Back to the Future!

People often have mantras that keep them going. Little sayings of advice to sometimes adhere to or a motto that grounds them or gives them focus or peace. "A list of examples?" you ask. Sure: to thine own self be true, be prepared, the price of security is insecurity, no regrets, love more, have the serenity, courage and wisdom, or maybe the lesser known, always forward, never back. 

In The Terminator, Arnold Schwartzeneggar's famous tag line, "I'll be back" is so threatening, but it can also be seen as a promise. Sure we might come back with vengeance, but in life we can also come back for love. 

Doc Brown tells Marty, "We've gotta go back!" Back where?... Back to the future, back in time, back to Colorado, back to the mountains, back to the coast, back to the ocean, back to Florida, back to work... "whoah, whaoh, whaoh, hold on a second. Let's not go back there again." Until we find a better way, no matter the circumstances, we will have to just keep going back. We even go back to our old habits. (One thing about Covid, I finally stopped biting my nails. Occasionally I find that there's a tendency to go back. But, I have protocols in place and I catch myself and shut it down.) Moving on, or is it back to the point being made. Going back to past hurts is not always bad. We can find healing if we look for it. Going back to familiar places is comforting. Going back home at the end of a long day, at the end of a vacation, or a work trip...this can bring a good feeling even just thinking about it. Or maybe going back home meant you were going to get in trouble because you snuck out and were probably going to get caught sneaking back in, either drunk or in love, or maybe both. (Worth it!) 

Going back to a routine. Going back to the dentist, or going back to sleep. As it turns out, going forward is often going back. 

So, here we are resting on a US forest service road, in beautiful Colorado. (Yup. It's good to be back.) There's a river flowing nearby and the otherwise quiet night offers serenity. There were a few humps to get over along the way, (literal and figurative) but here we are, doing it. Being our best selves. Sometimes it's like, maybe we are Dharma bums?

There is something to be said of having a plan. We all make plans. At least I think we do. Our plan for the summer was shattered when this pandemic struck the world. At that time the outline was international travel to Japan, some time spent in Maine and a trip to Hawaii with short weekend adventures and possibly some work sprinkled in. Then things changed and it was back to the comfortable routine. Go to Tennessee, then Florida for some van projects. We were still planning to head to Maine, but that changed as well. A couple of broken window seals and a struggle to install the new window, had me looking at a journey back to Colorado for a shop that could install the window near the vender that sells the seals. I would buy one more seal and they could install it. (3 seals, a window, shipping, and an adventure across time zones later) Is the window worth it? It has only been a few days, but it gets used often. Call that a small victory? Maybe.

Then consider this... it hasn't cost me anything! While we were in Florida considering the trip back to Colorado, a call comes in asking for a driver to move my friends neighbor from Jacksonville to Boulder. The man was looking for someone to drive a uhaul truck with his belongings from point A to point B while paying for hotel rooms and a flight back to point A after the journey. We negotiated a deal that included paying for a trailer to tow my van to Colorado, gas money and a few bucks a day for my time. Worth it!

It was really a win/win on so many levels. Her neighbor had his belongings transported safely by a professional driver for a low cost and we arrived safely in Colorado, a place we wanted to go, and it didn't cost us a dime and we even made a few bucks to cover future travel expenses as well. I was discussing the details of the arrangement with another good friend and he said that traveling across the country for me was like being in the burrito club at the place down the street. After you eat a certain number of burritos, you get the next one free. 

On top of the financial aspect to the journey, Wilson and I were able to meet up with some of our friends along the way. The first night was spent at a random Walmart in Georgia. Then we rolled in 10 hours of driving later at my AT start date buddy's place outside of Memphis. We met up with another good friend of ours and went out for some delicious southern BBQ. We sat around and talked deeply about life, meditation, alcoholism, relationships, laughter and love. One of them had this to say the next day. 

"Hell yeah! It was my pleasure. I had a damn good time with y'all yesterday. We were three travelers/seekers on our own path through our own wilderness and we all made camp for a night in the same clearing. We got to share with one another our own stories, skills, and thoughts and feelings we have acquired so far on our journey. Now we can each put these new ideas in our packs and continue on our own way a little better for the meeting and little more knowledgeable to help ourselves and others! It was a great encounter as always my brothers! Have a fucking blast on your trip!" As you can see, it was great time being back in the company of these men.

The next night we traveled through Missouri to Kansas! (Oh Kansas. You are the gatekeeper. "Are you the keymaster?") Once over the line we made our way to some farmland outside of Topeka where another friend of ours resides. We chatted some, I met his dad Skip, toured his uncle's farm, ventured out to the pig pens, (standing down wind is rough, also, their boar and his sows are huge!) climbed into the cockpit of some gigantic farm equipment, and we also gave them a tour of our rig. 

