A Journey of Self Discovery - Day 2

I didn't keep track of the temps on this trip. I remember it was hot and I was definitely grateful for air conditioning.

After yesterday's disaster I was ready to get on the road and start exploring. I took a round about way to get to Las Vegas and traveled on two lane roads with very little traffic. I had a couple of things I wanted to see along the way.

That is where I found my joy of driving again. I love driving, especially the open highway. Not so much through cities. There is something about being on the road that makes me feel alive.

I have always loved being on the move. After graduating from business college I worked in SLC for a few years and then moved to San Diego and went to work with the IRS. Transferred back to Montana and worked a couple of years before getting a transfer to Washington DC.  That's where I met Jim. We transferred back to Kalispell,  MT and and then to Billings. 

When both Jim and I retired, we became full time rvers. We loved exploring new areas and visiting friends and Jim's family back East. Jim let me do the navigating and sightseeing. He did the driving and all the hard stuff. RVing gave my wanderlust an open door to anything.

When Jim died, I didn't want to go anywhere. I needed to be at home with my grief and the total emptiness of my world. As the first anniversary of his death approached, I made the decision that I was going to find joy again.

And then my grandson was born. Talk about joy. I have waited a long time to have a grandchild. Elias James Dixon. All I could think about was holding him.

Then my ankle happened and it took me several months before I could head out but here I was. On the road again. 

This was my opportunity to rediscover who I was as an individual and not as 1/2 of a couple.  I have always been quite independent. I was 37 when I married Jim and finally had to learn to adjust to being a couple with a child. Now that child is a husband and father and I'm learning to be comfortable with my new world. 

As you can see, this journey was full of introspection and new experiences. Daisy's radio doesn't pull in a radio signal very far from town, so I drove in silence having so many wonderful conversations in my head. I'm a much better writer in my head than on paper.