Sunday, May 2, 2010

BITW - The Last Frontier


As I look back on some of these photos (see link above) I'm not sure why I haven't posted this story before now. Back in 2003, me and my best friends growing up from infancy, decided that life would be changing quickly for us all soon and it was high time we had one last big adventure. So what did we do?? We pitched in and bought a conversion van (white with pink interior no less), loaded up one warm September day, and went on the road traveling these United States of America.

We laughed harder, smelled more of each other’s smells, talked about everything under the sun, experienced more misadventures, and saw more beautiful places in that short time than I dare say any of us have seen since. We traveled approximately 6,000 miles in only 8+ days and our eyes were literally exhausted from all the site seeing. We found out, there is a limit to how much a person can take in over a short amount of time.

Our route took us through Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, S. and N. Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, and finally back home to the great state of Georgia. I've never been so happy to see a pine tree or a glass of sweet tea in all my life. We saw the Bad Lands, Mt. Rushmore, Custer's Last Stand, world's largest...everything, Bear-tooth Pass, Yellowstone (where I caught a Yellowstone Cut-Throat on the fly), Jackson Hole, Wyoming, The Grand Tetons, Hover Dam, Las Vegas, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, etc, etc, etc.

It is a trip I know I will never forget. We were all a little rough around the edges then. And in the midst of so many things that disappoint me about our country and its direction these pictures are a sobering reminder to me about all the good things about our country and about real friendships. These boys are now men with families of their own. I know we will always be friends, because they are not just my friends but my brothers in Christ. "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

PS - BITW stands for "Boys In The Woods"

6 comments:

  1. That's fantastic!!! I think everyone should do this once in their lives. Who knows, maybe in a couple years we can pack up our minivan and take our kids on that journey as well! :)

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  2. Hey Ben,
    How's eveybody feel about the oil spill up your way? Interested to hear your thoughts? I am personally sick to my stomach! Take care bud--Adam Langenmayr

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  3. This was great!! Ben, you are such an inspiration to so many...You & Amber both. You also have a way with words, in order to share with people. It just goes to show, one doesn't have to drink, etc. to have fun, just live a good life through Jesus and HE leads one through the 'highs' that are there for us to grab hold of. Thanks to you & your guys for sharing this with us..... Love Aunt Carla ;O)

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  4. Great post Ben. I love those pictures!

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  5. Thanks guys; obviously there are many fond memories from that trip.

    Adam, I am right there with you man. The whole mess is terrible, to say the least. The Gulf Coast is one of my favorite places on earth and it just feels like a sucker punch to the gutt. My heart goes out to all the folks affected and I hope for all our sakes the impact on the ecosystems can be mitigated as much as possible.

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  6. The pictures were awesome! The different sail boats you photographed during the regatta and the people on them, made it seem like friends going on a casual outing.

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