Adventure is what brought us to Alaska. We wanted to have a few more adventures before settling down into our post-collegiate lives. We chose Alaska as the setting for our adventures because it has glaciers, wildlife and you get the sense here that there is still more to be discovered. Unlike the rest of the U.S., which seems laid out and mapped out and completely known, Alaska's "last frontier" gave us hope that there was something here we could discover. We did discover something, but it's not what we expected to.
I thought adventure was all about location. It's probably why I chose to move so often. Adventure led me from state to state, only to discover that being 4,000 miles away from what is known doesn't necessarily spell adventure. Adventure is in the people, not the location. I can go on great adventures anywhere as long as I have the spirit of adventure in my heart.
Alaska is beautiful. There are wildflowers and mountains and everything is spread so far out that going to the grocery store is an adventure in itself. But with wildflowers come bees, with mountains come shadows and having to go so far to get a forgotten last-minute ingredient is inconvenient. There will always be a trade off, wherever we live. The best thing is that wherever we end up, the farthest adventure will ever be is our back yard.
Last week we took the dogs for a long walk. We usually go to the left, up the hill to the little neighborhood behind our four-plex. There are 6 houses with adorable landscaping and the most majestic mountain views. But that day we went to the right and followed our road around a few bends. We came across a little path that was nearly overgrown from disuse. We followed it and it opened up into two fields of wildflowers, with trees secluding it from the rest of the world. The same majestic view was there, unobstructed by cute houses with cuter landscaping. All that sat on the empty lots was an old picnic table. We did take care to keep Nala and Layla away from the bluff, as we've discovered they aren't so great at not going over the edge.
Simply taking another path led us on a great adventure. While that adventure might sound like it could only happen in Alaska, it's not. Following the road less taken doesn't require moving halfway around the world or diagonally across the country. All it requires is a little imagination, an adventurous spirit and a willingness to walk down an overgrown trail.
I thought adventure was all about location. It's probably why I chose to move so often. Adventure led me from state to state, only to discover that being 4,000 miles away from what is known doesn't necessarily spell adventure. Adventure is in the people, not the location. I can go on great adventures anywhere as long as I have the spirit of adventure in my heart.
Alaska is beautiful. There are wildflowers and mountains and everything is spread so far out that going to the grocery store is an adventure in itself. But with wildflowers come bees, with mountains come shadows and having to go so far to get a forgotten last-minute ingredient is inconvenient. There will always be a trade off, wherever we live. The best thing is that wherever we end up, the farthest adventure will ever be is our back yard.
Last week we took the dogs for a long walk. We usually go to the left, up the hill to the little neighborhood behind our four-plex. There are 6 houses with adorable landscaping and the most majestic mountain views. But that day we went to the right and followed our road around a few bends. We came across a little path that was nearly overgrown from disuse. We followed it and it opened up into two fields of wildflowers, with trees secluding it from the rest of the world. The same majestic view was there, unobstructed by cute houses with cuter landscaping. All that sat on the empty lots was an old picnic table. We did take care to keep Nala and Layla away from the bluff, as we've discovered they aren't so great at not going over the edge.
Simply taking another path led us on a great adventure. While that adventure might sound like it could only happen in Alaska, it's not. Following the road less taken doesn't require moving halfway around the world or diagonally across the country. All it requires is a little imagination, an adventurous spirit and a willingness to walk down an overgrown trail.
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