They were excited to talk about vanlife and the details that make Wilson as great as he is. Then Skip noticed that the 2 trailer tires on the passenger side were warn out pretty badly. After a phone call to the local uhaul we found ourselves downtown waiting for a roadside technician to come and replace them both. We left the truck and trailer in the parking lot and took a ride a few blocks to sit down for a meal. The food was savory, plentiful, and paired well with one of the local brews. Being back in Kansas turned out to be really good on so many levels. It's a very different place to go back to when you know someone that can show you around.

The last leg of the journey took us back to Colorado, back to my friend's house, back to Boulder and back in time. The adventure gods have shined a bright light on us along the way and the attitude that we sow, one of gratitude and flexibility, continues bear good fruit. Some of us struggle with daylight savings time and the changes it brings to our internal clock. The time warp of driver lag is similar and can cause irritability, anxiety and stress that can lead to frustrations and more irritability. 

It can become a viscous cycle if we don't keep it in check. Stay hydrated, eat, and sleep when you are tired. It helps that there isn't much of a schedule to keep out here. The other day, sitting in the back seat, I found myself wondering what time it was and if I should make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or not. Was it too early for lunch? I realized my phone was on the charger in the cockpit and the clock on the radio wasn't correct. I had a tiny moment of frustration then I decided it didn't matter what time it actually was, because it was peanut butter and jelly sandwich time.

A realization that occured to me the other day during one of my meditative sessions is that each breath we take, though they are finite, has the ability to bring us peace if we allow it. We do not know how many breaths we will take in this lifetime. We do not know how many heart beats we will get. We won't know what death is until it comes to take us away. We can spend our breaths worrying, or fighting, hating or hurting. We can spend them together or we can spend them apart. We can spend them happy or sad, angry, tired, and frustrated or we can spend them content and at peace. Each breath. Every. Single. One. Has the ability to bring with it a little bit of peace if we allow it. I will leave you now with the parting words of Vigo the Carpathian, "Death is but a door. Time is but a window. I will be back"

You're Welcome

Interestingly enough, today I found out that someone found Fenn's Gold. That quest has officially ended. For me though, I had already found so much while on that adventure. The biggest takeaways from that search are to live life fully in the present moment and to include other people in your life. I am still working on my meditation practice and enjoy life in the present moment. Yes my mind wanders. Yes my egoic mind still plays games and seeks attention. I am human after all. Mindfulness is also having an awareness of your body as well as your surroundings: soaking up the sun and smelling the roses and hearing the birds or the ocean waves and feeling the wind in your hair as well as breathing and clearing the clutter of our minds. (In the current environment with a deadly virus being potentially on any surface and being carried by anyone that we encounter, it is good to have mindfulness as a tool in your kit and searching for Fenn's treasure really showed me what being present is all about.)

So, after a few weeks in Florida building and repairing our vans, Jeeps and other vehicles, we made some changes to our "outline" of adventure. We had been planning a trip up to Maine followed by a westward swing, but the universe seems to be pulling us in a different direction. Maybe it is better to yield and go with the flow than to fight the current? We just spent a few days surfing and playing in the ocean where we experienced both strong and mild currents. Riding the wave in is always a good feeling even if it takes you under water, it won't keep you down too long. And fighting a strong current will just wear you out.
Instead of hunkering down for a few more days in the humidity of Satan's armpit, waiting for parts to arrive from Colorado, we opted to accept an invitation to the beach which turned into a really incredible adventure!

Planning such a trip as this one, which was rather spur of the moment, was easy. Ask the right questions and the right answers are readily available and easily received. Where? When? How far? What route? Who do I know along the way? Is there enough time?
Made some calls, dotted some i's and crossed a few t's and we were on our way before we knew it.
Being prepared is a big part of being flexible and going with the flow is easier when you have the tools to make the most of what comes your way. When making choices there is an "en-gathering" phase. Generally speaking it's better to make choices with more information than with less and somewhere there is a line that you cross where you have enough. How do you know when you are looking for too much information? If you have confidence in the choice you are making, then there was likely enough, but know that you can always make new decisions to manage your choice along the way.
Case in point. It's15 hours of travel from point A to point B and it requires a ferry ride. I prefer to not drive more that 8 or 10 hours a day though I can put in 12 or more especially when headed through the "middle" of nowhere. (Think places like Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, the Dakota's, Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska. Basically flat rows of farmland or pastures with few trees, hills or turns.) It's also easier to drive later into the day when you are driving west into the sunset as the days are longer that way.
The ferry has a schedule and it's better to book a spot on the ferry or you might be left waiting several hours or even till the next day to get on one. My friend informed me to book a ferry in advance, so I did. When I submitted my order for a ferry ticket they said there were only 4 spaces left on the 4:30pm boat, the third and final ride of the day.
Now I could have easily stopped at a rest area or a superstore to get some sleep for the night, but instead reached out to my good friend who now lives conveniently located, you guessed it, 10 hours of driving from point A. It was on the weekend and she wasn't feeling up to doing much but we had a great dinner, a relaxing evening watching some Netflix and a wonderful time catching up. We slept soundly with air conditioning that kept us cool and then sat chatting over coffee until it was time for me to go.

