Malta, NY
I hadn’t really looked at my chosen route for today too carefully other than to be sure I knew which Interstates to take to make the best time. Turns out that I started in Virginia, ended in Upstate New York and in between I went through West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey! Who knew. It was an uneventful trip aside from watching all the “Welcome to ….” signs go by.
I have pulled out some pictures from the whole trip to add to this post since it’s really a recap of the trip itself.
As you can tell, the circle on the map is almost complete. This is it. This is the last night on the road. Tomorrow at this time after 298 days on the road (with 3 weeks break in September for a trip to the Balkans), and 58,344 km I’ll be tucked in at Gill and Phil’s house. It’s been a dream come true and I can’t believe it’s over. Up until the last few days I’ve been absorbed by my last few days in Charleston, getting the trailer ready to be dropped off at the manufacturer for some minor work and preparing for my re-entry into the real world. But the past couple of days with my route planned I’ve been a bit on auto-pilot with lots of windshield time for thinking.
I am a firm believer in life-long learning and so I have thought about all the things that I have learned on this amazing voyage. Of course there have been many practical things, such as to make sure the hitch is on properly before going over the Confederation Bridge, and don’t pull the black water tank out without flushing the toilet first. I’ve learned so much about history, culture, geography and the people of the places I’ve travelled. I’ve learned (or had it reinforced) that travel is so broadening. Not only for me, which is obvious, but in talking to people along the way, I found those who have travelled are generally more outward looking and open to new ideas. But most of all, I’ve learned a lot about myself.
I learned to live in the moment. That’s always been an issue for me. Spending time thinking about the past or the future instead of focusing on the present. At the beginning it was a self-preservation tactic, since hooking up and driving the trailer in traffic took my total focus. And as time went on, I was busy planning, seeing, learning, doing, or writing about my travels and that’s what consumed my waking hours. So now it’s become a habit and I hope one I can keep.
When I thought about doing this trip, one of the things that worried me was the possibility of loneliness, being on the road for such a long time without a travel buddy. So I knew that I’d have to put myself out there and go beyond my comfort zone. And I learned I can do that, and to a degree I enjoyed it. I only experienced one real bad time of loneliness, and that was over the US Thanksgiving weekend. I guess because the campground in San Diego was full of families who had gotten together for the weekend. But it quickly passed and Gill joining me for a week over New Years really helped. BTW, I discovered that I am more willing to do silly stuff when no one I know is watching. i.e. picture in the Texas welcoming centre, with the astronaut at the Space Centre, etc.
I learned that it’s important to me that I continue to make a difference in this world. From learning about so many amazing people in a historic or cultural context, or just in talking to people along the way, I realize there are so many people with such important projects or passions in their lives. I know that’s been missing from my life for a few years and I need to find something about which I can be passionate. BUT, I also know that I have to have balance in my life and family and friends have to come first.
People have asked me what my favourite spot was on my trip. I started to write a list of some of my favourites and I ended up just listing the places I’d been because I liked them all for one reason or another. Many of the places I went I had visited at least for a short time or in part before. The south, however, was totally new to me and I absolutely loved it. The people are so warm, generous, open and the hospitality truly is amazing. It was where I was most moved by the history of the past. Walking over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma I was moved to tears. How do you respect what happened in the past without forgetting it, and move forward without assigning or feeling the guilt of the past? I thought about that a lot. And no, I don’t have the answer. Everywhere I went I stayed mainly on the beaten paths for safety sake, but from what I saw, the poor in the south are more poor than anywhere else. But joy was expressed so easily and so loudly. It was an interesting dichotomy.
Some of the experiences I had will truly be remembered forever. I’ve written about most of them: in NOLA when the bead thrower called me out and said my smile made what he’d paid to be there worthwhile; the first airboat trip on Lake Panasoffkee; walking over the Pettus Bridge; being on the Mardi Gras float at Universal throwing beads with MJ and Tina; and being invited by one of my neighbours in Georgia to join them for a fish feast dinner after the men came back from fishing with a huge catch. For the most part, the thing that stands out are the great conversations that I’ve had with all sorts of people everywhere I went.
It was so much fun to hear from those of you who sent me suggestions for things to do, and places to go and to hear you recount the times you visited the places I went. I would especially like to thank my friend Dane, who was born in the south and who travelled vicariously through me for much of the trip. His insights and knowledge of the places and people were invaluable. I enjoyed, so much, having him along for the ride.
Many of you have said how brave I am to have done this trip. Some of you have said you’d love to do it but wouldn’t have the guts. Well, it would not have been possible for me to do it without the support and love of my family and friends. As I said to them:
“Knowing that they all worried about me allowed me not to worry myself.
Knowing that they were all supportive of me doing this made me more sure I could. Even during those times when doubt crept into the recesses of my consciousness. (or expressed itself as melt downs, both private and public)
Knowing that they were waiting to hear from me kept me focused and on track and kept me going on those days when I’d much rather just crawl under a rock.”
Thank you to all of you for being along for the trip through reading my blog. I really did feel like you were all with me. I hope you enjoyed it.
I’m sorry it’s over, but excited to find that thing to be passionate about again.
Lois' Adventures 