun.
• getting a hot tip from Joanna about a pizza place in the middle of nowhere, yet less than one mile from our campsite.
• Being adult enough to admit that eating pizza (that someone else cooks and cleans up after) beats camp cooking any (and all) night(s) of our trip.
• NPR, the NY Times, Slate.com and my other favorite media sources that I was all too happy to return too.
• Having a few extra $50s in my wallet when we got back
• Interstate highways, without which, trips like this wouldn’t be possible in so few days.
• The fact that by leaving KY and our campsite, I no longer have to pick the annoying little caterpillars off my tent, shoes, legs, car, food, picnic table and everything else that they overtook while we were there.  Gross little things.