20,000 miles

"We need only travel
enough to give our
intellects an airing." ~~ Henry David Thoreau

The one bad thing about living in the country is the number of miles it takes to get anywhere. A few years ago, I maybe drove 2,000 miles a year. Living in a city let me bike and walk to work. Now that just isn't possible. I try to be conservative with my miles, the price of gas and wear-and-tear on the vehicle and environment. So it is amazing to me that in less than a year I have put this many miles on my car (though 3500 of them were on a road trip to Indiana to visit my sister and her adorable family). Luckily, I love my RAV4 and have a beautiful, not too congested, commute. This time of year it is particularly stunning. The contrast of the blue sky, white mountains, and green fields. Fields full of hundreds of goslings, dozens of Ibis and Snowy Egrets, and a few Pelican, Herons, and Cranes. We also get the migrating flocks of bluebirds and Oriels to add flitting color. With the surroundings the drive is either a meditative exercise or a chance to converse with my kids and both, to me, justify the time and expense.