belie.

\ bih-LAHY \  , verb; 

1. to show to be false; contradict.
2. to misrepresent.

I know in the social media world, it’s easy to tell a one-sided story, one of stunning places, cheap gas, cool breezes, stunning sunsets, and cozy campsites. But as you know, the truth is sometimes the sun sets behind clouds and we can’t even see it. Our first west coast sunset was the most anticlimactic one I’ve seen, or didn’t see for that matter. I don’t mean to belie you, friends.

Sometimes liquid vitamin D capsules fall down into the hot coils of my hairdryer and create the foulest smelling smoke.

Even when the campsites are warm and cozy and we play cards by a headlamp chandelier, the mornings are cold, cold, cold. Once I give myself the pep talk to leave my 15 degree sleeping bag and brave the cold (the coldest it’s been has been 25 degrees, so it’s not terrible), I bring my face wash to the bathroom, knowing I’ll feel cleaner and rejuvenated. Then I turn on the faucet and the water never gets above freezing. I brush my teeth and wash my hands and my fingers feel like ice while we pack up the tent until we’re in the Kia and the heat is blasting.

Sometimes it rains all day even when the forecast claims sunshine and perfect hiking weather.

Sometimes seventeen minutes of your life is wasted while waiting in line for a bathroom at a coffee house. An employee asks, “Are you being helped?” And I reply, “I’m just waiting for the restroom, thank you.” Then I wait for an unreasonable amount of time, maybe twelve minutes. I try the door again. It’s locked. I walk back to my computer. I then try again. I ask a different employee, “Is the bathroom perhaps locked?” He says, “Yes, it’s always locked. But we keep a key right here.”

Traveling isn’t perfect, of course. But I do enjoy the unpredictability of it all. I enjoy the fact that you never really know what a day will bring.