I finally made it home at approx. 8:00 p.m. this evening. I didn't post earlier today because I didn't have any Internet access, and decided to wait until I got home. Also, for those of you in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York, please listen to Faith Middleton's show on WNPR on Friday. There's a definite possibility there may be an interview with me on it. How exciting is that?
Meanwhile, back to the trip summation... I left Montgomery, AL, yesterday morning and decided to detour through GA, SC, NC, and TN, before rejoining Steinbeck's assumed route (he didn't explain it exactly, but it appears he went straight from Montgomery to Virginia.) Now that I've picked up those states, I've officially been in every state in the lower 48, sans Kentucky. For some reason, Kentucky hasn't ever been on my way anywhere, so I guess I'll need to go to the Kentucky Derby next year to knock off that last one on my list. Once I get all 48 down, Alaska is next, followed by Hawaii. Then I'll start on finishing up Canadian provinces. For now, though, I'm only traveling to the next room to my warm and much-missed bed.
I ended last night in the dark in a rainstorm in Wytheville, VA. When I went into the motel lobby and asked, "Do you take pets?" the man on duty replied, stone-faced, "Yes, we do. However, what would you like us to do with them?" I was instantly smitten, and noted that his name was Travis. He gave us a room by the pool and requested that we mention Wytheville area in this project, so I am honored to oblige. Travis, you have my upmost respect and gratitude, and I hereby forever will refer to you as "My Virginia Guy." (Doesn't everyone have one?)
When I got into my room, I realized it was my last night on the road. Tomorrow night, the whole trip would be only a memory. How long it had taken to plan this journey, how much money and energy did I spend on it, and how arduous had it been at times...yet it seemed to be too early for it to be over. Surely, there was more that I had just overlooked in my anticpation to move into the next phase? Did I really have a story to tell? Is that all there is? In order to silence the questions that were keeping me from much needed sleep, I tuned into an episode of "Monster House" or some such show and watched a crew of people also go out on a limb and take a chance to improve their lives by accepting a challenge of remodeling an old jail into a breakroom for Compton, CA, police officers. They accomplished what they set out to do, even though at times it definitely looked like they might not make it. It was surprisingly inspiring, and I fell asleep with the realization that no matter what the future holds, if I give 100% toward my dreams, I know I will ultimately succeed--even if I fall short of my projected goal. The joy and passion in life is merely in the striving for your dreams, not in accomplishing them, and what an amazingly reassuring thought that was. Accomplishing dreams is merely a bonus to the rewards of trying. I slept soundly.
This morning dawned cloudy and drizzly, but with the idea of home being in the forefront of my mind, we set out early. It took me exactly 11 hours to get home from Wytheville with limited stops. I was just in the midset to get home. However, I did allow an extended stop for lunch at a Long John Silver's because I haven't eaten that much fried food in years. It was great! I miss Long John Silver's. At least I now know there is at least one in Pennsylvania! After lunch, though, I pretty much had the pedal to the metal and was zoned in for home. Once we arrived, Judy was also very excited and relieved to be home. After doing some doggie break-dancing on the living room rug, she settled in with a heavy sigh at my feet under my desk. It really is good to be home.
And yet, finding myself home after a month on the road, it also feels strangely strange. There truly is "no place like home," yet I have changed since I last sat at this desk and typed on this computer. I left here a month ago in an RV, and returned in a van. Judy has put on some weight due to non-exercise, and I've lost some due to non-eating. The house was cold upon my return and I had to turn on the furnace for the first time this autumn. Tomorrow I need to remove the air conditioners from the windows and put the storm windows on. It's all so strange. Did it all really happen, or was it all just a dream?
The day after tomorrow I will look at the video footage I took and start writing a day-to-day synopsis of my life over the past month. In some ways I feel I've aged a decade, and in others I feel I've reconnected with the Vicki of 10 years ago. Was it really only a month? A week ago, I was freezing in snow in Albuquerque, three nights ago I was sweating in Baton Rouge, and tonight I'm wearing a sweater in front of a space heater in my spare bedroom. 10,000 miles ago and a continent away, I was fretting over telling a figurative story and being honest and truthful to a literary legend, and tonight I just hope to have a story to tell that will be honest and truthful to myself.
I have a feeling the next few months will be very interesting. Ain't life great?
As for this blog--it ain't over 'til it's over. Starting tomorrow, I will be uploading photos from the trip to the corresponding blog entries, and updating the blogs that I was unable to elaborate on while I was on the road. I also have a couple of opinion pieces I will be writing in the next few weeks, and will post them on the "READ" page as they are completed. I will also keep the blog up-to-date over the next few months regarding the film and the book, so please keep checking back frequently. This thing has just started, and I, for one, can't wait to see what happens!
I want to also send out a BIG public thank you to everyone who helped me get through the whole journey safely. You are truly gods and goddesses of the highest caliber, and I owe each of you all at least a fancy lunch at some point in the future, and at most one of my kidneys.
You know who you are.
G'night for now, folks! I'm beat, and Judy wants a tummy-rub before bedtime.
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