Category: Life and Living

The First “Next Thing”

Posted on by Pete Schloss

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I have written of our practice of always having a “Next Thing” to engage the imagination. I have also written about our preparations for the end of life “Last Thing”. It occurred to me today that I have never mentioned the First “Next Thing”.

Actually, there are two of these. The first one never came to fruition, but it confirms to me that the notion of a “next thing” has been hard-wired within me since I was very young. One Summer, as a child of 9 or 10, I stood at the headwaters of the Mississippi River gazing downstream to a point where the waters disappeared around a bend. It was a river in name only, since at its source it was little more than a large stream. Where I stood was a sign that declared that the river progressed onward south to the Gulf of Mexico, a journey of over 2,500 miles. The notion of traveling its length to the sea in a rowboat captivated me. During the school year that followed, my imagination would not let go. My mind wandered from classwork to the lure of the Mississippi. I wrote estimates of the time it would take to travel, and the supplies that I would need, all in the margins of my school text books. I envisioned using my dad’s 1946 Elgin outboard motor for power. I still have that motor, and I believe that it still works. Without regret, I do not believe that it or I will ever make that Mississippi journey dreamed of by my 9-year-old self. It was my first major foray into planning a “next thing”. It would not be my last.

Fast forward to the Fall of 1971. I was a sophomore at Southern Illinois University. A coed in my African History class told me of a 9 semester-hour study abroad program planned for the following Summer. After class we went to the History Department offices to get more information. 2 months traveling to England, France, Italy, Greece, Crete, the Aegean, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. 22 students and 2 faculty members would study Ancient History where it occurred. Travel would include a week on a cruise ship and travel from Budapest to Paris on the Orient Express. The price was $1,250.00, a huge sum in 1971… more than I had paid the prior year for my new Kawasaki Mach III motorcycle. My imagination went from a smoldering ember to a conflagration in minutes.

It never occurred to me that the trip would be out of my reach. Without knowing it I had already decided that the experience I imagined was more valuable than a motorcycle capable of accelerating 0-60 mph in 3 seconds, topping out at over 130 mph.  Within the day I was on the phone to my parents and explained that prudent saving and the sale of my motorcycle would fund the trip. I don’t know if my parents took me seriously. But they didn’t hinder my self-initiated plans and preparation.

Someday I may share the details of that “epic” Journey, however here are some of the thumbnail events:

  • The coed and I both went on the trip, starting as a couple but not ending that way.
  • I found other love on the island of Crete.
  • In Naples I was kidnaped by Indian sailors and held aboard a 600-foot grain freighter until rescued by machine gun wielding military police. (This one really needs some explanation in another post)
  • I made the acquaintance of a pretty Polish girl who was traveling as the interpreter for a Japanese film crew. Our fast friendship resulted in the film crew following us for a week making a documentary on American student travels in Europe. The program aired in Japan. Regrettably, I never saw anything more than some still images. One of the professors related that he had seen the film and it largely featured all of us smoking cigarettes, drinking, and carousing… a “reality show” before its time. The conclusion reportedly was me embracing the Polish girl and then leaping on a departing ferry in Naples harbor as we all waved goodbye to her and the film crew.

 It was an astounding Summer that fed my soul for years to come. It even contributed to my marriage to Christine who I was not to meet for another 2 years. On the night that we first met we sat beneath the limbs of a large oak tree. I spun my tale of adventure in Europe, sensing that her imagination was just as flammable as mine. Years later she confessed that from that beginning she found me “fascinating and intriguing”. We have since gone on to plan many “Next Things” the greatest of these being… marriage, a family, and life growing old together.

I could have kept that motorcycle and passed on the 1972 journey, but then I wouldn’t have anything to write about, would I?

Peace Everyone! Pete

PS: Our next “Next Thing” will begin to unfold for us in less than 2 weeks!

Packing for 90 Days

Posted on by Pete Schloss

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Packing for most “trips” is not something one stresses over, however packing for a 90 day “journey” is another matter entirely. With the exception of a large suitcase that will accompany us only during the cruise, everything that we will take with us must fit in moderately sized backpacks for each of us. The goal is to keep the weight below 20 pounds each.

Christine has proven in the past to be better at this than I am. On our 2013 Spain trip of 54 days (which included 35 days walking the Camino) her pack weighed in at 16 pounds, while mine started out at 24 pounds. After a few days on the trail I segregated a bunch of “just in case” stuff and shipped it out, reducing my pack to 18 pounds. 6 pounds may not sound like a lot, but it was a world of difference when one is afoot and covering 12-15 miles a day.

