Visit #2- Second verse, same as the first?

[MushuChicken]

Hey guys! This is a little late coming. But, I did want to give an update to my previous get-together thread with a follow up.

Here is a link to that visit, if you need a refresher, or if you never got to read it:

https://members.lovingfromadistance....Away-LDR-style


I will do a little bit of a re-cap/pre-game in this first post before diving into the visit itself. When we last left off, he and I were continuing to get to know each other, and had plans to see each other, for sure over Memorial Day, as he was coming up to visit me.

However, this time apart was certainly not without some hiccups. In early May, not long after my last post actually, we had done a video chat with each other, and it was fine, as usual. Nothing outstanding, but no red flags either. However, over the next few days following, he had gotten weird, distant maybe. Until, one day I received this huge long message. I insisted on a phone call to discuss it. But, ultimately the gist of it was that he was struggling. He was waiting for a lightning bolt moment. He was waiting for a "This is the one" moment. And, he just wasn't getting it. He liked/likes everything about me, but he wasn't feeling....the sparks, as it were.

So, we had a phone call, and it was pretty touch and go. I did not freak out. I did not yell at him, as he anticipated. We just remained calm, and discussed things maturely. When he realized that I was on the same page as him, that was very helpful. We had both felt "sparks" before and things never work out. So...maybe, this time, we reasoned, the spark will be something that develops over time. Or maybe it never does, but we just don't need it. Or maybe we're wrong, and it will be an issue. But, we settled it at "Hey we've only met once; let's just see each other again, get to know each other, and we'll see how things go."

Since that conversation, things ran pretty smoothly. Things were definitely back to normal, and maybe even better than they were before. Another thing we both agreed on was that despite there maybe not being the "butterflies in the stomach" feeling, we both felt a sense of peace and easiness with each other. Things felt comfortable. Whether that is enough to build a relationship on, that remains to be seen. But, it's a good place to start anyway.

This is maybe something you ladies and gents have experienced before, but I actually felt a lot more nervous heading into the second meeting than I was the first. Unlike a lot of people here, and unlike my previous LDR where I invested months of my life into the guy, he and I hadn't established a long-running anything prior to meeting. We knew each other for about a month before we met. So, like I said, there wasn't a TON of investment in the first meeting. Best case scenario was things work out, yay rah. Worst case scenario, we just wasted 4 weeks of our lives getting to know each other and a weekend spending time with each other, certainly not the worst LDR scenario of all time. So, our first meeting, while quite lovely and intimate and something we are both fond of, was pretty casual.

With visit #2, there are actual stakes involved. Especially with his doubts, it felt like a make or break situation. By this time, I have started to really like him too. And, also, there are people in my life who know about him now, against my better judgement. So, if things bottom out between us, I would have to come home with my tail between my legs. But, mostly...I just liked him, and I thought he liked me, and wondering if that same chemistry will be there. Wondering if things would be awkward. Wondering if things will feel forced.

So, anyway, that's where things stood heading into our second get-together. Will there be a third? I'll get into the visit in my next post.

[MushuChicken]

So, the plan was for him to arrive Friday evening, and he actually got a room nearby to the state park we were to be hiking, which is about an hour from me. I had prior plans for early Saturday morning, but I told him I would be there by mid-morning, and we'd have the rest of the weekend together. Yes, ideally, I wanted to spend as much time together as possible, but between sleeping and what not, mid-morning seemed more than fair and doable.

He was a little bummed, though. He told me over the phone the weekend prior that he would love to just wake up Saturday morning, and I'm already there. I told him after the long drive, he may be exhausted anyway and want to sleep in. And, even if I was there, I wouldn't have anyway to actually get in. I assured him I'd be up there by 9, 9:30 at the latest.

Well, my plans ended up falling through. And, while I would have loved to just drop everything and head up there Friday night, the fact remained that he wasn't going to get in till very late Friday night. And, I had plans to put together a picnic for our hike, so I was going to need as much time Friday for baking/prep as possible. But, as Saturday morning had opened up, I decided to surprise him, and make sure I was there when he woke up Saturday morning. And, considering he is an early riser, I knew it was going to be an extra early morning for me.

