Blake Rowe Music

The way the story goes, and I've told it lots of times, is that I was sitting in my chair in the living room, having my coffee and thinking, and Eva came downstairs. It was a few months after Sharon had died, and she hadn't yet returned to New Zealand. I said, “Eva, I think I have my two year plan." She said, “OK, let's hear it." I said, “The first year, I'm just going to cope. Lean on my friends. Not change anything. But the second year, I'm going to go on an epic road trip."

I needed something I could be…

I passed through Browning on the way to GNP, home of the Blackfeet Nation. Once inside the park, at the Visitors Center I read about the Treaty of 1895, where the Blackfeet sold mining rights to the federal government within their homeland, after a starvation winter of 1893. They were told they could continue to live, hunt, fish as they always had, as long as the land remained public. After the park was established in 1910, it was designated no longer public land, so all their access was denied. I was…

As promised, a post on the three day trip through the Missouri Breaks National Monument. 

I arrived early to Fort Benton and was able to offload the mattress platform on a local lumberyard and do laundry. I checked in to the Grand Union Hotel. It had been built at the very end of the steamboat era when Fort Benton was the “undisputed commercial hub” of the area. Steamboats ran on wood on the Missouri, burning 25 cords a day. There were loggers along the river called wood hawks who chopped down trees and sold…

Van updates complete; push bar, spare tire, new bike rack and a new cabin heater. Ready for Alaska! I'll do a dry run changing a tire; I can do hard things…

It felt strange to travel the same road I did last August through the Tetons and Yellowstone. I feel different now. Back then this journey was still new, having left my house, friends and everything familiar to embark on this Road to Joy. The first time through I was headed to Seattle; this time it's Montana and points north. Both times I wasn't able to…

The day arrived for Beth and I to part ways, her to the east and me (soon) to the north. We really got to know each other, sharing deep conversations by the campfire, soaking in the warm pond and successfully cooking and baking together in a very tight space. Now I have a new friend, and once again travel alone. Beth collects friends like priceless jewels and maintains regular contact, whereas I tend not to reach out so much. I'd like to be better. If I haven't reached out to you, feel free to reach out to…

I dropped Kenny at the airport, thrilled to have had my first travel companion for a week. We had great conversations, shared meals and beautiful vistas. 
Now I was in SLC, and had coordinated a rendezvous with Beth, a friend I made at the Escapees RV gathering in Lake Havasu. We had been in touch here and there, and we realized she was heading east while I was heading north, so let’s hang out! I’m only beginning to be part of the ever-changing fluidity of the nomad “community”; keeping track of people I…

I knew the road from Ouray to Durango was a beautiful, curvy scenic drive which I didn't want to miss, as I had done it once before with my kids, but I knew nothing of the storied history of the “Million Dollar Highway”. I picked up bits and pieces from historical markers, but finally found this PBS documentary that really added context to the drive. Only in retrospect can I imagine the hundreds of workers exploding the mountainside, the economic boom and bust of silver mining, the expulsions of the Utes…

If you have followed this blog, you know that a big part of the journey is about connecting with people; old friends, friends of friends, and people I meet along the way. Recent days have been about connecting with friends of friends. So the distance is three hours away, who cares? I visited friends of friends Karen and Craig, and Lauren and her friend Kim. Suffice it to say many stories were shared, new connections were made, and I'm reminded how wonderful people are in general. We shared stories of family…

Bandelier cliff dwellings. Roswell. Los Alamos. Georgia O'Keefe. Santa Fe. Taos. Every day brings new impressions, history lessons, museums, scenic vistas and always more miles. Also every day I'm learning new things, I'm very interested, and then retain maybe 2%. It's all grist for the mill.

I had a sad, nostalgic first night in Santa Fe. I was remembering our young family; Julian was two and Sharon was just pregnant with Eva. We had planned to go skiing in Switzerland, but I insisted on a safer vacation…

It seems it's always a 30 hour trip to New Zealand or back, no matter from where you leave or return. I stayed with niece Care and her husband Greg for a few days in Denver, then flew to El Paso, then took Amtrak to Deming. I'm very proud of Care and Greg as they build their lives together. I'll skip the details of Denver and getting to Deming. But one thing to mention, which I sort of already knew, was that the only way to get to the hotel from the train station was to walk four miles. The sidewalk was…