I once mused on the cumulative effect of carrying an extra ounce over 525 miles. That distance represents approximately one million footsteps. Each step that transports that extra ounce adds up to an extra 62,500 POUNDS over the length of that journey! Ounces do matter!!!

There are some principles that are helpful to keep in mind:

  1. Pack for the expected, not the “just in case”.
  2. Europe is not part of the “third world”. The countries in Europe have the equivalents of Walmart, Target, Dick’s Sporting, Walgreens, and CVS everywhere.
  3. Take less than you think that you will need. I (half) kiddingly have said that one can stretch the use of underwear to 4 days by wearing a pair on day one, reversed on day two, inside-out on day three and again reversed on day four.
  4. Make sure it can all fit in your pack, even though you will be wearing approximately one-third of it.

Here is a short summary of what we have found to be a reasonable packing list:

  • 4 pair of socks, 2 of medium weight and 2 of light weight.
  • Hiking shoes and a pair of light trainers.
  • 2 long pants and 1 pair of shorts, and a light swimsuit.
  • 3 changes of underwear, 2 tee-shirts.
  • A lightweight sleeved shirt.
  • A light sweater.
  • A breathable water-proof windbreaker.
  • An ultralight parka that is designed to cover both you and your pack.
  • An ultralight compressible down blanket.
  • A simple first aid kit for minor cuts and major blisters.
  • A toiletry kit with a very minimalist supply of toothpaste and shampoo. (Remember, Europe is NOT THIRD WORLD)
  • A ½ liter refillable water bottle. (Large capacity and water purification are not necessary… again, NOT THIRD WORLD!)
  • A small kit with charging cords and electric plug converter. Smart phones and most other electronics work fine on Europe’s 240-volt power, but a plug converter is necessary to make US “prongs” connect with Euro outlets.
  • Trekking poles. These have proven to be a necessity. They enhance stability afoot and transfer approximately 10% of the effort of walking to the arms and chest. Christine and I each attribute their use to saving us from some serious stumbles.

In addition to the above, I will take my iPhone, iPad, and “real” camera. Carrying these things in not necessary to my journey, but they are necessary for taking YOU on our journey!

We also each carry copies of any travel documents, including copies of both of our passports and driver’s licenses.

On the Camino it is customary to say “Buen Camino” (Good Journey) when one greets or says goodbye to another Pilgrim. So I will end with that and a bit more:

Peace Everyone, and Buen Camino! Pete

The Sagrada Familia Basilica

Posted on by Pete Schloss

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The Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) is a monumental church begun in 1882 but not to be completed within the lifetime of its master architect, Antoni Gaudi who quipped, “My Client is not in a hurry!”. Throughout its history it has attracted awe, criticism, and in recent years people… throngs of people. It is now one of the top 3 most visited sites in Europe. Reservations are needed to visit this privately funded marvel and still the line for visitors can extend the circle of a city block.

Gaudi’s genius becomes immediately apparent as one tries to comprehend the mind that conceived of this otherworldly creation. Gaudi drew inspiration from nature. Thus, his preferred building elements were curves, ellipses, and ovals.

He shunned the common design features of straight lines, squares and rectangles. In Gaudi’s day the computer tools to design with his favored elements did not exist, so he improvised. Tying hundreds of strings from a ceiling and joining them with small bags of sand he found that gravity drew the strings into natural parabolic curves. Using mirrors on the floor he was able to draw from the reflected images into his designs.

The church, now declared a Basilica, will feature 18 different spires. The central spire, representing Christ, will be 560 feet tall at completion. Entry into the Basilica is breathtaking. Instead of straight columns supporting a ceiling, the supports mimic trees ascending to a distant forest canopy. Stonework is kaleidoscopic in both color and presentation.

The exterior features 3 principle facades. At our visit in 2013 the Nativity and Passion facades, at opposite sides of the church, were starkly different. The stonework on the Nativity side is organic and “flows” with the lifelike Biblical images.

In contrast, the Passion facade is stark, angular, and almost painful to behold.

This art, inside and out, immediately connects with one’s emotions. Visiting the Sagrada is the most moving architectural experience in my life. 

The Sagrada Familia will become the tallest religious building in the world in 2026. It may be completed by 2030, 158 years after it was begun. We secured our reservations to visit weeks in advance and eagerly look forward to seeing the progress that was made in the last 5 years. Below you will find links to a time-lapse presentation about the Basilic and also a video that extrapolates to show what construction will occur to bring Antoni Gaudi’s dream to completion. Enjoy!