The drive to the ferry was pleasant and there was little by way of traffic to slow us down. The website asked that folks arrive at least a half hour before departure or else they consider you to be late. I had ten minutes to spare according to their guidelines and ended up having a ferry that delayed it's boarding but I didn't mind one bit. Another friend of mine recently said, "Never hurry. Never worry."

Having a van like this always encourages folks to start some delightful conversation. Even on the ferry there were folks stopping by to talk about this "cool old VW" or how they owned a "73 squareback" or how this reminded them of their "old bus that they had years ago." One older gentleman who was called Grampa by a younger woman, brought his sister by for a while. We chatted about the features and she told me she really wanted to buy a van to live in. She assured me "I could do it." Anyone can really. They just have to be willing to adjust and make the necessary changes. Sometimes though the struggle is real!

So, after arriving at the island, where my friends were waiting in the parking lot to greet me, we drove a few blocks to a restaurant to have some dinner. (All the food for the entire weekend was incredibly delicious.)

After dinner we took the dogs to the beach and we walked along the edge of where the ocean meets the land. The sand, stone and shells gently tapped and danced on our feet and our ankles as we stood there: the rhythmic swooshing and crashing of the waves soothing our tired bodies and minds.

The crabs were also out dancing and darting from one place to another. The dogs chased after them playfully and we ended up catching a few them. One was able to grab on and "bite" the tip of my finger before I let him go. Ouch! It was also really fun to see all the animals eyes reflecting in light of our headlamps. It was as if all the crabs on the beach were coming out to say "You're welcome. Thanks for stopping by."

On the walk back my friend, she's adorable, she really is, "This place is so incredible and you are going to absolutely love it, but you have to put up with the bugs in order to enjoy the rest of what the island has to offer." Now I was just in Florida where the mosquitoes come out in swarms during the evening hours. They mostly fly around near the ground and make a meal out of your legs and ankles. They are kind of small and have these little black and white striped legs, but their most memorable quality is that they are a real pain in the ass for a few hours every night.

The mosquitoes on the island are a very different breed. They are slightly larger and they are all black. When we got back to the campground, I kind of sat there on the picnic table expecting to just sit around chatting over a beer, but that's not how the mosquitoes want it to be. They drove us into our respective vehicles. We bid each other good night knowing that a long restful night's sleep would energize us for the full day of fun and adventure the next day.

The mosquitoes had other plans. They were not like the crabs. They had a very different tune to sing. It was more like reading the map from the Goonies...

"Ye intruders beware! Crushing death and grief, soaked with blood of the trespassing thief."

Breaking Out

Breaking things isn't always good but it isn't always bad either. Sometimes we break stuff when we are angry and it makes us feel better. We smash things and it can be cathartic. We harbor angst and then release it. I have split wood and had a similar experience. The TV series Sex Education on Netflix shows this in a few episodes. Sometimes we break bolts, we break our bones, we break plastic or glasses when we drop them. We break things all the time and sometimes we can fix them. Sometimes we burn photos and sometimes we rip them to shreds and sometimes we just end up breaking hearts. Other times things get worn out and they just stop working. Broken belts, broken hoses, broken bearings, broken motors, etc... 
Breaking out of a rut or changing the cycle, or breaking out of your old habits can also be good for us. Since the CDC recommended not touching your face, I have broken the lifelong habit of biting my fingernails! Habit. Broken. Mindfulness has been a big part of staying safe out there "in the jungle" as it were. It's important to stay present, make decisions and manage them as time goes by. Breaking out of work season and making the decision to head for FL with a stop or two along the way was not an easy choice. Leaving NY meant a lot of things. One thing that I don't want to give too much power to... When I left home, it may be that the pandemic could take my loved ones before I return. Are they being smart, playing it safe, and being mindful of their surroundings? Sure. And my mother continues to pray daily. All good things but it doesn't change the fact that we live in a hot spot of trouble when it comes to this virus. Anyway, breaking out was something I had to do. Summer is here and it's time to continue living life on my terms. Everyone has that right. Jack lived his way, he died his way too. We don't have to love people's choices even if we love those people. We can only hope that they decide to make better choices on their own.

Last summer I tried to write a few blogs but the spirit wasn't there. This writer knows he could have done better. "No! Try not! Do or do not. There is no try." Here we are again. Broken out of the funk!
We spent a few weeks preparing and gathering gear and loading the van and upgrading and installing parts and making space and figuring where does everything belong. What is this space for and where do we store this or that. New interior lights, new charging ports, interior decorating and new upholstery. Replaced the broken sink pump, replaced the old fiberglass insulation with wool and even purchased a new cutting board. 

