Wanderlust and Redwoods

I was never very athletic; but I am definitely an outdoors girl.  I love being in nature.  It speaks to my soul in a way that is difficult to explain.  I have always had a restless spirit and an innate need to travel and explore outdoor places.  They call it Wanderlust and it started for me as a child. 

Tonawanda Creek, Clarence NY

We moved a lot – but no matter where I lived, (even in the city), I always found an area of vacant land that I would visit frequently.  I felt happiest in those places.  They were calm and quiet, unlike the chaos that frequently invaded my home.  Perhaps it being my escape is what has made it such a deep-seated part of who I am today.

I love finding alpine meadows like I did in Glacier National Park in Montana, so high up in the mountains that they were infrequently visited by humans.

Glacier National Park, Montana

Seeing the dessert bloom with wildflowers – not just in pictures - but in real life has taken my breath away. 

I have stood in the spray of a waterfall, and in the cascading waterfall itself and have walked through pine forests where the smell of earth and pine was so strong, it made me want to make a bed of pine needles and stay for a while! 

Bryce Canyon, Utah

I’ve sat at the edge of a canyon sometimes with the wind tousling my hair to watch the sunrise, painting the sides of the canyon in different shades of browns and reds as the sun rose and the light and shadow changed over the walls.

The Beehive Trail, Maine

I’ve hiked up the sides of mountains, one hike called The Beehive in Maine – has rungs pounded into the side of the mountain.  A wrong step is not advisable but the view from up top – indescribable!

Assateague Island National Seashore, MD

I’ve slept with the windows open in my RV off the coast of Maryland on Assateague Island National Seashore, listening to the waves crash against the shore, lulling me to sleep.

Cloudland Canyon State Park, GA

I’ve seen the fireflies come out in droves in Cloudland Canyon in Georgia and slept with the door of the RV open listening to katydid’s so loud they were deafening!  These peaceful settings do wonders for the soul!

                                           

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The Avenue of Giants, California

Riding motorcycles through the Redwoods in an area known as The Avenue of Giants, a few years ago, we pulled off just to soak in the forest.  A redwood across the street seemed to ‘call to me’.  I can’t explain this, it was just a feeling so strong, that I obeyed it. 

I crossed the street, walked up to this magnificent tree and said “hello”, (yes I’m a little silly) feeling pure reverence at its size and age.  I wondered how many things it had born witness to during its lifetime.  Touching it felt like I was connected to a timeline far beyond my own.  To someone else it may have been ordinary, but to me it felt almost – sacred.

The Avenue of Giants, CA

Then I was drawn to walk around to the side of it – and found – the tree had survived a fire – but it had burned a cavern into its side– so large Brian and I could stand inside of it, without ducking – and with plenty of room for several others to join us - if we’d not been alone. 

I can’t explain how I felt – why ‘that’ tree called to me – and revealed its hidden secret to me – when so many other people had probably passed by it, just seeing it as another part of the landscape of trees - but I was filled with awe.

I took a small piece of its bark and brought it home with me.  I sprayed it with urethane to preserve it.  To someone else it’s nothing but to me – it is a treasure.  Looking at it transports me back to that forest and the feeling of being part of something ancient and alive.  If you’ve ever seen the movie Avatar – and their connection with the trees – that is some of what I felt.

It may sound silly, but being in a forest feels magical, like at any moment I’m going to look up and see some wood nymphs or fairies playing in the light beams filtering through the leaves.

There’s something profoundly mystical about ancient trees and the hidden stories they carry within. My encounter with that redwood—its silent call, the cavern it held, and the sense of awe it evoked—is the kind of experience that stays with you forever.  THESE are the type of experiences I live for and what feed my soul!

Daniel Boone National Forest, KY

Usually the most expensive part of these trips is ‘getting there’ – which is why I adore fulltime RV travel.  You’re always ‘home’ – but you can change your “neighborhood” whenever you like – and you can move 5 miles or 500, your choice. 

I am hopeful I will be able to experience full time RV travel again once Brian retires – but there are days I have doubts I’ll be healthy enough.  For now, the occasional trips in one of our RVs have to suffice and if the Universe doesn’t have another extended time on the road in store for me, then I’m so very grateful for the lifetime of beautiful memories I have inside my head and heart!