Leaving the Wild West

This week we are driving from Los Angeles to Pennsylvania. Across the country to embark on a new adventure. One that might have us “still” for a time. After spending much of the last ten years moving I’m curious to see how stillness will feel.

The trip so far has not been without it’s stress. Having left at the beginning of an intense heat wave we blew a tire twice driving through the desert. (Shoutout to Discount Tire in Hendersen, Nevada). Since we aren’t sure if or when we’re returning we have the contents of our entire storage locker in our rig which has not made for a comfortable ride. Bins stacked on the couch where our butts should be and our shower so full of guitars we can’t open the door. Because of all of this we are not doing what we usually do on our trips and stopping to adventure. Just driving as long as we can handle each day. Just trying to get there.

Last night we stayed at Prospector Campground in Colorado and it was so beautiful. We were spent when we got there. Frazzled and tired. Unsure if we would get a first come first serve site. When we did it felt like a warm hug and we could finally relax.

This morning we discussed the steep uphill and downhill grade we still had to do in the RV up to the Eisenhower Tunnel. Big trucks do it, RV’s do it. But after already blowing two tires and being likely overweight with all the stuff we’re lugging east we wanted a safe plan for this. We decided somewhere before the tunnel we would drop the car and I would drive behind the RV. Relinquishing the weight of the car would make Kam feel better about the 6-7% downhill grades and the engine health driving uphill.

I got in the car, put on my music, and began to drive. The 6:30am morning light on the Rocky Mountains was stunning. So stunning in fact my eyes started welling with tears. “Why am I crying? What is wrong with me?” What started as watering turned into full blown sobbing. What was happening? As I scanned the incredible landscapes I thought about where this was coming from. I think the trip had been so stressful, so intense up to this point I hadn’t had a moment to process that we are leaving the wild west. A place I love with intensity. Especially the Rocky Mountains. The Colorado landscapes reflected the Yellowstone landscapes I love so much. The majestic beauty, the mysterious wildlife, and the space to breathe and think out here. Going over this potentially dangerous mountain pass felt like our exit from the wild west. Once we reach the other side things will flatten out, I hope that our life will not. I think about coming west ten years ago and visiting our very first national park. The Badlands. We asked our campground host if there were designated trails and he said to us, “You can go anywhere you want. Just don’t die.” He ushered us into the west and we’ve revisited that statement many times living out here. Whether hiking with grizzly bears, Angels Landing, or trying not to crash in LA traffic haha, the West offers a kind of excitement and a sense of freedom that I wouldn’t have experienced had we not come out here.

The people we’ve met, the communities we’ve formed, and the places we’ve fallen in love with aren’t going anywhere and I know that. I don’t think I’ll be able to stay away from the wild west for too long, as to me, it is home.

Here are a few photo reflections of our time out here. People, places, and. a few memories: