Amazing 700 petroglyphs over 3 canyons, beautiful basalt lava rocks and a few visitors!

View to the south.

View to the east - Sandia Mountains

​So, I’m definitely on an adventure! Couldn’t get Google Maps once I crossed the Canadian/US border -- who knew there was a border for cell signals?! Took a wrong turn… took another wrong turn… went some ways in the wrong direction… backtracked… and finally… got back on the route. Thankfully I had printed out some directions -- see what I mean about preparation? But between that and the white-outs that almost appeared out of nowhere, I was certainly feeling “on the edge of my seat” and on high alert. I was definitely operating in the unknown.

 
​But was that what I had mind when I told others, “I am going on a grand adventure.”? Nooooooo! Lol
Admittedly, my vision was a bit nebulous but what I had unconsciously assumed was that adventure included meeting interesting and cool people, doing new and out-there things and seeing things that took my breath away. And while that is certainly adventure, the main constituent of adventure is the unknown.
Here’s what Google has to say about adventure:
an unusual (ie. unknown), and exciting (again, because it’s unknown, though sometimes we might describe it as nerve-wracking), typically hazardous (yup, because it’s the unknown), experience or activity; "her recent adventures in Italy". Synonyms include: exploit, escapade, deed, feat, and experience. Also, daring and exciting activity calling for enterprise and enthusiasm; "she traveled the world in search of adventure." Synonyms: excitement, thrill, stimulation, risk, danger, hazard, peril, uncertainly, precariousness.
Just as a total aside, I love they wrote “she”. I feel a kindred spirit…
 
So, is the adventure one we always love? No! And again, it’s operating in the unknown that is the true adventure. Do I want to stop calling in an adventure? No, again!
 
But one thing that I’m noticing that’s quite different is my reaction to all this.  In the past, the unknown was always immediately infused with negativity – danger, loss, contraction. It took many years of telling myself and sometimes quite sternly, that, “just because you don’t know what’s coming, doesn’t mean it’s bad! It could possibly be the best thing that’s ever happened to you!”
 
I’m grateful that I’m not doing that. I’m grateful there is an adventure, as no adventure would be intolerable.  I’m grateful that my Dreamer is finally having the upper hand!

Where are you going?
Where are you staying?
What are you going to do?

These are the questions my friends have been asking me as my departure date approaches.

​My answer? I don't know. All I know is that I am going on a grand adventure!

 
I can sense how my trip is producing some anxiety -- both inside myself and in others. What I find so fascinating is the relationship between planning and adventure and how they have this inverse relation: more planning means less adventure; less planning means more adventure!! More planning means less anxiety; less planning means more anxiety... or, shall I call it excitement instead?

In some ways I am not surprised. Planning is the warp and weft of my life. It has helped me produce the results I want. It has helped me manage my resources and time. It has helped me hold to my commitments. And perhaps most importantly, it gives me a sense of control, no matter how illusory that is.

BUT, how many of us live a life that we could describe as "adventurous"? Not many, right? And don't many of us actually have a thirst for exploration, for new experiences, maybe a few thrills or, dare we ask, for some so-called peak experiences?

Well, guess what? You can't have a grand adventure if you plan the shit out of it! Planning works mostly inside the known. Adventure happens in the unknown. The more the unknown is present, the grander the possibilities.

Now, don't get me wrong --  this isn't easy for me. I love certainty and success. But I want to stop playing it so safe. And I want to work on trusting myself and trusting the flow of the Everything, of life seen and unseen. 
​
So, what to do I (dare I say) plan to have more adventure? Prepare instead of plan... get the car serviced... get the next night's accommodation... pack light... have few expectations... get a good night's rest... and keep your eyes peeled, the unknown is full of adventure. The unknown is adventure!!