The Lake

As I look over, I can see her hand tightly gripping the door handle. She literally has a white-knuckle grip on the door.  We just slid about a foot to the left as we try to make our way up the steep trail . A trail that was a gravel road and is now covered with snow and the snow is getting deeper as we drive on. I can see her body is very tense and she is not liking life right now.  

Don’t worry as soon as I can find a spot I’ll turn around. As I look over there is both relief and an immediate easing of the tension that she was feeling. Like the flip of a light switch my announcement that the journey was over was welcomed!

Let’s go back 6 hours to earlier in the day.  As we drink coffee and I watch the local news another day of stress is starting to build , another day in a long string of days that seem to be building more intense as each day ticks by “ Open our state your killing it !”     “Stay at home, Stop being selfish!”      “How can you be so careless as to want more people to die “  “ How can you not see businesses and families are going to be ruined “

Each side is right! Each side is  wrong ! There is no easy answer and it is getting uglier every day!

We need to get away for the day!  No news! No Facebook!  No arguing with some and defending with others! Just me and you alone with Sirius Radio (which has no local news!)  

Let’s head north and see if we can get to the lake! I said.  When I say "the lake" I don’t even need to say the name, she knows what I am talking about,  it’s my favorite place on earth and I haven’t seen it since May of last year!

Great idea lisa said with a smile!

We loaded her new Jeep and off we went. 

I forgot my Phone! she announced a short ways up our road! Great!! I said with clear annoyance in my voice. I swung into a driveway and headed back. We both were stressed and working hard not to lash out at the other.

Finally, we were on our way. The more we drove the more relaxed we became. By our first coffee stop in Norridgewock I could feel the stress beginning to wane. An hour later we hit Dover Foxcroft and I was reaching a level of calm I have not felt in weeks.  By the town of Milo, I am feeling great as I am nearing the final leg in our journey.

We had been on the road almost 3 hours when we turned off the pavement and onto the gravel road.  WOW the road looks great! I can’t believe how dry it is and NO snow!! 

To be successful we must make it 21 miles down the dirt road. Hope grows as I think maybe, just maybe we can make it all the way there today, but first 21 miles of dirt logging roads with any number of obstacles that may halt our journey must be navigated.

I cannot explain what this area means to me. I am not sure I completely understand it myself.  I have been coming here since I was a young. I may have been 10 or 12 years old when I made my first trip. I don’t really recall the exact year, but I have loved this place ever since.

Its deep in the middle of what most folks would call “nowhere”! 

No one lives there and many of my trips to the area are void of another person for the entire stay. 

I can’t explain the calm and peace I feel while I am there. The world disappears and the stress of life fades away like the setting sun. 

 I truly feel that I am "who I am meant to be", while I am within the boundaries of this area. It has called me back for over 40 years and I don’t see how that will ever end until I can no longer make the trip.

At about 10 miles in the snow starts to make its appearance along the sides of the road. We are going deeper into the woods and higher in elevation.   By the time we hit mile 15 the road is about 75% covered with snow and what isn’t snow is mud.

By mile 18, only three miles from my destination, I am driving the jeep (Lisa’s brand new Jeep Renegade with less than 1000 miles) up a road that, in reality, is still a snowmobile trail as it is completely covered with snow. Snow that is getting thicker with every mile. We have gone through mud holes, washouts and deep ruts to get to this point.

Fast forward to the beginning of this story and turn around we did.  

 I could not make it to the lake, but we got close!  Close enough to ease the stress and tensions of the past month and all the world has thrust upon us. 

Close enough to remind me of who I am and what truly is important.   There is so much in the world I cannot control. So much I have no impact on nor can I change the outcome. 

What I can do is plan my next attempt to get there! 

My next trip I will make it!  I am sure of it!  

THAT I can have an impact on! That I can focus on and put effort into.   And that is exactly what I plan to do.

I will get there soon!