on the road

For a pair of contented stay-at-homes, it’s rather wild to say this—

—but Beryl and I are on our way from Idaho to New Hampshire to help celebrate my father’s 90th birthday.¹

It’s a fair distance (5000-6000 miles round trip depending on the route), so it’ll take most of April— and a great deal of tailgate coffee.

I will try to keep up with Gusset dispatches these next few weeks— but alas am just realizing that I can’t promise anything—

— for I’m fairly sure that the times when I will have internet, wherewithal and unclaimed hours all at once will be few and far between. Still, I’ll do my best.

Beryl and the Big Horns

In the meantime, I’m learning that though travel has not historically been my favorite thing (as many of you know)² I’d rather take a long slow drive with Beryl (including as many crepuscular walks as we can manage)—

—than endure a brief(er) flight without her.³

Batter Before Breakfast in Butte

So far I’m finding it impossible not to revel in the glorious country, the wondrous people, and my amazing traveling dog— and that is a fine thing.

So off we go!

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1. Forty-five years ago I said farewell to him at the the Port Authority in New York City, got on a Greyhound Bus, and headed west with a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, knitting and two cookbooks. I meant to visit for a few months but things happened (as they will), and I ended up staying. In the ensuing decades I’ve been back and forth any number of times, though in this is my first solo cross country trip since then so it feels slightly epic. And also perfectly ordinary. Funny that. And yes — I am again traveling with a sleeping bag and knitting. No cookbooks but I do have two spindles. Just cuz.

2. Mosquitoes, Mice and Milkweed (for example ;-)

3. Flying across the country is never actually brief, and it usually takes almost as long to recover from such things as if I’d driven (or even walked), so this time I thought I might as well give my soul a chance to keep up.