Hello friends, we made it to Belfast. Our first stop on the way to England. I just had to take a picture of this pub, it looks so stereotypically Irish. We are heading out exploring this morning, planning to learn lots more about the history of this town and, in particular, the Irish “Troubles.”

One of my favorite parts of travel is the planning. I really get into it. For this particular trip I have a 13 page itinerary spelling out what we will do and when we will do it. I research and include all the details. I enjoy the planning. But another reason I do the planning is that it just makes me more comfortable. I can sometimes get anxious if I don’t know where I am going to stay and what we are going to do.

But this trip is different. The whole purpose of this trip is adventure. Oh sure, we have our inn reservations for each night. But all kinds of things can happen during our walking. Weather can change significantly and impact our speed and certainly our comfort. We will see vistas we have not expected, and meet people that may be different than us. We can (we will) make wrong turns and get lost sometimes. We will see different wildlife (sheep) than we see hiking in Washington. We will get blisters, or sore knees, or just be really tired and grumpy some days. There will also be days when we rejoice at our accomplishment and experience great satisfaction. This is all part of the adventure.

The day we left, I reflected on this in my journal. Things will happen on this trip that we don’t expect, didn’t plan for, maybe things that are not ideal. But my mantra for  this trip is, “This is an adventure.” Roll with it, Coe. Figure it out. Enjoy it. If necessary, even tough it out. Because “This is an adventure,” and on adventures things happen that you can’t plan for.

Okay, I may say that over and over to myself on some days. This is an adventure. Stay tuned for “Adventure Reports.”

God bless,
Coe