So, I was up bright and early at 3:30 am, got the cooler packed up with all the goodies; I had already packed everything else, so by 5 am, I was on the road. I planned to stop and get doughnuts on the way in, but the doughnut shop was closed unexpectedly, which was a bummer, because I did want to come bearing gifts, but instead I just came bearing myself. So, by the time I stopped and got gas, tried to get doughnuts and failed, and got to his room, it was about 6:30 am.

I was surprised, pleasantly surprised, but surprised to see that his building was actually unlocked. So, I made my way upstairs to the landing just outside his door. And, I called. And it rang. And rang. And rang. After 4 rings, I kind of panicked and wondered what I would do if he didn't wake up and answer his phone. Shortly thereafter, though, a groggy-sounding boy came on the phone. I am pretty sure I woke him up, but if I didn't (he claims I didn't), he must have been just barely awake. In my most cheery voice, I said, "Guess what? I'm here!!!" A not quite as cheery voice replied, "Alright, I'll be out to get you."

Apparently, he didn't realize his building would be unlocked either, which made the surprise all the more sweet. He opened the door, prepared to go downstairs and outside to get me, and bam...there I was. He was taken aback, yes; but, I think that had less to do with seeing me, and more to do with him not expecting to see me immediately in that moment. We shall see? I threw my arms around him and we shared a hug and I kissed his fuzzy cheeks. And, well...there we were.

We settled down on the couch in the living room, and the next few moments were a bit strange. They were weird, maybe sweet, or maybe just weird. I sat back on the sofa, and he sat near me, but he sort of angled his back toward me, and he was leaning forward. So, he wasn't facing me or looking at me. I just rubbed his back and we talked. He continued to lean his body forward, away from me; the practical part of me thought that maybe he just wasn't fully awake, and just needed a while to come to. But, I also worried that he had had "a moment." Like...maybe seeing me again made him realize he didn't want me after all, that it was all a mistake, that he had wasted all that time driving to see me, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do. So, I just sat there rubbing his back, not entirely sure what to do.

He did eventually kiss me, and it was lovely, and we spent a bit of time doing that until he decided he needed a toothbrush break. Which was fine, because it gave me time to run out to my car to bring in my overnight bags. I never did get up the nerve to find out what exactly was going on inside his head those first few moments. I am just going to assume the best case scenario that he was just taking a little bit to wake himself up.

We retired to his bedroom, where we spent the morning innocently lazing away in bed. Fully clothed. Just sleeping and cuddling and talking and sweet kisses here and there. Mainly just being in each other's arms. Remembering what it felt like, learning each other again.

But, alas, those state park trails weren't going to hike themselves, and my rugged guy had the itch, so I had to leave my blissful cocoon and get ready for some adventure.

Next post: just to prove romance isn't dead, the next update will feature myself eloquently panting, "I think I'm going to throw up."

[MushuChicken]

So, we boarded our trusty steed (aka my car) for the 20 minute drive to the park. We sang to the music on the radio and talked about life, as much as you can in 20 minutes at least. One thing he loves to do is hold hands in the car; I love it too, but he especially likes it. This will come back later in the story a few times I'm sure, but suffice it to say, if we are in a moving vehicle, our hands are pretty much magnetized toward each other. I bring this up now, because there was an especially cute moment, as I was driving. Now I am, of course, trying to be an upstanding citizen, and drive safely and properly with BOTH hands on the wheel, as one does. And, out of the corner of my eyes, I see him with his left hand just flexing his hand, itching to reach over to grab mine. Every time we would hit a stop light, I'd see him inching his hand over, just so ready. But, again...I am a model driver, so it was 10 and 2 the whole way. Also, it was a little fun to see him on the edge of his seat.

