In southern Arizona, I passed a series of signs on the freeway alerting drivers about dust storms. Some instructed us on actions to take if a dust storm suddenly blew in. Some signs cautioned that “Dust Storms May Exist Next 10 Miles” or “Gusty Winds May Exist.” It made me think about what else may exist over the next 10-mile stretch of landscape: UFOs riding unicorns, a busload of hitchhiking clowns, a field of glow-in-the-dark cacti, ice skating dinosaurs, a stampede of breakfast cereals, a snake charmer convention, jump roping balloon animals…
Other signs warned “Zero Visibility Possible.” Of course, that made me think about what else is possible: becoming a professional basketball player, taking a clear photo of Bigfoot, breaking the world record for scarfing down hot dogs, uncovering a buried treasure, opening a barber shop, making a scientific discovery, finding a long-lost relative, moving to Denmark, developing telekinetic powers, tightrope walking in the circus, traveling in space, swimming with dolphins, climbing to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl…
Every now and then, I like to let my imagination dangle from the monkey bars, and I make a list of outlandish goals. Then the crux is to pick one of those activities to actually do. That’s how I eventually ended up on the road.