Day One! Woohoo! Inside-outside. Upside-downside (and every which way but east : )

First travel day - Jan 9th

Leaving the beautiful banks of Westhampton Beach Long Island, NY for the sunny coast of California - yass!

I did not leave early.

No way I'm doing that "lets get up at 5am to beat the traffic"thing.

I slept in.

Kind of just rolled with the morning in order to pack and say my goodbyes to the kids which I did. It involves tears so I stuck it down below : )

Plus, I had errands to do still. I needed one of those USB(A?) to USB-C type cables in order to charge the laptop from the cool solar panel charger I bought for the trip. Or is it a lightening cable? Anybody else feel like there's to many names or letters for these cables? Geez keep it simple. Like USB-ABC-should be as easy as 1,2,3! Wow, Michael Jackson, who doesn't luv his songs! I can't not (editor check again on the double negative thing : ) start to move when I hear that music! Not sure it's called dancing either. Just ask my kids. They have some strong thoughts on this ha! But I do luv the songs. He as a person needed a little help...but, OK, digressing already stay on track Pete!

Anyway, I usually order these cables online but somehow forgot this one so I went to Best Buy. I shopped there to no avail…barely any cords at all in stock. A little frustrated so I decided to order it from my phone and ship to my sis's house in Ohio which is only a few days into the trip and I get to visit Mom there as well.

Onward!

I actually didn't have any directions to the campsite I was spending the night in and had to search apple maps for the road - Frew Road campsite #7 in RothCreek State Park (PA) is all I had. I had reserved the site online but (what the heck?) it didn't give me an address or lat/long or anything. So I picked something close on the map hoping I could figure it out when I got there and made my way.

I drove across the NY city bridges from Long Island with traffic seemingly everywhere until eventually the road started to open up, and my mind seemed to do the same then. More space = more peace? I can feel it happening already. Hopefully there's a pic or two here of the traffic (that is if I can load them ok : ) and my lil' companion - DuckPond Pete Jr.

He's a litle rubber duck that sits up on the dash like a little puppy excited about where we're going. At least that's what I think he thinks. Oh geez am I losing it already on the raod alone!? : )

As I'm driving down the road that I feel is close to the camp entrance, the sun is setting pretty quickly. Ok actually it’s dark. Geez and look at these houses near the entrance to the camp - all run down and pretty sketchy. Wonder if it’s safe around here? Wait, is that a boat on their front porch?

It is!

And a fridge right next to the porch? Isn't that backwards? Usually the fridge is on the porch with the couch? Oh wow that next house looks super down-n-out…hope I’m not camping too close to here. I mean this area looks pretty - umm precarious to put it nicely? Maybe I should go to a Marriott? I can't bail out of camping on day one can I?

Is this where they filmed Deliverance?

Finally the houses disappear as the road enters the woods. I'm not sure this is the campsite road though? No signs at all? Kinda wierd. I wish it wasn’t so dark already. The forest always feel spooky at night especially when you have no idea what’s around. Right? Like seeing it during the day gives you bearings, some familiarity rather than just pulling in amongst the thick trees in complete darkness.

The campsites are supposed to be 'pull-offs' of this road and I haven’t seen a sign in over a mile. Wait theres one…but it looks like a bunch of numbers…what the? They're just numbers, not lat/long looking either - how am I ever gonna find this campsite? Shouldn’t there be signs that say something like:

"Campsite #7 - Welcome Mr. Brierton!?"

That would be more inviting no? Hopefully they at least cranked the heat up for me in the room - it seems kinda cold here now. Maybe turned down the sheets also. Ha!

Wait holy moley there it is! Actually has a number #7 on the tree there too.

But I don’t see the valet anywhere?? Maybe he goes home at dark? I would too - this place is super sketchy. Wait wow! Nice picnic table. Maybe there's a charcuterie board on it for me...

So I got out, looked around and checked for bear droppings because that seemed like the boy-scouty thing to do. I never was one. Probably woulda helped now right? I seem to remember somebody was to cool for that.

Wait - do bears drop? They must right? How would I know or what does it even ...oh geez screw that I don't wanna know.

Best to just open up the tent and get my home set up. Being it is on top of the jeep it has to unfold and it's actually pretty cool the way it does. Literally just pop the cover off, grab the ladder and pull it open. So easy a cave man could do it. Which is, now that I think about it, kinda like what I am. But I'm more of like a "cubicle cave man" though. I mean I can sleep in a tent, cycle in 22 degrees up a mountain and also type fifty words a minute. Plus, I also love to make iced lattes so...wait where am I going with this?

I'm kind of freaked out by attracting bears and I didn't want crumbs where I would be sleeping so I made a PB and honey sandwich and ate it sitting in the jeep. I was super conscious of keeping everything neat so as not to have any scent of food anywhere…think I read that somewhere. Geez I can see the headlines now..."Bear Eats Duck in Tent". (I know, I know, the Duck nick-name thing I'll get to it : )

I climbed up into the tent as my hands went numb (dipping below freezing now) and thought "Dang I hope this tent holds my weight." Maybe I should have tested this at home? Sleeping on top of the jeep is such a cool rough-tough machismo kinda thing to do right? Call me Bear Grylls. But I also don't wanna cave the roof rack in either. That would slow down the trip a bit.

