Are You Living It?

Would have known that there was something missing for the world to be right or he right in it and would have set forth to wander wherever it was needed for as long as it took until he came upon one and he would have known that that was what he sought and it would have been. -Cormac McCarthy

I find myself straddling with uncertain balance the trappings of the modern world and a primal urge to roam. Call it blissful ignorance, but I have managed to avoid the burden of adjustable rate mortgages and dreams of white picket fences almost entirely through artless ineptitude; I am a pariah in the time of consumerist martyrs. “Can’t flow in the status quo.”

And so, here I stand; a year after graduating from college 10 years late, with a body fat percentage creeping towards double digits and a severe allergy to waiting tables. My arsenal includes an 8-year old Toyota 4X4, 2 bikes, 2 surfboards, tele skis, running shoes, and a climbing rope. The mission is not as hedonistic as the reader has been led to believe, so let’s get that poppycock out of the way; I am working on this trip. That the work involves having fun, getting dirty, hand jamming, duck diving, bunny hopping, sleeping under the stars, playing guitar, sipping bourbon and meeting new and fun people all over the western United States does not take away from its seriousness. Do not mock! This is a labor of love, forged from a consistent failure to find happiness by painting my cave and calling it “home.”

Philosophical diatribes aside, ignoring any allusions to lack of accountability, or titles such as “champion of the counter-culture,” who really knows what this voyage has in store? Instead of betting on the likelihood of life-changing experiences, it might be healthier to just take it day-by-day, creeping through the ranges and plains, gulfs and points, peaks and cracks like a cat hunting in the backyard. This is not the family trip to the Grand Canyon, where the requisite “scenic overlook” photo, “..all I got was this lousy T-shirt” T shirt, and the funny story about little Jenny puking in the back seat of the station wagon after an overdose of soft serve ice cream and Pringles become bullet points in an itinerary.

In fact, I promise not to use the word “itinerary” after today. I’ll just tell you how it was, or is, or I wish it would be, and you can laugh, snicker, enjoy, judge, or emulate as you see fit. For those in the know, you can’t escape the irony that there will be lots of pictures (but only the inspirational ones) funny stories (that my funny friends think are funny) and t-shirts (but thats the only plug they’ll get). I can’t wait! Estimated Time of Departure, 5 days.