We arrived at the State Park, and found a parking lot nearest to the trail he wanted to walk. This particular trail descended down to the creek area, including the waterfall. Unfortunately due to the lack of rain in recent days/weeks, the waterfall wasn't quite as majestic as would have been nice. So, we got out of my car; his girl came prepared, with the sunscreen and the bug spray, so we got all that applied. The trail, as you would imagine in a state park was a very woodsy area. We passed a couple of runners near the top of the trail, but after that, we didn't see many people. I had my phone in one hand and selfie stick in the other and we just plodded along. That is, until he basically grabbed my selfie stick out of my hand so that he could hold it. Hey...the guy knows what he wants, I can't fault him for that. It was cheeky but sweet. As I said, we began the descent down toward the creek.

He was very good about offering help to me if he thought I might need a hand or an arm or something to keep my steady, but he didn't hover either and treat me like I was helpless. Once we got down there, the rocks were fairly smooth, but there were still logs and trees and jagged sections to traverse so it was still an adventure. Some of the earth had been cut away by man, but much of it was just natural wearing away of the earth, so it was very beautiful. The tall sides of the canyon were good ol' Indiana limestone and some clay as well, so it was just a really neat spot. It was also super private and we didn't see another soul the whole time we were down there. So, we walked around and took pictures and enjoyed each other's company for a while. We probably could have stayed there all day, just exploring and enjoying this small section of the park that seemed to be all ours. Our own little private paradise.

But, alas, we couldn't stay there forever, so we decided to move on up the trail. This is where things went a bit awry. The plan was to make a loop on this trail, not go back the way we came. However, the map wasn't particularly specific, and the trails weren't marked that great either. So, we just walked alongside the creekbed on a trail that seemed pretty well traveled and assumed it was the right one. Eventually, the trail became less and less pronounced, until eventually there was no more trail. You basically had to walk in the creek. The rocks in the creek were slippery and not particularly stable but we just tried the best we could to find some semblance of a trail. I eventually just walked directly in the water and not on the rocks, because it felt safer and sturdier.

Our paper map was doing no good. And, us eyeballing it wasn't doing much better. So, to both our chagrin, I pulled out my phone for a last ditch effort with Google Maps. Surprisingly, I had service down there, and even better, Google Maps was quite detailed and much more accurate to give us our exact location. Thank goodness for technology! As it turned out, we were quite close to another trail, much closer to pick up on this other trail than to try to go back to our original one. So, we finally find the trail and we are on our way. By this point, this nice little leisurely hike we had been on had turned into work. We were wet and gross and sweaty. And I thought on multiple occasions that if he was seeing me like that, and he still didn't call the whole thing off, that was a good sign. Now, funny story which we found out after the fact. The original trail we started with was 1 of the two most difficult trails in the entire park. The trail we ended up stumbling upon was the other. So, I was definitely getting broken in, the hard way.

Let me take this moment to say...my guy is an experienced hiker, and more fit than I am. It doesn't bother me, and I don't think it bothers him. But...it is what it is. And, I may not be into fitness, but I'm not completely useless. I can walk a decent amount, carry things, do a reasonable amount of exercise. But, as anyone would know...when you descend down...you eventually have to come back up. And, as we were walking along the trail, we reach these stairs. They were a behemoth. Straight up, you couldn't even see the end of them. Even my experienced hiker guy took a picture, they were that intimidating. Now, if we had hiked 5 miles at a gradual incline up to the top, I would have been fine. But, this staircase was a very immediate incline. But, every journey starts with a single step, so....here we go.

Now, I have a history of climbing a lot of stairs in a quick amount of time causing me to feel very sick. An example would be at a water park, if anyone is familiar with how high those stairs can be. As soon as I stop, it's like it all catches up with me and I will feel like I am going to puke or pass out or both. These stairs were very similar to those amusement park stairs. He went on ahead, and I followed after him. The first story and a half, I was okay, other than my legs were starting to feel like jelly. The next story and a half took its toll. My legs were becoming increasingly more sore and hard to pick up; so I knew I needed a break, which was fine. Only, as soon as I stopped moving, the nausea overtook me. Each landing had a little bench built into it, so he and I sat there, and he snuggled up to me, but I genuinely felt like I was going to be sick, and I was mentally freaking out that I was gonna be sick in front of him, and I really had nowhere to go. And it was so quiet, my gags would have echoed for a while.

