The Jumping-Off Point

Today, we cleared the city of Cleveland to the west and ended a shortish saunter in Rocky River, OH. We also marked our twentieth straight day of slowly sauntering forward.

Bidding Cleveland Farewell

It's a bittersweet departure.  Crossing cities is always a bit of a challenge, but Cleveland treated us well.  From the food to the art to the friendships, the three day crossing proved to be an excellent opportunity for a little recovery while still making forward progress. We crossed paths with a friend and colleague who is travelling their own path, but the time our trails ran in parallel were some of the highest highlights from the last fifty-six days on the road.  We'll miss the banter, and hope we share the trail with you at a not too distant time in the future.

Dad put his skepticism aside for a couple of hours and visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I’m not sure he really enjoyed it, but he reports that it triggered some moments of introspection. I’m not sure Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and introspection have ever been written in the same sentence before, but I, for one, think it’s great.

I experienced my own moment of growth when I put aside my general dislike of seafood and sampled a walleye sandwich. I don’t know what I expected, but I know I didn’t anticipate the emergence of a gustatory delight.  That sucka’ was tasty.

In many ways, leaving Cleveland feels like we've reached the real jumping-off point in our journey.  The expanse of the American West stretches before us, and the vast (relative) emptiness is quite daunting if we think too much about it. Fortunately for us, we've learned quite a few lessons along the way, and we've never been accused of being too very deep, intellectually speaking.  I'm optimistic.

Thanks to all the people who have helped us along the way. The water on the side of the road, a filling meal, a place to stay, words of encouragement, moments of laughter and camaraderie too numerous to count, sage advice on places to go and places to avoid, the offers of rides that we had to reject, and the welcoming porch that kept us dryish during a passing rainshower.  I’m sure I’ve missed many ways that the people we’ve known and the people we’ve met have enriched our travels, and I apologize for the oversights.

Know that we are grateful to you all.  We would not have gotten this far without your generous support and encouragement. Now, on to the west.