Lessons learned along the Blue Highways over the past year...

 

"On the old highway maps of America, the main routes were red and the back roads were blue. Now even the colors are changing."  The book "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat-Moon (1982) is a fascinating story of how one man decided to travel cross country by attempting to only follow the least traveled byways and highways. Though times have changed and during our travels we have had the advantage of satellite linked GPS electronic maps - we still carry a well worn Rand McNally map for places like those 4x4 trails in the Black Hills, the winding backroads within the Olympic Peninsula, and other wonderful places - that's to say - along the Blue Highways.  

Though we haven't yet traversed as extensively as the Blue Highwayman, over the past year we have completed  a dozen plus housesits and spent time in 20 states, racking up over 25,000 miles in our trusty Audi Allroad. And we've only just begun!

During 2022 we covered some of the most variegated landscapes in the US; the bayous of Avery Island, Louisiana (home of Tabasco hot sauce), the Badlands of South Dakota (rugged country!), the staggering and windy 12k heights of the Rocky Mountains, incredible Washington (including the Canadian border town of Blaine where one can have a foot planted in two countries at the same time), the ancient rainforests on the Olympic coastline (who woulda thunk that we had rainforests so far north!), the vast and arid deserts of California (etched in memory because its where we got our first - and thankfully only, flat tire), the majestic redwoods along the Pacific coast, the crystal clear lake in Tahoe that straddles two states,  the "loneliest road in Nevada," and the hustle and bustle of the mile high city of Denver - we certainly have enjoyed experiencing this fascinating country!

It's now been 14 months since we embarked on this way of life and to be candid, it was very scary at first; as one fellow nomad put it, "this is no lifestyle for sissies!" True!  As expected (and intended), we have learned some paradigm shifting life lessons along the way.

* As Michael Wallis puts it in his Route 66 book, "Open-road travelers are made more than born.  They are as different from theme-park tourists as anything you can imagine.  Tourists rush; travelers mosey.  Tourists look for souvenirs; travelers seek out the souvenir makers.  Travelers are openly romantic about the going itself, the adventurous possibility of it all."  We can honestly claim that we are now "Travelers" not "Tourists."  We have become comfortable (well, almost!) with the uncomfortableness of watching our "best laid plans" vaporize with a blown tire, a cracked tooth, a canceled sit, and other unexpected happenings.  We now smile at each other as the next unplanned detour meets us around the bend and utter the phrase we learned in Rapid City SD "UFF-DA!"

* Mark Zupan, captain of the United States wheelchair rugby team  said, "Life's too short not to laugh about yourself and the cards you're dealt."  We agree and we've learned to laugh at ourselves and the situations we sometimes find ourselves in, based on our decision to live the lifestyle of a nomad (like the time we had to get off the road in Eureka Nevada because of 60 mile-an-hour wind gusts - and had one of the best Mexican meals ever at a local casino!). 

* Probably the most profound lesson we've had reenforced on the road is best summed up with a quote by Will Arnett, “I am happy because I’m grateful. I choose to be grateful. That gratitude allows me to be happy.”  This viewpoint led us to develop our personal credo GRAVICO which consists of three core beliefs: Be Grateful, Be Vibrant, Be Courageous! We have found that when one's life is constantly on the move in different environments and cultures, and even when it isn't, the key is to start our day from a center point of gratitude. It's from that stance that we have a framework of clarity to address all the other challenges that we have and will continue to encounter during the course of our travels. Life is good!

God Speed... Phyl n' Jer!