That 60 Years is Not Enough!

This blog has been an evolution.  It began as a way to document trips that my mom, my daughter and I took.  Three generations exploring the world.  But over the past 7 years or so, the blog has not only covered adventures on 4 continents, in 27 countries but also 11 different travelers.  There have been once in a lifetime experiences, mishaps, great food, interesting people, lots of laughs…and love…endless amounts of love.

Well, this entry is a bit different.  The journey was different….the experience was different….my emotions were different.

I believe I love travel because of how I was raised.  I had been to all of the contiguous 48, Canada and Mexico before I turned 16.  My parents took me, my brother, and often as many friends as we could fit into our station wagon or motor home, to all four corners of the country.  I learned to stretch a travel budget to get more out of every dollar than ever imagined.  I learned to try new things.  I learned to embrace different cultures.  I learned to read a map and find the best place to eat in every new city.  What an amazing gift that was…..and what was a gift to my brother and I has thankfully now become a legacy, as our children love travel as much as we do.

This didn’t come naturally to Mom or to Dad.  They were both raised in loving homes….but things like vacations were not a reality in their lives.  Vacation meant extra time to work on the farm, or to visit and help family….maybe a fishing trip to the bay…but neither of my parents had ever been on a real vacation until they married.

So….on June 30, 1956….they got married….and took off on what would be the first adventure of their life together.  Setting the precedent for a  family life that they had only imagined but were set on making a reality.

This year was their 60^th wedding anniversary.  They had a vow renewal on their 40^th.  We had a Golden Anniversary party on their 50^th.  But ….what would they do for their 60^th?  My dad had told my mom that he wanted to take her back on the trip that they took 60 years ago.  A re-do of the two week cross country adventure they had taken in their 55 Mercury, armed only with gas station road maps.  But….the plan had a flaw or two. 

In March, after nearly a year of hoping my dad’s growing inability to do the things he has always done and loss of memory and reasoning skills was fatigue or COPD related dimensia, he was formally diagnosed with Alzheimers.  The tests showed that the progression was further than we imagined…..making us realize just how long my Mom had been compensating for his failing health.  The two of them just weren’t going to be able to take off on their own reliving their memories.

But…..we thought we had a solution to that.  My brother Rick and I, decided to help Dad keep his promise to Mom and we planned to take them on their trip.  As if the Alzherimers wasn’t enough, two weeks before we planned to leave it was determined that a knot on the back of Dad’s head was an aggressive form of malignant skin cancer….resulting in the removal of 3 square inches of scalp all the way to the bone.  Dad decided that the pigskin graft would be just fine….and he and mom gathered all the materials that they needed to change the bandaging and we were ready to head out!

Unlike most of my trips, I have not logged this one on social media.  It wasn’t that I was being private about it…..I simply was being selfish.  I wanted to be "in" each and every moment and not be distracted by trying to post pictures and describe the trip.  I wanted to soak up every memory I could.

Well, after 3 weeks, 8 states and 5000 miles, we are on the last leg….just passing Lubbock and on the homestretch.  I think about the trips I’ve been on and the experiences I’ve gotten to have…..and know in my heart this one tops them all.

Yes…we saw amazing sights. 

We swam in the Pacific in southern California and watched the giant elephant seals spar on the beach at San Simeon.  We road rollercoasters, a cog train  and the narrow gauge train.  We ate seafood up the entire coast of Calilfornia, amazing Italian in North Beach, local cuisines in cities across the southwest and the best pancakes in the world in the Danish community of Solvang, Ca.  We toured Pebble beach, peered over the cliffs at Monterey, saw Alcatraz from the Golden Gate bridge and were in awe of the redwoods in Yosemite.  We were fascinated by dirt devils in the dessert, loved the clear waters of Lake Tahoe and the breathtaking views from the train from Durango to Silverton and had a 300 mile view of  3 states from the top of Pikes Peak. 

It was an amazing trip.

But…..how could it not be……its been a reflection of an amazing life.  60 years of an amazing life together…..and what we really got to see on this trip is that 60 years is not enough.

Dad just asked Mom the same question for at least the 10^th time this morning….and as she has done this entire journey…she looked up at him, smiled and answered…again.  

We will get out in a minute for a pitstop….and Dad will, as he still does without fail no matter how bad the Alzheimers symptoms are, open her door, take her by the hand and walk with her to where ever we are going. 

We have watched him struggle with his lack of strength…wanting so bad to be viable and valuable.  And what I really want him to know is that he has been, thoughout my life and still on this trip, more valuable than I could ever explain.  He thinks its important that he drags his own bag……but I know what is really important is that he…they….my parents…have dragged me, followed me, found me….all over the world. 

I don’t want this to be a sad blog.  I want it to reflect my emotions.  My gratitude for the perfect example of a life well loved and well lived.  My gratitude for the continued example of unconditional love.  My gratitude for the laughs, the stories, the memories that we have shared….thoughout my life and thoughout this trip.

This….my friends….has been the most important and most meaningful journey of my life.