If it’s not too late

/ roughwighting

driving cross countryI’ll drive cross country by myself in a comfy car

and stop every day at some spot of Americana:

the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite, of course.

If it’s not too late.

 

My palms will be read in Sedona.palm reading

Luck Love Loneliness (she’ll whisper in my soft pink ears).

Once in Nashville I’ll wear my leather boots

cowboy boots, Texas(well, I’ll buy them, first, in Dallas, Texas).

If it’s not too late.

 

hot chocolate, cafeI’ll search for the best diners in the US of A

Taste-testing the mac and cheese,

slurping on foamy hot chocolate

while watching a movie every night.

If it’s not too late.

 

Beatles songs I’ll sing loudly as I driveCalistoga, Napa

through the rolling hills of Nebraska and Napa.

My memories will carouse and caress my soul

as I cry and laugh out loud, to no one about everything.

If it’s not too late.

 

Kauai, Hawaii, travelingI’ll talk to my dead dad and whisper to my grown-up kids,

driving just five hours a day,

wondering where the time went as hills and valleys

lakes and oceans pass by.

If it’s not too late.

 

First 3 photos thanks to Google Images – the rest are mine, from cups to Calistoga and Kauai.

 

 

 

64 thoughts on “If it’s not too late”

  7. Never too late, Pam. Go for it! This is a great reminder to live each day to the fullest. BTW – my friend and I talk about driving the country to find the best diners in America. I’ll let you know if we ever hit the road. 🙂

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  8. Go for it! There’s so much to see and do, crossing the US. We’ve done it twice – both times high adventure. Will be doing it again, not alone, when we move my daughter and her husband back east from LA. Don’t forget Maine!

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    • I’ve driven cross country three times so far- and have never tired of seeing this magnificent country from end to end. Hope to do it again. Maine first..! 😉 Enjoy your next fun trip from coast to coast.

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  9. Wow, you packed a punch in this one, Pam. Life gets its tentacles around us and it’s so darned hard to let go and do these things we always thought we’d do. And yet, there’s something also powerful about being grateful for exactly where we are right now and believing it’s exactly where we’re supposed to be. Somewhere in between, I’m sure, is the right answer for each of us.

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    • You are so right- it’s a tricky balance-between the experience of seeking new adventures outside your comfort zone and the experience of finding the adventures and coziness right at home.

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  13. We are on the same wavelength this week, Pamela 🙂 This is beautiful poem and story, wrapped into one, about taking chances and embracing opportunities – to live while we are alive. Very well done, thanks for sharing!

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  15. I’ve been home less than a week, after driving every day…by myself…for five and a half days. I made only one fun stop, the rest were stops for gas or sleep. But I’ve gone back and forth a number of times and this time was just right, if a bit grueling. This time was hauling my stuff in a rental truck to my new home in my old home. Long story, long trip, and not at all too late.

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    • I can’t wait to read about your new home in your old home. Whichever, welcome home! I think it’s so neat that you just did another long trip because, well, it’s never too late!

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  16. You spoke to my soul, Pamela. If it’s not too late, indeed. I love to travel but it gets harder when illness jumps on and rides with us. I will have to pass this post on to my friends.

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  19. Oh, I love this!
    “If it’s not too late…” Time flies, and for me, some thing have become too late. Don’t let it happen to you.
    Kathy

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  20. My 13 year great granddaughter and I took a trip a few weeks ago. If you want to feel young again, agree on some music, turn up the volume and rock across the country. Well Minnesota to Wisconsin anyway. Making memories before it’s too late!

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    • What an exceptional experience! May I be so lucky – right now I’m going to put the bug in my 7-year-old granddaughter’s ear that we should do this in a few years! Thanks for sharing this!

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  21. I am writing about our retirement holidays, so much to see right here in these great United States. we also spent a month in Greece, three weeks in New Zealand where I paraglided over Queenstown, spent our fiftieth anniversary on the Tazman Sea. This October it is Florida, here we come again, and 2016 is a planned European River cruise. no, it is not too late!

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  22. Lovely, Pamela! Unfortunately, for many, the ‘if it’s not too late’ is tied up with ‘if I can afford it.’ But the sentiment is absolutely spot on. Now that I’m gonna turn 58, I’m having a lot of these thoughts.

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    • The good news – gas prices are DOWN – so this may be a good time to realize it’s not too late. Another great thing as we get a bit, ahem, older? We have friends all over the country, and someplace to land for a night or two – I have a guest room all ready for you.

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  23. Pamela, will you please send me the list of best diners in the US of A? I’m ready to start small. I’ve wanted to find the best diner in the Bay Area. Let me know the name of that place if you can. I’ll make the trek.

    Get on a flat highway and turn up Side B of Abbey Road.

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    • Have you tried Al’s Place at 26th and Valencia in SF? I’m red-faced to admit I still enjoy the Fog City Diner too. :-0 I had the best best best cinnamon sticky buns in a tiny diner off a dirt road in Kansas, but can’t remember the name to recommend it. Cheers! Polythene Pam

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  24. It’s only too late when you’re dead or in the hospital! I drove across the country and it was quite an experience. Everyone should do it at least once. You really get a sense for how diverse this grand country really is.

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    • That’s exactly how I feel when I drive cross country, and why I’d like to do it very five years or so. Many diverse ‘countries’ within our one big beautiful USofA. And the scenery! From the flats of Kansas to those undulating rolling brown hills (with the huge windmills) in Nebraska, and then the mountains through the Sierras. Immensely breathtaking – our country.

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  26. Loved this! I was right there with you singing those Beatle songs and wearing those boots as I filled up my soul with wonderful moments.

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  28. This applies to so much in life in addition to travel! Spending time with loved ones, learning to do something we always dreamed about…. There’s no better time to start than now!

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    • You are one who inspires me with travel! How about a road rip to Italy? Through Switzerland? From England to Scotland? I’ve actually done those, but it’s never enough, is it? To more road trips in our future, because it’s NEVER too late.

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