MaMaLiRZ

The decision to extend the trip by a day was met with emphatic exuberance by both boys equally. More so in reference to missing an additional day of school, and less so about visiting a park. At that very moment the seeds of doubt to the meaning of our quest landed with a thud for harvesting.

I didn’t know it then, in fact, I’m only recognizing it now. Recollection of our trip though apparent, was not vivid. I stared at a blank screen for days, failing to write a word.

Our quest cracked somewhere along the line.

Away I say (Forgive my 19th Century English, I’ve been binge-watching “Poldark”) to the quest to reach the 63 National Parks in 365. Consider it now replaced with the true intent of the quest from the beginning.

We will treasure each other and our time spent discovering the unique gifts of each park. This I declare as our restated mission.

I apologize Dear Reader. I was emboldened to the chase, the tagline. I was on the verge of missing the point, or perhaps even did. Entirely. But now, I’m feeling rejuvenated. New oxygen is reaching the southern most lobes of my lungs. The astigmatism in my vision removed. Clarity and presence refreshing my joy.

As alluded to previously, the clues were building, nagging at my core, presenting with lackluster emotions. But yet I failed to recognize them. Only in a bedtime conversation with my oldest was I helped to focus them into meaning.

So much frustration exerted on the use of microphones. Despair of losing them overshadowed Acadia. Joy was visible but slipped through our grasps. Our plight to get to 63 National Parks, in a little over a year, while also attending school and working, was stealing our happiness. The impossibility of it driving my ego to conquer the self-proclaimed quest. I lost sight of our intent.

And so I need to get to this point so I could finally have the right words to describe our latest three National Parks.

Death Valley

Death Valley was not as hot as it could have been. In fact it was a similar temperature to our home in Florida. The sand dunes were unique. A fun, five minute playground for the boys. But in our haste, my haste, we didn’t just sit with them and listen to the whistle of the wind as it skipped across the tiny swath of desert.

Fast forward to our latest trip to Ohio and West Virginia and I see my failings. And in so, justification of my exhausted emotional bank account. We visited two National Parks in a day, driving more than ten hours in the same day. Tell me Dear Reader, what did we truly see?

Cuyahoga Valley

Cuyahoga Valley, the C&O Railway, in spectacular autumn foliage. Closed due to the government shutdown. Not a Ranger to be had. No junior ranger badge, no visitor’s center. A quick jaunt down a thousand stairs to see the waterfall, only to be met with a clap of both thunder and lightening, separated by only a half-second. The downpour that quickly followed threw us back into the car, closing the book on our visit to Cuyahoga Valley.

New River Gorge

Navi directed our five hour drive to the New River Gorge in West Virginia from Ohio. Arrival set for 45 minutes before the closing of the visitor’s center. Junior Ranger books in hands, then pledge completed, we walked for the token picture that above all else proved our physical existence in the space. Again we forgot to breathe. Sadly, we were not present. From there we jumped back into the car and drove another four plus hours to our bed down for the night.

We checked the block, sure. But we did not experience the parks. We cheated ourselves and our quest.

My revelation came as we are about to embark on our next adventure to the Grand Canyon. Leading up to it are four other parks. Luckily, there is a bit more time built into the program, and I pledge now to bring with it more fun.

In closing out only 11 of our National Parks so far, we are learning every step of the way, together.

The silver lining is figuring it out now while we still have 52 more parks to go. No more rushing. No more nagging. No more stress, okay, maybe that one is impossible. Can we agree to settle with “less” stress?

I’ve learned and can drive on. No more #quest63in365. Only our quest for our remaining 52 in as long as it takes to be mindful of our mission.

We will treasure each other and our time spent discovering the unique gifts of each of our glorious national parks.

Bare with me Dear Reader as it seems my National Parks tour with a side of Lori has transitioned into Lori’s Self-discovery tour with a side of National Parks.