I T W
I T W = Into The West. That's the name of this Journey / Road Trip.
I've traveled all my life and enjoyed seeing the world and all the different places, cultures, Geology, History ect...
This was the 1st time to get to do it the way I've wanted to. The way it should be done.
??? Have you ever wanted to just take off,.... Leave the Rat Race behind??? Leave it to the Rats because they're gonna win it anyway. Just take off W/ no real plan and hit the back roads of America. So the plan was leave May 1st, throw some gear and supplies in the rig & go... and don't look back. ... and be back in September.
The young kids do it & call it backpacking across America, ... or the world. A backpack is probably the REAL way to do it... When you get to 60, you need a little more comfort than what you can carry on your back.
The only plan was head West to Arizona... then turn North up through the Rockies to Glacier Nat park. .... and ride the roller coaster day to day in between to see what was out there. Yeah... I could do that; I was born to do that. Gear up... Cowboy up and let's go. That's what this journal is about.
A few years back was fortunate to Backpack some on The Appalacian Trail. That was exeptional to see the wilderness that way. Hiked w/ my buddies kenn, Doug, and son... Kept up w/ guys 20 years younger and didn't hold them up. Made everybody over 50 proud on that hike. Sleet on Blood mountain Georgia where the Cherokee fought w/ the Creeks for hunting lands and territory... slept hard that night after climbing those trails w/ 40 pound pack. Among the clouds in the fall leaves.... really good hiking.
Hung our packs and gear up high as to not attract Bears. Bears will even come to the smell of toothpaste in a knapsack so was a real good learing experience w/ RAW nature the way the pioneers had to travel the Appalacians by foot.
What suprised me was the lack of drinking water and we had to find small springs, some 2 feet in diameter.... and pump /siphon through the microfilters for our drinking water. The lack of water meant carring what you drank/ consummed; 3 to 4 liters a day minumum. A gallon of water is 8.5 pounds and when you carry it on your back... the weight gets heavy.
So taking off in the monkey wagon... in a good vehicle to see america was a real treat. To really cover some ground and take time to see the really good parts of America that are off the interstate .
For a decade now Scenic Byways have been my preferred route. www.byways.org I can make a case of never getting on an interstate Hwy again. Was fortunate to drive and see "Route 66" as a teenager. Drove West to Camp Pendelton a couple times and loved seeing the west, but that was fast and not much time to stop and see the good stuff.
At the end of this leg of the Journey,... it was 12,000 miles ....in 4 months. And 98% of it was on the back roads. And it wasn't enough.
If you do this... take more time to see it. Drive less, stop more, .... talk w/ the local people more... fish more.... don't rush it. It IS life at its best. And worth it. I didn't miss hearing about Tiger Woods one time. I didn't miss what stupid things politicians were doing now. i didn't miss who Cher was dating.
haven' t put all this journey into perspective yet... Have not processed what all I saw... and am formulating a plan to scrape up some $$ and go back out on the edge again in 2011.
I think it was Myron... or some of the Greek philosiphers that used this phrase.... recent native American legend speaks the same philosophy... I'm not sure of it's origin, but it seems to speak truth;
You never drink Twice from the same stream !
