Road Trip : Travelling the Inner Terrain

Road trips are not only great fun but packed with all kinds of adventure-- both inside and out. Today's post is the first of a 12 day trip I just returned from. There was so much packed into each day, there was no time to write! So here is the entire event, starting with today as day 1.

DAY 1

I left on a road trip today that will total over 2000 miles. I had the option of flying and saving time but cancelled my tickets at the last minute and saved the fares for later. (...and no charge to cancel--God, I love Southwest Airlines). The 2 destinations could have been reached more quickly by flying but I opted for the slower, deeper adventure of the mile-by-mile experience of covering the distance on the ground. I had my Jeep checked yesterday and am good to go. It's been a faithful pony through Colorado winters, hauling hitched loads, car camping and much more.

There's something about getting behind the wheel and travelling through all kinds of physical terrain that allows me to cover the inner terrain of my soul. I've been itching to get out on the road for MONTHS-- I need to let the last several months, thick and fast with milestone events and changes-- sink into my cells. I want to sit in the driver's seat of my Jeep as the miles tick away on my odometer and let each mile inside sink into and sort through my life, relationships and all kinds of emotional and mental terrain. I will take my favorite music and use it....or not. Sometimes just the whir of the engine, rain against the windshield or gusts of desert wind hitting the side of my car are music enough.

My destination today is St. George, Utah, 639 miles away. Uncle Charlie's memorial is tomorrow. Just 2 weeks ago I made a whirlwind weekend visit there by plane to visit him when I got the news he was gravely ill. He passed 2 days after my visit. My travelling companion for that trip was my son, David ( a favorite grand-nephew of my uncle) who deployed to Iraq just 2 days after my uncle's passing. Lots of goodbyes experienced by David and I in the last few weeks. That's a story for another day.

So I climbed into my champagne colored pony, loaded with food and drink for the road (more convenient than having to stop when you're 112 miles from the nearest convenience store in the middle of the San Raphael Swell on I-70), suitcase, goodies for the family and stuff I've been saving to bring to my grandbabies in California, which is my final destination. (Yeah, getting Southwest to take a child's rocking chair and hobby horse in the belly of the plane would have been a no-go.) I surrounded my car with safety, said some words to Great Spirit and pulled out of the driveway.

I've discovered the power of intention in my life as a good foundation for any experience. Knowing what I want instead of merely letting life happen (or at least a combination of the two) on the road has been a pretty good recipe for being at peace and having a good time. (It also works really well every day I'm not on the road!) So this first day is rich with intentions of what I want to experience in the next 12 days. 1) Safety and my vehicle operating normally, 2) making good memories 3 )being centered and grounded on the road and with my relations and 4) the ability to craft wisdom and insight from each of the experiences I have on my journey.

It's about 10 hr. (with breaks) to St. George, UT. Packing along the extra stuff took more time and the garden had to be tended to before taking off. Leaving at 2 in the afternoon was not my intention, but oh well, here I am. Up, up up the continental divide, through Eisenhower tunnel at over 11,000 ft., down, then up over Vail pass at 10,600 is the first leg. Through Glenwood Canyon, following the Colorado river almost overflowing its banks into the desert to Grand Junction, Colorado and into the brilliantly colorful panoramas of the Utah desert completes the second section of the trip. The sun is sinking into the western horizon as I slide up and over the breathtaking Capitol Reef.

Around 9 p.m. I'm rolling out of Richfield, UT after a gas stop. It's late, I'm tired and I want to be done, but I've got 3 more hours in the dark on the road through the mountains. There's no cell phone coverage and coffee jisn't keeping me awake and alert anymore. So I bring up James Brown on the CD player. "ALL ABOARD...The Night Train" I sing along but renaming the cities in the song: "Denver, Colorado....Grand Junction, Colorado....Beaver, Utah....St. George Utah...."

I arrive at my mother's house at midnight. The key has been left out, the rest of the house is alseep with family that have come as many miles as I. I grab my suitcase and cello out of the Jeep, close the door to my bedroom and fall into bed.

Thank you Great Spirit, we've had a safe and good journey today.