the joy was in the journey

I was contemplating how I might work a post about my 46-day road trip into my blog about minimalism, but packing what you need to live out of your 4Runner for that long? Boom…Kevin Bacon. Traveling with a set amount of clothing in my truck was so easy. I felt overwhelmed when I got back to Denver and pulled my full wardrobe out of storage. If I enter a career where I need to look presentable, I will strongly consider developing a “uniform” to take the stress out of clothing decisions. I must admit that organizing my truck with what I needed and where it should be placed was a lot of fun for me.

A few fun stats about the road trip: 

• 6,754 miles
• 46 days; 45 nights (23 in a tent, 20 in a bed, 2 in my truck)
• Nine states (CO, WY, MT, ID, WA, OR, CA, NV, UT)
• Six days without a proper shower
• 12 National Parks (Grand Teton, Yellowstone, North Cascades, Mount Rainier, Olympic, Crater Lake, Redwoods, Channel Islands, Joshua Tree, Great Basin, Capitol Reef, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison)
• Good fortunes: health, weather, traffic conditions, meeting new friends along the way 
• First world problems: keeping my cooler iced (especially in the desert), crawling out of my cozy sleeping bag when nature called in the middle of the night (although sometimes that led to incredible star gazing), fewer opportunities to chat with new friends along the way due to Covid restrictions, bees, and contacts. In 30 years I have never had issues with contacts but for some reason, they were a burden on this trip!

The #1 question I received upon my return was, “What was your favorite stop or park?” At first, I was slightly vexed. I thought, “folks, you missed the point of my adventure.” One of my mantras in 2020 has been, “the joy is in the journey!” I took an interest in Buddhism this year in an effort to learn how to live more mindfully and in the moment. I quickly realized that most people don’t know that, they are just trying to connect, and it’s a common question! I’m going to steal an answer to that question from a man in Colorado who is bagging passes. When people ask him what his favorite pass is, he replies, “The next one!” Brilliant! I did not do in-depth planning for my trip. I used National Parks as my compass and let the chips fall where they may. And it was spectacular. I may not have another opportunity to slow travel until retirement, so I soaked it in. The anticipation of entering a new park that you don’t know a lot about is pure excitement. Each park stirs up awe in some capacity, after all, there is a reason for the designation. Making the decision in northern California to stick to the coast rather than heading inland fueled adrenaline in me I didn’t know existed! So what was my favorite stop of the trip? The next one! 

This trip also made me realize how much I have missed travel this year. It’s so easy to get into our daily routines and take things around us for granted. When traveling, there are bound to be bad days where nothing seems to go right – tent stakes won’t drive into the ground, cooler ice has melted and leaked into a package of {insert most important food item in cooler here}, rotors are warped and the steering wheel feels like it’s going to vibrate right off the dash….you get the point. But inevitably on every trip I take, there are moments where I’m utterly overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for the life I lead. And I had many on this trip given the length: listening to live music at Worthy Brewing in Bend with new friends Cathy & Harry, sailing in the San Juans, seeing a blue whale and superpod of dolphins near the Channel Islands, walking the wild coast of Oregon, seeing more stars than imaginable at Joshua Tree and Great Basin, enjoying a beer with Holly & the entire town (or so it seemed) in Philipsburg, and paying tribute to Steve Prefontaine in Eugene. As I have settled back into real life, I am so grateful for the simple things–a fridge full of fresh food, a hot shower nearby, and a bed to climb into that doesn’t require setup. I suppose once I start taking those things for granted, it will be time to hit the road again!

When I shared my trip idea with people before my departure, many would comment, “you’re going alone?” I encountered several solo travelers around my age doing the same thing–taking an opportunity to reset. I feel sadness for people who do not feel they can do things solo. Because anyone can–you figure it out and come out more confident than before. Heck, start small–go to a movie or dinner by yourself. But if there is something you want to do or see, DO IT! As the saying goes, there are seven days in a week, and “someday” isn’t one of them. Don’t get me wrong, solo travel requires common sense and safety measures. My cousin/friend/all-around cheerleader in life Lisa had access to my location and I kept her updated on my whereabouts. I avoided riskier hikes and stuck with more traversed trails. When I saw bison on the trail, I turned around! A word of advice: when someone excitedly tells you about a solo adventure they are embarking on, respond with something along the lines of, “Amazing!” Because questioning their decision to do something solo really says more about you than it does them.    

Music has always stirred emotion in me and a few specific songs just synced up with my heart during my windshield time. I listened to the Dances with Wolves soundtrack (it’s my favorite movie) driving into the first few parks early in the morning–it just fit with entering a new area of the American frontier. Somehow after that, it would just automatically start playing when I started up my truck each morning–creepy, but nice! The chorus of “Keep Your Head Up” by Ben Howard was a good reminder to:

Keep your head up, keep your heart strong
No, no, no, no, keep your mind set, keep your hair long
Oh my, my darlin’, keep your head up, keep your heart strong
No, no, no, no, keep your mind set in your ways
Keep your heart strong 

I reunited with the Rent soundtrack and “No Day But Today”:

There’s only us, There’s only this
Forget regret, or life is your’s to miss
No other road, no other way
No day but today
No day but today

I have been a Pearl Jam fan since the 1990s but one of their older songs, “Present Tense,” was played during the finale for The Last Dance earlier this year. It brought the song back into my life and the lyrics aligned with what I’ve been working on–mindfulness, living in the moment, running MY race/hiking MY hike, and surrounding myself with people who support that:

Do you see the way that tree bends? Does it inspire?
Leaning out to catch the sun’s rays…a lesson to be applied…
Are you gettin’ something out of this all-encompassing trip?
You can spend your time alone redigesting past regrets oh…
Or you can come to terms and realize
You’re the only one who can forgive yourself oh yeah…
Makes much more sense to live in the present tense…

Certain songs just resonate so deeply it feels like the artist peered inside my heart. I’m thankful my free Apple Music subscription expired after the trip was complete.

So what grand enlightenment did I have during my 46 days on the road? This might be the part where you ask for your money back because the answer is: nothing I didn’t already know. However, it did affirm preexisting feelings. The feeling of loving the life and community I’m building in Denver. The feeling that I’m not meant to work in a conventional, nine-to-five office setting. The feeling of appreciation for friends from past chapters of my life who not only work hard to maintain a relationship with me but also support my crazy ideas. The feeling that my path is unique, and that lights a fire in me. What a joyful journey it was!