June 28, 2001 I woke up in a tent this morning. Did what I always do when I camp; build a fire, make a cup of coffee, and read. Peace finally. Time to think. I am 52. I a menopausal woman. I guess I got through it okay, physically. Hot flashes. Once on a 10 …
70 days, 7000 Miles, Day 5
June 27, 2001 I left M.H.'s house in the morning and got on a highway that follow the Ottawa River. I was on my own now and I was anxious. I was really doing this, alone I found a beautiful campground and was given a great site on the water. I was agitated for two …
70 Days, 7000 Miles, Day 4
June 26, 2001 Yesterday's words with M.H. were aging, loneliness, inability, and dying. But today we lived new words. M.H. drove me to her yacht club so we could go sailing. She had her own sailboat and the woman who the night before worried about the inability to perform daily mundane tasks took that boat …
70 Days, 7000 Miles, Day 3
June 25, 2001 Great night's sleep. Woke at 6:00 am. Breakfast. Said "goodbye" to M. and R. and thanked them for a really great time. Went out on the main highway and almost got hit by another car. They honked at me which I accepted because I didn't see them because I wasn't looking. Note …
70 Days, 7000 Miles, Day 2
June 24, 2001 A very busy day in Ottawa. Woke up. Great breakfast prepared by M. In M.'s car by 10:00. Camping store. Canadians have great camping equipment. Lunch at The Canadian National Art Gallery. Ottawa is so beautiful. The capital city presents everything so well and there is so much to see and do. Do …
70 days, 7000 Miles, Day 1
June 23, 2001 Left the house at 10:30. Talked to my daughter before I left. Stopped in Ogdensburg for gas and lunch. The girl at the gas station told me she wanted to hear about my trip when I got back. I'm a little apprehensive today but I know I have to do this. The …
70 Days, 7000 Miles-A Midlife Odyssey
In 2001, I took a solo 70 day, 7000 mile camping trip across the US and Canada. I was 52 years old and an elementary teacher at the time. I left my home the Saturday right after school let out and returned the Saturday before school started up again. Having taken many camping trips that …
Mayfly-A Fly Fishing Woman’s Tale
When I was newly divorced and my kids were off to college I used to go to a place with a band every Friday evening with my single female friends. Heads up and stomachs sucked in, we pretended to be aloof. Neon beer signs, the tiny red dots on the sound equipment, and a street …
Remembering My Dad-Our Ambulance Camper
Somebody once wrote “I dream things that never were and say "why not.” My family lived these words long before they were ever written. In the late 1950's, when our small town fire department put its outdated ambulance up for sale at a bargain price, my father bought it. It wasn't a box van like …
Travel Camera(s)-My Opinion
I have three cameras, two identical Canon Power Shot 1300s and a Cannon Power Shot 570. I purchased them all on Ebay and I took all the pictures on The Autonomous Traveler with them except one picture for my story about Poland. I had to get that picture from the internet since all my Poland …
