It’s Day Two of a two month road trip for me.
I’m writing my column from my brother and sister-in-law’s house in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Somehow, no matter how hard I try, I always end up with an impossibly long list of things left to do the day before I leave on any major journey. And this trip is no exception. So here I sit, stopping to reflect on the next few months of my time on the road. Tomorrow, I hit the highway with my sled dog, Borage, my terrier, Jigs, and my mom, who flew to Denver to make the first two weeks of my road trip with me. Ready or not... Texas, here we come.
For the last 5 years, I’ve gone back east in the spring to do talks about Iditarod and dog mushing in the schools. I always enjoy talking to children about dog mushing because they have such pure hearts for adventure. As we grow older, something in many of us makes us pull back, shy away from crazy dreams, want to be safe. And like many, I know those feelings well. It’s something we wrestle with in our daily lives. I’m a dreamer. And l’m usually a doer. But some dreams are just too crazy... or are they? I guess that’s why I like talking with kids. They understand wild, risky, creative dreams. Real life hasn’t squashed their imagination for adventure, big plans, or high hopes. They are inspiring.
When I first began my talks, I usually spent a week or two in my home state of Indiana speaking at local schools. It’s amazing how effective word of mouth can be; every year my number of talks grows and grows. And every year, I work harder and harder to make connections in other states. This year, one e-mail to a librarian in southern Texas turned into sixteen talks for me. I am beginning my trip with two weeks in Texas, starting in Wichita Falls and ending up down near Corpus Christi. I look forward to talking about an unusual winter sport with many children who have never even seen snow before.
My mom joined me for my trip to Texas to act as the “nanny” for Jigs, my high-maintenance German Hunting Terrier. Actually, Jigs is a great car dog, but with the estimated temperatures in southern Texas being in the high-90’s, I wanted some extra help to keep both dogs cool and comfortable. I’ve never traveled with dogs in that kind of stifling heat. But beyond the convenience of having a helping hand, I am most excited about spending two weeks with my mom. I can’t even think of the last time we had that much time together.
By May 6th, my mom and dogs and I will end up in Indianapolis. I’ll be working out of my parents’ home on the northside of Indy for a month doing talks in Indiana, Illinois (Chicago), and Michigan. Then I’ll be hitting the road with my two dogs for several weeks of talks in libraries all over the state of Ohio. The national summer book reading theme in many libraries across the country is “Paws, Claws, Tails, and Scales” - obviously, dog sports work well with this theme. My last two weeks on the road, Borage, Jigs, and I will be in South Dakota and Wyoming. Then we finally head home to Montana in late June.
I’ll be writing my next several columns from the road - somewhere. I’ve learned that on any trip, you can always be guaranteed of at least a few good adventures and stories. There’s nothing like getting behind the wheel with endless pavement in front of you to open your mind up wide and new. In my next column, I’ll let you know where this “dog and pony show” ends up. So far, I know it will be to some place hot; I keep telling Borage, my Alaskan Husky, to start shedding his winter coat NOW. But, so far, he still thinks we’re headed to Alaska.
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