Toujours de l'avant!

From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,

Going where I list, my own master total and absolute,

Listening to others, considering well what they say,

Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,

Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me.

I inhale great draughts of space,

The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine. 

Allons! whoever you are come travel with me!

Traveling with me you find what never tires. 

Forever alive, forever forward.

                                                                  Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road

 Day #25
516 miles
Colorado to Utah

We had a wonderful, tiring, dramatic day today.  First, we set off through the Rocky Mountains. The scenery was the most spectacular we had seen on the entire trip.  Breathtaking vistas at 11,000 feet, and then ever-changing but just as beautiful as we wound down and through the mountains.

Then, after cruising along well, we got to some major construction (you'll be happy to know that most states are improving the condition of their roadways :( ).  The road was down to one lane, alternating cars in each direction, over dirt roads.  We were behind a big truck with a trailer carrying two giant logs for many miles.  Finally, we got to a passing lane where I sped up to pass the truck, and....

I have had one ticket in 38 years of driving (in 1990), and that was the last time I was pulled over -- until today!  To add insult to injury, I paid my registration before we left but hadn't yet received my tags, and my insurance was renewed this month while we were on the road, so I had neither current insurance nor registration documents!  I was nailed, I knew it, and I deserved it.  I was very careful to give only yes sir and no sir answers, but as soon as Mr. Trooper returned with my license and expired registration and insurance -- AND a little card letting me know I was getting a warning and needed to drive carefully :), Mimi started engaging him in conversation!  Anyway, I was/am very grateful, and we plodded along at exactly the speed limit for the rest of the trip!

The major objective for today's drive was to locate Joe Bell.  We have been following Joe's journey across the country ("Joe's Walk for Change").  His son, Jadin, committed suicide in February, and Joe is walking and talking to people and groups in order to bring attention to and help to overcome bullying.  We found Joe outside of Dinosaur, Colorado, and walked with him and talked with him.  He is a really good guy, and was very grateful for the company and the support.  We were very humbled by the experience.  We only walked a few miles in the 101 degree heat and we were bright red, tired, and thirsty.  He'd been walking for hours, and had hours, days, and months to go.  Mimi asked him if he ever felt like he couldn't go on, and he said, "Never."  After walking and talking, Mimi asked him if we could record him talking about his son and his mission.  He spoke beautifully about his son and what he was trying to accomplish with his walk.  As soon as I turned off the camera, he (and we) sobbed.  So grateful to share a little in his journey (he told us that only 2 other people had walked with him since he left Oregon!).

Homeward Bound tomorrow!! Hooray!