Hopping in the van I questioned bringing the bike and bringing my climbing rope and harness. Why wouldn't you take it all? There's room for it. Always better to be safe than sorry. Most everything proves to be useful at one point. Even decided to bring the electric heater and for that I am grateful too. The nights have been cold here but having access to electricity is also a game changer. Yes, we have battery powered fans and an inverter that can power the laptop for movie night if the weather is horrible. Yes, there really isn't a need for a laptop, there are always books to read; there are several stashed in the library. Sometimes the little luxuries are nice to have in life though. 

So, it's time to leave and after I hug my mother for the first time in months, we head west a little then south along the familiar route. Before long, with very little traffic on the highways and byways we're making good time when the daylight begins to fade. We were just about to hit Maryland and I take notice that the fuel tank needs replenished. After hopping off the exit, stopping at a Sheetz, turning off the van to pump the gas, making a call and taking a leak, Wilson starts right back up and we're off. A few minutes later, I notice that the fan for the AC seems to have quit so I make a decision to pull over and see if it's a fuse or relay, or maybe it's a worn out motor? After I shut the van down again I reach for my voltmeter and check for volts at the motor. 9.4v. Oh no. Is the battery dead? Try to start the van back up... Nothing. Shit! Best guess is after a couple years of a diode giving up, the alternator finally broke. In short, quick test, call the nearest autoparts, grab a saddle bag and a ratchet strap, write a note and head off for the store 7 miles away on the trusty steed. Chastity's Buckle came through yet again and after a few hours riding around down memory lane, the battery is installed, the van starts back up and it's shut down again. Install the alternator in the next 20 minutes and we're in the driver's seat again in no time. Turn the key... Moment of truth. Engine cranks and starts right up... Battery light stays illuminated. Shit. Maybe it's not the alternator? A couple diagnostic tests later reveals the truth. They sold me a broken alternator. Seems everything is broken anymore. Truth is, we're all a little broken. Don't worry. Be happy. Stay present and remember the only good thing that Bill Hicks ever said, "It's just a ride." 

Turtles and dried grapes and sheep

West! Head west! Go west young man! I have heard this same call before. The Pacific and the redwoods, the waterfalls and National Parks have all called before. This time when the phone rang, it was the mountains that called and I answered. And they have delivered on their promises. 

The Wind River Range is absolutely magnificent! The beauty and majesty of the giant monoliths in the range will take your breath away. I mean, Seriously. I started out 4 days ago at sea level and 10,000 feet will leave you breathless. 

Leaving out of NY I had arranged  to meet my friend Flower in the Winds but didn't give too much thought to the adventure we had planned except for that I was excited to go backpacking. When we arrived at the Big Sandy parking area we were already at around 10,000 feet. My body was not acclimated and it told me to slow down and take it easy. At night, resting in my hammock, my heart rate was over 110. Needless to say, it freaked me out a bit. 

On day 2 we had ambitious plans to hike up and over Jackass pass and then down to Lonesome Lake, then back up the other side after passing the Cirque of the Towers, then around to some other lake via a rock scramble trail of some sort. It was supposed to be over 12 miles and when we reached the pass we hadn't even hiked 4 teeny tiny miles, had stopped for lunch a mile back, had zero energy and zero interest in hiking any further. As we approached the lake, we noticed a couple of camping areas off to the right and after a brief conversation, we talked each other into staying right there and then backtracking to the parking area for day 3.  

We had an incredible view of the rocky spires and the lake below from our perch up on the mountain side. We set up camp and carried a few snacks through the rolling meadow to the lake where we sunned ourselves like reptiles on the rocky shore. Flower has an affinity for raisins and her only regret was not bringing a larger box of them on our hike. The sun was warm but the mountain air was cool, so when the sun ducked behind a cloud or two, the temperature would swing like a pendulum, but we had the right gear and our faces shined as brightly as the sun. 

On day 3, we hiked back up over Jackass pass and down the alternate trail along the western side of Arrowhead lake then back down to Big Sandy Lake. There was another fork in the trail and we took the one on the right (it was less traveled) to get out and around Diamond and V Lakes. Then we took a connecting trail that just so happened to be the CDT, so we thru hiked it and made our way back to the parking lot. The burgers and beers we dreamed of on the hike out were just a few miles away and after a couple minute drive, we found ourselves at the Big Sandy Lodge. I commented that they should change the name to The Little Lodge at Big Sandy, but they were open for business even though it didn't look like they would be. The lemonade was also very good.    

Anyway, the drive across the country can be monotonous and at times you find yourself staring blankly out at the vast open spaces that make up states like Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska. You look for the subtle changes in the landscape as you slowly increase your altitude across the vast western plains. 

The excitement of time travel and being lost in thought largely occupied my time as the uneventful drive unfolded before me. Continuing on into the setting sun for days on end my mind touched on topics of love and relationships, mountains and hiking, friendships and success, failure and shortcomings, honesty and integrity and there is always a feeling of being lost. No, seriously, where am I? Did I cross the border? Am I in a new time zone? Am I going too fast? What's the speed limit on this road anyway? Is it 70 or 80? Did the speed limit drop down to 65 and I missed it? Maybe my mind caught the details without my becoming fully aware? Sure hope so. Wait, there's a sign. Should I get gas soon? It turns out we are still in Nebraska, the lottery tickets say so. Just keep driving... driving... more driving... Is it time to sleep yet? 

