9/1/09: Epilogue:

Every story needs an ending. This ending is kind of routine and boring. I did laundry, unpacked the camper and took the camper off the truck. While I am relieved to be home and around family and friends, a tiny bit of me already misses the road. There is a certain sense of wonder and thrill about what each day would bring. What was I going to see? Where was I going to stay?

This trip did fulfill my major goal of renewal and independence. Kathy and I had dated for five years and then were married for forty more. That's forty five years of joint decision making. I now have to learn how to make decisions on my own. While that sounds easy, its not. This trip helped me start that process. I have also noticed that each day, little by little, I find myself "grieving" less and "fondly remembering" more. Certain photos, events, and places now bring a smile instead of tears. I'm not totally over the grieving process yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Damn, I'm getting misty eyed as I write this.

I have a group of random observations from this trip that I want to remember. They are in no particular order, just random thoughts.

1) I love the two lane roads in America. In general, they are in much better physical condition than the Interstates. They are less traveled and much more relaxing to drive. They certainly don't get you from point A to point B as quick as the Interstates, but you feel better when you get there.

2) The rest of rural America is not all that different from Gouverneur, or Potsdam, or other small towns in Northern NY. There are good people everywhere. They talk about the same things at the gas stations and grocery stores as we do here. And of course, Walmart is everywhere. :-)

3) I enjoyed listening to the local radio stations instead of the ipod or satellite radio. Where else can you learn where to shop for tractor and combine parts? You learn about the local fairs and benefit golf tournaments. And most of all, you learn where to shop for your next new car, or where to get the best deal for your clunker.

4) I am struck by the number of towns that have beautiful murals painted on buildings. I don't think I had really appreciated them before. I see the one in Canton all the time and take it for granted. But as a stranger driving through small towns, the murals are very striking and pretty.

5) It was interesting to see local towns advertise their heroes on signs and billboards as you enter. Lots of ones for various local high school sports teams that were State Champs in such and such year. The most unusual one was a sign indicating that it was the home town of a soldier who earned the Medal of Honor.

6) I love rural America. I'm not a city boy. As I said in an earlier post, everyone needs to drive across the Untied States sometime. It gives you a whole new perspective of how big a country we are. It helps you appreciate just how important our agricultural land base is. However, a depressing side note is how much of that farm land is for sale. And it's not for sale for farming purposes. Big billboards smack in the middle of a corn or wheat field are advertising tracts of land for commercial and residential development. Sprawl is everywhere.

Well, I think that's all for now. If I remember other things I may come back and add to this list, or add another entry. When I started out writing, it was part travelogue, part diary, and part therapy. I have ended up writing much more than I originally planned. I guess that's the therapy part.

Thanks for listening........