Peace Everyone! Pete

Time Lapse Video

When Completed Video

Mea Culpa to a Good Friend

Posted on by Pete Schloss

In the years after our children had grown to adults, but before they were parents, I held the belief that we had accomplished everything that was really important. It was my way of finding reconciliation with the impermanence of life.

We had given our children the tools to engage life: a good work ethic, a strong moral code, higher education, and health within the limits of our ability and their good fortune. It seemed to me that this was everything that was truly important and anything more that life allowed was “icing on the cake”.

I declared this at dinner one evening. At table were good friends, one a youthful grandmother. She took exception to my words. Imprudently, I persisted and her responding objections grew more vociferous. Finally, our respective spouses interceded to redirect our dinner conversation to the peace of calmer waters.

In the years since, we have had the good fortune to become grandparents. I have watched Christine grow into her role as a grandmother and I have witnessed the dimension that she has added to the experience of childhood for the “little people”. It is clear to me now that important work remained for us in life as grandparents to these children. I can scarcely imagine life for us without them, or life for them without Christine.

Although it has been more than 10 years since that dinner conversation, it often returns to my thoughts when I see the exchange of unconditional love and respect between Christine and the grandchildren. I am also beneficiary of the children’s affection, but there is an intangible depth to the relationship that they share with their grandmother.

You were right Jane… Mea Culpa.

Peace Everyone. Pete

Trip, Vacation, Journey, or More?

Posted on by Pete Schloss

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Approaching our next departure, we have begun considering what it is. People with whom we have spoken have usually referred to our previous outings as “Trips”, “Vacations”, and “Journeys”. Often the word “adventure” is thrown in as well.
Driving back from New Mexico we took time to discuss and deconstruct those descriptions. We concluded the following:

• A Trip is any travel that takes one from point “A” to point “B” without regard to distance or purpose. It is the barest transport of a body from here to there. Purpose is irrelevant as is the quality of the experience.

• A Vacation is a departure from the routine of one’s life. It may or may not involve travel, such as a “staycation”. It evinces an intention to temporarily detour from one’s duties without shirking one’s responsibilities.

• A Journey conjures up the image of travel that is of an extended duration. “Journey” has the character of uniqueness relative to one’s prior experiences. It is self-directed, assumed as a personal responsibility, and not left into the hands of another. “Journey” can result in a redirection of one’s life and perhaps the lives of others.

Our travels these last 3 years have rarely just been trips. Going to the grocery store is a trip. Traveling to visit my mother in Illinois is a trip. But once our trailer is in tow it becomes something more than a trip. I look in the rearview mirror and see only the white fiberglass of “Rigel”, the SUV accelerates with a grudging reluctance, but my spirits soar… Not a Trip.

In the last 3 years we have covered over 60,000 miles with our trailer, “Rigel”. We have camped in 49 States, 8 Canadian Provinces, and the Yukon Territory. This has been our reality and not a departure from the routine of our life… Not a Vacation.

In 3 weeks we depart for our next outing. This one extends for 3 months, crosses the Atlantic Ocean by ship, sees us visiting up to 23 nations and territories, and includes approximately 350 miles of travel by foot. Very little has been planned in advance as many of our decisions about destinations will be made on a day-by-day basis. Everything that we need will be carried on our backs with Christine’s pack weighing about 16 pounds and mine about 18 pounds. Extended? You bet! Unique? Check! Self-directed? To be sure! Is there a potential to redirect the course of our lives and to impact the lives of others? Hopefully! So, it must be a “Journey”?  Yes, but there is more.

In 2013 we walked the 525 miles of the French route of the Camino de Santiago to Santiago Spain. From Medieval times this has been one of the 3 great pilgrimages in Christendom. For me the Camino began as an item to be checked off of my “bucket list”. I was oblivious to the notion of “Pilgrimage”. However, ignorance of gravity does not prevent one from “falling” to its effects. After a few days walking I became captive to the spiritual qualities of the Camino. I now understand that “Pilgrimage” is an intentional journey to a spiritual place during which the pilgrim is open to being changed within. “Life changing” is an overused and underappreciated term. However, it accurately describes our experience in 2013. Among the eyes reading this are those of many who live around the world and who became our lifetime friends when we met walking the road to Santiago.

Our upcoming Journey includes the aspect of Pilgrimage. We are again walking to Santiago but this time we begin the walk in Porto, Portugal. It is difficult to avoid developing expectations for 2018 from our experiences in 2013. Expectations are the garden from which disappointments are harvested, and that may be the single greatest challenge for me on this coming Journey/Pilgrimage.

Peace Everyone! Pete