Taking the Road, Unexpected

Saying yes to opportunities is much more fun than saying no.  When you say no, you are saying yes to the same, the predicted, and the comfort of the expected.  Even though there might be the feeling of unease of not knowing in a yes, the rewards are far greater.  You learn lessons, you try something new, you push yourself and take away something good from a yes.

When I was camping in Kernville, I decided to take a day trip to visit an old ghost town called "Silver City."  It was listed on my roadside attractions app for my iphone so I thought it might be worth a stop for some pictures.  It was just ok.  Imagine walking into an old Hollywood studio of a small ghost town and that's what you get at silver city.  As I walked in, I asked the ticket taker/owner/curator, "where are all of the cowboys?"  He said, "maybe they might come later." I knew it was a nice response when he really thought, "good luck lady..this is a ghost town."

While walking around the "city" and taking pictures, I found more interest in the local cat following me around the town and into the jail.  So I did a cat photo shoot in the jail.  After about 15 minutes, I saw everything there was to see so I decided to wander back to the car.  As I was settling in, the caretaker came out and said, "hey, you still want to see some cowboys?"  I said, "sure." He then told me to "drive up that-a-way for about 10 minutes and you'll see some gun slingers for the Havilah days celebration."

I wasn't really sure what he was talking about or what direction he was pointing me in but I decided to give it a shot.  I drove up a steep road with twists and turns for about fifteen minutes not knowing where I was going but low and behold the small town appeared with two buildings and a few people gathered so I knew I was in the right place.

Some of the locals were dressed up in old western wear so of course I had to take pictures of them.  It was too late to participate in "chicken poop bingo" but I am sure that it was a sight not to be missed.  All of the locals came up to me to tell me about it.  Even one gentleman told me to pull up a chair while he told me the history of the town.  Everyone there was friendly and happy to be photographed.  Even Wild Bill Cody wanted to be sure I put his photograph in sepia tone.  He said, "do you know what sepia is?"

Sometimes you will find the most interesting places from word of mouth.  If you take a chance and say yes, you never know what you will find.  I am glad I did and I look forward to more "yes" moments.

Next time I will arrive early enough to play chicken poop bingo.

What's next?

I'm always wondering what's coming up in life but at the same time, I like to be surprised.

I've been saying yes to things lately that have been the most rewarding, even though there is a level of discomfort to the unknown.

I think I thrive on the unknown.  There is so much to learn when you do things that you are not 100% sure about, although the outcome might not be the best.  Whatever happens, there is a lesson to be learned.

I showed my house to a nice young couple yesterday to rent for the summer and it brought on some feelings of discomfort.  I haven't really planned what I am going to be doing in the months ahead and renting my house is one way to be forced to leave and go somewhere I haven't been before.  It's just that I am not completely sure where that will be.  It will be easy to pack since I haven't really unpacked my car from the last trip.  I kept everything in it just in case I needed to leave on a moments notice.

When I was on the road the past two years, I would wake up and decide where to go next. I love the freedom of being able to pick up and go to places I have never been.  There were times when I made wrong turns and there were some huge lessons learned, but somehow it all seemed to work out in the end.

So, it might be time for a little planning.

I haven't taken "trailie" out on the road for over a year.  It has stayed put in my driveway since Maggie and I came home from our trip in October of 2008.  It still reminds me of her when I'm in it.  I am thinking of dusting it off and taking Max for a ride in it soon.  It's a little different experience with the trailer versus having a tent where I can pick up and go anywhere without anyone noticing.  Trailie gets looks everywhere I go.  Most people want to know what it is and want to look inside.  I have pictures of it on the right side of the blog. It's just 4 feet by 9 feet and pretty light so it's easy to tow.  It's been a while so I have to get used to the fact that something is following me on the road when I look in the rear view mirror.

After traveling in a tent for months, I've learned that I don't really need that much.  Everything I need can fit in the car so the trailer is pure luxury.

Luxury without a shower, bathroom, privacy or warmth.  Who needs that anyway?

There are places that I want to see, that I didn't come across the past two years of being on the road.  I didn't go to Canada, North Dakota or the Salt Flats in Utah.  I also would like to visit the Salton Sea in California.  I am sure there are so many places to explore that people don't know about, including myself.

I feel that I am paying attention more today than ever before.  I hear what people say and what comes into my life.  I am listening.  Listening to how I feel about things as well and going on instinct.  I know for a fact that I feel at peace most when I am in nature.  I also get excited about learning new things and when a photograph captures a moment as I saw it.

Many women light up when they see jewelry.  For me, I get that feeling when I go shopping and look at a really nice tent at REI, or if I try to convince a camera shop to take the Canon EOS 7D out of the box so I can touch it.  No luck.  Sigh...someday...

For now, I will continue snapping away with my pocket Canon Powershot.  It's been good to me so far.