Not All Who Wander Are Lost

2 February 2017

From the moment I got my driver's license I developed a sense of wanderlust . . . an insatiable urge to discover new places . . . a deep rooted impulsiveness to deviate from the most traveled route. I've probably traveled a million miles in my days . . . most of them unplanned . . . unmapped . . . and lost in memory.

 I've been luckier than most I think . . . when it comes to travel. We lived so far from family most of our lives that vacations became a road trip to visit with them. We moved to Spain, and my parents saw the value in seeing as many European countries as we could. I was fearless as a young adult . . . meandering down roads I'd never been on . . . winding up in places I'd never been. Traveled to nearly every state in the lower 48. Spent several years as a travel agent which afforded travel to places like Mexico, Australia, and the Caribbean where I found new roads. Visited friends all over the country and found more new roads.

Do you know . . . I've been to nearly every beach in Florida! When I lived down there I had a friend who loved to go as much as I did . . . he and I drove up both coasts . . . took us a few weekends . . . but we hit every beach we could find! My favorite? That's tough . . . I do prefer the Destin area though . . . the sand is so white . . . the water so blue . . . it was a pretty quiet beach back then . . . didn't have near as many buildings! If you go that way, avoid the usual places everyone goes . . . Daytona, Cocoa Beach, Clearwater . . . they're fine beaches . . . go to Lover's Key . . . Fort DeSoto . . . Playalinda . . . Siesta Key.

If you want to check out the place to find shells . . . Sanibel/Captiva Island (most of this place is private, so you have to plan ahead of time to stay there) is world famous. I did get there, but I actually had to talk a police officer into taking me for a tour since I didn't realize you NEEDED reservations to stay somewhere on the island . . . I got to ride in the back of his patrol car. And no, I did not get arrested . . . he was young and cute . . . I just smiled and batted my eyes at him . . . like I said before . . . it was a different time. We even went to dinner that evening.

I don't know why so many shells wash up on the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva, but it's crazy . . . has something to do with geography . . . and tides.

Now I'm seeing The Captain . . . who happens to live in New Jersey . . . and there are almost 700 miles between us . . . with unlimited possibilities of adventures between us . . . if I can get him off the interstate! Check out all of the different roads on this Google map:

LONG before GPS, when your mom was little, we hit the road quite a bit . . . sometimes winding up on a road we'd never traveled . . . trying to get to a place we'd never been. Were we ever lost? The girls thought I got lost all the time . . . especially when I'd seem a little distracted . . . or if I pulled out the map book . . . but I'd always tell them "We're not lost, we're just on a road we've never been on before!" to ease their minds. Until they became savvy teenagers, that explanation worked well, but as they got older, they'd look at each other, roll their eyes, and probably mouth to each other "We're lost . . . again!" Didn't bother me . . . I was never lost!

I do hope you get to travel . . . 

And that Blog title . . . it's a line from a poem, referred to as "The Riddle of Strider," from JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. The poem is recited by Bilbo Bagins at the Council of Elrond when Boromir expresses doubt that Aragorn is heir of Isildur, but it was first written by Gandalf, in a letter left for Frodo to make sure that the "Strider" he meets is the REAL Strider. Aragorn does indeed quote the first couple of lines in the poem, not knowing the poem is in the letter, and it confirms his identity.

 So, the line in question, which is so often used out of context (though it's the coolest line ever), refers to Aragorn's travels.

In reality, it's been my go-to quote for years, and it's become a popular quote for travelers . . . nay . . . adventurers who leave the beaten path . . . to create new ones.

Wander Tommy . . . get off the interstate . . . find a backroad to your destination . . . don't fear a dirt or gravel road (well, sometimes you  want to be careful of these) . . . you never know what you're going to find! and keep a journal of your adventures . . . I wish I had!!

 

Oh . . . and the first line in that poem . . . "All that is gold does not glitter" . . . yeah . . . that's a fact, but the meaning to that is sooooo much deeper . . . can apply to many things! Beware of things that seem too good to be true . . . or real.