TRAVEL

 Travel, according to Mark Twain, is fatal to prejudice, narrow-mindedness and bigotry…and the more and more we travel…the more wholeheartedly we agree.

On the road we’ve seen the wonderful diversity of people and I know we are not wrong…when we say we’ve been pleasantly surprised how easily everybody gets along.

We’ve seen people smiling at other people they don’t know…helping one another too…

people being kind and generous to total strangers…because more often than not… that’s what people do.

When traveling…we have one shared goal…the minute we begin it…

to enjoy the world around us…and all the people in it.

We’ve seen gay and lesbian couples…couples of mixed race…

people speaking different languages…happily sharing the same space. 

When traveling you smile and speak with everyone…most…you’ll never know their names…it’s amazing how all travelers treat other travelers the same.

And we’ve noticed something wonderful…we’d like also to exclaim… 

Mothers and fathers from across the world…treat their children all the same.

Dads from every nationality…with a long way yet to hike and not feeling very strong…

will pick up their crying child…and carry them along.

Moms will stop in the middle of a snowstorm…with the cold turning their hands blue…and kneel down in the cold wet snow to tie their child’s shoe.

People smile at one another, laugh together…share a story or two

talk with kindness to one another…as each one passes through…

We’ve seen all this while traveling…in people of every shape, every color…yellow, black or white…which leads us to believe that Mr. Twain was right.

I wonder if we would treat each other equally…

with kindness…

as if everyone had worth…

if we realized we are all travelers…

traveling together 

our vehicle…is the Earth

ROAD TRIP

 

This road trip has been wonderful from the first stop to the last and all those in between…

all the places we have gone…

all the people we have met…

all the wonders we have seen.

But as I look back on our life…and all the blessings we’ve been bestowed…

every day we are alive is just another trip along the road.

Which makes every day a road trip…of course…this is just my point of view…

whether you’ve traveled this road before…or if the road you’re on is new.

Whether the trip takes you to places you’ve never been before…

or just a short walk down the street from the steps of your front door.

And what make each road trip special has nothing to do with fantasy…or myth

It’s loving the road you’re on…and loving the ones your with. 

So here’s to a life of road trips…

may you travel with Godspeed….

and may you all find love and happiness…

wherever your road may lead.

SOMANY KINDS OF BEAUTIFUL

 Our long and wonderful road trip is over…and as our next adventure starts…we imagine friends will ask us…what was your favorite part.

But when we think of all we’ve seen and done…all those wonders…all those views…

we realize with so many kinds of beautiful out there…it is impossible to choose.

Because when you compare two things of beauty…when your comparison is done…

you end up stealing a little of the magic and the beauty from each one.

As we think about all the the kids of beauty we’ve seen…and we’ve seen beauty everywhere….

knowing each one has a beauty all its own…we find no reason to compare.

From Mammoth, Kentucky where we explored the inside of a cave so big you could get lost…

To the Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Shoshone and Ohio rivers…all which we have crossed.

From walking in a field of wildflowers…to gazing at the stars outside our Tipi

From standing under Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse the St. Louis Arch to the stature of Dignity.

From admiring so many lakes we lost count….not to mention all those creeks

to standing on top of a volcano…a pyramid…and driving up Pikes Peak.

From cruising down the Mississippi River in the front of a riverboat

to watching the sunrise over the prairies of Kansas with some horses and a goat.

From the lodgepole pines in the Tetons and Yellowstone…the tallest, straightest trees

to the rolling Flint Hills of Kansas…their grasses swaying in the breeze. 

From the way we saw people’s kindness…as they lent each other a hand…

to falling asleep in Yellowstone and waking up to a winter wonderland.

Everywhere…and we mean everywhere…from North Carolina all the way to Yellowstone…from theTetons to Dollywood…had a beauty all their own.

So if you ask us which part was our favorite….which was the most beautiful

we’ll smile…give your shoulder a loving pat…

and politely say as as we remember the many kinds of beauty we have seen,

There’s no way we can answer that!

SUBARU AND GPS

 As our trip comes to an end after all the miles we’ve driven through…

I’d like to take time out to thank…our GPS and Subaru.

Our Subaru soldiered on…taking us wherever we wanted to go…

Through the heat, the hail the rain…the fog, the winds…the snow.

She never faltered…not once…and she was carrying quite a load…

even when the winds in South Dakota tried to blow her off the road .

Even buried under 5 inches of snow…which would make any Florida car weak…

Even at the prospect of a long fall off Pikes Peak.

In Tennessee when the temperature reached 114…she even kept her cool…

when we left her sitting in the sun…as we jumped in the pool.

But the Subaru can only do so much…imagine what a mess

If we’d have tried to complete this trip…without our GPS.

With the Subaru running smoothly (you could hear her engine purr)

we’d tell the GPS where we wanted to go…and leave the directions up to her.

