On the road again toward colorado

The trip has really been an adventure of meeting people from all over the world and seeing some of the incredible beauty of our country. Nashville Tennessee proved to be fun with checking out Dollywood (Dolly Parton's amusement park) and the Opriland Hotel. Also got to check out a Unity Church and heard the perfect message for me. After Nashville it was off the Memphis to see Graceland.

I did have my first minor mishap. I had called an RV park while on the road for directions and to see if there was space. The owner was friendly and helpful. When I arrived at Leahy's RV park, it proved to be a dump. There were people living there full time in very poor conditions. I called the owner back to check on the safety of the park, but he did not answer. That was my sign that it was time to leave. I chose to stay the night because I didn't feel like driving anymore. The next morning I found the car had been keyed (scratched). It took a while for me to let go of that. I found it so curious that 18 years ago I had a new car that was also keyed. Just a reminder that jealousy and anger are still alive and well in America. No biggie. As with every experience there is always an angel to help out. I called another local RV park just next to downtown. The woman owner got me on the right track and gave me explicit directions as to where to go and where not to go.

Graceland was the first adventure. It gave me a chance to understand Elvis Presley better. He was an extremely busy man. The area with all his gold and platinum albums as well as all the movie memorabilia really depicts how much Elvis worked throughout his life. As I take this trip and realize that I am so much more than just a person working to survive and pay bills. I look forward to thriving more and continuing to learn and be creative in all my life's endeavors. Next was the old downtown area along the river. Music is definitely the reason to visit Memphis. With its rich history from the sixties civil rights era, Memphis is where black and white came together to create incredible music. These people are to be admired, respected and emulated.

Next stop Hot Springs, AR. Stayed at Cloud 9 campground on a mountain. Great spot owned by an older couple. Had a wonderful afternoon talking about life and traveling and God. Walked the downtown and saw the original bathhouses from the turn of the century. By the 70's they were so run down most had just closed and were boarded up. The National Park service has bought them and is slowly and painstakingly restoring them and looking to lease them to business owners. Overall the town is on the rise and still remains very quaint and charming. I did get to experience a hot spring spa for the first time with all the different temperature pools. It is a very relaxing experience. With my background in massage and the healing arts as well as hydro therapies, I really had a chance to experience the healing affects.

On to Oklahoma City. Here is where I got to experience a city that came together so powerfully through tragedy. The Bombing Memorial and museum is truly a site to see. The genius design of the chairs representing each person who died in rows of nine to represent each floor of the federal building was unique. The flat fountain with no rushing water truly creates an amazingly peaceful setting. In the mission statement that is on the entrance walls at each end of the fountain, it states that this monument was erected to be a place of peace for all who visit. It definitely is.

The next long stay was in Denver, where I got to experience a perfect combination of city and country. Having the city so close to the mountains allows the best of both world. Appealing to both my needs of peace and social stimulation, Denver proved to be a great place to experience. Hiking and biking in the mountains and dining and historic house hunting in the city were right up my alley. I would consider an extended stay in the future. Also the youth and the vitality of the people is noteworthy. Living in Florida where the elderly seem to rule, you realize there are young people thriving in America. The campground was in the perfect location at the base of some foothills and yet just outside the city.

Up to now, I have only shared the different destinations and sites, but the most valuable part of the trip are the amazing connections. Almost each place has a very special few people that made that place so much better. My friend's friend Mirium in Nashville, with her hospitality and time to show me around to some really cool sites, not the mention the conversations we had. Or the real estate agents in Hot Springs, that actually led me to meet a man living with HIV that I went out to lunch with and had a wonderful conversation and sharing time. In Oklahoma City, I met Rick who helped me out with directions to anything I needed to get to and shared some incredible conversation. I even got to share some healing techniques that I believed helped him. At the Cowboy museum restaurant, the waitress whose son is in the Army and been to Iraq. She moved from Pennsylvania to be close to his base. Even in Amarillo, TX where I had some service done on the motor home and car, there were very helpful and insightful connections. At the Saturn dealer a salesman informed me that Amarillo has a canyon and a historic district. I was off to the canyon drive and more historic houses.

In Denver, because I had more time to spend, I managed to make even more fun connections. Brenda, a real estate agent I met at the mall, turned out to be a wonderful quality and hilarious connection that actually opened my eyes to real estate possibilities in Denver. My neighbor at the RV park who would come out and give me great tips on caring for the motor home as well as some places to go on my travels. My friend Bill, who moved from Florida two years ago to Denver, took time to hike and show me some of the natural hot springs in the area. The warm connections while traveling on my own have proven to rejuvenate my spirit and reactivate my passion about life. I am very grateful to all I have met.

Leaving Denver was a little difficult. I had gotten very comfortable and felt very alive. So alive, I actually waxed the entire motor home. I was on my way to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National parks. On the way I stopped in Rawlins, Wyoming. While there I visited the Frontier Prison. I hadn't seen a prison since Alcatraz when I was eighteen. It was very interesting to get the history of the west. It was violent times in the 1800's and early 1900's. Men would kill for any reason. I also realized that humans had mental disorders and violent tendencies even without all the distractions we have in today's society. It is so interesting and insightful to look at history once in a while. Just to check in to see how far we have moved forward as a society as well as a human race.

More to come…

On The Road Again