 One of my goals is to gather inspirational, encouraging personal stories along The Road. So I would like your thoughts and suggestions as to what questions I should ask. I will avoid subjects like politics, religion, blame or any other topic that might be divisive. Instead I will focus on insights, humor, healing, kindness, forgiveness and wisdom. Some people may be very successful. Others may be struggling, but refuse to give up. But what everyone will have in common is the desire to help someone else. So with that purpose of gathering positive, life-affirming answers for a land that truly needs it right now, please let me know…
What Questions Would YOU Ask To Inspire America?
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories  I posted my last pre-travel blog Chapter 10: Get Out Of Here! today. The excerpt from it below described my gratitude to Jodi Low for making a pointed effort :-) to get this trip out of my head into my heart and then onto a visible sign that made me take action. Sure appreciate all of her - and my fellow U&Improved grads - incredible encouragement! LM "I would be remiss in closing this last pre-travel chapter if I didn’t give proper credit to someone who helped plant the seed for this trip. In a U&Improved Personal Development class I took from my longtime friend and gym training partner, Jodi Low, we all went through a visualization process. We were told to dream of something great in our very near future and then paint a picture of it. So I painted this picture of my book called The Road Les Traveled (which is a pun because of a truly famous book with the exact same name minus one “s”) set against a blue sky. Now granted, I know that Michelangelo would have me flogged for saying that it is art, but the point is that it did what art is supposed to do – it spoke to me. Every time I looked at it, it said, “Hey, Loser! This book ain’t gonna write itself!” Okay, so my subconscious can be a little rough at times. But the point is, it got me moving." Update 2017: I thought it was only appropriate that I first announce the completion of my books to Jodi Low and some of my fellow alumni at U and Improved. They were all kind enough to help me replicate this original photo below. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories   After months of planning, I FINALLY hit the road today.
And what do I have to show for it? Nothing. As in Nothing, Arizona. :-) According to Wikipedia, “Nothing is an uninhabited ghost town in eastern Mohave County, Arizona, United States…The locals told travelers it "got named by a bunch of drunks…The town sign read: The staunch citizens of Nothing are full of Hope, Faith, and Believe in the work ethic. Thru-the-years-these dedicated people had faith in Nothing, hoped for Nothing, worked at Nothing, for Nothing.” And with Nothing to report for my first day on The Road, I can only hope that this silly post made you curious about visiting the place…Which I guess would make me good for Nothing. :-) Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories  After a wonderful visit with my friend Sharron Sharif in Las Vegas, Nevada - AKA Sin City, I headed to the city of Saints - St. George, Utah to be exact. And thanks to my gracious host and awesome tour guide Debbie Majerek, I got to see a part of the country that was literally and figuratively Virgin territory for me - as in Virgin, Utah. :-) Click here to see the links and full album of this amazing place.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories  I saw this lone tree in Bryce Canyon, Utah flourishing high upon a cliff despite it's very difficult environment. It made me think of all the many people I know - many of whom I will be blessed to see on this trip - who made the conscious, tenacious choice to do the same thing. You simply decided that no matter how rocky your foundation, no matter what harsh circumstances challenged you, no matter where you were put in this world and no matter what - or who - came against you...you were going to flourish. So this post is dedicated to all of you. Thank you for all the hard lessons you learned that made you strong and for your willingness to share your encouragement and inspiration with others.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories  There are parts of America you can only see by taking the long and winding road. And certainly that is the case when you have the opportunity to travel on Scenic Byway 12. As you will see in some of the photos I posted on Amazing Places 5: Scenic Byway 12, it is soooo beautiful, varied, refreshing and re-energizing, it doesn't even seem like driving - it feels like pure, blissful entertainment. So if you ever have the time and opportunity, do yourself - and your spirit - a great favor and take this magnificent stretch of highway.
Update 2017: I have had several people tell me they were going to do Scenic Byway 12 after seeing my posts about it. So here's a map I created that will let you get the most beauty and diversity out of it here. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories  I saw this sign just as I began my road trip from Aspen, CO to Colorado Springs via the infamous Independence Pass. You can see those pictures on my Trip News blog Amazing Places 6: Independence Pass, CO. It made me question what what the name referred to. Was the campground difficult to navigate, find a spot to park or require you to use tree bark instead of toilet paper? Was the whole place filled with difficult people like biker gangs, politicians and telemarketers? Or was it just an omen to the road ahead that was so difficult in spots that it still haunts my nightmares? It's the kind of thing that makes me wonder when I've got nothing but difficult miles ahead to think about it.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories  I saw this beast in Woodland Park, CO in front of the Dinosaur Resource Center. And before all my wisecracking friends can beat me to it, yes, this was what I rode to high school. :-)
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories  I saw this old building in Hartsel, CO on my way to Salida, CO and couldn’t resist the musical pun. I hope some of my fellow punsters will find it "criminally" funny or at least grin with "crooked" smiles. And those who aren’t will simply excuse my attempt at "jailhouse" rock humor as part of my "arrested" development. (You know the puns are bad when you have to use quotation marks.) :-)
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