Right here, Right now.

Back when Kombi and I rolled out of the last hills in the Andes of South America and into the bustling port of Cartagena, Colombia my emotions and soul stirred with what we had just accomplished. At that point we had just covered more or less the entire continent of S. America and taken every challenge head on at whatever pace ensured Kombi would pull us to the other side. I equated it to Ali/Frazier. The bar we had set and eclipsed was nothing short of incredible and truly nothing short of miracle. Over the next month or so we encountered a series of challenges that made me deeply consider the value of my affair with Kombi and what exactly I was really committed to with this ol girl. At various points along the way people and circumstances attempted to stop our passage, pushed Kombi and I to our limits. In the moment it terrified me at the prospect of abandoning my love, but more-so I think I had a mortal fear of failing in my mission to drive from Lima to Fort Collins. No one likes to fail and maybe me more than anyone loathes the idea of not crossing a finish line. Coach Sours taught me the real value of that many years ago. His consistent message of learning, finding value win or lose lead directly to making those moments, when all seemed lost to an outcome other than Kombi at Road 34, so F'ing valuable. Being rabidly conscious of time spent at borders, police/military checkpoints, repair shops, shipping offices, moments of despair---reality, are the real meat of this whole damn thing. Those minutes, hours, and days are the true value that I've taken from this trip, only then was I forced to understand the In's and Out's of possible failure, at times, of actual failure. Only then was it all very clear to me that this is life, Right here, Right now, know William, that you'll never be more aware of the good, the bad, and the ugly than this, Right here, Right now. All beautiful and all right. It makes more sense now, it sure as hell didn't some of those times along the way, and by "along the way" I mean this life, all of it, but it does now more than ever.

Kombi is now safely in my garage and in desperate need of repair, but residing at 1455 S. Taft Hill Rd., Fort Collins, Colorado nonetheless. She made it where we knew we had to go. She drove to and visited Mexi's grave under her own power, we had our moments and kicked back a few beers with Chicko and Mexi like old times. Another mission accomplished.  Starting out on our last push to Colorado she said enough about 30 miles north of Austin. When she stopped this time I knew she was serious, without pause I understood that this was not a time for roadside fixes and patch jobs, this was simply time to go home. (there was also a three quart pool of oil under the engine compartment) One call to the local Uhaul dealer had her loaded on a dolly and on a fast track for some 1,000 miles to Fort Collins via the back roads of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. I figured at that point there was no reason to cheapen the nature of my trip by using U.S. highways and interstates, stick to the Kombi route and just go home.

Ali/Frazier seemed appropriate at the time but now it seems like the analogy of Ali THEN Frazier is more in sync with how this whole thing has played out. I asked too much from the 1981 VW Kombi that I bought on a whim in Lima (the only one I even looked at) and all she ever did was deliver. She fought hard and delivered me to all of the people, mountains, countries, troubles, destinations and eventually finish lines that I asked her to. Not always without delay, but always. We did it, we're here and I am literally the most fortunate man in the world to have all of those individuals that make such a fiasco possible. Most importantly those people at Road 34, my people here in Fort Collins, and around the U.S. who without their love, dedication, and trustworthiness all of this is impossible. And on a much broader scale to all of those who made up the personality of this trip, those faces and souls in the restaurants, gas stations, fruit stands, and Via's that populate my memory with some of the most interesting and diverse recollections one can imagine. I love them all.

I figure at some point I'll have the time and mental stamina to get all of this into one concise short story but for now, Right now, well I'm Right here. Who could ask for anything more?