Eventually we encounter 85 octane gasoline. Hmmm. Will my Subaru engine like this stuff? Why do they sell this stuff at higher altitudes? Time to consult the internet. Maybe the almighty google knows? To try it or not to try it, that is the question. Save money and buy "regular" gas. Regular gas on the east coast is 87.  The 1.9L engine didn't have a problem last time. Ok fine, I'll try it... Your mind wanders and wonders and then it becomes a game of "How is the van running now?" Was that noise there before? Is the gas mileage still the same? Is the van running worse? Should we be able to climb this hill in 5th? How steep is this incline anyway? What's going on? Maybe we should try to add some 87 to the tank? Let's wait it out and see if the gas mileage is suffering. Wait, what time is it? Where am I now? 

Sleeping in rest areas, Walmart parking lots and truck stops takes some practice and getting used to. Often I drown out the background noises with a sound machine app on my phone and play the ocean waves to soothe my spirit. Before I retire I often walk around some to stretch my legs, maybe do a little shopping, pick up a snack from a vending machine, or just do laps up and down the sidewalk. I often just brush my teeth without water and just use the paste while using an old drink bottle as a spittoon. I prefer to have a 24 hour bathroom available, as you never know if there's going to be a late night emergency. I'd be lying if I told you "I have never used my emergency bucket." I line it with garbage bags in the event of an upset stomach, tie it off in a knot and toss it in the trash. Boy Scout Motto: Be Prepared. 

After a while the highways melt together and the slowly changing scenery starts to offer glimpses of other states I've been in. My mind wanders back to earlier adventures and I m reminded of how nice it is to have a copilot/navigator. I appreciate how easily a passenger can roll their window up or down when the rains come and go. The disadvantage causes me to pull off the road, maybe just over on the shoulder, or onto an off ramp. Maybe I grab a drink from the cooler or a snack from the cabinets or fridge. Sometimes I'll use the time to pee on the side of the road too. Why waste a stop? 

Eventually the setting suns give way to night. Now, I am not a fan of night driving. It used to be preferred but these days the lights hurt my eyes in my old age. Usually the traffic is lighter at night and out west there is hardly any traffic to contend with most of the time. So, I will put my night vision glasses on and do my best to continue for a while each night. 

Finally we reach the great state of Wyoming, the speed limit is 75 mph, but there is no way I m going to make it to the range today. Tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day. I search for a place to rest my tired eyes and just when I don't think I can drive another minute, there's a truck stop with a parking lot and a convenience store. 

Snuggled up in the back of the van, it's cooler than I had anticipated. I pulled out the old sleeping bag and even grabbed my winter hat just in case I would need it later in the night. Just as I start to drift off to sleep, there's a rumbling outside. Did someone just pull up? I peer through the windows and see nothing. But, it's loud. Too loud. What's going on? Frustrated, I unzip the bag, open the door and step outside to see if some juggernaut decided to park behind me and run his engine all night. To my surprise the nearest truck was at least 30 yards away and behind a fence. Mind blown, I conclude that the side of my van was acting like a speaker and we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn't have the energy to drive to a different location so I reached into the cabinet and found my ear plugs. I even started the sound machine for good measure, and drifted off to sleep. 

The next day Wilson and I made our way down the interstate until the GPS told us we should hop off of it. Eventually we found ourselves making sure the tank was topped off to venture out into the vast wilderness. The dirt road we drove down to meet Flower on was long. Very long. And made of dirt. There were a few twists and turns, and we passed over a few cattle grates to keep the livestock from wondering into the wrong pasture. What pasture? Its all sage brush and high desert here. Nothing to see but dirt and brush and more dirt and more brush. Oh, look over there, some little badlands like area! That's different. Then, Finally, Mountains!!! YAY!!! 

From our rendezvous point it was still an hour or so till we arrived at the trail head. I spent a good amount of time packing my bag and organizing my gear waiting for Flower to arrive. For a little while I even started to worry that maybe I wasn't in the right place. Phone service had quit for both of us so that wasn't an option. When she did finally arrive, the reason she was late was astonishing. A herd of SHEEP being shepherded by some cowboys and their dogs were blocking the road!!!

