I'd like to take some time to talk about my motivation for travel in general. This morning, I received the bad news that one of my former colleagues passed away. While his passing only in his seventies was tragic enough, what I find even more tragic is that he only recently retired after an illustrious career of teaching and I remember chatting with him about his dreams for retirement, but for a variety of reasons, he wasn't able to spend the last few years doing what he had dreamed about doing in retirement. There is a lesson in this for all of us--even those of us who consider ourselves still fairly young at 52. Life is short, tomorrow is never guaranteed, there will always be one more item on our to-do list, one more responsibility before we can take time for ourselves and what really matters. But I urge you to find that balance between your work and home life, to take the time out for yourselves and your emotional health, to follow your dreams while you still can. There's a quote that I read only recently that went something like this: "The goal is to die with memories, not dreams." There are some who question why I wanted to take this trip. Even some of my family members think I'm a little crazy. There are responsibilities at the farmhouse, there's a textbook to write, there are syllabi and lab experiments that need revising. There is always something. Ever since my last cross country trip in 2010, one of my most memorable vacations ever (and I've had a lot of great ones!), I have been itching to go out West again--to take that extended trip where I can unplug from my work life and the chores of the garden and just recharge my batteries in nature. While I wish some of my other family members have the same luxury of time away from work that I have--this incredible freedom to go wherever I want, I needed to do this. I've been putting it off for nine years. There's no guarantee that I will be in good health next year or that I will still have the opportunity. One of the things that I try to instill in all of my students is the self-confidence to reach for their dreams--to never give up, no matter how bad organic hits them, no matter what their personal disabilities might be, in spite of their youth and inexperience. I encourage them to just go for it, to throw that safety net to the wind, to take advantage of the many opportunities afforded to them. So if that is what I profess, then that is how I should also live my life. Anyone who knows me knows I am a very insecure person. One might question how I am able to drive 400 miles on average a day, to hike in bear country alone, to live out of my van in the middle of nowhere. There are so many things that can go wrong. But there are also so many things that can surprise and inspire. Part of the sermon this past Sunday in my church told of a story where Tony Robbins was receiving advice on racing. His driving instructor gave him lessons in what to do when you go into a skid. Most people, he said, will panic and think they are going to run into the wall--and so they do! But if you can manage your own emotions and keep your focus on where you want to go, you will pull out of the skid and naturally head in that direction. Think of that--keep your focus on where you want to go and you will get there. Chase your dreams and make them into memories. Sometimes life is all about the journey.
The day started at 6:30 because I had to be out of my Walmart parking space by 7 AM. I drove the short distance to Cuyahoga Valley National Park outside of Cleveland, OH and explored. I started at the depot town of Peninsula, where I took a quick jog on the Ohio & Erie towpath before it got too hot for the day. Then I did two short hikes to Blue Hen Falls and Brandywine Falls. Next, I did a loop hike through the Ledges area of the park, a series of sandstone cliffs carved out by ancient glaciers. I followed this with a picnic lunch at Kendall Lake and then a quick photo stop at Everett covered bridge before a four-hour drive on the Ohio Turnpike into Indiana.
I got off the turnpike in Elkhart and found a Planet Fitness, where they left me try out the gym for free, hence getting in my workout and my first hot shower of the trip all in one foul swoop. Right next door to the Planet Fitness was a Cracker Barrel, where (with permission) I set up camp for the night in their fairly private and quiet back parking lot. After cooking dinner and introducing myself to my fellow vanlife neighbor, I relaxed for the evening, surfing the Internet, updating my blogspot, and watching some free over the air TV (I was lucky to get 18 channels here). The humidity broke a little after a quick rainstorm passed through and it was a lovely evening.
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