I needed fresh air. Like the aforementioned water park, usually I get to the top, and there is a breeze and fresh air and that certainly helps. But, down in the canyon, there was no fresh air to be had. It was hot and sticky and humid. So, I just stood up and walked around the small landing, just trying to create my own circulation of air, some sort of breeze by just walking around. He was telling me I'd be fine. And, it was at this point, "I think I'm going to throw up" was blurted out of my mouth in a panic. This may speak to our comfort level with each other, and it may be in a good way or a bad way, but...I said it. It was out there. So...bearing in mind what I just said, my brave boy gets up and he holds me in his arms and he kisses me. And, the ill feeling starts to go away...my heart rate returns to normal. We returned to the bench, this time, I was much more settled. Despite how gross and sweaty we were, we took the opportunity for a little bit of a makeout sesh. Eventually, we did have to move on, but luckily, I had recovered enough to make it up the rest of the stairs.

God bless him. He was so incredibly kind to me. He went at my pace and never seemed annoyed or put out. He was constantly checking on me, making sure I was okay. He even thanked me for coming with him, and I thanked him (and meant it) for bringing me along. I am sure he could have gotten more accomplished without me. But, it felt like a true bonding experience too. There were still some paths to climb uphill. But...the worst was behind us. So, we kept going. And, I think somehow we ended up going off-trail again...(it looked like a trail, so we followed it!) We saw a clearing coming, saw the light, and walked right out into a campground. That was being used for someone's family reunion or some other gathering.

So, there we are, emerging from the woods, with 25 pairs of eyes on us. It was kind of comical really. We just smiled and waved, and they were friendly enough. I was just happy to be out of the woods (literally and figuratively) and out amongst the more public areas of the park. We found the facilities, thank goodness, and a cute little seating area with Adirondack chairs in the shade, where we sat and held hands and talked and didn't talk...just sitting and being.

Up next: I get really, really emotional. Can I put the feelings away and enjoy the weekend?

[MushuChicken]

Believe it or not, between the morning cuddles and the drive and the hiking and the sitting around and talking, by this point, it was just shy of 11 o clock. You know the idiom "Time flies when you're having fun?" Maybe time slows down when you're having fun with someone you care about? Maybe? Anyway, it was smidgen early for lunch, but we hadn't had breakfast, so we decided to go ahead and eat the lovely lunch that I packed for us. There were a number of picnic areas throughout the State Park, but I let him pick the one he wanted to eat at, which was naturally the most secluded one. So, we got back in my car, drove to the shelter area, and unpacked lunch.

I made turkey sandwiches, spicy pretzels, macaroni salad, strawberries and fruit dip, and chocolate chip cookies. Pretty simple, but well-rounded, nothing too heavy. Come to find out, he doesn't like strawberries. What?! Who doesn't like strawberries? Well, there goes the fantasy of sexily feeding chocolate dipped strawberries to each other at some point. Bummer.

The chocolate chip cookies, oh the chocolate chip cookies. Now, I know. Basic. Cliche. But, these are no ordinary chocolate chip cookies. These are man-catching cookies. I have about a handful of recipes that I would call "money in the bank" recipes, and this sits at the top of the list. I take very little credit for the cookies themselves. It is about 98% the recipe and 2% my execution of it. It is, however a very detailed and intricate recipe to follow. But, the results are well worth it. Anyway, there was a reason I made these cookies. Not saying it is incentive to choose to go forward with me....but it definitely doesn't hurt. Anyway, he adored the cookies. As I knew he would. Like I said, I made the cookies for a reason. And, they were a success.

We sat and ate and chatted for a long while, at least an hour probably. About deep-cut stuff. Serious topics. Things we don't normally get a chance to talk about. But, being out there amongst nature, eating a casual meal....it felt a lot more natural to have those conversations than it would at a nice restaurant, if that makes sense. Throughout the conversation, there would be off-the-cuff remarks made about his or my "next relationship" or future dates with other people or "down the road." They were not made intentionally or with any purpose. They just sort of slipped their way into the conversation in a very easy way.

