Category: Uncategorized

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June 15 – Route 66 Trip Planning: A Savvier Traveler

Several years ago when I traveled to Europe with a group of students for ten days, I realized that the recurring motif of 3s throughout so much of life holds true for travel as well and makes traveling with only a carry-on possible even for lengthy trips. Three bottoms and three tops yield nine outfits, and that’s more than enough clothing to take me through a week along Route 66 – and these items will fit with room to spare in one small bag.

Two friends in my writing groups have lost their checked luggage in the past few months. When we all gathered for an NCTE presentation in Anaheim, California last November, our Louisiana writer’s bags failed to turn up at the airport; she had to go buy all new clothes for the trip, right down to underwear, makeup, and a toothbrush. Our Michigan friend seemed to have it worse – – she’d flown to Italy and ended up borrowing clothes – – even for the wedding she was there to attend.

So I’m more than a little particular about not checking any bags, fearing I’ll end up on one side of the continent and my belongings on the other.

Before I decided to purchase my Coleman carry-on, I searched several major airlines’ websites to find out their maximum luggage dimensions for carry-ons. I took the smallest dimensions and made the decision to purchase a small hard-shell bag that could stand up to me. Solid swivel wheels, a thick exterior, and a non-flimsy expandable handle were the three most important features, and I also inspected it to be sure it had a stealthy zipper. I landed on a Coleman with a tactical flair.

My personal bag is one that I carry only on the airplane to get the maximum ride for space; once I get where I’m going, I whip out my Travelon backpack with its locking features and use this for daily excursions. The clasps that fasten the bag shut mean I don’t have to worry as much about theft, and the RFID protection gives an added layer of peace of mind. For this trip, I’m also adding a crossbody bag from Travelon, recommended by my traveling friend Glenda from Idaho. I’ll put the crossbody in the backpack and the backpack in the personal bag so that I have a range of bag options for any outing.

Crossbody/Fanny Pack Convertible bag recommended by my friend Glenda

I’m still seeking travel hacks, and some friends have emailed and texted me some great suggestions recently. I appreciate all of the voices of experience and the tips. Please share any packing ideas in the comments – I’m always looking for ways to become a savvier traveler!

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June 14 – Planning for First Aid and Medicines When Traveling

I’m not a fan of day-of-the-week pill organizers when going through airport security. These handy containers are fine for storing vitamins and medicines when I’m camping or at home, but in the absence of their labeled bottles, I fear suspicion by airport officials, which may lead to my detainment and a missed flight. I worry that I’ll be the one whose vitamins get taken to the lab for analysis while other passengers glare at a girl…..standing there with a suitcase…..just trying to keep mood swings at bay and find some energy in B12 and B6…. like I’m some kind of criminal drug dealer.

I was texting with my friend Glenda, a fellow traveler in my writing group, who reminded me that along Route 66, we’ll be passing CVS Pharmacies and stores where we can buy first aid items and medicines if we encounter the need for them, unlike what we would be able to do if we were on a cruise or out of the country. She suggested a few of the basics – some antibiotic Band-Aids and Tylenol and any prescriptions we normally take. I agree with her. Since we will only be taking carry-on luggage, every square inch of our luggage space is prime real estate.

I’m using a quart-size Ziploc bag for our travel first aid kit. Here is my list of items I plan to take:

Tylenol

Band Aids infused with Antibiotic Ointment

Prescription medications

Zyrtec

Bonine

Prilosec

Aquaphor ointment

Tums

What suggestions do you have for other items I should consider taking? I welcome all of your best first aid travel hacks!

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June 13 – Hydration on the Road – The Clear Winner

Last Friday, I started reviewing tumblers for my trip down half of Route 66 later this month. I’m heat sensitive and prone to lightning-fast dehydration, so my cup choice matters a lot to my physical ability to enjoy outings. On Saturday, I reviewed the 40 ounce Hydro Flask tumbler, on Sunday the Stanley 30 ounce Iceflow, and on Monday the Stanley Flowstate Quencher H2.0 30 and 40 ounce tumblers. Today, I’m declaring a winner to make the roadtrip with me. If I had been reviewing for another purpose, there may have been a different tumbler trophy awarded, but I know which will make my best travel companion.

For the past six months, my buddy has been the 40 ounce Hydro Flask that I bought on a Black Friday deal and have used daily. Before that, I carried a Yeti, and before that, a Tervis.

