I went to Cassadaga with my pal Theresa Hudson yesterday.  Even though we were just delivering the October Horizons magazine, we made it into an exciting adventure.  We both agreed that one of our favorite things is to go on a road trip.  The last real road trip I did was in 2006 when Beth Head and I visited the Monroe Institute.  I used to spend a lot of 3 day weekends out of town, but I don’t make time for that now.  Plus there’s no where in particular I’d like to go.  I could use some new ideas.  From 1997 until 2002 I owned a house in Murphy, North Carolina, which was bought as a retreat home to share with friends. The first year I had it, I began going up for 7-10 days each month to play in the Smokey Mountains and take a break from my work- work -work schedule. Of course, I worked from there also – as a one person business, I work a little each day – but I mostly goofed off. I caught up on reading and did a lot of writing. I hiked and wandered through the national parks. It was nice having the cell phone not work in the mountains, so my hourly urge to check phone messages was tempered.

I’d bought the home with the proceeds of selling my mom’s house after her death in 1996, and it was filled with many of her belongings. Mom’s sister, my favorite Aunt Leslie, lived just 10 minutes away, in Marble, NC. Our family spent a lot of time in my youth camping in the Smokey Mountains. I felt at home there, and I liked having my own home there. I liked the cool weather and I liked sitting on my own porch in my own rocking chair, listening to my own creek on my own acreage, and seeing nothing but woods around me.

I had a lot of really magical experiences on that land.  My parcel was three and a half acres, half of which were up on a flat ridge over looking the house.  There were acres and acres of walnut and hardwood forest around me.  We could pitch a dozen or more tents on the plateau and be completely private from the neighbors, as we were above them.  I became very acquainted with the nature spirits of the land and spent much time journaling the happenings, inner and outer.  I liked having somewhere to go to get away from it all.  I even liked driving the 11 hour drive to get there.

Driving for hours in the beautiful weather always makes my heart sing.  A favorite road trip was my solo drive to California in 1998.  Driving each day for as long as I wanted to, stopping whenever and wherever I wanted to, for as long as I wanted.  My friend Cecelia Danas was manning the office in my absence, so I’d call in to her several times a day and report on the adventures I was having.  Ah, fun times, fun times.

I’m due for some more fun times.  In fact, I’m due for a a serious road trip.  Either alone or with a couple of galpals.