The more we travel, the more we realize how little we know.  Traveling this way allows you lots of time to think.  It slows your mind down while also opening your mind to new ideas.  It deepens your awareness and changes your perceptions.

We have certainly learned a lot of facts about geology, geography, birds and animals, weather, culture, history, mining and timber.

We have heard stories of survival and resilience.

We have found a sense of calm and peace as we stood among redwoods, as we watched orcas glide through the water, and as we watched shifting light over the Painted Desert.

We have realized our insignificance as we gazed at stars, stood at the rim of a meteor crater, held mammoth tooth, looked at petroglyphs, and watched age old glaciers calve.

We have stood in awe and wonder at Denali, the Icefields Parkway, the Yukon River, and in the wilderness of Canada and Alaska.

We understand after holding a piece of petrified wood 230 million years old that our time here is very short.

We have appreciated the kindness of strangers and the goodness of people.

We have engaged in problem solving and we have had the satisfaction of being self-reliant and independent.

We have learned to know each other and enjoy being together…just us.

We have found joy in this traveling and I have honed my navigation skills (I’m a work in progress!)

We know that we don’t need too much, that we can get by with very little.  We also know that we are spoiled with our nice RV and our king-sized bed and that many people live on much less every day.

We have discovered that we like to be unplugged.

We consider more about what other people need and what might be important to them in their situation.

We choose to ignore the naysayers and surround ourselves with others who have a positive attitude.

We believe in conservation and preservation so that our children and our grandchildren might also be afforded the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful world.

We feel incredibly lucky and profoundly grateful.

We want to become involved in disaster response and we got a call back from the American Red Cross today.  We will begin the training process and see where that leads us.