Serendipity

noun

the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

"a fortunate stroke of serendipity"

Sometimes, life gives you lemonade. Sometimes the lemonade came from nowhere. Other times it was all because of the lemons and you didn't even have to make it yourself.
Living in the moment offers each of us the ability to do now what we see to be the best use of our time and energy. Occasionally looking back we can see that if A didn't happen, B probably never would have happened either.  A basic Truth regarded by folks with such hindsight is known as Serendipity. Often shrouded in chance or a stroke of luck, the serendipitous can go overlooked in our every day lives.
A friend recently told a story about stopping to view and photograph a rainbow before driving home. On that drive that followed, they saw that an accident had occurred moments before they arrived at the scene. In some respects they were blessed with the Fortune of not being involved in the accident on account of their "stopping to smell the roses". On the other hand, in a very Matrix-like way, would their presence at the scene have been enough to stop the accident from occurring at all? We will never know. 
What isn't really discussed is that sometimes the events that set life in motion in a way that is beneficial for us, aren't always "happy accidents." We've all seen the movies that portray the folks who happen upon an instance that changes their day or their life. Examples can be seen in several romantic comedies with Meg Ryan. The same can be said of action adventures like the Christmas movie, Die Hard. Sure the sequals lead to other plots and story lines, but John McLean happened upon circumstances that lead him back into the arms of his uncertain but loving wife and made him a hero. Would this be touted as serendipity? Maybe so... From the viewpoint of Hans Gruber, not so much. His plans were foiled, his crew members killed one by one, and eventually he plummeted off the Winter River Bridge...Scratch that, the side of the Nakatomi building.
Forest Gump concludes that he doesn't "know if we each have a destiny, or if we 're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both."
My summer adventure that has been waiting for me turned out to be very different than I had planned.  This past spring, an event occurred that changed the trajectory of my path. A co-worker, who normally works in my stead during the summer months, suddenly passed away. His death set in motion a very different plan for my future. I was now expected to be back at work for at least several weeks during the summer season.
This changed my plans which actually allowed me the opportunity to attend one of my best friend's wedding, meet her future husband before they were wed, visit with friends I haven't seen in quite some time, spend a few glorious days in Asheville with other great friends and I was still able to complete most of the projects I had planned for upgrading and improving my machine. Then when another tragedy occurred, we were able to offer our condolences and attend a beautiful end of life celebration. Tears were shed with a family of perfect strangers who have shown incredible strength, loving hearts and that they really are just amazing human beings. I am sorry for their loss but I am also grateful for their friendship.
The loss of life, any life, is tragic. Death is a part of life that none of us will avoid. When the loss is that of a beautiful young woman's life, one which was really just beginning to take shape, it is terrible, sad, tragic, horrible, and gut wrenching. I feel honored to have been able to participate and share stories, laughter, and tears with them.
The wedding was also a wonderful experience. We celebrated love, ate like Kings and Queens, shared stories of our lives and laughed late into the night with a family that will always be dear to my heart.
In Asheville I was able to spend time with a beautiful young mother and her child. We went and saw live music, swam in a community pool, ate incredible home cooked food and went for a great hike in the mountains. We visited more friends in a nearby town and sipped on bourbon, drank some wine and listened to great music. I was also blessed with the opportunity to eat with my other friends at a tapas place. Yes, it is tapas, not topless. Small plates of food came to the table in endless succession. I have not had such a variety of food in my life. I even tried octopus! I have been blessed to enjoy and experience the fullness of food, love and friendship. The first leg of this adventure ended in Florida. There I spent time tinkering with van stuff and working on cars and vans. We installed new canvas tops, repaired rust, painted, installed a new anti-sway bar and did some engine rebuilding and transmission repair. We started to install front air conditioning but time was cut short and I had to leave for NY.
Another aspect to the Florida trip is time spent with family and friends. Spending Father's day with my dad and my brother and my nephew out on the boat catching fish, including several sharks, ranks near the top of my list of fun in the sun. We ate several meals together and I was also able to see my Gramma too. The friends I have in Florida are dear to my heart and I am grateful for the time spent with them. I also made new friends this year by attending several Volkswagen related events and we talked vans, travel and other VW related topics. It was a pleasure to meet new people and I look forward to seeing them again. How much of this would have happened, the way it happened, if I didn't have to get back to NY for work? Then, when I went back to NY for my sister's birthday I was able to spend more time with my new hiking friends from Trail Days. We ate pizza, shared in making home cooked meals, hiked up Anthony's nose, and avoided hiking in the heavy rains taking zero days and binge-watching Netflix, eating ice cream and cookies. The adventures shared with these great new friends are just the type of things that forge lifelong friendships. I am eternally grateful for these moments.
Laughter, tears, heartache, pain, struggles, anger, frustration, long days, hot days, dripping sweat in the shop and burning my skin in the sun... Worth it all. Just keep on trucking because you never know what lies around the bend.

