A week ago, when I set out on this six-month road trip, I envisioned discovering new places, hiking across the United States, and exploring hidden gems in small-town America. Unfortunately, the first week of my journey hasn’t gone as planned. I’m reminded once again that it’s the journey that matters, not the destination. Sure, I’ve made some cool new friends and enjoyed my time at Crescent Lake and Snoqualmie Falls, but mostly I’ve been dealing with one problem after another.
Laptop Problems
I wanted to make good use of my time with free Wi-Fi at Crescent Lake. I had a couple of articles I needed to write, but I soon discovered that the network adapter on my Hewlett Packard laptop is a piece of crap and malfunctioning. I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled the adapter several times, and still, it only works sporadically. After hours on the phone with Hewlett Packard, it looks like I’m going to have to return it, and that’s a challenge when you don’t have an address or way to print a shipping label.
Car Troubles
Well, since I couldn’t do my digital nomad work, I figured I might as well go out and explore the Olympic National Forest, but it seems the Universe had a different plan for me once again. I grabbed Oz (my little dog), filled up my water bottle, and jumped in my Jeep, only to find it wouldn’t start! It was fine the day before! I scratched my head and uttered a few expletives and asked my neighbors at the campsite next to me if they could give me a jump start. That’s how I got to know Dan, Abby, and their two adorable young children. A short time later, my car was running again.
Ozzie and I headed out to explore, but I immediately noticed that my air conditioning wasn’t working! I remembered a few days ago, I had noticed a critter had eaten half a roll of my toilet paper inside the Jeep, and I wondered if it might have made a nest in my air intake. My friend Rosie, who was camping with me, checked it out, and she didn’t find anything. I decided I would just have to deal with the heat. At the first stop sign, the little bastard made an appearance and ran across the outside of my front windshield and then climbed down by my windshield wiper! Ugh. I now need to make an appointment for auto service.
Back Pain
As if car trouble and laptop problems weren’t enough, I tweaked my back while lifting my ice chest! An immediately sharp pain shot down my lower right side and hip. Good thing Rosie and I were on the way to visit her cousins in Snoqualmie, who kindly offered me a soft, cozy bed. I booked a massage and went right to bed with a heating pad underneath me. I woke in the morning with a little less pain, but I’m still hurting. I’ve also had an appointment with a chiropractor and acupuncturist. The acupuncturist said I sprained my SI joint.
So now I’m lying on my friend’s couch in the middle of the city doing nothing. All I can do is lay here and relax. Maybe, just maybe, that was the message behind it all. Perhaps I’m supposed to stop packing, unpacking, exploring, working, driving around, and hiking, and just be still. I can’t even practice yoga! The art of doing nothing and be present in the moment is an experience you can easily forget, even while on vacation. So, I’m going to end this article and read a book, write in my journal, snuggle with Oz, and give thanks for good friends and good health.