However, at some point, as things began to wind down, I think the gravity of what we were saying sort of caught up to me. And, I had to face the cold, hard reality that there are two futures: one where we are in each other's lives, and one where we aren't. That's any relationship really. That's life. But, it was sort of the first time I had really thought about this possibility that he and I just don't work out. And, it kind of gutted me. He could tell my mood had changed, and he asked what was wrong, and as has always been the case in our relationship, I was up front and honest with him. But, I mean...what could he say? It's just a fact in ANY relationship that it may not work out. And you have to accept that there may be a "next guy" or "next girl." Yeah, it would have been nice if he could have come up with something comforting. But, I think he just really didn't know what to say. So, he tried to come around the picnic table and hold me and I should have let him. But, I was so emotional and upset and I just sort of shrugged him off and wanted nothing to do with him in that moment.

But, be that as it may....we took some pictures, and then packed up our stuff to head back to his apartment. Over the course of the drive, I kind of realized that worrying about the "what ifs" and the worst case scenarios was only going to make me miserable. And, I don't want to make myself miserable in general. And, I certainly didn't want to ruin our whole weekend being upset. So, I decided to let go of the doubts and the what ifs and just experience one day, one moment at a time. And hope that it works out. By the time we got back to his apartment, I was back to my normal self, not getting inside my own head.

We got up to his room where I unceremoniously stripped down, and he was happy to follow suit. Now, a couple of things here: the living area had air conditioning, but the bedroom didn't, so it was pretty muggy in there. Also, my stripping down was not done in a sexy way whatsoever. It was very much a "I feel gross get me out of these clothes" kind of way. My shoes and socks were still soaked from walking in the creek. And, the rest of the clothes were still soaked from the sweat. So, as I said...it was not a sexy striptease at all. Once I got out of the gross, sweaty clothes...I dove immediately into the bed in order to feel the cool sheets to cool me down.

Fast forward a couple of hours, and I was lazily enjoying my contented under-the-covers bliss. In case you haven't learned by now guys...I really love napping/being in bed. I don't get to do it a lot. But...anytime I get the license to spend all or most of the day in bed, I definitely make the most of it. You won't have to tell me twice. But, eventually, there he was standing over me saying, "Hey you wanna go out and do something?" Figures that I would find the one guy who would rather actually be out doing stuff instead of spending the afternoon in bed with me...sigh.

I knew of a pretty cool antique shop in the area, so we decided to go check it out. He really likes old tools, and I like old stuff in general. And, you just never know what you might find. I've never done antique shopping/flea marketing in a dating situation, but it's definitely something I highly recommend. There are so many things with stories, and so many quirky things to peruse over. We'd look at the old tools he loves, and I would try to guess what things were, and he would tell me what they actually were. You really get to see someone's personality, what makes them tick, what kind of tastes they have. And, lots of little private nooks and crannies to steal a kiss or a pinch or be just lovey dovey in general. It was simple and nice and just another way to build rapport with each other.

By the time we left the antique shop, it was around 6, so we decided to try to find someplace for dinner. So, between me driving around, and him looking at his Yelp app for probably 20 minutes and menus and back and forth...we finally decided on this little brewery/pub. He tried a local beer. I didn't. (I don't drink) We decided to do a pizza, simple cheese on my half, all the meat on his half. This was a pretty politics-heavy meal. I know political discussions aren't exactly romantic dinner date conversations, but...when have he and I been conventional at all? I am a bit of a contrarian and can play Devil's Advocate, so I enjoy pressing buttons sometimes. So, it was definitely fun to get into faux impassioned debates. But, in the end, holding hands across the table and sharing a kiss and being just a normal couple on a normal date? That's really the best, isn't it? LDRs are just so not traditional. Everything is just a little bit different, a little bit harder. So, those brief moments where we can just be a couple like any other couple out for dinner together...it was a good moment.

There were two pieces of pizza left, one of each of ours, so we boxed it up for a post-coital snack (more on that later) and headed out. It was still early, so we decided to do a little bit more out and about before we headed back for the night.

So, of course, our next stop involved something no early dating relationship between two basic white folks would be complete without: a trip to Target!

[MushuChicken]

This was quite a milestone: our first trip to Target, the place of my people. He had some odds and ends to pick up, and I am never turning down a Target run.

