I don't quite understand people who have a lifelong desire to get a mountain home.

I mean I can relate to the the pull of the mountains, but what I can't get is finding one spot and staying put.Won't that get boring over time? Much of the adventure of the mountains is wandering to new places, laying eyes on wonders never seen before, climbing up rocky trails to camp in high virgin forests, finding hidden mountain paradises.

I guess at age 51 I am still too young to settle down that much yet.

Don't get me wrong - I have a tree-shaded home that I love dearly. But that home looks a whole lot better when I am returning from a long trip to the mountains.

The way I see it is that life just doesn't always have to be the same, doesnt need to be boring and routine all the time.

We can enjoy the sun coming up through the familiar trees off the back porch and also have a need to sleep on the floor of a far-off pine forest, with an ear uncovered to be attentive for any grizzly that may come investigating in the early hours of the morning.

And you know those places that I hike in to and set up camp for several days in the same spot begin to feel a whole lot like home, because I spend those days exploring and relaxing until each tree and rock is known like the trees out my porch and I get used to the view of the peaks and valleys from my high place .

Well now that my daughter is heading off to college next week, I expect that I will give in to my desire for wander and adventure, and me and my wild-hearted border collies will load into the pickup and go off in search of something that makes us feel damn alive, and may return with a story a two that needs to be told. Check back in a month or so.