Quote: As a kid, walking out the back door and into the woods with my canteen and BB gun was my idea of a great day. I preferred being by myself (or with my dog).
On one of my travels, I found a really cool area on the river and kept going back every chance I got. One day I stumbled upon a house and garden. As I was backing away, I heard somebody say Hello (scared the crap out of me). The old guy told me he lived there. I was a bit shaken up and left. I stayed away from that area, but every once in a while I'd see him watching me from a distance. I'd just wave and go on (this was back in the days before that would have been creepy). Anyway, after a few weeks, we finally met on a trail and talked. He told me that it was his land but it was OK for me to keep coming out there. I thought him living like a hermit was cool (no electric, hand dug well, etc.) and looked forward to when we'd see each other out in the woods - though all we did was wave. Several years later he died. Turns put he really did own that land, but refused to sell it to developers because he wanted it to remain the woods he'd grown up in. He donated it (500 acres) to the Nature Conservancy and it became the Timucuan/Theodore Roosevelt Preserve. Always admired that!
I love my family and friends, but nothing beats a day alone in the woods - except maybe a day alone on the Triumph.
What great tale, a lesson learned and a legacy you honor here....My hat's off to you
Karl Odessa, MO '07 America, Cinnamon Girl (aka: Black Beauty or Ol' Penny) - Sit Down, Shut Up & Hang On
