BY JANOS BALOGH

We have been traveling a lot, but I always meet people who seem to travel even more and I can’t help admiring and sometimes envying them. I truly believe that the Travel Bug exist, sometimes you just feel the urge to go regardless of the season or weather.

This January after we drove through three days of rainstorm and had a tornado warning in California we finally enjoyed the much nicer weather is San Felipe. During our stay there we saw the proof: other people bitten by the Travel Bug.

Our campground had Wifi in the bar and the restaurant; we were there almost every evening to take care of e-mails and our blog, (and some margaritas). One evening a young couple walked in wearing biker gear from head to toe and asked how much the camping costs.

The green road sign says Highway 17 South to Phoenix. I take one last look out my side window as the truck exits off I-40, part of old Route 66, which we’ve been travelling on for days, as we circle around to head south. I can still see the San Francisco Peaks, drizzled with snow on the tops, standing majestically against the clear spring sky. All around us are Ponderosa pine trees, dark green contrasting with the sky and mountains. My husband points out to me the lack of ground cover in the forest. It’s like a giant brushed his fingers between the conifers and cleared away all the debris.

It is near the end of April, 2003, and we are on the last leg of our journey. We left the cold of Canada; loading up our fifth wheel trailer with boxes, suitcases, Rubbermaid containers and even a bookcase resting on our bed, taking the long trek across country. We are bringing our son Mike’s things to him in Phoenix. He is working for a military firm there doing computer work for radar bases across the southwest. I was sad when he decided to move so far away but understood his need for independence. Now the anticipation of a reunion is gripping me with anxiety and happiness.