Questing

Sir Hunchalot and Lady Gimpavere questing their way to the east.

Quests appear in the folklore of many cultures. These adventures require great exertion on the part of the participants, and the overcoming of many obstacles. They teach us important lessons about letting go, mostly of fear, because if you can overcome fear you can overcome anything.

From Gilgamesh to Lord of The Rings, stories of epic quests have relieved our minds of the trivialities of everyday life and led us into a land of adventures, tests, and magic.

When we started this crazy 6000 kilometre cross-country one way trip we were looking for a quest. We found one, and we even named it - "Sir Hunchalot and Lady Gimpavere Go On A Quest". The name reflects the fact that Linda is in a wheelchair, and I am still disabled by my herniated disk. 

Yes, two crippled questers are the heroes of this story, and it has been a continental crossing of epic proportions befitting a proper adventure. There has been fear (driving is a very dangerous activity), but there has also been rewards.

Over almost two weeks of travel we have spent every night in our van, often in beautiful locations. Because it is set up for total accessibility, the van is more suitable for our needs than most motels, or homes, or businesses. Good thing we are 100% self-sufficient because it is currently saving our butts, not to mention a ton of cash. Every night has been free so far.

The distances we need to traverse are measured in the thousands of kilometres, seemingly insurmountable. Our van has carried us through record flooding on the plains and severe thunderstorms in central Canada. It was almost hit by lightning in the northern Ontario bush. Day after day after day of eight hour, six hundred kilometre passages.

And we drive on toward our goal.

Thankfully our mobile tiny home has been performing flawlessly. It doesn't matter if we are passing over cambered, soft gravel construction zones that want to pull you into the ditch (where you would surely be eaten by monsters, or at least massive mosquitoes), or blasting along Highway 20 east through the city of Montreal, the blue bus has proved itself to be quest-worthy. 

Now we near the end of our voyage, a trip we have done together twice before. The last time we quested this way in 2001, we were younger, and Linda was still walking. This time we are still smiling, but we are road-weary.

These fearless handicapped heroes are ready for a rest. Then we are off to new horizons once again.

"What I think is that a good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare? 

And then if you do dare, the dangers are there, and the help also, and the fulfillment or the fiasco. There's always the possibility of a fiasco. But there's also the possibility of bliss."

- Joseph Campbell