First day heading west...day 22

Today is the day we head west again! I may have more to add later, but for now, I’ll share some random thoughts and reflections from the trip.

Something that the kids commented on, was the frequency and proximity of small cemeteries that we’ve seen along the way, starting in Oklahoma and continuing through our journey east. Our oldest boy calls them “Simba-terries” which I find incredibly cute. Out west, especially in the more densely populated areas, cemeteries are well away from the roads, and they do not typically bear prominent headstones. The incredibly tiny and frequent pioneer cemeteries were something of a novelty to the kids, and not really something I had considered before.

Another observation is all my own. Since we have been out here on the east coast for a couple of weeks, we have been witness to the leafing out of the deciduous trees. What is remarkable to me, is that as they leaf out, they have as many shades of green as they do of autumn colors in the fall. Looking at a hillside in the Shenandoah National Park was almost like looking at fall colors, since there were variations of red, orange, amber and green. I’d never really noticed this before, and likely wouldn’t have noticed were it not for the amount of time I spent driving from place to place as the trees were budding.

I never really appreciated the beauty of the dogwoods and red buds, until I noticed that they bloom so much earlier than the rest of the trees. So driving down the freeway, I would see the abundant bright white flowers of the dogwood breaking up the monotony of the earth tones of trees yet to leaf out. Then a few days later, the red bud became much more apparent. While it wasn’t nearly as bright and vibrant as the dogwood, it was certainly a slash of color in the muted and empty tree branches.

Then, ever so gradually, the trees began their journey into spring. First came the tiniest hint of green, really subtle flashes of color in among the highest branches. As the buds became more prominent, I could begin to see the variations of color I mentioned before. Finally, the last two days have been an incredible explosion of green as they all seem to have hit the magic point in the season and have a bountiful supply of bright green leaves. It really has been an amazing transformation to witness.

This trip has really been a blessing for me. I’ve truly enjoyed the relaxed pace and the opportunity to explore and discover new things. It was wonderful to spend some time with my parents, with friends and with my family. I think of how mundane it would have been to stay at home, and I’m so thankful I have a healthy sense of adventure. God has blessed us in so many ways, and this trip has been one enormous blessing.

So today, the final chapter of the adventure begins. We are heading west, off to see more of the world, but certainly not at the same pace. We are stepping it up and making our way home without much in the way of sight seeing. We crossed the Eastern Continental Divide today in North Carolina and then we made it to Newport, Tennessee for the night. We hope to make it to at least Little Rock, Arkansas tomorrow.