I was looking for a tumbler that is leakproof, that can get me through 3 or 4 hours without a refill, and that can keep ice cold overnight. I stuck to the name brands not because of their popularity on TikTok (which I don’t even watch), but because I tend to be very hard on shoes, bags, and cups and feel that name brands bring a durability that knockoffs don’t always offer. Plus, I have fond memories of Stanley since childhood when my grandfather took us camping in Fernandina Beach and drank coffee from his Stanley thermos all day. When he wasn’t on vacation, he took that thermos, with its side luggage-like handle, to work with him every day. Perhaps that’s why my heart leans toward Stanley products.

Before we were married, my husband and I would make a pot of coffee and fill our own green thermos for a long drive daytime date. We’d stop at a roadside food market to sit in rocking chairs and share a dessert and a cup of coffee from the lid that doubles as a cup.

Fond memories, indeed.

There was one clear winner as I searched for the best tumbler to take on my trip. It’s not without its weaker points, but its strengths catapulted it to the blue ribbon platform almost immediately for the purpose of traveling.

The traveling tumbler trophy goes to……

The 30 ounce Stanley Ice Flow Flip Straw Tumbler

This Pool Swirl beauty has a design that brings back the psychedelic 1970s and that woman dancing with the radiating colors all around her to Aquarius Let the Sunshine In by the Fifth Dimension. And what a fitting song – – all the aqua of aquarius, and the sun shining in, too.

This tumbler doesn’t leak when the lid is fastened correctly, it fits in both RAV-4 front seat cup holders, and even fits snugly down into the side pocket of my backpack. The non-bottlenecked lid makes adding ice a simple task. The handle pops up from the top and so does the straw, making it a more compact design than the Quencher model with the handles that can only be carried one way, unless you purchase the shoulder strap and make it like a purse.

The Hydro Flask and Quencher models both have their winning merits for different purposes; I’ll use the Quenchers for work and for drinking coffee, and the Hydro Flask for hiking when we go camping.

But the winner for compact travel for those needing high-tech hydration is the Stanley Ice Flow Flip Straw Tumbler!

Cheers to staying hydrated this summer with your favorite cup! And cheers to a great way to start the day with The Fifth Dimension!

The Fifth Dimension – Aquarius: Let the Sunshine In
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June 12 – Hydration on the Road – Stanley Flowstate Quencher H2.0 30 and 40 Ounce Tumblers

Stanley Quencher 30 oz. in Rose Quartz – handle is too low to fit in my RAV-4 cup holder
Stanley Quencher tumbler 40 oz. in Fog

For the past few days, I’ve been reviewing tumblers for staying hydrated while traveling in the heat. Later this month, we’ll drive a little over half of Route 66, beginning in Chicago and ending in Albuquerque – and it’s blazing hot out west in June. As one who experiences heat sensitivity and is especially prone to dehydration, I need a tumbler that can keep ice frozen overnight and hold enough water to last me for several hours until the next refill. I’ve completed my reviews of the 40 ounce Hydro Flask and the 30 ounce Stanley Ice Flow. Today, I’m reviewing the Stanley Quencher H2.0 tumblers in the 40 ounce and 30 ounce sizes.

Each of these tumblers comes with a 3-position lid that allows the user to twist the middle bar so that it 1) seals itself shut, 2) opens to a small slot for drinking hot beverages, or 3) twists to the straw insert slot for drinking cold beverages. Each tumbler has a side handle that, when held in the user’s right hand, has the logo facing the user and straw emerging from the tumbler just above the Stanley logo if twisting begins at the 9:00 position. They’re ultra-versatile, and the lid twists on like a silicone-lined dream, sliding softly into a seemingly watertight fit on the rim of the mug. (This is where the Stanley Iceflow lid could use improvements to become more like its Quencher siblings in terms of the ease of the lid twisting).

And as if you didn’t already know, these tumblers can be accessorized. Go to any little league sports games where the mommies are gathered and you’ll see all the options – there are hand covers, pouch packs, and straps for shoulder carrying. If I could wear the same clothes every day for a week, I could go to Europe for a week with just a Stanley pouch pack as my luggage. These tumblers are practically more dressable than a new baby girl.

It’s easy to fill these tumblers with ice since there is no bottleneck at the top.
The Stanley 40 ounce tumbler fits comfortably in the RAV-4 cup holder.
No drink, really, ever fits in the RAV-4 front cup holder, except the Stanley Ice Flow 30 ounce tumbler (Toyota needs to redesign that one)

So here are the pros and cons of these tumblers.

