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This is the happiest I have been in quite some time. Today I was repeatedly struck by how beautiful this country is. I've only been through four states so far, but it seems that around every bend there is another natural wonder to marvel at. It makes me wish that I could put the car on autopilot so I could gaze at the gorgeous scenery.

Don't tell anyone, but I'm actually very sensitive. All it takes is some sort of visual, aural or sensory cue to trigger a wave of emotions. There's a song by Le Loup called "Sherpa" that describes how I feel quite nicely:

"I am a man, but I'm taken further
Not just a surface, but a complicated structure
And all that I have dreamed
And all that I have seen
Wells up sometimes inside me
Sometimes it seems to swallow me"

I have always felt constrained by my body. I want to be able to experience everything. The time we have is too short. There is so much out there. So many stories. I want to go everywhere and do anything. More than that, I want to do it all at once. There is a great force inside of me. I have always been aware of its presence, but I have only recently begun to tap into it. When I am overwhelmed by my emotions, it is that force, that power, talking to me. Talking through me.

Today, boundless joy: I am on an adventure that I have been dreaming about for ages. I am exploring areas of our country I have only read about or seen in movies. I am visiting the people I love. I got to take a ferry! I am the only thing guiding my life right now. I have never felt so in control of my destiny. I have never felt so optimistic about what will happen next.

Long before settling in for the night in Missoula, Montana, I stopped at the Wild Horses Monument in eastern Washington to stretch my legs and take a moment to pause and reflect. At the top of a large bluff there are fourteen steel horse statues. They are dynamically posed, galloping toward the cliff. It is a fine, manmade tribute. Very moving. Very Dramatic. What brought tears to my eyes, though, was the clouds above the statues. Wild horses in the sky.