Going Solo
There's something to be said about traveling
solo—but not much. I lost my road buddy early
on in this trip, he deciding to stay behind in
Bisbee, Arizona, to see in the New Year with his
artist friends. I was certainly welcome to stay,
and any other time I would have. Bisbee is a unique
little gem of a Southwestern town, and his friends
were interesting people. But my other road
companion, a nasty cough (the remnant of my
Christmas flu), had worsened into bronchitis, so I
knew I would not be up to any celebrating on New
Year's Eve. Thus, I bowed out gracefully and
continued on the road alone. Even now, the
antibiotics are only just starting to kick in, so
I'm glad I made the decision to move on by
myself.
Going it solo does have certain advantages. You
can go at your own pace, stop when and where you
want to stop, see what you want to see. You have a
great degree of freedom traveling solo. But
otherwise, I am hard-pressed to come up with any
other benefits. At the risk of stating the obvious,
it can also be quite lonely. I am the kind of
person who doesn't mind being alone, but it's
getting to be a bit much even for me. Dinners can
also be awkward. I've stuck mostly to diners like
Denny's, but last night I treated myself to an
authentic Southwestern dinner in a quaint
restaurant in downtown Santa Fe. Sitting alone at a
table in a popular restaurant, I definitely felt
like a sore thumb.
Despite it all, however—poor health,
occasional loneliness—I am enjoying myself.
I'm seeing some amazing sights, things I've long
wanted to see. Tombstone, Carlsbad Caverns, Indian
cliff dwellings, White Sands, and today: the Very
Large Array (the large dish antennas seen in the
movie "Contact"). I will be happy to be back home,
back amongst friends, but for now, I've still got
lots to see.
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
|
|
What is "The Daily Strick"?
I have long called
myself a writer, but too often I don't do
what a writer must do daily: write. So
you, dear reader, are the beneficiary of
my resolution to make a positive change in
at least one area of my life. Every single
day of this new year, I will write
something, anything, and post it here
(though some days' writings might be
posted late, if I am out of town—such
as right now). It is my intention to use
this daily exercise to jump-start my
too-long-dormant creative energies, and
perhaps generate some worthwhile material
this year. Hopefully you will find at
least an occasional amusement or insight
in my daily musings.
Today's
Column
Send
a Comment
Previously...
1/2:
New
Year, Old Cave
1/1:
All
Things End
|
|