Waiting

Adventure is waiting. It's patient too. Every morning when I leave the house I see it sitting there in the garage. Adventure is right there. It's waiting. In math when something IS another thing they are equal. So when we say 5 is 3+2 then 3+2 is 5. They are equal. However, adventure is waiting but waiting isn't adventure. 
Waiting is sometimes one of the hardest things to do. Like when you arrive on time but the bus or train is late. Or when you are in a hurry to be on time to catch the movie but your friend is slow getting ready. Or worse yet, you are waiting to hear that a friend who just had heart surgery made it through without complications. Or a friend goes into labor and you wait anxiously to hear the news that a healthy baby has been delivered and both mom and the baby are doing well. Or you wait in traffic because there is no other way and the highway is bumper to bumper, guardrail to guardrail and the ambulance and the tow truck are behind you. Waiting sucks. Waiting in the waiting room at the doctor's office for the doctor to call you in only to be seated in a small exam room only to wait some more. At least the waiting room has magazines and sometimes there's a TV or other people to watch. The exam room only has a few medical posters and pamphlets about Lymes disease or depression for you to read. 
Waiting is sometimes agonizing. It's frustrating. Waiting for your grades to be posted. Waiting for your alarm to go off in the morning even though you've been up tossing and turning for hours last night. Yet there in the garage adventure waits patiently. It smiles and sings terrible 80s songs to you softly each day, "I'll be right here waiting for you." "And I wait, without you, with or without you." 
Waiting for adventure can fill us with anticipation. Sometimes we get anxious about the unlikely, the improbable. Yet we waste our energy in such a way. What if we break down? What if the weather is bad along the way? What if when we get there, Wally World is closed for repairs? 
Other times we wait and focus our energy on the possibilities. The places we will go, the people we will see, the fun we will have and the exciting and unexpected twists and turns that await us when the time finally arrives for us to embark.
Will it be San Diego, or Calgary? The Tetons again or Lake Superior? When do we make it to Alaska? Mexico? Newfoundland? Will we get to try surfing again? Where will we go and what will we do? Phish is playing a festival in August? Can we swing it? 
Then we start planning out the upgrades and repairs. What's on the top of the list? Canvas and Sway Bar. Check. Next we save up and buy the front air conditioning unit... ordered and delivered. Then the parts sit and they wait too. 
As the days go by and the seconds tick passed you find yourself doing pretrip inspections and gathering your gear. You go through the list... sleeping bag, hammock, pillows, clothing, trekking poles, hiking shoes, toiletries etc. Then one day you realize that adventure isn't waiting... because Adventure IS HERE! In the words of the great Sam Rosen, "The waiting is over! The waiting is over!"

