The Adventure of Travel

by Georgie McIrvin

Adventure Travel is the latest buzz word in the travel industry. Reading the brochures, you find that this usually involves counting birds in remote areas, sifting dirt for artifacts, recording the mating calls of humpback whales, etc. In other words - work and you pay for the privilege.

All travel should be an adventure. Every trip should excite, amaze, educate, or challenge. I was just appalled when someone told me that he flew to Saudi Arabia in a 747 and, when I asked about the adventure, shrugged it off as "just a business trip." Such a wasted opportunity to explore new horizons! Didn't he want to know what was different about the architecture, food, clothing, climate, customs, smells, and sounds? The answers to these questions will make any trip an adventure.

Travel is really a state of mind. I begin each vacation when I pull out of my garage. If you began to think of travel that way, a trip to the grocery store can be an adventure. Every time I make the turn from Ely onto Main Street, and look toward downtown, my heart sings. There is a view of Sugarloaf Mountain that could grace a calendar. Towering over our town, it appears both eternal and invincible. My spirit longs to stand at the summit and survey my conquered world. I could be the queen of all I survey. It sure adds zing to a mundane trip to Country Mart.

Our town has many such awesome vistas. Some of these we will explore together in the coming weeks. I hope to challenge you to really live while you are still breathing. Search for adventure as you travel in your normal routine. Each time you leave your driveway expect to be surprised. Look for wildflowers on the roadside, unusual rock formations, the myriad shades of green, the astounding way that birds soar on the thermal currents.

There are adventures just waiting to happen. I saw a coyote cross the street just past Aromatique's candle factory. A family of four deer ambled across Front Street from the lake to the woods near Sandy Beach within twenty feet of where I was standing. . I have seen flocks of wild turkeys walking through residential neighborhoods . I have been told there is a family of red foxes in the woods near my home. I have checked out the beaver dams back there. Most people have to go to the zoo to see wonders like these. So open your eyes, expect an adventure, and you will find amazing things to add to your memory collection. Happy traveling!

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