Go West, Old Woman....{edit this}

                {50's the new 40}
Go West, Old Woman

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Hoosier girl.  In fact, I'd have to go back 5 generations on Dad's side & 4 on Mom's to find an ancestor not born in Indiana.  I've not really wanted to live anywhere else. Oh, I know I've "imagined" what it would have been like to live in the few states I've visited - {we even called about some property for sale in Kentucky 20 years ago} - but should push ever have come to shove --well, we wouldn't have moved.  I just know it.

You could say my roots are deep in the Brookston soil of my Hoosier Patch of Paradise.

Yes, you could say that -- and I've said that -->  but what I learned about myself in July challenged the depth of those roots.  There must be a wild root stretching way back through my ancestry, a pioneer root -- one that pulses with a courage and a curiosity to "Go West."

For the 1st half-century {What?? OMGosh}of my life I've admitted (almost bragged) that I had never been west of the Mississippi.  My statement always elicited a wide-eyed "REALLY??!"  - which was the desired response.  I don't know why I was proud of that fact.  What did I expect to gain?  Shock.  Pity.  An invitation to a flight on a private jet.

And yet -- deep down inside this Hoosier girl -- stirred that wild pioneer root pining for the soil of the prairie west....West of the Mississippi -- I knew that much -- but how far west?

Early this year Cowboy & I received a most generous gift from The Rancher & his beautiful wife -- a weekend in Cheyenne, Wyoming -- which included round-trip airfare.  WOW!! Right?

OK.

A.  Cowboy WON'T fly

and

B.  I'd never been west of the Mississippi

"REALLY??!"

So we decided we would drive out.  We're not travelers.  Where to begin.  Google Maps.  In early spring I charted a relaxing US highway course from "Western Edge" Indiana to the Badlands,  Mt. Rushmore & Crazy Horse Monuments in South Dakota; to Cheyenne, Wyoming; to Denver, Colorado and back home.

"US Highways??!!! Are you crazy?  That'll take us twice as long!!!!" was Cowboy's easy-going response.

I'm a "journey" kind of girl;  he's of the "destination" sort.

Can this marriage be saved?  hahaha

Quickly, I whipped my wheedling ways into a frenzy.  I know how to wheedle.  Yeah, buddy. I would eventually be able to find the chink in his "destination" armor on the last half of the interstate trip---I'm that good!

"Maybe we could drive the interstate out and take US 36 back home from Denver,"  (she said sweetly).

Cowboy agreed (after much persuasion).

I reconfigured my route:  Interstate to Cheyenne then Denver, US 36 back.  The Western Compromise.

As the trip drew near, Cowboy started coming up with 14,000 excuses as to why we really shouldn't go.  How could I respond to that?  What was I to do?  Pout at first, then "act" agreeable, then change his mind.  {Wheedling Ways Steps to Getting What You Want, page 2}

I assumed we would be taking the old family truckster:  Frosty, the white Suburban.  Giant. Roomy.  Reliable.  She'd taken our family on weekend excursions for the past 15 years.  She just needed a boost of whatever it is air conditioners need.  Well, as you might have guessed, I assumed wrong.

"We're taking your pick-up,"  he announced his ruling.

{It has the fuel tank in the bed so if we find cheap(er) diesel fuel, we can stock up}

2 people, maps, atlases, the GPS, cell phones and charger, cameras, hats, drinks, and then all the items I need for my "traveling" nest....all in the cab of a pick-up truck.

Ok. No matter.  We were going west.  That was the important part.

"Can we take Aussie Pup?"

He knew I'd say no...but he asked anyway.

"Really?  The cab will be full as it stands now.  We'll board him with nearby friends who run a boarding kennel,"  I replied (the only voice of reason, apparently).

The day before we were to strike out, I packed our bags, gathered all the items I thought we would need and stacked them at the front door of the bunkhouse.  (We would be leaving from the Western Edge)

"Looks like we're moving!  Will we need all this stuff?"  His eyes boggled.

"We'll be gone a week.  I think we'll need it all."

The longest trip we had heretofore taken was 4 days.  Seven days!!!  This was to be the trip of a lifetime!!

I was finally headed WEST!!!