Transcedence

While preparing to leave Vermont early in the morning, I walked down to the edge of the lake one last time. The air was crisp and the skies were crystal clear from the cold front that blew through the previous night. The setting was serene. A sense of peace enveloped me. My eyes teared up. A good friend of mine kept telling me to enjoy “The Moments.” This was the kind of moment I think she was talking about. While on a road trip there is always something that needs doing. I’m glad my friend kept telling me to relax and enjoy the moments.

My entire state of mind changed. I transcended into a peaceful state. Today I would be driving southeast through Vermont and New Hampshire, then turning north into Maine. The drive did not look difficult. I looked forward to getting to the coast with the cooler weather the Atlantic Ocean breezes would bring.

The drive through Vermont and New Hampshire was beautiful and the roads were good. The drive was uneventful except for all the toll booths. Toll booths are challenging. The lanes are narrow to squeeze through. The drivers and passenger side mirrors only clear the booth structure by a few inches. I sit up so high in the coach that I cannot reach the toll ticket that spits out of the machine. The first tollbooth I went through was a mess. I had to pull up about 30 feet from the ticket dispenser and then get out of the RV so I could retrieve the toll ticket. Luckily there was no gate so I was able to pull forward. If I had opened the coach door inside the toll booth, the coach door steps would have extended into a concrete barrier and destroyed the steps and the motor for the steps. I walked back inside the tollbooth to retrieve the toll ticket.

I always try to find toll booths with people in them when I can. I put the transmission into neutral and apply the air brake. Then I get up on my knees turned sideways on the driver’s seat, struggle to open the driver’s window which is still sticky and difficult to open. Then I dangle out the window reaching down to the toll booth operator. Toll booth operators don’t seem to have much of a sense of humor except for one lady. She laughed as I squirmed out the window trying to reach her. Often all this effort is just to give them a dollar. Sometimes I think it would be easier to drive through the express lane and have them send me a bill at home.

I’ve stayed almost a week in Saco Maine. I planned on driving today heading north along the coast. There is a rare summer nor’easter dumping a lot of rain in New England now. I decided it would be best to wait out the storm and drive tomorrow. I keep remembering the first rule I have always observed for travel from all my cycling tours days, “Safety First.”

These long tours I find are always the most difficult from an emotional aspect. The trips are challenging both physically and mentally, but there is so much time to think when you are alone with your thoughts for weeks on end. I read a great quote yesterday. “I am always moving forward unless I am aiming.” This tour I am spending more time aiming than on previous trips.

Today is peaceful watching and listening to the rain from the comfort of the coach. The cats are sleeping peacefully. They really seem to like the heated floor. Life is good.

Transcendence – Lindsey Stirling