Its indeed exactly one year ago that I left friends and family behind and started this road trip. One year of a total different life then what I had before in the Bay Area.
There were some very sad days. I cried the day that I left Alaska behind. I felt miserable when I drove away from the City of Rocks. I was somber when I left Menagha. I felt alone when I saw Red Hook disappearing in my rear view mirror. Then there were the moments of hardship. That I couldn't find a save spot to sleep. That it was raining and I didn't want to cook outside. That I spend 12 hrs in bed, to keep warm in the cold days.
And there were the times that the daily riddle of introducing myself got annoying:
* Its Iris, not Irish.
* I am 37 years old, not 27.
* I am from the Netherlands, not from California.
* There is no man, I travel alone.
But without the down time, life would be boring. Without down time, there is no adventure. Without down time, you can not appreciate the good times.
And good times it was for sure, because how can you not enjoy the change from then to now. It became simpler and it became way better.
Pippi came along for encouragement.
And the dreams became action.
The number changed.
And food was reduced to one drawer.
There was more time to cook.
And many more hours to read.
Heat was brought back to the basics.
And coffee was made the old fashion way.
Cleaning was scraped from the dictionary. 
And every night was spend in fresh air.
Views changed to amazing.
But one thing stayed all the same. A cup of coffee in the morning!
Dag,
Iris (Austin, 34150 miles)