Afterwards, we walked through the local mall, just people watching and window browsing pretty much. I did make a quick stop in Macy's, because, well, it's the other place of my people. I didn't want to bore him, but I do think he would have honestly been peachy keen to sit and wait on me and let me try on clothes. He made a cheeky comment on trying on swimsuits, but that wasn't going to happen. As we walked and talked, the topic of conversation actually ended up being my ex, the other LDR that actually led me to this site in the first place.

I know talking about exes just isn't ideal. But... he asked, and again, I have always been up front with him, and I wasn't going to stop now. The thing is...you don't want to seem overly nostalgic, like maybe you are missing the person. But, you don't want to angrily bash them either, because that can come across as unattractive. It can also be hard to discuss where things went wrong, especially if there are similarities with your ex and your current. The point is...it's a delicate balance to find. Luckily for me, I am far enough removed from the situation that I am pretty detached about the whole thing. Not a lot of bitterness, not a lot of anger left. I think I was probably able to convey the hurt I had felt at the time, and the small lingering hurt I still feel sometimes, without coming across as broken, if that makes sense. I was authentic about the toll it had on me, but honest about the fact that the ex and I don't really talk anymore, and how it makes me sad, but it has been a good thing in the healing process. I think...I hope...he came away from the conversation feeling like it was a productive one. That he got whatever questions he had answered.

So, back to the apartment, it was. And, honestly...we just kind of chilled on the couch for a long while. No smooching, no hanky panky. I got some Uno cards out, but we never got to it. But, yeah, just chatting and catnapping and my head in his lap, his lap in mine, stretching out, winding down. And, again, to come back to it, it was nice to feel like a normal couple just hanging out. I am sure you guys have felt this way before, but sometimes, it feels like time is too precious to waste. But, still, it's a trade off. That sense of normalcy is good for the soul.

It was eventually time for bed, though. Now, at this point...just to let you know, I had packed some very cute nighttime attire. Nothing raunchy or over the top or anything. Pink and frilly and very sweet. So, I disappeared to the bathroom to brush my teeth, but I also changed into my sweet little outfit, brushed my hair out, put on just a bit of makeup. As I emerged from the bathroom...I felt SO beautiful and so proud to be presenting myself to him. I just felt stunning, and that's an awesome feeling. But, the look on his face? It was priceless. He will be the first to tell you that I don't need to waste money and time on fancy undergarments, that he would rather me be out of them than in them anyway...but still, I think even he was pretty appreciative of it. It was just a great moment. Like...yes, what came after was great, of course. But, walking into the room, feeling like a million bucks and seeing his eyes light up? That's the Kodak moment that I am going to remember.

Which brings us to the previously mentioned pizza. So, over the course of our getting to know each other, we both came up with this fantasy that the best way to celebrate a particularly enjoyable round of love-making is to order pizza and have pizza in bed. Pizza in bed is like...the dream, and there is only one thing that could make it better. So, it became a little bit of an inside joke in our relationship. What we affectionately referred to as "sex pizza" was born. We would talk about sex pizza...not all the time by any means... but it would slip casually into conversations, usually as a joke of some sort. So, when we had the pizza leftover at the restaurant, it only seemed fitting that we save it for that purpose. We had the motive. We had the opportunity. We had the pizza. Now, the sex pizza didn't work out exactly the way we had in our minds: for one, it wasn't order-in. For two, it was lukewarm (which was fine by me, even lukewarm pizza is still pizza) But, like I said, the bedroom had no AC, and by the time we were ready for the pizza, we needed some air pretty desperately. So, we went out to the living room, where it was much cooler to enjoy. We toasted our sex pizza- yes, you can toast slices of pizza- and ate. And, it was delicious. It felt like a reward for the fruits of our labor or something.

I still hold out hope for some true "sex pizza" someday, the way we had envisioned it, pizza box in bed, chowing down straight from the box. But, in the meantime we've moved on to other ideas: sex tacos? Sex hot wings? Sex ice cream? The possibilities are truly endless. But, I am not sure any of them will be as awesome and iconic as pizza.

