Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Conclusion

After 9,700 miles, 21 states and 13 stops, my trip is complete. While I wish I could say I returned from my trip with some profound understanding of my life or a clear direction I want to take, I can't say that I did. However, my journey was certainly an experience that I will carry with me the rest of my life.

At the very least, I would like to think I have come away from this with a few things. The first is that there are some truly great people in the world. During my trip I met some of the most fascinating people who not only had their own stories but also wanted to know mine. In addition, the outpouring of love from family, friends and in some cases complete strangers about my trip really meant a lot and made me realize that perhaps at times I had let my priorities get turned around. Secondly, I realized just how much natural beauty there is in the continental US alone. There were so many times on my trip that I just had to stop and take it all in because the sights were so mesmerizing. Unfortunately, alot of it is changing and in some cases disappearing. Glacier National Park was definitely one of the best stops on my trip but by 2030, they expect that all the glaciers in the park will cease to exist and with that the changes in temperatures which will affect the wildlife and plantlife in the surrounding areas. Finally, I came away from this realizing that all those late nights and stressful days at work really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. When I really look back at it, I can't say I was saving lives or really doing anything which had much of a positive impact on anyone. That isn't to say that I wouldn't have gone down the same path if I had a chance to do it over again but my trip definitely helped to put things in perspective and I know that someday I do want to do something that has more meaning.

Thank you again to everyone for helping to make this possible for me and for all the kind words. It all has really meant a lot. Below is a collection of the video I took while I was on my trip.