I had a dream today, and that dream was to visit Carmel*, a place I've heard much of, but never been to.

It amazes me each time I think of it (so I'm amazed a lot) at how much of my home state I've never seen, much less visited, as I race down the highway from point A to point B at 80+ mph. And that's the thing. I drive by so many places repeatedly on at least one particular A-B trek, but never have the time or the inclination at the moment to stop and see the sights or smell the roses or just be. Hell, I've spent most of my life in two of the most beautiful areas in the world, but I find that tourists tend to know more about what's there than I do.

So maybe I'll have two resolutions this year: that thing about my health that I mentioned earlier; and to travel more within my own state. Heck, within my own county would be a great start.

*Oh, and I didn't get to Carmel today. And no, it had nothing to do with sleeping in till 11 a.m. Shut up. It just so happened that a lot of other people had the same idea as an activity for today and I wasn't about to spend the whole trip watching for brake lights and looking for parking instead of watching for beautiful scenery or a nice little place to stop and enjoy the day. Maybe next weekend.