Road Trip

When your most vivid memories are of the blurry view out the window, it's time to slow down. I am grateful for phone picture reminders, but I also know when I'm pushing my family too hard. It was becoming more about the destination and not the journey. Within a week, we had traveled to so many national parks that even the rangers gave us the big eyed look of skepticism. The truth is that a drive-thru, visitor center stop and mini hike weren't filling our buckets. It became more about the race to fill in the junior ranger booklet rather than enjoying the spectacular views all around us. We hopped from Badlands to Crazy Horse to Mt. Rushmore to Devil's Tower to Yellowstone and to the Grand Tetons within a week. What we needed was some clarity and pause.  The flexibility of never knowing where tomorrow was going to bring us became more stressful than relaxing. Yes, we could fit one more place in, but was it worth it? After the Grand Tetons, we decided to have some mini vac...

Nothing in life goes to plan, and whenever I attempt one, it blows up in my face. No one who truly knows me would ever call me "spontaneous". I am a planner. I plan, then the plan goes awry, then I freeze while my brain cycles through versions of "does not compute" and "ugggghhhhhhhhh". Flexibility is not my strongest skill, and yet, here I am. I am on an unplanned roadtrip. I am on a trip where I don't know where we will be in two days time. I barely know where we will be the next morning. Is a museum I want to see closed because it's a Sunday? Pivot! Is the weather not cooperating for camping due to extreme heat and 40 mph wind gusts? Pivot! Have the kids just had the ultimate slap fight or lick the palm game that left me reconsidering that antique soda fountain visit? Pivot! This is not a trip for someone who is anxious, yet again, here I am. Four sets of eyes constantly on me asking "Where to next?", "How long until we get there?...

We started our trip with the type of omen that makes you rethink the exact moment you're currently in.  Within hours of starting a 6 week trip, we witnessed a car crash that left all participants forever changed. One split second decision changed the course of many lives that morning. As we slowly drove by, the past, present and future of everyone around me flashed before my eyes. I grappled with the idea of how to save the teen lying on the ground breathless. Could I give her mouth to mouth? Do I even remember the needed steps for CPR? Why didn't I pack the fire extinguisher?  I watched as the young driver paced back and forth with his hands wringing through his hair. He knew from this moment on, everything would be different. The feeling of utter regret palpable for all passerby's to see. The moment of "what if?" hovering in the air. We all have these moments. Moments where we wish we could change that one simple action and leave the swamp of dread we currently ...

When I told friends and family about our roadtrip around the United States, many casually quipped, "You going to stop at the World's Largest Ball of Twine?". My guess is that this was rhetorical, but you know what, I took it as a challenge. To answer that question that no one truly asked me, "Yes, I did see the World' Largest Ball of Twine!" Not only that, we saw the World's Largest Art Easel, Pickled Egg, Belt Buckle, Czech Egg and Travel Plate. Did we drive an extra 45 minutes out of our way to see these items? The answer is yes, but if Loren asks, it was only like maybe 10 minutes more.  The truth is that Kansas is kind of boring. I'm sorry to everyone who lives in Kansas and finds it exhilarating. I would love to be wrong and come back to see all the things that are exciting. So please, prove me wrong and ROADTRIP! But here's the deal, we needed to drive through Kansas to get back. How does one turn a 4 hour drive across corn fields into fun?...

Yesterday we passed the Continental Divide. That feels momentous, but also, what is it? I know I should know this, but honestly, I don't. Either my brain is too tired or maybe it's not that big of a deal... We decided it was where the water either runs East or West. Given that no one contradicted us in the car of 5, it's decided. That is the Continental Divide.  Passing the Continental Divide felt momentous, but we almost missed the sign. We almost missed the sign because we have seen a multitude of big markers on this adventure. I've officially hit maximum input for this trip. I'm ready to come home. It was truly bittersweet when we hit Eureka in California to see the Redwoods and I knew we would start our Eastern route back. We still had weeks ahead of us, but it meant the beginning of the end. We were starting our descent and prepping for landing. I mentally scrambled to make sure we wouldn't miss a thing on the way back. After experiencing three more Nationa...

I can do hard things. It's not an original saying, but I often tell it to myself. I have a tendency to overestimate my skills in many ways, but hiking is the one I do the most. I grew up "hiking". Well, I grew up thinking that I went on hikes. What I learned out later in life on a real hike up Mount Adams is that I enjoy casual strolls through the woods. These casual strolls are often flat in nature and involve various changes in scenery like a fallen log to climb on or an old bridge to maneuver across. "Hiking" never involved much exertion or special clothing or footwear. "Hiking" never involved a change in gradient that continued to incline to what some nature folks refer to as a "peak". I am not a hiker, but I will never say no to a hike. I still dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail and whenever I wax poetic aloud, Loren always laughs and reminds of our hellish date on Mount Adams. Like I said, I'm not a hiker*. Every true hike I have...