The US Trek has given me memories that I will never forget. I remember driving through South Texas with my fellow Trekker, Stephanie. We shared a moment of tears talking about the struggle with cancer in our families. There were times when Kevin and I would stay up all hours debating religion, spirituality and many other things. Just the conversations alone have a very deep and meaningful place in both my heart and mind. As I sit here writing my very last dispatch for the US Trek, I feel both sad and happy with the past year of my life. I don't think I have quite processed it. Maybe I will never completely process the experience. But I can say that I have no regrets, not a drop. I would not exchange this experience for anything in the world. No paycheck, no fancy car could ever give me more happiness and fulfillment than the Trek has brought to my life. It's truly a life-changing event that I will talk about to my grandkids and for generations to come.

In the past year on the Trek, so many things have gone through my head. It took time to just get used to the Trek lifestyle of sleeping in cars, eating in the parking lots of grocery stores, and watching the sun set and rise in the same drive. Before I knew it, I was a "Trekker." Everything started becoming easier and easier. Flat tires, no Internet connection, no food and no place to sleep soon just became another day on the Trek.

The feelings are building up as I am coming to the last few paragraphs of my life on the US Trek. So many emotions are running through my head that I want to laugh, cry and smile all at the same time. But as a Trekker, I will leave you on a positive note, rather than a sad one. This past year with The Odyssey's US Trek has been doing something that isn't routine. It's not a commonly traveled path. Some people we met on the Trek didn't care what we did, some didn't take it seriously, and some people didn't even call it work. But we Trekkers aren't trying to live by the guidelines that society or the government set. We have been trying to live by the guidelines we set as Trekkers. There's stuff on our website that people will like, and things that people won't like. Remember, it's about perspective; history is about perspective, and so is the study of current events. I want our work in this past year to get people talking. We just hope to create awareness among our readers about all of these environmental, social, and economic issues. Awareness is the key to the future. This shows the power of education. What we did this year was an attempt to help people to educate themselves, and to work towards a higher level of consciousness, or awareness.

I can't leave without thanking everyone who helped us complete this Trek. Many people opened up their homes to feed and house us. The kindness of strangers is so overwhelming, I can't even begin to explain. Also, I have to thank all the schools, students and anybody else who has used the site. The readers are the ones who truly empower us Trekkers. Knowing that you're reading and using our site is what truly makes the US Trek worthwhile.

So, I guess this is it; this is "bye" to the US Trek. Thank you all for participating in peace, and love to you all. Just remember the words of Chief Seattle in 1854: "Humankind has not woven the web of life, we are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves. All things connect."

Nick

Please email me at: nick@ustrek.org