Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., August 23 -- Hurray! My motorhome is fully functional again -- in fact, it’s better than before. And it only cost me $1,200!! Sigh -- penny-wise and pound-foolish. I left Burnsville, MN, where my repairs were done, around 10:30 this morning and arrived in Sturgeon Bay around 5 p.m. I am staying in a very nice rv resort in Door County, the peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan just southeast of Green Bay. It is one of my membership parks so is only costing me $8 a night. If you don’t count replacing an inverter, I haven’t spent very much this month so far. Of course, if you do count that repair, it’s been a pretty pricey month!
I must admit, I find Wisconsin quite picturesque. Large barns and silos dominate the skyline, but there are plenty of trees and even hills, although the peninsula itself is quite flat. Lots of cornfields among the green pastures. I have actually see a few head of cattle. But I had to come all the way to Wisconsin to see actual live Bison. I’ve traveled all over the west and so far this is the first sighting of Bison. Of course, it was at a Bison ranch along the freeway I did see one field of sunflowers but they looked like I have been feeling the last few days: not one touch of golden brightness visible; the heads were all bent over facing the ground. Maybe they are just heavy with seed; or maybe there is no sun for them to look up to. Or maybe they, like everything else, are so soaked they can’t lift their heads. I haven’t managed to outrun the rain. I think it’s following me. The people here in Wisconsin are delighted -- they want the rain. I am sick of it.
It is fascinating to me to think how “close” things are the farther east I go. It isn’t very far from here to Milwaukee, and not much farther to Chicago. Once I get into Michigan, it wouldn’t take long to get to New York. And from New York, it’s not far at all to New England, Pennsylvania, and other places I could visit. I guess Seattle and Portland aren’t that far apart; but beyond that it takes forever to get to San Francisco or LA. If nothing else, this is a great experience in Geography. Traveling teaches you the layout of places like nothing else.
It has occurred to me a few times since I started this eastward trip that I am retracing some of John’s travels. The first year after high school he spent attending a seminary in Waukesha, Wisc., which is just east of Milwaukee. So driving along 94 has often evoked thoughts of John as a young man. He sometimes talked about their travels driving between Wisconsin and Washington. I SHOULD drop down into Ohio and visit the area where my mother grew up. I’m not sure if she would still have living relatives there. We never really knew them, since we grew up in Washington. I was in Ohio a couple times as a small child, but have no contacts there now.
Once I started the motorhome and hit the open road this morning, all those insecurities I felt yesterday vanished and I felt invigorated and ready to accept the challenge of new discoveries. I would LOVE to see Chicago -- I’ve never been there, beyond the train station when as a young child I traveled through to Ohio (my earliest memory is the Chicago train station: very chaotic!), but I am not about to venture there in a motorhome. I’m not even sure I would risk it in my Saturn.
In addition to a resurgence of courage, I am cognizant of what a wonderful gift I have received in this opportunity. My sister helped me see how fortunate I am to have the time and money to do this. So what if I have no one to do it with; it is still a gift and I really would be an ingrate to turn my back on it. In addition, I would probably regret it for the rest of my life if I did not see this through to completion -- whatever and whenever that might be. So after a few days of nostalgia and insecurities, I am once again ready to follow the open road. Strangely today a song kept popping into my mind. It’s a John Denver song and I may have it on one of my cds; I’ll have to look. It wasn’t that well known but was on one of his albums. Sweet Surrender is the name of it. I think it may have been from some movie soundtrack (about bears or something). Anyway, the words are something like: lost and alone on some forgotten highway, traveled by many, remembered by few; looking for something that I can believe in, looking for something that I’d like to do with my life. So I guess that epitomizes some of what this trip is about; lost and wandering, looking for meaning.
More good news: Shirley, my sister, interviewed for a job yesterday and was offered the position today. It is a legal secretary job with one of Minneapolis’ most prestigious law firms. If she likes it, she will probably have the possibility of moving into a para-legal position down the road. I am happy for her. She will be making good money and have opportunities to advance. I know she was a good teacher -- and principal -- but I am glad she will no longer be working for the church. Their loss -- really!! Since she starts right after Labor Day, she may still come travel with me for a a few days. It would be nice to have her along in Northern Michigan (St. Ignace??) and NW New York (Niagara Falls).
So I am once again ready to face the challenges of being a single woman exploring this beautiful country of ours with only my trusty sidekick, Charlie, to keep me company. Tomorrow I will contact my friend in Green Bay, Tony, whom I worked with in Portland 20 years ago, and see if he has a couple hours to spare so we can catch up on life. He will retire at the end of this month. Then I will get back to my books, my reading, my journaling, maybe find a little time to paint, plan the next leg of the journey and just get on with it!
TravelinLady
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