Flying by the seat of your pants

So much has changed and much still remains the same. I m riding solo again, but I hardly ever feel alone anyway. I find Wilson makes a good travel companion. I end up using him as a sounding board for my ideas and often I do find that he agrees with me. OK, so I talk to myself pretty often, but, I m also not afraid to chat it up with the people I meet. Sometimes it feels right to do so and other times I'd rather not interject. Today had a more isolated feel to it and I didn't feel much like talking to the people around me. The other day though I was talking excitedly with pretty much all of the folks that I met. Sometimes its the situation but sometimes it's just me.
This trip has been impromptu and I' m flying by the seat of my pants again which is also familiar. We often don't know where we are going until we  get there. Today, for example we ended up in Fundy National Park in New Brunswick accidentally on purpose. After I arrived at the gates to the park I remembered I wanted to go here, but was driving absent mindedly along the coast after visiting the Hopewell Rocks. The other day after leaving Kouchibougoc, (another national park here in NB) I found myself waffling about heading out to PEI or down to Halifax in Nova Scotia. I stopped at a small provincial Park and that gave me a view of the island and the Confederation bridge. I spoke to the ranger there and she informed me that there was a light house and a visitor center right at the foot of the bridge. I took a ride down to the visitor center and spoke with some folks about PEI and they helped convince me to go over the bridge. (I was waffling about going since I didn't know anything about the island and what to expect if I went there and the bridge costs $46.50 Canadian for a round trip.) I still didn't have much clue what I was going to do on PEI until I spoke with this very pleasant young lady at the visitor center on the other side. Not knowing what's on the path ahead of me is part of the fun for sure.
We discussed light houses and beaches and the National Park on the North shore. Then, right when I was leaving I saw this photo on one of the brochures she handed me. "Where do I find that?" I asked excitedly.
I found the object called the tea cup at what I believed to near low tide. I had to wade through some water around a point on the beach but I only got in to about my thighs. I m not sure if there is a better time to visit the object but the late afternoon sky was beautiful and the water felt incredible.
Wilson and I have been finding our new groove and cruising along and keeping up with traffic has been splendid to say the least. A huge difference in the adventure is the speed and the power of the Subaru conversion. Needless to say, this adventure hasn't been without it's challenges. Sure, we dont have to stay right and allow the others to pass on the big hills which is great, but I am occasionally reminded that I still drive a Vanagon. Last Sunday, on the day we kicked off the adventure, my shifter linkage decided to separate itself. There is a roll pin that somehow worked it's way out and when I came to a stop about 20 minutes from my first destination of Monson Maine, my gear shifter went limp. When I tried to find first gear, I had nothing. I was able to roll down the small hill we were on and we coasted to a safe spot. Then, right there on the side of the road it was time to break out the tool kit once again. After about 30 minutes of toiling under Wilson's nose, I was able to identify and  solve the  problem. On the bright side, I was able to fix it, I had the correct tools that I needed for the job, and the sun was shining the whole time.
Having no real plans makes accepting invitations easier. As fate would have it, my friends who had no idea I was on my way, were planning a rafting trip down the Kennebec River the day after I arrived. We had a great day on the water and ate great food and the water wasn't too too cold.
A few days later, when we arrived in Cavendish NP, a friendly fox came out to say hello. Then as I was standing there wondering if maybe he had rabies or something, another fox came plodding along behind him. Apparently the foxes on the island have become desensitized to humans. They reminded me of the Long Horn sheep we saw last year in Jasper. I spoke to the ranger and he informed me that people have fed the foxes both incidentally and on purpose which has lead to the current situation. Anyway, we discussed camping and there was a great little campsite available along a 20 foot cliff overlooking the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. I fell asleep on the top bunk and slept incredibly until the wind picked up. The waves that crashed against the shore in a rhythmic song put me right to sleep. It was unfortunate that the wind started ruffling the canvass but I just hopped downstairs closed the loft and fell back asleep in the master bedroom.
A few days ago I left a small piece of my heart on Prince Edward Island and headed further east. I didn't know how far I would drive into the night and I was unsure if I was going to Halifax to see the city and it's downtown area or if I was going up to the northern most section of the Nova Scotia known as Cape Breton. I posted a few photos of my adventure on the internet at a rest area while I ate some snacks at a gas station. While I was sitting there a man and his wife who were parked next to me started checking out Wilson and they sparked up a conversation. It turns out he has an 82 westy at home and we chatted vans for a bit.  Then I mentioned that I wasn't sure where I was headed next and they convinced me to go to Cape Breton to see the highlands. That night I threw in the towel around 9 pm in the city of Truro where we stayed the night in another familiar place, a Walmart parking lot.
I posted some more photos of our entry into NS and a fellow AT Hiker from the class of Oh Ten, commented. It turns out he lives in Nova Scotia and was going hiking with his wife up in the highlands the next day. He sent me a link to the place they were headed to and extended an invitation.
I did the math and crunched some numbers. How far is it to the parking lot? How long is the hike? How much food do I have? How much food will I need? Do I have all of the necessary gear in my van? Do I have enough money? Where can I buy supplies if I need them? Etc... I could be there by 2, it's a 9 kilometer hike, it doesn't look too strenuous, and if he picked it, it's gotta be good, right? Sure!
After a smooth ride up to and through the Park along the "world famous Cabot Trail", (I never heard of it) we came to a halt at the end of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere.
It took me about 15 minutes to pack my things, gear up, and get ready for the adventure. Just as I was closing the rear hatch, a nice young couple emerged from the woods. We spoke of the trail, the people they met along the way and they told me there were wild horses in the cove!
I have to admit I'm not in the greatest shape of my life, but I felt confident that I could tackle the trail in just a few hours time. There were a few steep climbs and a couple of incredible viewpoints along the way but none of that prepared me for the completely amazing place we would spend the night.
The trail winds up and down and over a few creeks then back up and out into a clearing. Then it heads down across a stream and back up into the woods before it takes you back out into a larger clearing that overlooks this incredible cove. Theres a giant low lying area with a river running through it. The river meets the Gulf along a rocky shoreline and the waves crash melodically against it. There was a period of time that evening where a front was moving through and the wind picked up and a slight drizzle came down from the sky, but it pushed through and we didn't skip a beat.
Hook, his wife, and their dog Dusty greeted me as I came trotting down the final stretch shouting with joy. We sat up talking excitedly and we drank a few cans of beer and a couple glasses of wine. Hook built a nice fire while I attempted to string my hammock along the edge of this cliff. I gave it a good college try but fell short in the end. The lesson here is to always have a plan B. In a few minutes I had my tarp strung over a large piece of driftwood and my air mattress was blown up with my sleeping bag resting comfortably upon it.
When we retired for the night it was still rather overcast but there were a few stars peeking out from behind the clouds. I often sleep restlessly on my air mattress even though it keeps me plenty warm enough, it just doesn't have the level of comfort I need to really get a great nights sleep. Anyway, around 4 am I found myself tossing and turning a bit and I decided to peer up at the sky. It was brilliant! There are probably only a handful of night skies that I've witnessed that have been more incredible. Utah near moab, western and northern Maine, Wyoming, Montana and California in Yosemite come to mind, but damn it was awesome! The moon wasn't quite new but it has been waning for a while.
The thing about adventure is that you never really know what's next. If it's touring an island checking out lighthouses, or swimming in temperate waters, or exploring the highlands or the coastline, or hiking through vast forests or even chasing the occasional waterfall, you really have to keep an open mind and accept what path is chosen and enjoy it as it comes. I met some great people and I shared some great adventures with some old friends. All it takes is an adventurous spirit, a week or so and little gas money. Stay safe out there and if your pants want to go flying, sit down and hold on.