Why Wander

Even though I have spent all but one year of my life in Idaho, I have always felt the urge to wander off. I'm not sure why. Even as a youngster, when our family would go on our summer camping trip I would have to wander off to explore my surroundings. Excitment can lie in the tiniest details.

Being my father's only daughter, my wandering tendencies have caused him more than just a little anxiety, I'm sure. As a teenager, after I was awarded my drivers license, I would take the car out for long drives whenever I could. I became well acquainted with the backroads of Eastern Idaho. I think I'm a wandering addict.

I blame this urge to wander on my ancestors. I mean, they did leave their homeland to wander half-way across the world to find peace and happiness. More recently, though, my grandma helped planted the wandering seed in me at an early age. Every summer, I would spend at least a week with my mother's mother, and she would take me and my brothers on long drives around the countryside. She told story after story of her life. It never got old for me. I loved it!

In college, once in a while my parents would lend me the family van to get around. I wandered off to quite a few new places including the Mud Lake snow goose migration route. Unfortunately, the snow goose migration was in the spring. In Rexburg, that means there are still snow drifts melting and muddy roads. The "family" van that is NOT four-wheel drive doesn't handle mud very well. Geese are migrating, I'm driving, mud is flying, one thing leads to another, and it takes a tractor to pull me out...

Now that I have moved away from home, I once again felt the desire to explore my new surroundings. My most memorable wandering was a four day road trip......alone..........witout telling anyone. Yes, I panicked my family to say the least, but MAN! I had a good time! My only regret was that no one was there to share in all the beautiful things I saw.

Now that I'm older and a teensy bit wiser, I only take short day trips around the area. I find myself turning more to books and my imagination to wander away. It's much safer, and people worry less about me. I am finding new and exciting places to wander off to, and I hope you will indulge me to share some of the treasures I find.