Travel .
The word often brings to mind ideas about extended
time off work, extensively planned itineraries and long
stretches of time in the car, on a plane or even on a ship.
But Meridian couple Donna and Ed Owen can find
absolute magic on a day trip to watch birds, ride bikes,
gaze at surprising architecture, eat in a funky restaurant
or roam around an out-of-the-way museum.
“Travel can be so simple,” said Donna Owen, who is
in the advertising business. “There is so much to see and
do, right around here. You don’t have to travel far to
see things that are interesting or beautiful or surprising.
Those things are everywhere.”
When the weather is pleasant, the couple often packs
their bikes or kayaks and heads somewhere to look at
nature and bird watch. They might spend the night away,
or they might plan on returning that night. Often, they
leave home without a hotel reservation.
“We can’t make a reservation because we aren’t quite
sure where we will end up or when,” Donna explained.
Often, it is nature that intrigues the couple. Sometimes,
when they leave home they have a goal – like that they
Donna and Ed Owen often pack their bikes to ride as they
look at nature.
“Travel can be so simple.
There is so much to see and
do, right around here. You
don’t have to travel far to see
things that are interesting or
beautiful or surprising. Those
things are everywhere.”
Donna Owen
can’t return home until they see 35 different species of
birds or 10 different birds from the same species.
They refuse to eat at chain restaurants, and Ed Owen
often finds himself falling for places that are quaint or
unexpected.
“I like the hole in the wall places,” Ed said. “I find that
adds a certain flavor to the trip. It makes things interest-
ing.”
Because their adult children live in Memphis and
Chattanooga, Tennessee, they often build shorter trips off
of visits to see them, taking different backroads each time.
“Sometimes we are in a rush to get to the kids, but then
we take our time coming home,” she said.
Within Mississippi, the couple has especially enjoyed
traveling along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, kayaking or
riding bikes.
“You can get a different perspective of things when
you aren’t in a car,” Donna said, adding that they also
enjoy the Vicksburg area.
Still, even when they are in a car, they refuse to get in
too much of a hurry, Donna said.
“Ed is very patient with me,” she said, laughing. “It’s
not unusual for us to drive past something and for me to
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