Lessons of the Road

Muncho Lake Provincial Park - Click for larger

We can communicate without words. A nod, a look is all we need to know what the other is saying. We fall into our rolls on the road like falling into bed. I know some of you wonder why we do this. The long hours, the bugs, the outhouse that some shit covered furry animal has crawled out of and rolled on the toilet seat not to mention the endless long days of driving. Along the way we share our thoughts and fears, our insight and our creativity. We can be short and grumpy and we can disagree. We can also giggle and laugh uncontrollably when one of us says or does something silly. We are constantly together sharing all of it. Somehow I feel like I’m saving up stuff. Storing it like a squirrel stashes acorns for the long winter. The recipe for “Wild Tea”. The grumpy arrogant bastard in the Fort Nelson Motel. The self-important all knowing guy from Ontario speaking rudely to the park staff in Tombstone Territorial Park. The wonderful family we met from Prince George. The gentle way a Grizzly Bear pulls soap berries off a bush. The mad panting of a Raven in the hot sun. The couple from California swatting bugs like they can’t stand it anymore and Lori and I turning to look at each other with a smile and saying, “Bugs? What bugs?”
All of this will be stored and used somehow. It’s all knowledge and learning. This is what Lori and I share.

Memorial Stone - Click for larger