Sunday, June 26, 2016

On the Road Again

View from Wildlife Viewing Platform
(Dael's Rock in the early morning fog)
Today Jan and I kick off a month-long road trip. In talking about past road trips with friends, I’ve discovered they generally split into two camps: those who think long trips are delightful and those who can’t stand being away from home for that long.

I understand both perspectives. Earlier this week I sat on our “Wildlife Viewing Platform” (a fanciful and sometimes wishful name for a rectangular deck my son and I built at the lake’s edge) reading a book, and I realized I was perfectly content with that spot at that time. The sun was shining and keeping me warm on a cool Michigan day. The breeze kept the bugs down and caused waves not much larger than ripples to lap over and against the nearby rocks. A belted kingfisher flew along the far shore, giving its rattling call. Overhead, a red-eyed vireo called and from a distance came the clear calls of a pair of rose-breasted grosbeaks. Dragonflies patrolled the air and used the platform as a landing field.

Nope, it can’t get much better than that, and I could easily convince myself there is no reason to leave my property except for the occasional trip into town to gather mail and provisions.

Autumn morning view from
Wildlife Viewing Platform
But then I get in the car and wander off to some new or remembered place. Traveling forces me to abandon a perhaps overly comfortable routine (read rut?) and explore new geographies, watch plant forms change as I move north or south, to higher or lower altitudes, to warmer or colder climates. I visit family and old friends. I meet strangers and learn from them. I get to see and experience things I read in books come alive (Civil War battlefields, geology’s effects on the land, museums full of history and arts). I make time to stroll an interesting cemetery, spend a few hours watching birds, take a hike to a hidden waterfall, put a camera on a tripod and find a different perspective, a new lens if you will, with which to explore the world.

Dael's Rock on a still morning
with reflections on the lake
While traveling, I sometimes wonder why I bother having two homes that tie me down when there is so much more to see.

A bit schizophrenic, wouldn’t you say? But each sensibility works for me in its own place and time. When I am traveling, I want to suck in the new or relearned experiences. But, as soon as I start heading for home, that’s where I want to be. The trip becomes a mad dash to get back home. I want to know if the phoebes nesting under the deck are raising kids this year, whether the moose have walked down our road, what flowers returned and whether any new volunteers have risen in our wildflower meadow.

How about you? Do you enjoy traveling or would you prefer to stay near home without all the hassles?


~ Jim

6 comments:

  1. Have a safe and fun trip, Jim. Sounds wonderful to me. Like you, when I am on the road I thoroughly enjoy it. Love wandering new roads, visiting museums and friend, getting on or off the beaten track whichever is most appropriate to the destination, but when the time comes to head back home...that's the only place I want to be. It's good to be comfortable wherever you are! Makes for a contented life.

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  2. Sounds like you've mastered the best of two worlds, Jim, and have the sense to enjoy what you are experiencing at the time, instead of thinking wistfully about other options.

    Have a great trip.

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  3. Have a wonderful trip, you kids! I love traveling, especially exploring the road less traveled. Traveling mercies to you two.

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  4. on the road again! Are you a recorded book driver or do you hunt for local radio stations? Safe travels

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  5. Reporting in from the end of Day 1 @ Birch Run, MI. Today and tomorrow are pretty much driving days, so not much to report.

    Kait - Sounds like we agree big time on this one.

    KM - Yep, worrying about the road not chosen only makes one crazy.

    Shari -- I love the "you kids," as though we're not old enough to be your parents!

    Margaret - I would listen to books; Jan says that cuts off all conversation (true enough, and I am smart enough not so say, "And so?"). Jan has a list of NPR stations across the country, and I have podcasts we sometimes listen to, but mostly the radio is off and we watch the world pass by.

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  6. Sorry, I didn't get to this yesterday. I was gone most of the day and then all the electric went out over much of the township and those near it until the middle of the night.
    Jim, your place is so beautiful up there in Michigan I can't imagine anyone wanting to leave it more than on a trip into town for groceries.

    Anyway, I'm a little bit conflicted about the travel vs. stay-at-home, too. I've had some wonderful trips in my life and enjoy seeing new things like the Catskills last week and the lovely campsite on a lake with no other campers anywhere near because the kids in New York State were still in school. That being said, I also hate leaving home and my critters, more so as I get older. If I didn't have the animals, it wouldn't bother me as much, but I do and I have no desire to get rid of any of them. Also, there's all the work to be done in my gardens - a hopeless job to ever finish, but I actually enjoy weeding, and I don't want to get rid of my gardens and all the trees and shrubs I've planted. And I have to admit, it's nice to have my own comfortable bed with a bathroom nearby than sleep in a tent and make mid-nightly trips with flashlight to the trees beyond. :-) Still, I hope to continue camping for many years to come. I'm not ready to call it quits anytime soon, although I realize I won't be able to backpack anymore.

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