A short time ago my Zonie writer friend pointed out that travel takes two forms:
You can travel wide (as in far and wide) or you can travel deep. The example she gave was comparing visiting a small town library in your state versus touring a well-known museum in Europe. Both have merit, just that one isn’t more valuable than the other.
So this deep travel concept really appeals to me. I think I could narrow the scope of travel (say, within a single state) and go deeper. Maybe do that border-to-border (south to north) trail in Arizona (either hike or bike). Or pieces of it.
Then there is The Canyon. R2R. The geological Time Machine. Talk about being deep AND wide.
Perhaps the two concepts could be combined: travel wide to Spain to hike or bike The Camino deeply. Something about treading the same path with pilgrims from all over the world that helps deepen one’s understanding, especially of themselves.
Then there is the Triple Crown of hikes: Appalachian Trail, Pacific Coast Trail and the Continental Divide. Wide because it involves long domestic trips. Deep for its investment of time and energy and interaction with other travelers.
However (and wherever) this is conducted, deeper does have its advantages over wider. The parallel to the ride-like-hell at 20 mph versus bicycle tourism is so real. I want to see and experience more as a result of the time on my bike. I’m not any less physically fit but I am far more mentally (and culturally) enriched.
Relentless