Anyway, after the pizza, it really was time for bed this time. That's it for Day #1. Next time we'll get started on Day 2, which the next couple of days will be a lot less detailed...the first day was kind of jam packed from early morning to late night. Days 2 and 3 will be much more casual.

[MushuChicken]

So, we woke up the next morning. Snuggling up to him, I ask what's on the agenda for the day. He said he wanted to go see the National Forest, which was fine. I knew he had planned on that.

Here is the thing though: Hoosier National Forest is massive. It's not particularly wide, but from top to bottom, it's like 2 hours. Now, there was a portion of the forest about half an hour from where we were staying. And, there was a portion of the forest about 30-40 minutes from my hometown, where we would be going next. And, truthfully, it was practically on the way from the one place to the other, not too terribly out of the way anyway. So, no big deal, right?

This was when he told me the trail/area that he was wanting to go to, which was basically on the far Southern End of Hoosier National Forest, about as far South as you could get from us. Basically about a 2 hour drive away. Well, at this point, I am starting to get officially annoyed. And, he is annoyed at me for being annoyed.

In his mind, he prepared me that he wanted to do all this, and I had said I was fine with it. In my mind, I assumed he wanted to see the parts of the area that were closer to where we were. It would only make sense, right? Anyway, the way I was looking at it was 2 hours there, 2 hours home....that's 4 hours of travel time, time apart from each other, time wasted. As I said in my previous post, time is precious. To waste 4 hours on travel just seemed insane to me.

And, there is always the angle of compromise. I am not a woodsy gal. I like the outdoors, in the context of a backyard bbq or playing cornhole in the backyard with the family. But, the nitty gritty of the natural great outdoors? Not my thing. And, it's very much his thing. So, to me, the compromise is to, sure do Hoosier National Forest, but maybe a more convenient area. Ultimately, though, it wasn't a hill I wanted to die on. I took a step back and realized that he put forth a great deal of effort and travel time to come see me. So, the least I could do was let him have the trail experience he had been looking forward to.

We did, however, agree that we would drive separately and stop at a halfway point, then ride together the rest of the way. Definitely a great idea. For one, it was much better than driving on our own the whole time. It was also better than riding together 2 hours 1 way, then 2 hours back to get my or his vehicle, then having to turn around and drive home. This way, it was both a shorter drive home, and we'd get to spend time together. Win-win!

I will say, it was sort of a surreal feeling. It was odd being so close to him, him following me in his car, and yet not able to actually reach out and touch or speak to him or anything. The phrase "so close yet so far away" was abundantly clear during the initial part of the drive. It was almost harder to be away from him during that hour, because he was right there, than it would have been being away from him if he was further away. But, we did eventually make it to the Walmart, where we parked in the back of the parking lot. I got out, stretched, grabbed some of my stuff, and got in his car. Away we went.

About 15 minutes into our drive, things started to become more and more sparse. The roads got very narrow and curvy. Fewer houses further spaced from each other. It got to the point where we started not even seeing vehicles on the road. It was interesting, because even though this was sort of in my neck of the woods, and I had driven in the area on the major highways before, being on the backroads felt like a whole new experience to me. Almost like...seeing the same things through a different lens, I guess you could say. Skipping ahead a bit, on the way back, we talked about how it was a little scary how remote it was...if something had happened, like a heart attack or slipping and falling down the rocks or whatever, I can't even imagine how long it would take first responders to arrive. There would have been nowhere for a helicopter to land. And, the nearest hospital was 45 minutes-an hour away. Who could live like that?

Anyway, how we found the place on the first try, I don't know. There were little to no signs for it. There was barely directions on the maps apps. But, we came across a teeny tiny gravel/dirt road, which according to the app, should have been the right road, so we followed it. It was either the road to a very off-radar hiking trail or the beginning of a horror movie, one or the other. Luckily, it was the former. He drove till he couldn't go any further. There was a makeshift, but not official, parking area and a port-a-potty in the distance so...we had arrived.

Up next: I didn't think it was possible to be more unsexy than I was the day before, nearly passing out on the stairs....but alas, I will try to outdo even myself.