Pros

  1. 40 ounce tumbler fits comfortably in my RAV-4 cup holder.
  2. 40 ounce tumbler holds enough water to get me from breakfast to lunch.
  3. The color choices on both are a rainbow of possibilities.
  4. No bottleneck makes both sizes easy to fill with ice.
  5. The 3-position lid means these can also be used for hot drinks.
  6. They both have good straw flow once you find the sweet spot just above the bottom of the cup.
  7. They can be accessorized to carry phone, keys, cash, cards. Maybe even a small t-shirt.
  8. They both come in a matte textured finish that feels leathery and looks gorgeous – I held mine that have this finish on the body and there is less slipping and better gripping if the cup gets wet.

Cons

  1. If you want the logo to face outward to proclaim to others that you’re part of the Stanley craze, you have to hold the tumbler in your left hand and experiment to find the clockface starting twist position for the straw to be where you want it to be. Stanley could improve this by either imprinting the logo on both sides or making a handle that twists like the lid bar.
  2. They both leak when held upside down in the seemingly watertight position. I have more than one of each of these Quencher model sizes, and they all leak.
  3. The handle is a blessing and a curse. It makes the cup bulky and prevents the 30 ounce from fitting in either cup holder.
  4. They are heavy – the water amount obviously adds to the weight difference between the 30 ounce and the 40 ounce, but the empty vessel, in each case, is weighty.
  5. They don’t fit in the side pocket of a backpack because of the handle, so for those who strive to travel lightly and fit things in compact spaces, these cups are not sleek.

Tomorrow, I’ll share my overall winner decision and the reasons why I am choosing it as my preferred Route 66 Traveling cup.

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June 11 – Hydration on the Road – Stanley Pool Swirl

Yesterday I started my reviews of water tumblers to determine the best one to take along Route 66 as we travel later this month. Not only do I need a tumbler that keeps ice frozen overnight, but I also need it to be free from leaks, fit in a cup holder well, and be comfortably portable between the car and the places we stop. I need it to hold a lot of water, too.

That’s what concerns my husband as he chuckles to himself every time I take a new tumbler out to test.

Great, he quipped. We’ll be having to make a lot of pit stops, I see.

Call them what you want, but we’ve already mapped out frequent stops, I reminded him.

My sister in law and I have scheduled stops along the way in the Roadtrippers Plus app. We’re driving only a few hours each day, stopping to see the attractions and landmarks at the waypoints we have chosen. There won’t have to be many stops for the sole purpose of using the restroom ~ I’ll be taking advantage of the facilities where we’ve already marked the map.

Today’s review is for the Stanley Ice Flow 30 oz. Flip Straw Tumbler. When I first filled this tumbler with water and ice and held it upside down, it leaked.

I removed the top, cleaned up the water, and tried again. It turns out that the lid does not screw on as easily as the Quencher series cups. When I took the time to be sure that it was fastened tightly and held it upside down again, it did not leak. So here are the pros and cons of the Stanley Ice Flow.

Pros

It does not leak when the lid is fastened correctly.

I like the variety of colors. Pool Swirl appeals to my love of the ’70s.

The straw has smooth suction flow.

The straw is comfortable with its rounded edges (doesn’t hurt lips).

It fits in both of my RAV-4 cup holders in the console.

The mouth makes putting ice in easy (no bottleneck).

It’s comfortably held in the hand (body and handle, both).

The straw pops up and down – no need to remove it completely on the go.

Ice stayed frozen overnight.

It fits beautifully in the side pocket of my Travelon backpack.

Starting position for twisting the lid for the straw location doesn’t matter (on the Quencher, if you want the straw in a certain position, you have to experiment starting twist positions).

Cons

It takes some checking to be sure the lid is fastened correctly and tightened.

The twisting of the lid to get it off is not as smooth as the Quencher series.

It does not have a 3-stop lid position, so this is mostly for cold drinks.

It’s less bulky than the Quencher with the handle.

I ran out of water more quickly with the 30 ounce size, which is less than my normal size.

Fits comfortably in the RAV-4 front cup holder.
Fits comfortably in the RAV-4 middle console cup holder.
Ice stays frozen overnight.

Tomorrow, I’ll review both Quencher models – the 30 ounce and the 40 ounce.

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June 10 – Hydration on the Road – 40 ounce Hydro Flask Review

I’m not “extra.”

