I hope you are celebrating and enjoying the freedom of our wonderful and beautiful country.
Malcolm and I decided to write a trip epilogue after we got home and reflected on this wonderous journey and adventure we just experienced. I figured July 4th would be the perfect day to do so. But before we do that, I'd like to share the Closing Chapter with you.
The Closing Chapter
As we were processing the trip at our last stop in Pagosa Springs, Co, we both realized that the 1 thing we missed was spontaneous human interaction. We were both able to recall a few precious moments with others along the way. But we still felt as though this element of the trip was missing or less than we would have liked. We enjoyed all the time we spent with family and friends. However, these events were planned. We were missing the "unplanned" (by us) interactions. And we were curious about how and why this happened.
A few hours later the wonderful woman pulls her car near our campsite and proceeds to set up her tiny pup tent. Then she sat down and read her map. Her camp was SO simple and easy. We decided to invite her for dinner. She declined because she's vegetarian. But we had, get this, 3 ears of corn left and some yummy salad and bread. So she joined us for dinner. She brought 2 beeswax candles that she had hand dipped as a gift and contribution. We had SUCH a wonderful and spontaneous evening. We all 3 felt very comfortable with each other and as if we knew each other and were just catching up. She said "it feels like we are neighbors." The next morning we exchanged contact information and talked a little more. She was packed up and ready to leave so she came down the little hill to tell us goodbye. We all said our goodbyes and she headed back up the hill. As she did I realized I got goosebumps from my feet to my head. (Usually they start at my head so this was quite unusual.) I yelled out to her that I had goosebumps. She said "So do I!" Malcolm said "So do I!!"
A couple days later we were recounting the evening and Malcolm said "I wonder if she's an angel?" We pondered this for a bit. Maybe she was. Maybe she was "just" a beautiful, wonderful 50 year old woman courageously traveling the Southwest (since October or November) to find her next place to live. Whoever she is and wherever she is now, THANK YOU!! And thank you God for bringing her into our lives at the end of our trip as a sort of a crowning experience. All 3 of us are very grateful for the opportunity to connect so easily, quickly and deeply.
BETH'S EPILOGUE
Here's a bit of a summary for you trivia fans:
* we were in 2 countries
* we traversed through 26 states and provinces
* we crossed 13 large rivers, and saw 2 of them merging
* we camped by 1 ocean
* we saw and drove near all 5 Great Lakes
* we crossed 1 big lake (Lake Champlain) by ferry
* we were on a boat in Niagara Falls; on the Atlantic Ocean, Lake Superior, and a ferry on Lake Champlain
* we drove a total of 7007 miles
* we were gone for a total of 28 days
* we traversed desert, farmland, forest, oceanfront, vineyards and Monument Valley and were rained upon in all venues but the vineyards. Each landscape was so beautiful in it's unique ways.
* we ate lobster, crabcakes, lobster stew, scallops, Lake Superior whitefish and perch, elk, antelope, wild boar, and buffalo as well as your more common meals :-)
Did I leave anything out that anyone is wondering about? If so let me know and I'll see if I can figure it out for you.
For me, Beth, this trip has been an experience of a lifetime. I feel so grateful and blessed to have had this opportunity and to have been able to share it with Malcolm and with you. I was very aware of the moments as they passed and didn't want for them to pass as quickly as they seemed to. But when they did pass, what appeared next was another amazing moment. Before we left town at the beginning of our journey, I said that I didn't want to miss a minute of this trip because each and every one would be so precious. And it's a good reminder that I don't want to miss a minute of ANY day because each moment of each day is precious.
Other than using the usual and somewhat undescriptive words I could write, it's very difficult to express how much of the Earth's splendor and beauty I saw and experienced and witnessed. God's creation is so very vast, complex, and diverse. It's miraculous. Each moment of this trip was miraculous in some way or another - not that I noticed each moment. But I believe that the miracle was present. This is no different from daily living at home. For me, this is one of the main things I'm carrying over from the trip - there is a miracle in every moment whether I notice it or not. I'm also carrying over a wider and more expansive storage bank of what "beauty" is. Having seen such variety of beauty in a relatively short period of time......the storage bank is full to the brim and overflowing!! This is such a gift - to have these images and experiences to be able to draw upon in moments when I'm not experiencing or can't seem to find the miracle. I can go "Oh yeah! There was the power and wonder of Niagara Falls splashing all over me!" or "Ahhh. The calm and peace of the cattle and horses grazing in the pastures." or "The rainstorms of the Rockies." or "Cooking our own lobsters on the cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean!!" or "The way the deer leapt through the cornfield." or "What fun to play The Princess Game and Barbies with the little 4 year old in Pagosa Springs." or "How GREAT it was to bond with little Eva (Malcolm's 14 month old adorable grand-daughter.)" or "How great it was to slosh around in NY with Malcolm's whole family." So many miracles. So much beauty. So many blessings. My eyes are welling up tears with gratitude and humility. I still can't believe it all happened - that we planned, went, and now we are already back home again. But, in the words of John Denver, "Hey it's good to be back home again."
And I say, Hey it's exciting to see what life brings next. Thank you for following along. YOU are a miracle and a gift in each moment of each day.
MALCOLM'S EPILOGUE
What a Gift! To be able to take a month to journey across the country - Chicago, upstate New York, then to Maine, up into Canada, down and across the Upper Peninsula, down to Minneapolis and Pipestone, then to Pagosa Springs, CO, completing the loop in GallOOp (Gallup NM), and back home again. And to be able to visit with loving family, see the amazing scenery, be in nature, appreciate amazing experiences, and navigate through the challenges along the way!
One of my challenges was to stay in the present moment. Often I found myself focusing on the tasks to be done, the miles to drive that day, the route to take, and more tasks, rather than being in the moment. Yet, considering our very busy schedule, this journey provided surprising flexibility - where and when to pause, where to stay the night without advance reservations, where and what to eat, what route to take, what experiences to savor, etc. Each day provided cause for celebration which we did every night. Each segment of our journey was filled with gifts and blessings, too numerous to detail. Although we took many photos along the way, they seldom reflected the deeper and true beauty we experienced, and serve as simple reminders of something much greater! There were times and places when I wished I could have spent more time and connected with more people. I wonder if that's an indication of something to come...
As this journey neared completion, I was struck by how quickly it passed. I am also filled with gratitude for all the assistance, guidance, support, gifts of all kinds, love, and well wishes from family, friends, and strangers as well as the "Puppeteers", who, I'm certain, provided more than we may ever realize! THANK YOU, ALL! I am especially grateful to my partner, Beth. Without her I would not have undertaken this journey. Her love, support, strength, enthusiasm, creativity, and spirit helped to make this journey possible, and much more enjoyable than it might otherwise have been. She has been a true partner as we completed necessary tasks, made decisions, did the Work, and had much fun Together. And, without her time and effort, this blog sharing our journey with all of you would not have happened. THANK YOU, BETH!
Thanks to all of you for sharing our journey! Lots of Love to All, Malcolm
