MUSINGS

Oft the words I hear are: I could NEVER camp. I cannot explain the multitude of reasons why we love the open road, ending at a secluded or not so secluded state or federal campground. We rarely, if ever, camp at private campgrounds. We love hiking the trails, skirting the edge of a river bed, the vistas from mountains or the endless excitement of the sea. I have a method of finding our camping areas. It takes hours of research and reading. I do not gamble with our accommodations. My "bible" is The National Geographic 100 Best State Parks. My companion book is 100 Best National Campgrounds. Slowly, we are working our way through the 100~ and more slowly through the National. Sometimes, when dusk is falling and we are weaving through uninhabited country-side, I wonder... Why are we doing this and will we ever see the light of day, again. We arrive, saddle sore and exhausted(a plush vehicle helps) to a darken circle of like minded folks milling around a circle much like the old western conestoga wagons. I always insist on our having a decent dinner at the end of a long day. As WFS sets up camp, I start the fire and begin our meal. We have a sip of wine, eat our dinner, enjoy the embers and hit the sack. Sleep comes quickly and it never fails, as first light drifts across the horizon one of us will say, isn't this the best life? Whether we are waking up in the woods or in the sand or in the prairie.... we always greet the day and our new surroundings with wonder and a feeling of magic. How can we be so lucky?
WFS makes coffee and delivers it to my warm bed, Momo occupies a place near my feet. I love the stillness of morning. I love the feeling of nowhere to go. I love being in a tiny space with the big expansive world around me. I love creating a day of nothing. I love that we are insulated from all the hyper nonsense called life..
Our days take on a certain rhythm. I plan our meals, WFS plans our adventures. We laze around, no need to hurry... Sometimes we don't do a thing.
The next few weeks will be filled with fraught and frantic days. I have an uncanny ability to forge forward and stay focused. The dream of a clear night sky and a distant whippoorwill keep me sane.