One year ago today we packed our last possessions into the VW Rabbit and closed the door on our old apartment never to return. That was the beginning of the First Big Ride and a memorable summer. There is a certain ache that is the result of not being able to do it all again this summer. We will do it again, that travel across the country with nothing but what fits in the car; but one can’t easily do it every year. Once again, we can’t recommend strongly enough that if you have the chance to do a long road trip like we did you absolutely should do it. There is nothing like the feeling of being totally free and answering to only your own imagination and flexibility in life, even if it is just for a few weeks or months. We had always figured that this summer would be home-based, but the summer of 2011 will be another grand excursion. The question at this point is whether it will be North American again or Europe. Stay tuned.