On the Road Again (almost) 2013) #3

D-day-6.

This time next week I will be somewhere west of Winnipeg.

It has been a strange spring. Not just because the weather has been inconsistent and un-spring like but also because this year I have spent far less time thinking and planning my trip than any of my trips in the past 10-12 years. I am not nearly as restless or as excited as usual/ And I am not too sure why.

It maybe in part because I had a really challenging winter semester at school that consumed a lot of my energies. It took me a bit of time to slow down and refocus my "oomph" once school was finished. I have also in the past two months been far more consumed with my weaving then at anytime in the past. It has paid off as I have made some money selling at the Farmer's Market (not a lot but I am quite pleased with the possibilities). In the past year I have processed a total of nine fleeces. That is a lot of work. Last night was the first night in weeks in which I had no work to do with wool - it felt very strange. I was sort of lost and rather bored. That level of focus has not left a lot of room for over thinking my travel plans.

I have also been wearing my wireless headset a lot. Because my landlady frequently works nights and sleeps during the day, I keep them on so that I can listen to my "talking books" in whatever room I am working in without disturbing her. Having someone reading into my head distracts me from thinking about anything serious or complicated. I think that I may have thought less about the trip because my head has been too noisy. Even listening to music is more intense with the headset on. It makes me wonder about the impact on our collective creativity as we spend more and more of our time walking around with I-pods/mp3 players plugged into our brains.

But at the heart of it all, this may be the first year in which I am less sure about actually doing the trip. It is not that I don't want to go - I do. But I am spending far more time worrying about whether or not I have the energy to do it. Next Monday morning after taking a long city bus trip, I will have to walk for about an hour (depending who else is on the road and how busy the highway is) before I can find a spot to stick out my thumb. It is not a hard walk, the ground is flat - but I do have to dodge a few cars as I cross over a couple of exit and entrance ramps. There are no shoulders and if it has rained, it will be muddy walking. I have walked that stretch of highway  12-13 times - it is not a big deal. But for some reason it worries me. It worries me that I will not have the energy.

And finally - I have done it all before. The sense of adventure is just not there as it use to be. It all feels a bit too easy or at least a bit too routine. It took me just an hour to pack my bag, I spent virtually no time debating with myself as to what to take. I always take the same stuff. I then remade the signs (they were getting a bit battered). and recharged all of the assorted batteries ) cameras, phone etc.). And that was that. Total time - probably less than half a day. Not too much to get excited about.

 In the 20 odd hours since I wrote the above things have changed a bit. I am getting excited. In a week's time I might, if the hitchhiking Gods are kind to me, be on the other side of Calgary. I might be in the mountains!!!