Now - do I get changed in the tent? Or in the jeep where it’s warm? Cuz it’s freakin' cold!!

Let’s do it up here in the tent…so much more room.

Wait. What's that? I think I heard a noise outside. Subtle but definitely heard it. Lemme listen again. Raccoon perhaps? Cute 'lil chipmunk? Nah gotta be something else...maybe thats the warm towels I called down for??

Hope so!

Feels like it's in the 20's already too wow…wish I had cell service to see if there was a weather update or to talk with someone…anyone geez.…kinda lonely all of a sudden. The cell service dropped off just prior to finding this campsite.

Actually I'd take any kind of service about now - like that room service would be nice. Maybe send up a brownie sundae?

It was time to get dressed for the night so I put on a Body armor layer first - top and bottom, then sweatpants, a hoodie and a hat with an light on it...perfect! Then got in the sleeping bag with a blanket also…pretty toasty actually.

Five star Marriott sweet!

Remind me to leave a review tomorrow.

Wish I could text people but dang I wanted to get away to clear the head to see what life has in store for me next so I guess this is like the Universe's way of forcing me to do that.

I'm going to say a little prayer for no bears and that I don’t lose a toe to frostbite. Not to much to ask for is it? I think the Big Guy and I are pretty close so I feel like He heard that one… No bears. No frostbite. Simple right!?

Feeling super grateful all of sudden. So many blessings in my life …this tent and bikes and friends and loved ones wow…there's a smile on my face and in my heart. God’s way of telling me everything will be OK and to sleep well.

So I read a little bit… and then I wanted to update the website and blog but without any kind of cell service I can’t so I’ll just take notes here on the laptop and have my secretary transfer them later. Maybe I could fax them to the office. Wait, does anyone fax anymore? What ever happened to that? Seems like it was there and then it wasn't - was there a big send off party or anything? It just kind of disappeared. What the heck took its place?

Ok scratch that idea I’ll find a teenager somewhere to help : )

I laid my head back and must've passed out instantly.

I woke up two hours later…wow do I have I to pee. I don’t wanna go outside either. I stuck my head out from under the blanket, because I am completely under it, with a hoodie over my head and whoa it’s cold! I think they predicted temperatures in the lower twenties tonight and wow I think they were actually right. Do I really have to get out from inside this warmth, climb down a ladder to pee?

Not doing it- definitely not! Peeing from eight feet in the air has got to be way cooler than that.

But how do I do that without falling off the ladder, in the dark and fully... "exposed"!?

To the cold that is : )

Wait.

Does urine attract bears? No I’m thinking it wards them off? Isn’t that what they use to repel deer? Does that even mean anything? Dang I really gotta go - wouldn’t be good to pee in here that’s for sure…day one and all : )

OK, so it's outside the tent, top step of the ladder and - let 'er fly!

As I get back into the little caccoon I have to sleep in I notice I'm actually getting used to the cold temperature. Weird because I always thought I was part Mexican. I mean I just love guacamole. Tacos are awesome and who doesn't luv nachos! For me, the hotter the food the better. I think there’s also a spicy woman joke in there too but I'm not gonna touch that one. But now I’m thinking I'm part Eskimo too? It's just weird that I’m digging the freshness of this cold air. It's enlivening. Because I'm definitely wide awake and it's 2am. Come to think of it I really like sleigh rides and pegging my kids in sno-ball fights too so there probably is some eskimonian in my blood too : )

Finally sliding back into the sleeping bag and I notice how it already feels cozy and home-like. Well, except for this pillow. It's horrible! It’s an LL Bean, tiny (and expensive :) little pillow that’s giving me a kink in my neck. Maybe I can make one out of my jeans and this Patagonia jacket…oh much better. I wonder where the receipt is for that pillow and if I can still return it. I'm pretty sure I didn't dribble on it tonite (not much anyway, besides it woulda froze if I did : ) so I think I’m good.

Whoa what was that!? Like a heavy wood kinda snap! Is that a bear outside!? Holy crap now that sounded like a massive branch just tossed aside...what? No wait it can’t be - I just protected fort DuckPond with a urine stream that splashed down from eight feet high. Ain't no bear making it thru that defense...perfect perimeter barrier right?

Don’t move, keep still. Just listen. It’s quiet now. Is that my heart pounding? I think it’s gone. Whatever it was. Impenetrable defense system worked. Maybe I should patent that. Or maybe the bear was just checking out my jeep? I mean, it is pretty killer looking right? Can't blame him for admiring it. Probably grabbed a selfie with it to show the cubs back home.

Or maybe it was just a branch falling? Yeah going with that theory.

Ignorance is way better to fall asleep with.

I’ll be fine : )

Little prayer and I’m off to sleep again….

