"We Took To The Woods"

To quote the title of one of my favorite books, "We Took To The Woods", that is exactly what Emery and I did.  We headed off, tent, and camping supplies in the trunk of the car and we headed for Colorado.   No set time for the return trip and lets just day a very flexible set of plans.  One thing we did know for sure, we needed to get away to refresh our souls.  Emery retired a year ago and was long overdue for a vacation.  He had not taken one in decades, and we never had a honeymoon, so after 37 years, we thought, no time like the present.  Off we went...with our children a bit concerned about their parents going on a road trip with tent and sleeping bags !   What fun we had and memories that will last us well into next year, (we had so much fun, we plan on making a habit of this)   We stayed where we liked, for as long as we liked and forgot to look at watches, and calendars.   Most places we stayed had no cell service but we did manage to check in with the children enough so they would not worry to much.  We stayed at Palo Duro in TX, Great Sand Dunes, Durango, Mesa Verde in Colorado and the mountains outside of Santa Fe.  In all we were gone just over 3 weeks.  By the time we got home, we both were chilled out and any stress that sat on Emery's shoulders from working stressful jobs all his life, melted away more each day.   We hiked, we ate simple foods. Went to bed with the sun and woke with the sun.  Slept in our clothes and only one time did we stay at a campground with showers.  Most times, flush toilets were a luxury.   Never in my life, have I felt so at peace.  Living in the moment was natural, worry and monkey brain, just dissolved away.   

The day we left, our computer died and after coming home, that seemed like a blessing.  I guess we will fix it at some point, but for now, the laptop is more than adequate.   Priorities have changed.   I took about 2,000 pictures on the trip.   We saw so much beauty.   We kept being warned about bears but never saw one, only fresh tracks on the trail.   Our lives have been changed. Simple living, has a new definition for us and one we like a lot.  Life is good and as a long time favorite author once wrote.... "Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature's darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature's sources never fail."

John Muir

"Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. Here grow the wallflower and the violet. The squirrel will come and sit upon your knee, the logcock will wake you in the morning. Sleep in forgetfulness of all ill. Of all the upness accessible to mortals, there is no upness comparable to the mountains." John Muir