The Onion's Layers: On The Road Again...

Oh, how I want to be in my car with the windows down, getting sunburn on my left arm as I stretch it out and let the wind float it up and down as I fly down an interstate at 90 miles an hour! Travelling used to be one of my highest priorities in life. From ages 6 to 16, I spent a minimum of one week every summer in the Adirondack mountains at Northern Frontier boys brigade camp. My grandfather introduced me to the camp in the wilds of northern New York state, and it was the reason for my developing a love of nature, specifically the mountains. I also believe it created in me a motivation for seeking out new, beautiful places to discover all over the country.

I was fortunate enough to embark on a cross-country trip with my then best friend Ian immediately after graduating from high school. We spent 7 weeks in a 1972 Volkswagen pop-up microbus, mostly hating each other and dealing with constant break-downs and meeting friendly people all over the country who were fascinated by our young spirited adventurism. Those 7 weeks weeks defined me, helped me grow and learn about myself and others in a way that never would have happened had I stayed home and bummed around all summer after high school. There were some scary times, and scary people. There was family, old friends, new friends, new experiences, and scenery! Miles and miles and miles of new scenery that I had only ever seen in books or on TV.

After that trip I made a promise to myself that I would take at least one small road trip every year for as long as possible. My own young ingorance prevented me from understanding that, the older I got, the harder it would be to keep that promise. But I had some great times in Denver visiting my friend Deborah in 2001 and 2002. I visited Jenna and Raven who lived in Teluride (CO) at the time, in 2002. In 2003, I went south and visited Laura, Mike and Anna in Fayetteville, with a stop overnight in Virginia Beach and a day trip with Laura and Anna to Columbia, South Carolina. In 2004 I went back to CO to visit Jess in Colorado Springs, but got to drive to Laramie and visit Deborah and her family one more time also.

I wish travelling wasn't so expensive. I didn't take another roadtrip until 2008 when I got to go back through my beloved Adirondack region and travel to Vermont to visit Angie. Her and I travelled to Montreal, which was only the second time I had ever visited Canada (and the first time was Niagara Falls, so does that even really count as visiting Canada??)

Anyway, I'm feeling nostalgic. I have so many memories of being on the road. So many great experiences during those times. I miss it. I miss Molly. I used to bring her with me and I couldn't ask for a better travel companion. God, sometimes I wish she were still around to stretch out on the front seat and lay her head on my arm rest so I could pet her while I drove. She loved taking advantage of my free hand while we raced from state to state. I'll always miss Mollygirl.

Below are some pics of my travels over the years. Not even CLOSE to all of them, since they take up about 5 photo albums on my bookshelf, and another 5 or 6 digital albums. Sometimes when i'm bored, i'll sit in my office and page through them, just to conjure up memories of all the national parks, the deserts, the mountains, and the rivers. Someday, SOMEDAY, I'll get back on the road again....