The Royal Poinciana trees are starting to bloom their brilliant red flowers and that’s our signal it is time to head north.

This year, we are taking a rather circuitous route to get back to North Carolina.

It all began when my husband and I decided there were still a number of places we wanted to see in the U.S.  Towns that were too remote, sites visited in childhood, city stays dominated by business agendas . . . many, many roads not traveled.

Naturally, there is no pattern to our selections, it looks like a messy toddler marked up a map of the lower 48.   So we decided we’d better start driving.  While I have described to curious friends some of the spots we will visit, I realized there is one clear description – we are about to embark on a trip through Tornado Alley. If you watch the news, you will realize this is not the best time of year to be doing this.

First stop, Tampa.