“Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of the experience.”
—Francis Bacon
Actually, I think for those of us who qualify as elders, there is also an educational element. I cannot count the times during this trip when either John or I have said, “I didn’t expect…” There are so many things we’ve learned, mostly about landscapes.
But Bacon was right. The experience has been the major part of our journey. All of our senses have been awakened in ways we may have foreseen, but couldn’t possibly have appreciated in advance. We’ve seen waterfalls and rainbows, felt the weight of different kinds of rocks, sampled wines from many regions and compared their tastes, smelled the salt air and the pungency of farm country, and heard the barks of sea lions and the calls of birds we couldn’t identify. And that only scratches the surface of the experiences we’ve had. And we still have a week left of our journey!
Today was a day of hard driving, making the trek from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, across all of Minnesota, to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Because we spent most of our time in the car, I don’t really have much to share in the way of pictures. Because I slept a lot in the car, I don’t even really have many thoughts to share. It’s been a marvelous trip so far, and I have so much to process that I will likely be unpacking it for months after we get home. But tonight my brain is in a bit of a fog and needs rest. And, honestly, I don’t think I need to feel too bad about calling it a night and getting a little sleep. Maybe you need a break, too…
“It is in vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late,
eating the bread of toil;
for he gives sleep to his loved ones.”
—Psalm 127:2