I'm Not Leaving on a Jet Plane

Pilgrimage to Canada | Day Three: Recuperating in Ann Arbor, MI

from the In Oregon series by Daniel Robinson

I have a driving threshold of five hours per day when traveling across state lines. Yesterday, I broke that threshold and drove 9 hours in the almost constant rain, highway mini-floods, and lots and lots of semi-trucks. But I made it to Ann Arbor.

Today I’m resting up at my Yoga-friend Arlene’s house, enjoying the much cooler weather and Pacific-Northwest atmosphere of this particular area.

On my long drive yesterday out of Galesburg, Illinois, after navigating the unexpectedly large city of Peoria, I followed Hwy 24E for the rest of the day. The first leg of it crossed over the iconic U.S. Route 66, which extends from Chicago to Santa Monica, CA. I'm familiar with 24E from my drive back from Virginia a year ago. The routine with the layout of highway to township is drive 55 mph, slow down to 30 mph when driving through a town. This happens every 10 - 15 minutes, which makes for a long day. But I enjoy seeing the landscape - the wildflowers on the side of the roads, the wind turbine fields, and the bucolic beauty of the granaries and windmills alongside the barns. My super-talented painter cousin Daniel Robinson, who paints in an American Regionalism style, has several paintings depicting the American landscape. I hope to own one someday.

Be well, everyone, and I’ll see you on the other side of the border tomorrow.

Blessings & Love,