The title stuff:

Inside

As I was leaving home and started my goodbyes I woke my oldest son up to give him a hug (three of my kids are home with me right now still - all in their 20's and beginning to step out). After he worked a midnight shift and getting only two hours sleep, with the ultimate peace and calmness about him, he gets up and gives me a hug. Amazing. He probably laid his head down on the pillow around 7am, then Dad wakes him up, (what a guy I am lol) and he rolls with it just to embrace his Dad. I teared up upon the realization that I would be gone for seven weeks or more. A few memories from years ago flooded my mind in that instant - ones of leaving the family house in the middle of divorce and backing down the driveway in a mess of tears. I guess it had that same ring of "I’m leaving the kids…"

Powerful.

Heart opening.

Geez Pete snap out of it - it's just seven weeks! Wait, that is kinda long....but these are a totally different type of tears now...a complete gratitude for the love of my son and gratitude for the internal journey that took me thus far and is stoking me on still.

Kinda threw myself a little love inside and then honed in on gratitude for these beautiful kids that I have. I am so lucky. Some call it blessed. I agree with both.

Kaitlyn was nearby and I gave her a squeeze and she gently layed her head on my chest. Then Ari, who was working at the kitchen table (her husband is away in training for a month and she is able to remote work from anywhere, what a blessing for me!) got up to come over and join the hug. Wow how did I get so lucky?! Both girls in a gentle no word hug...a few tears again...

A bit later, on the road like two hours in - I had noticed the urge to contact people. What's that all about? Funny how we leave to get away from everything, to quiet the mind and breathe and when finally out of NY's traffic I thought ok what now? I should call someone. Ha! Crazy right?

I also thought there would’ve been some fear about going out on my own -

But I feel confident, I kind of feel embraced by the Universe, I feel lots of love on my heart, the love of family (that I just received in hugs) and I feel myself loving myself in a way that gives me peace. That sounds weird as I write it but whatever... it feels right and "though it might not mean much to you...it does to me" (any Luke Combs fans?).

As I'm driving I also thought of past relationships and my journey thru them. This trip definitely began as a journey to open myself up to this country but also to open myself up for a relationship that will last the rest of my life. Just kinda open my eyes and mind to it all.

I've found that the best gifts fell into my life right when I least expected it. Man the Universe can deliver anything at any moment!

The spiritual side of me that wanted this trip in the first place pulls at me to let all thoughts of anyone or anyplace go and to just live in the moment here and now. Receive and see all that the Universe, or God, has to offer. So I'm hoping that some time traveling alone gives clarity to my life...relationship-wise and also a place to live. Whether a nice little home near where I am now or perhaps somewhere in Iowa!

No wait - definitely not Iowa.

Actually I've come to the conclusion that home is where the heart is...I could be happy in a one bedroom apartment if surrounded by friends, family and the one I love. SO much more important than a waterfront home in California (oooo wait can I change that? That does sound reeeeeally nice : ). Just no place where it rains a lot. Or has earthquakes.

Maybe this journey is about shedding old layers or old habits? The similar surroundings and friend circles can lead life to become routine and lose some of it's lustre if we are not careful. Or this trip could be to explore this awesome country, stretch my mind and grow? I've heard being out alone on the road can really be rewarding in that sense. Even if just upon returning home you realize that what you already have is perfect just as it is...

Either way I feel overwhelmed at the blessings that I know are in front of me and those that I am surrounded with now...of a new 'life' in front of me somewhere else or a new approach and life here in the same location. I'm in tears at the revelation of this…so much love being heaped on me…

Outside

The outside journey today was mostly leaving the house and a lot of the story written above. A revelation of the juxtaposition of the city buildings and traffic versus what I will see later in this trip. Passing Yankee stadium brought back memories of taking the kids to games and it was actually a beautiful view of the stadium…across the river. A different kind of beauty than that of in the mountains or near a stream…

Pennsylvania has some beautiful farms too...I just loved seeing the silo's as I drove by. It's nothing like the beachy vibe I'm surrounded with back home which seems to make this beauty jump even more to me.

Spending the first night camping in a completely unknown forest with frigid temps too was also pretty cool.

Upside

I find myself turning a lot of the ‘downsides’ into upsides and that in itself is an upside lol.

But some easy upsides straight off!? I’m on the road free of any responsibilities other than taking care of myself - no work, no emptying the dishwasher, no bills, no taking out the garbage...huge! That's just crazy huh!? I have a jeep to travel in with two bikes...man life is good.

downside

Feel like it would’ve been great to have someone along side me for this trip. I have thoughts of missing friends, bike rides, the customers at the bike shop etc..

All beautiful peoples. And my kids, wow. Missing making coffees at home with Kaitlyn using our espresso machine...luv this and all of you!

Also, shortly into the trip, I felt my brother Tom’s presence as I was driving (he passed away not long ago). I had remembered that I have his survival kit bag with me. I took it from his jeep for two reasons; for knowing it was his and for this trip. I felt connected to him because of that bag and was a little sad, even teared up a bit again but did not harbor the sadness for long. I smiled knowing he was probably watching me begin such an incredible journey...