Lewis and Clark

We're getting ready for a trip that will involve driving somewhere around 3,000 miles and visiting several cities and family members. The preparations for this adventure are all neatly listed, and one by one, items on the list are being checked off. I'm reminded of Lewis & Clark's expedition and the planning that they had to go through for their trans-continental adventure. Granted, we are not taking along a party of dozens of people, oxen, horses and wagons, let alone a couple of months of supplies. Nor will we have to kill, skin, prepare and cook the meat that we'll consume along the way (though that would make for an interesting trip). Or take barrels of water, flour and salt to keep ourselves hydrated, prepared to cook, or preserve whatever animals we may kill along the way. In short, our vehicle will not look like a prairie schooner loaded down with enough to keep us going until we hit the next large oasis of civilization where we can re-supply.

Nor will we be picking up hitchhikers and guides along the way; unless of course, we run into someone named Sacajawea, in which case I might be pre-disposed to believe that Divine intervention, fate, or the synergistic energy of the Cosmos is sending us a message.

Then again, Lewis and Clark didn't have to stop their mail or newspapers. They didn't have to stock up on medication to ensure that there would be an adequate supply for their voyage. Nor did they have to arrange for the pampered kenneling of their pets. They probably made sure their wagons were prepped, but it probably didn't cost as much as the average lube, oil and filter does on today's modern vehicles. And they certainly didn't have to worry about new wiper blades.

So Friday morning we're off. We are looking forward to seeing everyone and having a few adventures along the way. One thing we have in common with these early explorers: Nebraska will be just as desolate and boring to cross these days as it was back in 1804. Except we'll get across that blasted territory in one day.

Also unlike L&C, I can post our progress and my thoughts on what we encounter as we go, and it won't take months for a dispatch to reach The President as it did then. Though I doubt our newly elected President would be interested in our progress, even if we are going to be in his hometown.

To be continued...

As if the world needs another blog.

I must admit - I read several blog posts daily, most of which are concerned with news, society, politics, philosophy and goings-on that exist on a scale much larger than my humble life out here in Western Colorado. I find a fascinating amount of information in blogs (both real information and dis-information) on current social and world events in various blogs. Being somewhat of a news junkie, that's a good thing. I also have run across blogs aimed at convincing Britney Spears to shave her head again; the reasons for someone finding this subject important and in need of proselytizing I am not sure I want to know. That would be the down side of the 'net.


Blogging also points out the equality of the Internet. Once wrested from the grip of Al Gore and the controls of DARPA (the feds), virtually anyone was given the ability to post anything on a blog or website that has absolutely no relevance to anything that matters a whit, except to those of us trying to find a particular part for an arcane piece of antiquity and Google returns 83,571 results. That's a good thing and a bad thing, especially when Google responses tell you the part you are looking for was sold on Ebay 27 months ago.

My kids use their blogs as a form of communication. I view a blog as I would a newspaper. I read, and then respond by email, just as I would send a letter to the editor.

What you'll find here: dry humor (if you didn't catch that from the Al Gore reference already), contemplative though admittedly left-leaning views on the current state of our society and our leaders, questions and prayers regarding our relationship to God as I see it (Catholic here, but don't pigeon-hole me with that label since I'm not your average Catholic), tips on how to make sure your roasted chicken comes out moist and tender, and who knows what else.


So let the journey begin.