A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. - SteinbeckI love to travel. It's the sort of act that, for me, is thrilling beyond my best descriptions. It doesn't matter if I'm somewhere I've been a thousand times over or in a new place, just get me out there. A trip here and there is just enough of the best stuff in life: adventure, beauty, discovery, challenges. Enough to remind you that it is often more about the journey than the destination.
I blame it all on John Steinbeck. No really, I do. Some ten or eleven years ago, reading Travels with Charley opened up my eyes to the joy that is discovering story in the act of packing, setting out, and interacting with the people and places that make up a journey.
So for our second anniversary, as is our custom so far, we packed up, picked up, and flew out. This time for the Northwest - Washington, specifically. I have been enough times to feel a sort of comfort in the climbing mountains, mystic shores, and overwhelming depth of Washington's emerald landscapes. However, this was Cliff's first time.
I think we'd both agree that of all the places we've been together so far and of all the trips we've taken, this might have been our favorite. But as we've learned over time, we dare not say it was our favorite because it is apt to be outdone in trips to come. For each holds its own power and wonder, and as Steinbeck said, no two are alike.
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