On the Healing Road

Johns Island, SC Waking up on Day 26 we felt so close to home - even at 546 miles away. Gratefully, the ride from Lexington, KY to Johns Island, SC (home) went by pretty quickly given the distance.  Leaving Lexington the weather was uncooperative to say the least. From the hotel parking lot to the Tennessee State line we would be in heavy rain with occasional torrents. Rains so bad it forced you to reduce speed to about 40 mph, set your warning flashers to alert other vehicles, and get those hands on the wheel at 10 and 2 because at any point you could feel your steering wheel go limp through a brief hydroplane; arguably one of the most unsettling feelings in the World. White knuckle driving down a four lane mountain highway in a monsoon; anything but boring. As Conor and I trolled along Interstate 77 in the right lane doing between 40 and 45 mph with the flashers on as described above, a brand new Chevrolet Suburban went by us in the left lane running 65 mph or better - blasting d...

Sioux Falls, SD to Milwaukee, WI to Lexington, KY As stated at the conclusion of my last post, the last two days have lived up to expectations - those being Conor and I east-bound, blasting down highways. Many of the focal points of this trip are behind us and now we're headed home. But there were still a few things to consider before making it back to Charleston. Chief among them was the Chicago Field Museum - home to Sue, the World's most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever discovered, and on full display at the Field Museum. Day 24 was mostly driving. 7 hours on the road from Sioux Falls, SD to Milwaukee, WI. As we were packing up from Rapid City and I was looking at our route into Chicago, I noted we'd drive clear across Minnesota up into Wisconsin, and then back down toward Chicago. My senior leader for my work, Jim Haas, happens to live just outside Milwaukee which is also only an hour from Chicago. I sent him a text to see about grabbing dinner or a drink as Conor...

Rapid City, SD to Sioux Falls, SD With no real plan to start the day, we kinda took our time getting going.  That lack of planning was a bit of a backfire though, because we wouldn't reach Sioux Falls until 10:30pm CST - but that doesn't take into account the time zone change, either. Regardless, while in Cody the woman in the room next to us happened to have had a sweet two year old Cane Corso dog named 'Bella'. Conor was obsessed (of course) and would take any chance he could to pet her. As we were packing up Ms. Sylvia and ready to pull out of Cody, she mentioned a place outside of Rapid City called "Bear Country". Even had an old map in her Toyota 4Runner and handed that to Conor. "Thanks for the tip! We'll check it out!" I said as we loaded up and pulled away. Minutes down the road Conor had gone through the whole map given to him by our neighbor and, as far as he was concerned, this was our primary reason for going to the Black Hills and th...

  Cody, WY to Hill City, SD and Mount Rushmore While our stop in Cody wasn't what I thought it would be, it turned out to be so much more. Sure, Conor and I limped our way through a museum and took in a few sites, and assuredly that town had more to offer, but what it gave up was pure gold. For the first time on the Healing Road our resolve was truly tested - at least as it relates to travel. And it's the response in those situations that matters, not the test itself. Whether running a marathon, fighting cancer, or traveling across the country (yes, I recognize how very different all of those things are, and no, I don't run - unless I'm being chased, and even then I weight the alternatives), there comes a point where you just don't want to go anymore. Physical exhaustion, mental fatigue, and just a general sense of burning out all play their part; reaching a point where you face that down or just simply give in. It's a choice, plain and simple. Without question ...