Starting the long final push west, from and through Texas to the Pacific Ocean.
It will be approximately 1,350 miles from San Antonio to Los Angeles. I will be going through the Arizona desert, and I expect it will be hot in the daytime and cold at night. I am already at 10,371 miles for the trip, so I expect to be close to 12,000 miles (and starting my tenth week of this trip) by the time I reach the ocean. I know that I will be blinded by the sun if I try to drive West as it is setting so I am planning to stop early at rest stops in the afternoon and then resume for a few more hours after the sun sets. I will have a cooler in my car with some food and drink (for me and Jerry) and a blanket and pillow for when I need to sleep. I have a visit planned in Tucson and then a special old friend I am hoping to visit in Los Angeles.
Truthfully, I am tired. I am anxious to get/be home again and particularly anxious to start the next stage of my life which will include trying to incorporate and articulate the things I have discovered and come to believe during this amazing road trip. BUT I still have a few more miles to go, a few more adventures to experience and a few more old friends to visit.
So off I go. I will leave though with this clip from the movie Forrest Gump that has been on my mind.
Forrest Gump – Run Scene – YouTube
I looked for the scene for the moment when Forrest said “I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll go home now” but what I had forgotten was the more profound statement :
“”My mama always said you gotta put the past behind you before you can move on.”