What a slow and relaxed drive home. George and I are both retired and we had no agenda. We slowly drove from one state to another looking for Utopia. We started in Durango at the end of the trail and made our way to Utah’s Park City. Park City is known for the 2002 Salt Lake City’s Winter Olympics. There are bobsled and luge courses, ski jumps and ski race courses that are still reminisces of the games. But it wasn’t the city I could find myself living in. We traveled north to Idaho and visited our most favorite people. The Millers are in Nampa, a nice superb of Boise. It’s surrounded by farmlands and has many golf courses that would keep George happy. Then we headed to Northrop which is minutes from Coeur D’Alene. Another beautiful forested area with large pastures filled with livestock, horses, mules and donkeys. My dear friend Muriel left California for Idaho a couple of years ago and says she will never return. She has made herself a new life filled with love and passion for her mules and new friends. Life is what we bring to it, our beliefs, our God, our attitude and the community we belong to! George and I traveled west over the cascades and to the coastline. We loved the area just east of the cascades called Cle Elum. It is at the base of the Cascade Mountains, near Mount Rainier and has many lakes and rivers. It is remote but close to Seattle, which can be a double-edge sword, yet far enough to feel like you are out of the city. It has most the modern conveniences yet has the feeling that you are in a remote mountain area. Both George and I agreed that this could be a great option for a new beginning. We continued west and spent the last few days on the coast, Astoria, Newport, Golds Beach and Brookings, Coos Bay and Fort Bragg. The Oregon Coastline is breathtaking with long sandy beaches and foamy waves crashing on the shores. We both loved this area of Oregon with less traffic, clean beaches and the lack of crowds. It’s a bit far away from everyone we know and once again, we were scratching our head as to where is Utopia?We walked the beaches, loved the minus tides with all the marine life, tide pools and sea urchins that were exposed. We met others with their clam digging boots on, obviously more prepared than we were. But what a lovely place to visit. Still not sure if I could live at the beach as there are no true mountains and the four-seasons are non-existent! George drove over 4000 miles in a bit over two weeks. That’s a lot of towns, cities and states to drive through. We finally arrived home a couple of days ago and all I wanted to do was to take a long, long bath and collapse in my bed. After all those miles, and all the weeks on the trail, honestly the only place I want to be is home! Home is my utopia. It is where I feel grounded, where my God follows me, and where I am truly at peace. My home is in a small unincorporated area near a lake, where the four seasons are only a short drive away, where hiking trails are outside my front door and where God is always one prayer away!

My faithful dog Zoey accompanied me on my first hike to the lake. She was thrilled to walk to Folsom Lake with me, never turns me down and has the excitement of, well, a dog! She is the best partner ever for hiking. She will accompany me anytime of the day or night, and never ever turned me down. She is much like our God, always ready to talk, to listen, and to accompany me through all of life’s ups and downs! So where is your utopia? I hope it is right where you are.

You keep me in perfect peace as I trust in you.

Isaiah 26:3