Why do some of us feel compelled to travel? Was it a book of pretty pictures that made us first dream of far away places? Was it a history class that made us want to see pyramids that were long ago built? Or were we just born with wanderlust in our blood? For me, I lean toward that DNA link.
As a child, my father would pack up a tent and a couple of duffle bags and crawl on the back of his Harley for a month long trip “Out West.” From our home in Virginia, he and a buddy would hop on their motorcycles and head to California. I can remember as a five year old how adventurous I thought they were and how badly I wanted to stow-away and have fun too! Instead, I settled happily for postcards and collect phone calls from unknown places. And oh, the stories they both held… Tales of Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, The Redwood Forest, and even biker gangs kept my imagination abuzz. Even now, thirty-five years later, I love to hear the stories of The Grand Canyon and sleeping under overpasses or over-looking Cody, Wyoming. It’s pure magic and I’m still left in awe after all these years.
So, why do we wander? Why are we not content to stay in one place? Everyone has their own answer as to why. Mine? Well, I think wanderlust is an amazing and wonderful thing. It can pull you near or it can push you far. Maybe it’s to the next state line or across the country, or maybe even to the other side of the world. No one can judge your journey or how far it takes you and I think that it why I wander. The beauty of that freedom.
