"I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love. I felt in myself a superabundance of energy which found no outlet in our quiet life." -Leo Tolstoy
It's Halloween night and I'm in a Days Inn doing laundry. I have been traveling through the top of Idaho and central Montana the last couple of days. I've seen beautiful golden hills with patches of deep-red, yellow and green trees, and have ridden through mountain passes on snow-plowed and rain-soaked roads. This is my second night in Bozeman, and I've been dreading Montana's freezing rain and snowfall.
I can feel it taking a toll on my body and there have been times when I've felt like I'm close to getting sick, and if I lie down and allow myself to think about it enough I begin to feel like I'm on the verge of becoming debilitatingly ill. I know it's because I'm mentally and physically exhausted, and my body hasn't had enough time to acclimate to the changes in environment that I've put it through since I arrived in the Northwest. This is clearly the point where it becomes predominantly a mental effort, and I need to ignore my body's natural response to mental and physical stress. It's a simple equation and I don't need to complicate it by allowing anxiety to surface; I either listen to my body and head home, or I fixate on NYC and move on.
I have to bring up the Bozeman Co-op, because this place has been an oasis in the middle of nowhere. Originally, I thought I'd be eating fast food while passing through Montana, but I stumbled upon this gem near downtown Bozeman where I've been able to load up on healthy calories, which should help me persevere through this weather. Tonight, I had red pepper and coconut milk soup, grilled eggplant and red peppers, red lentil hummus and grilled mushroom flat bread from the deli. For dessert I had a smoothie with mango, banana, papaya, coconut milk, ginger, hemp protein and flax oil from the cafe. This meal was more than an adequate serving of protein and healthy fats that will help my body recover.
In addition to high-protein, calorie-dense foods, I've been taking hot baths with magnesium oil, which I highly recommend and you can read more on here.
Glad to hear you're still alive, albeit barely. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about this post and wondering - what is the purpose of your trip?
ReplyDeleteIf it's the test of endurance and strength it takes to do a cross country motorcycle trip and/or to follow through on a goal without giving in to the hardships life presents, then I say struggle on.
But if the point is to see the beauty and diversity of the country and its people and to enjoy a road trip adventure, then there is no real logic in pushing through miserable conditions just to get to NY. In fact, I'd say it would be counter-productive and there is absolutely no shame in going home and rescheduling your trip for better weather next year... Sort of like whether the trip is about the destination or the journey. Cliche, I know, but I think in this case it's pretty literal.
That's just my sisterly two-cents and as an artist, I think it's a shame to go all that way and miss the beauty - not just visual (I'm the first to admit I'm no fan of "the dead season" - sure snow is beautiful freshly fallen but how long does that last before cars turn it into inconvenient muck?) but olfactory wonders as well...
Traveling by motorcycle has wonderful moments you don't get in a car -- when you hit a sudden pocket of warmer air or pass through an unexpected cloud of wildflower scents or leaves and grass.... I'm guessing that wouldn't happen this time of year.
Anyway, as I said in an email, I'm not trying to be a buzz-kill or tell you what to do. But you've probably noticed by now that I'm quite opinionated and I just wanted to offer you mine... :-)
love you, and ditto the above comment!!
Oh, and I forgot - you should find/read "Travels With Charlie" if you haven't already :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdk1gwWH-Cg
ReplyDelete