I live a simple life in a modest home in the rural Georgia countryside where, as they say, it gets so hot you can fry an egg on the sidewalk. I work as a Literacy Specialist in a school system, so I do a lot of reading and writing in my “spare time” – enjoying the quiet times. I love long walks with my three Schnoodles (a portmanteau for Schnauzer/Poodle designer dogs, who were popularly considered mere mutts up until recently) – Boo Radley (To Kill a Mockingbird), Fitz (F. Scott Fitzgerald), and Ollie (male-gendered name for Mary Oliver, my favorite poet). I also enjoy filling my birdfeeders with different types of seeds to be able to observe a variety of avian friends, and taking to full nature experiences in state parks on weekends in my small teardrop camper. I apply a thin layer of makeup with my own fingertips (no fancy brushes or sponges for me) only on days when it’s absolutely necessary, and I don’t filter my photos to make myself look ten years younger. I dont’ wear the latest fashions ~ my blue jeans are a store brand, not a name brand. And my travel mugs are not inspired by social media influencers – nor does Tik Tok govern my thinking (I think I’ve watched a grand total of 3 Tik Tok videos in my life).

I’m not “extra.” But this isn’t all about me.

It’s about high-tech hydration for a girl with heat sensitivity who is prone to dehydration and who happens to be road tripping from Chicago to Albuquerque along Route 66 in the mid-summer heat later this month.

A girl who must proactively bathe her organs in cool-flowing internal water fountains, who needs a little more than a salt tablet and a recycled plastic bottle of Dasani or Deer Park or Aquafina along for the ride.

I begin my review of the best water tumbler with the Hydro Flask 40-ounce tumbler, which I got on a Black Friday deal in November to replace a Yeti, which had replaced a Tervis before that. I bought two and gave a charcoal gray one to my son, who works on the rooftops of houses in the South Carolina sun along a lower latitude line, even closer to the equator than I am.

It doesn’t fit in this cup holder.

I have dropped this tumbler more than the Atlanta Falcons drop a football and slammed on brakes so hard once that I’m surprised it didn’t soar like a missile straight through the windshield ~ but still, no dings or dents in this plainest-colored bottle, white as a snow-topped Alaskan mountain from the view of a Lido deck over coffee.

It’s in great shape, but there are a few things that prompted me to seek a better tumbler fit.

One is the portability of the thing. It doesn’t fit in either of the front cup holders in my car or in the door holders, because the bottom isn’t tapered. While that may not be a big deal to most people, I often keep it in the front seat if I’m traveling alone, or in the back seat if I’m traveling with a passenger. When the driver happens to be my husband, who takes most curves on two wheels, the missile takes aim for doors and floors as he drives.

As he was driving last week, I reached into the back seat and secured it in the seat flap, to his great relief.

It doesn’t have a solid fit in the cup holder because of the non-tapered bottom.

I’m glad you got that thing under control, he thanked me. It was scaring me every time it hit the door.

I resisted the temptation to suggest that if he took our rolling hills and curves a little slower, it wouldn’t be hitting the door with such force. Trouble is, his words rang true. It was always in the foot somewhere, spinning and rolling around like a tantrum-throwing toddler, just enough to be annoying.

His words prompted my search for a better traveling tumbler. One that would stay put and get the job done. And so I gathered some cups for a full review of what will work best to keep me out of dehydration and help me avoid a heat stroke.

I’m not “extra.” I’m just needy, and slightly particular.

The Pros of the Hydro Flask 40 -ounce

It holds a lot of water.

It’s big, but not too big.

It keeps ice cold overnight, into the next day.

It comes in a variety of colors.

It can be carried inside a backpack without leaking.

It has a pop-up straw.

It’s durable, practically indestructible to the point that it might prove to be bulletproof.

The Cons:

It is bulky and heavy.

It doesn’t fit in any of my cup holders.

It has a handle that makes it awkward to carry. (But you can order a lid with a jug handle).

The opening is smaller than its thickness, making it harder to fill with ice.

The bottleneck opening makes it a bit harder to clean (you need a bottle brush).

The suction is good, but the square mouthpiece is uncomfortable.

Tomorrow, I’ll review the Stanley Ice Flow 30-ounce tumbler.

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June 9 – Route 66 Hydration Planning

My husband thinks I’m over the top to be planning which cup to take for the best hydration on our trip. He chuckled one of his I’m going to keep my mouth shut, but my wife is crazy laughs when he saw a row of cups lined up on the kitchen counter.

“Look, I know you think I’ve lost my mind, but if I get dehydrated, I’ll make you lose yours,” I told him.

