what now?

It feels so strange to be back in Los Angeles, cooking my own meals and washing dishes.  For the last  15 days or so I was being fed, responsible in some cases only to "bus" my own plate and cup to the nearest waste can.  It's while I stand, soap suds up to elbows at the kitchen sink that the finality of being home sinks in.   MINI Takes the States 2014 - the epic road adventure is over.  It's over!

Now what?

Well, there is still laundry to be washed, gear stowed, photographs to sort and be resized for web posting.  And the love bubble of the rally still thrives on Facebook, where participants continue to post their daily musings of life as we all settle back into what we were doing pre-MTTS.  There is that job I need to find...

I have a palpable feeling of life never being what it was before.  That somehow this journey was magic and I am changed forever.  I was touched by so many amazingly wonderful, kind people:
from Kevin, who waved us in each day with the biggest smile and the happiest, most polite greetings;  Justine always cheerful at check in; Jodie egging me on to "confess more" in the Cab Chronicles; John, Claude and Matt (Coyote) Wolf making sure broken down cars got immediate attention; Caryn who waited for me to catch up to the gang headed to Canada - really all the MINI USA staff and the gang from TPGevents - you rocked it.   And to my fellow merry band of motorers that I fell in line with - I just have to keep pinching myself at the luck, at the serendipity as the journey unfolded.  If this road trip is a metaphor for living - the lesson I take away is this - read the map, but be willing to take the side roads, follow someone in the wrong direction for a little while, but be brave enough to change course and set out on your own.  You will always be surprised and delighted.

In the days to follow, my plan is to update posts with more recaps, recollections and photos of the events along the way.  Bear with me, it could take awhile.  I will be talking about this for the rest of my life.  Or 2016 when I do all again.  Thanks for reading.

photo courtesy of MINI USA news