Lessons Learned, Part One
So far on this trip, I have learned some valuable lessons:
1. Always drive the speed limit. It is respectful to the locals and the wildlife. Driving carefully is the right thing to do.
2. Drive to the conditions. The speed limit might be 80mph, but the crosswind makes even 70mph impossible. The speed limit might be 35mph, but it is icy and you can’t go faster than 20mph. Surprising for my heavy-footed driving style, many times I was driving under the speed limit.
3. Priceless: Friends who let you make the first pit stop at their house and feed you a delicious and healthful lunch. Friends who give you a spectacularly perfect gift of Cheez-Its for the trip and let your dog run around their backyard. Friends who give you tips on the western national parks. This 15-year history of friendship can ebb and flow but will always be there when you need it.
4. Always take the recommendations of locals. If a local is recommending a restaurant, go. If the wait staff tells you the most popular dish, order it.
5. Never wait until it’s flashing empty to refill your gas tank like you do at home. In the middle of the United States, with an eternity between gas stations, two bars to empty is cause for concern, even in the Prius.
6. Cruise control is KING.
7. Don’t look beef cows in the eye, and do NOT befriend them. Instant vegetarian.
8. Don’t line up behind a large, stinky, farting man for squeezing through the narrow tunnels of a cave. It doesn’t make for a pleasant experience.
9. Never hike alone in grizzly country. Even if you hike creepily a few paces behind another couple who keeps looking over their shoulder at you wondering why you are hiking so close. Don’t do it. NO JOKE.
10. When Whitesnake comes on the radio singing Here I Go Again, sing loudly,
“Here I go again on my own, Going down the only road I’ve ever known, Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone, And I’ve made up my mind, I ain’t wasting no more time.”
11. Kindness, understanding and a smile go a long way with people who deal with the public all day.
12. Don whatever you need to make your hiking experience safe and pleasurable, no matter how dorky you look. Be sure to include hat, gloves, sunglasses, binoculars, paper maps, guidebooks, bear spray, bear bell, camera, clothing layers, waterproof hiking shoes, snacks, and water.
13. You can see inside a person’s psyche by living in their house.
14. The brilliant idea of bringing two car keys so that I can lock Abby in the car with the car running and AC on doesn’t work. The Prius won’t let you lock your keys in the car. (Upon reading your social media post, friends of your parents experiment with their Prius and text you with instructions on how to circumvent that problem.)
15. Coffee is life.
16. Bubbalicious bubble gum is a necessity, even if your face is sore the next day. When alone, it isn’t rude to chew three pieces at a time.
17. Music and audiobooks are also necessities.
18. The United States is the most diverse and beautiful country I have ever experienced.
19. When you see something- a sign, an attraction, a scene- and you get a good feeling, you stop.
20. Anais Nin said, “We don’t see the world as it is, we see it as we are.” I found this to be true as I spotted Higginsville, the town of Cora (my niece), the town of Dolores (my Mom), and Dee’s Coffee (my Mom’s nickname).
21. People are innately good and friendly when you are too.
22. The best patients are those who travel wherever you are practicing for their eye exams throughout your whole career. Then, happily house and wholesomely feed you and your dog when you are in the middle of Missouri. After that level of kindness, they are no longer patients or friends, but family.
23. Sunrises and sunsets are always worth it.
24. Labyrinths teach me something different every time. Sometimes it is to take it slower, sometimes it is to go faster, but it is always what I need at that moment.
25. The struggle of the Native American people for a voice is very real. Along Route 16 in South Dakota, there are 2000 signs for the tourist attraction, Wall Drug, but only one small sign for the memorial at Wounded Knee.
26. You can make a house out of bales of hay. We stayed in an AirBnB hay bale house in Rapid City, SD. The owner had built it himself. One wall was a glass garage door, which was opened when air flow was needed.
27. There is ALWAYS a silver lining. The cloud: I drove to the east entrance of Yellowstone to find that it was closed because of the snowstorm. The silver lining: My 320-mile, 5+ hour detour north of the park to the west entrance took me along the breathtaking river where A River Runs Through It was filmed.
28. When seen in person, everything is more interesting than when taught in a textbook. For example, the Continental Divide was amazing to learn about while standing under the sign and googling it as an adult. It wasn’t as cool to learn about in the 4th grade.
