I think we’ve all envisioned what it might be like to travel
and experience places we’ve never been before. We fantasize about going to
Europe, Australia, or Bora Bora, just to mention a few of the
dream locations in the world. We’ve all had friends, relatives or co-workers
who report back the fun they've had at locations where as they were bowled over with awe
from their trip. My own kids have been and seen things in their
young lives that I’ve only read or wondered about. From the great wall in China,
to the outback in the great down under, to Europe and back. And even in the
Americas my kids have traveled to places that make my own life seem boring.
As we age, our mind’s dreams of
going to such locations grows farther and farther as our priorities
change and as the old body just doesn’t have the same spring in the step of
earlier years. I’ve always loved to travel. It never mattered
what the destination was. Just leaving the comfort of normalcy for a weekender
has always recharged my batteries. Always has. And hopefully always will.
With my bride of 40 years we’ve been a few places when we’ve had the chance, that have provided wonderful and lasting memories. Our travels
have taken us to and from Canada both in Ottawa for us both and Saskatchewan for my better half. On our joint trip we came back via Niagara Falls (you have to see it to believe it). We’ve taken time in both northern and
southern California and we've seen some incredible sights. A few years back we
had the opportunity to travel to the northeast, all the way to Maine. It
included the wonderful drive through Tennessee, Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
and on through the Big Apple. It culminated in old New England. And the return down the Appalachian Trail was wonderful.
We've had shorter trips within our own little country, known as Texas. From the tip top of the Panhandle down to the tip of Brownsville. And even from the southeast shores of the Gulf of Mexico to the dry and dusty El Paso. So even within the confines of the U.S. we’ve
really been able to eat a good tasty slice of Americana pie.
So it was with a great deal of amazement last fall that our
sneaky kids brought us all together for a Sunday dinner where they presented us
with a copy of a large check in an amount beyond belief for a
cruise! We were shocked with the
size of the gift and how they had been saving for years. The gift is to celebrate
our 40th wedding anniversary, that happens later this year. The kids were
thinking we might do Europe, Hawaii or some other exotic location, but my very first
thought was it HAD to be Alaska!
The great state of Alaska is still considered a
pioneer and pristine destination. It seems to be the only place in North
America (and maybe the world) that is virtually untouched by the blight of man.
The only experience I have with the 50th state is second hand
knowledge from a friend who traveled there as a teenager and from
my step dad who traveled there and stayed several weeks camping alone. He had
the time of his life. The difficult adventure getting there and back was half of the
adventure for him.
We’ve all seen the photos, travel videos, documentaries, and
even quirky sitcoms and dramas with the backdrop of beautiful Alaskan. The views are magnificent, even in photos. Ever been on
vacation somewhere and snapped what you thought was an award winning photos only to
have your viewers say nice. Nice? The photos and
experience to me was WOW and I get a “nice” from someone
that didn't go. They just weren’t “there” and don’t really understand so they? That scenario
is probably played out with most vacation photos for everyone. I tend to think
after seeing a number of YouTube videos that those really do capture more
closely the sights and sounds of the adventure. The missing components from
a sensory standpoint is actual sights, actual sounds, and actually feeling whatever
weather elements and scents only captured while “really” being there. So very soon (less than 3 weeks) we will be embarking on something wonderful. I'll try and share as much of it with you, that I humanly can.
No comments:
Post a Comment