That got his attention, bringing back memories of the day I was at Six Flags Over Georgia with my daughter, her boyfriend, and my stepson. I got so dehydrated and overheated riding roller coasters that I went to the public bathroom and flung myself down on the floor in the stall to be able to put my cheek to the cool concrete. I was delirious and could not think straight, knowing only that I was fading fast and had to get my cheek temperature down pronto – and I needed a Coca Cola with ice. While my daughter got in line and waited for the Coke, I waited in the stall, rotating my cheeks, not caring one iota about all the germs. I was trying to survive the brutal Georgia heat – – face down on a public bathroom floor, doing what I had to do to prevent a red-light ride to the hospital.

I called my husband to come get me, since we only had one car at the park. We’d paid full ticket prices that summer, and since we’d planned to stay until the park closed, I didn’t want to take the kids away from the fun when they could drive home later.

When we’d first married, my husband drove a race car many weekends. Along with his brother and father, they competed in racing events as a team ~ Johnson Motorsports, or JMS Racing as they were known. We’d hang out at the race track all weekend, and by the time we were loading up to leave, someone would often warn me that my cheeks were red. Each of them knew to watch for that tell-tale sign, knowing that I’m heat-sensitive and dehydrate faster than a dog in the desert. On more than one occasion, I’ve had to get in the truck and keep my face in the air conditioning while the rest of the crew finished loading up.

So hydration is serious business for me. My skin tightens and I feel my heartbeat as if it were split in two, furiously waving checkered flags under each eye socket.

Over the next week, I’ll be reviewing an assortment of cups to determine the best one to take along Route 66. Mine needs to not only hold a lot of water, but also to be able to keep ice frozen overnight. Since 2022, I’ve been taking my 40-ounce Hydro Flask with the pop-up straw to work every day. I fill it with ice in the morning, add filtered water, and drink from it until lunchtime. After lunch, I fill it again and drink that before replenishing the ice and filling it a third time when I leave. This way, I have the pure, filtered water to last me through the evening until the following morning.

Tomorrow, I’ll begin my reviews with the Hydro Flask 40-ounce cup.

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Gratitude: Selena’s Birthday

My sweet daughter in law is celebrating a birthday today! She’s a homeschooling mom with four delightful children and another due in July. I wish I had a fraction of her energy and her patience. She shows her children how to appreciate the simple joys of every day, and she seizes every opportunity to show them love. She brings out the best in our son – and the best in all of us!

Soft-spoken and sweet

Easy-going

Laughing, loving

Eager to pitch in and help

Natural beauty

Adventurous outdoor kayaker!

Mother of the Year!

Always gracious

Energetic (even while expecting)

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Gratitude: Celebrating Mallory’s Journey along Route 66

One of my daughters is celebrating a special journey today, and it reminds me of the journey she took along Route 66 last year. She sent me pictures all along the way, and I’m sharing some of these today as I celebrate her. She truly enjoyed spray painting the cars at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, and so we’ll create a similar scene and share the picture with her. when we drive half of Route 66 later this month. As I prepare, I’m taking the time to learn about these iconic landmarks prior to the trip so that I can more fully appreciate them when I see them.

She says of her trip, “It was one of the happiest weeks ever. I loved this trip. You can hear how windy Texas is in the Cadillac Ranch videos, and Oklahoma is the same. It’ll damn near knock you over.”

Second Amendment Cowboy
You can hear the Texas wind.
Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX
Cadillac Ranch
My daughter at Cadillac Ranch, sporting her artwork in pink

You can hear the wind of Texas here in this video of the buried spray-painted Cadillacs
We’ll see this sign! We will travel into New Mexico as far as Albuquerque.
We’ll come back later in the year to see this sign. We’re taking our trip at a slower pace and only traveling half of the Route 66 roads from Chicago to Albuquerque.

Cheers to all the journeys we celebrate – both inward and outward. Life is full of amazing adventures, and I’m always fascinated by her energy, her humor, and her unique perspectives as she shares her travels with us!

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Gratitude: Saylor’s Birthday

Our Saylor Reese is having a birthday today, and today is all about celebrating this sweet girl!

Sunshine-loving sweet and sassy, she’s

All girl! Loves pink princess dresses and unicorns, a growing

Young lady, tough as nails as the only girl (for now, at

Least, which may change in July, she hopes)….

Our Saylor: always

Ready to chase fairies through the marsh or go kayaking or snuggle up and read books!