And as I sit here reminiscing….now that our trip is done…

every place we programmed in… she found them…every one.

Even when I made the wrong turn and I was feeling sad….

she rerouted me with a smile…and never once got mad.

Deborah more than once said remarked…you talk to her nicer than you talk to me…

at this point I kept silent…I mean I could not disagree.

She said perhaps I need some therapy…because with this device I seemed obsessed….I said which one of us needs therapy…your jealous of my GPS!

But in the end we worked out our differences…

knowing we wouldn’t have made it through….

without the assistance of our GPS…and the strength of our Subaru.

OUR SILENCE

 Our trip has been filled with a multitude of sounds…

conversations, joys and laughter to name a few…

but today I’d like to focus on the silence we’ve shared too.

How wonderful to reach a point…where no words need to be spoken….

where there is no need…no purpose…no reason…for the silence to be broken.

The sounds we make together…as well as our shared silence and solitude

excite and energize my soul and fill my heart with gratitude. 

There is a beauty to our silence…in the quiet stillness of the air…

devoid of sound and commotion…I find some comfort there.

Yes, I find as much beauty in our silence…

as when we’re chipping together like the birds…

After all…

If we cannot comprehend each other’s silence…

how can we ever understand each other’s words.

DOLLYWOOD

 If you have ever traveled…no matter how little or how far you roam……

there’s a chance you may feel a twinge of disappointment…

when it’s time to head for home.

Knowing this was a possibility…we tried to plan so we’d be immersed….

In as much fun the second half of our trip…as we had been on the first.

This meant never traveling over 300 miles…on any given day…

which allowed us to stop and smell the roses nature planted along the way.

If you’ve been on this journey with us…it would be easy to conclude…

not only do we stop for nature’s beauty…but we also stop for food.

You may have noticed as we traveled we have gone far out of our way

to stop for a donut shop, a chocolate factory…or an occasional buffet.

Some people might think we’re crazy…others at our carelessness might be miffed….

but for Deborah and I…it’s easy…we think of it as a gift.

Which brings us to our final stop in Pigeon Forge where we both understood…

we’d be spending two nights in a cabin and visiting Dollywood.

Although we both love Dolly Parton who over this domain presides…

we don’t particularly care for roller coasters…any fast or scary rides.

So what would bring us to her amusement park…is it the beautiful scenery…the mountains…the sky…is it the occasional concerts or the off-chance we’ll see Dolly walking by?

Although these are all wonderful arguments…the real reason we made Dollywood the end of our line….is the warm home-made loaves of Cinnamon bread (with icing) she sells for $9.99.

Our plan was to buy two loaves of cinnamon bread…one for Deborah and one for me…but that plan changed when we realized one loaf is the size of Tennessee.

So we bought one loaf…and with two forks smiled then declared…

how a loaf of bread the size of Tennessee tastes better when it’s shared.

As this road trip comes to an end…you’ll find us smiling with bread crumbs on our lips and cinnamon dripping from our chins….

Happy for the wonderful adventures we just finished…

excited as the next adventure begins.

For that is the wonder of adventures…

the minute one’s completed…

the very second that it’s done…

you only have a moment to catch your breath…

before the next adventure has begun.

BUFFET

 One the joys of staying at Air B & B’s…is, how every place energizes…

each one is a little different…and is filled with such surprises…

You book the place your staying on line…sometimes many months before…

but you never really know what you’ve got…until you pull up to the door.

You love to meet your host or hostess…the ones who you are paying…

to learn a little about them…and the place where you’ll be staying.

At Lake of the Ozarks when we arrived at our cabin…after driving 200 miles…

Ellen the owner of the cabin stopped to talk with us a while.

She was working in her flower garden and decided to take a little break…

So she gave us a little history of the cabin and some information about the lake.

She mentioned if we weren’t leaving too early we might want to take part of our day…and head to Jolly Rogers Grub and Grog…for their award winning buffet.

She said it’s been voted the best buffet in Missouri…and she wanted us to know…

If your in town for any length of time…it’s a place you have to go.

She said she and her husband have eaten there often and their food is truly great.

She said the omelets, pancakes ad eggs Benedict are made to order while you wait.

She said when it comes to food in the buffet Jolly Roger’s has the most

They have pastries, donuts, black beans and rice…and three kinds of French Toast.

She said when you’re done with breakfast…since they serve lunch at the same time…you can eat steak…or chicken…or burgers…or even rib that’s prime.

She went on and on talking about the foods the service…how they’ve eaten their with their son and daughter…How beautiful it is to sit and look out on the water.

She knew so much about Jolly Rogers…and she tried hard not to gloat

when she said we can drive to the restaurant…but they prefer to go by boat.

When finished she smiled and said I think I’ve made my point…so…what do you say…

Deborah and I smiled at one another and said together…

Ellen…you had us at buffet.