~Thursday, June 9, 2022~
Day 725 (Travel Day-on a plane)
2 YEARS OF FOW!!!
A few must do’s for the campsite….fetch water for the trailer and purchase a few bundles of firewood for those rip roaring campfires……all 5 minutes, if that, from our perfect little oasis in Bozeman. I only got to experience the most gorgeous campsite of our journey for 1 day. 😩With at least one of us getting to soak up the campground’s magnificence, I’m sad to leave it and my hubby, but hey, after 725 days of solid togetherness, a little break might be good. It will be the longest we’ve been away from each other on the trip so far.
Ironically, today is the day we celebrate our 2-year anniversary of being on the road. We’ve learned and lived so much these past 2 years. Our hearts now beat to a different rhythm, we pay more attention to what’s around us, forming new paths by what we discover, and just enjoy the ride with no regrets. With each passing day, we become more awestruck with just how big this country is…both geographically and in terms of how much there is to see. With gusto but without fear, we take it ALL in, sometimes doing things out of our comfort zone. With that being said, we find ourselves seeing things through a wider lens, breathing deeper, and paying more attention to our senses as we take it all in. I think the experts call it “being more present or in the now”. And every day is a chance to learn. As I project ahead, I know that it will be bittersweet once this journey comes to an end and we adjust to being in a fixed spot. But we sure will have the best souvenir of our lives when it’s all said and done.
Getting up at 6:00 a.m. to be out the door by 7:00 is never an easy feat for us as we’re not the best morning people. At least we didn’t have to do so in the dark now that sunrise is at 5:30 a.m. After dropping me off at the airport in Bozeman, Jeff and Sadie were going to load up on provisions there, essentially killing two birds with one stone since Bozeman is about an 1-½ hour drive from the campground. Jeff didn’t think there’d be many more opportunities to load up on supplies and such before we cross the border into Canada, so this was as good a time as any to take care of those much needed errands. Sadie and Jeff have another 5 days to enjoy the lake views before moving on to Whitefish, MT where Shane and his buddy Trevor will meet up with them to enjoy some father/son time, especially with Father’s Day around the corner. From there, Jeff will move on to Washington state to pick me up in Spokane where we’ll continue on into Canada to begin our Alaska trip!! Can’t believe it is almost here!!
I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to visiting with my mom and doing all the things we have planned. And I have to admit it will be nice to cook in a kitchen bigger than a breadbox and shower in a stall that is guaranteed not to run out of hot water. Though tempting to take in a “normal” long shower, I promise to stay conservative in light of the current drought situation.
Originally my flight from Montana was supposed to have a stopover in Las Vegas, but had changed to Denver, where I guess I could count on turbulence, which I don’t handle very well. For some reason, being forewarned helps me react to it better. Boarding the plane for the last leg was something. I was in the C category which meant I’d be one of the last to board. As I made my way back to the rear of the plane, I realized there was nothing else available. Recalling I had passed an older couple enjoying the empty seat between them, in the front of the plane, I had to politely tell them, “I’m sorry but the seat between you is the last available seat on the plane.” “It is,” she asked? I guess I had missed the other vacant seat across the aisle from them, when a gentleman mentioned I could take the seat next to him. In the end, everyone was happy, especially the older couple who seemed annoyed with my request in the first place. The ride……bumpy as all get out on our exit out of Denver, as I knew it would be.
But seeing the views over Lake Tahoe was the perfect scenery to welcome me back!
Boy do I miss the days of being greeted by family or friends at an airport’s gate. ‘Ya know……like the end of the movie, “Love Actually”, when everyone’s hugging each other coming off the plane. It just seems so anticlimactic these days to exit the boarding bridge into the airport where nobody cares that you just landed, only to make you head outside the building in a pressured moment of hugging before being asked to move along. We’d have to resume our hugging back at the house.
Now that’s more like it. A big hug to make up for the 6 months of separation. All I can say is thank goodness for FaceTime all these months.There’s always a bit of guilt (mom….are you reading this?) when being away from my mother too long, but I also embrace the opportunity to do what we’re doing. It’s a hard one. But for now, we just make the most of what time we do have together until Jeff and I are ready to settle somewhere.
It seems Jeff is really enjoying his time at the campsite. The weather is amazing, Sadie is having a ball, and he can enjoy his bachelor pad the way he sees fit.