After driving across the United States my friend Macsen and I found a piece of heaven. We had made it by driving six hours a day while camping along the way. He was the driver and I was the navigator traveling across terrain from high deserts to camping on the banks of big rivers.
     We arrived in the Appalachian Mountains close to the Tennessee border. His friends natural property stretched for miles. This is the farthest I had been away from home and my family weighed on my mind. There was an old cabin on the property of this sub tropical rainforest that was shambles inside. I was more moral help in making it a nice getaway and enjoyed the serenity I felt from this place.The feeling of completion and the beauty of the mountains was more than I could hope for.
     You see, Macsen and I grew up in a poverty stricken time in Bend Oregon. Times were hard for my friend and me. None the less, we were living in poverty with a view. The local economy failed and many families were impacted including mine. In the eighties we would stand in long lines to get powdered milk and cheese. Macsen also had difficulties fitting into the Central Oregon of those days.
     The trip was a chance to feel young and explore our natural world that brought a sense of peace when we were young. We both spent a lot of time on our own and had street smarts. We knew each others trials and were pretty much cut from the same cloth.
     The trip was not easy because to make a living we both had sacrificed our bodies. With back injuries, in a car, driving and camping for days on end, I felt rather unpleasant. We did get on each others nerve from time to time.
     The rewards were much greater than the pain. We ate wild berries and shitaki mushrooms we picked from the land. There was a black bear in the area and I rather enjoyed the nervousness that idea caused my friend. I have camped a lot and he was new again to it. He had moved to the bay area at a young age and had traveled a lot of the world. Around the campfires he told me stories of his travels. I learned to be a good traveler. You have to be prepared and not worry about the unknown. You have to embrace it!
     I have overcome many obstacles in my life. I am sure there will be more to come. While sitting there in the wilderness I felt a sense of accomplishment. Life is an adventure, in crisis you can find opportunity and in sacrifice liberation appears.