No place to be, no one to please, nobody to impress, nothing left to prove\u2026 so why not? Yeah, I\u2019m on a major road trip to be sure, but\u2026 do I really have to ride every day? Do I really have to do anything at all?<\/p>\n
So, the other night I made another curious call\u2026 I rented a cabin in Idaho online for five days starting this Saturday. Heck, Thursday I\u2019ll have been on the road two weeks with only one day off, so\u2026 what the hey\u2026 I know about where that cabin is, so I\u2019m vaguely familiar with the area, but it has other virtues and appeal, too.<\/p>\n
For starters it is off the beaten path, on twenty-seven secluded acres on a mountain overlooking the Clearwater River. It\u2019s near Orofino, ID, just off US HWY 12 down the west side of the Lolo Pass. I\u2019ve ridden through there several times, and I\u2019ve even stayed in Orofino a couple of nights at a time on a couple of occasions.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m thinking it might be perfect for some relaxation, reflection, and contemplation\u2026 It\u2019ll also afford me an opportunity to continue my so far illusive quest to grill a good steak\u2026 or to grill a steak good\u2026 whatever\u2026<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll be able to do laundry, lollygag some, wander around local roads, drop by local diners, you know, stuff I don\u2019t normally do on a road trip, at least not this way. Well, I have done some of this before, and it is a nice respite from the \u2018routine\u2019 of daily random travel. It also solves the problem of where to stay each night\u2026 I won\u2019t have to scramble for a room over the Labor Day weekend, and I for sure won\u2019t have to fight holiday traffic. Plus, any elevated pooperosity levels can also be easily addressed.<\/p>\n
More than anything, though, I\u2019ll have an opportunity to do some clear thinking in an environment seemingly most conducive for that. I do have a thing or two to ponder. \u2018End of life\u2019 is a morbid thought most of us avoid because of its obvious connotation. The topic itself is repugnant, distasteful, unpleasant, not to mention downright scary! Still\u2026<\/p>\n
I need to write out some updated specific instructions and list all pertinent information so the settling of my affairs will be relatively easy and simple\u2026 I need to rethink all of my \u2018living will\u2019 issues, organ donor information, making a new will, lots of stuff we don\u2019t normally think of off the top of our head\u2026 I\u2019m sure my daughter will appreciate my effort! This is nothing new\u2026 I\u2019ve done all of this before following significant change in my life\u2026 and now it\u2019s time to do it again\u2026<\/p>\n
Another nagging issue is writing a book. When I was first asked about that, my flippant answer was there were only two things standing in my way\u2026 To write a book one needs to have something worthwhile to say; then, they need to be able to say it well. I lack both items! Still, questions persist\u2026<\/p>\n
I have seriously considered doing something like that. On the other hand, I\u2019ve also considered the implications of taking on such a task. I enjoy playing around with my thoughts and experiences; and, writing them down does have a way of helping me remember details and record them for later. It\u2019s also fun to receive positive feedback from my friends. I wouldn\u2019t want this to ever turn into work, though, and I fear that could happen.<\/p>\n
I have a mental picture of a ruthless, relentless editor pressing me to spice things up, add some pizazz, perhaps throw in a few salacious details\u2026 \u201cThis is too bland and needs re-writing.\u201d Humbug! I\u2019m just enjoying my life, man, get off my back!!! So\u2026 I\u2019ve not done anything about this so far\u2026 Maybe it\u2019s time to think about it some more\u2026 Nah, probably not\u2026<\/p>\n
At the moment I see myself sitting in the shade of that cabin starring off into the distance, allowing my brain to \u2018free-wheel\u2019 and ponder whatever might bubble up to the fore\u2026 I love doing that. I\u2019ve been doing it for years!<\/p>\n
I remember thirty years or so ago pulling over along the Blue Ridge Parkway, setting up my camp chair in the shade and just enjoying the good feeling that comes from thinking about things that don\u2019t usually cross my mind during \u2018normal\u2019 life\u2026 I\u2019ve been doing it all across North America ever since\u2026 And, I think I\u2019m a better person for it\u2026<\/p>\n
Anyway, I\u2019ve paid the money and locked down the deal\u2026 Five days in a remote cabin\u2026 solitude, time, a grill, who knows, I\u2019ll probably do a campfire, too\u2026 Heck, I might even practice yodeling\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
No place to be, no one to please, nobody to impress, nothing left to prove\u2026 so why not? Yeah, I\u2019m on a major road trip to be sure, but\u2026 do I really have to ride every day? Do I really …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-meanderings-by-ddt-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=607"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":608,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607\/revisions\/608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}