Through the Pass

Part of the trip between Offspring the Third's school and home involves the Guadalupe Pass. It's a lovely area, and home to Guadalupe Peak. 

Near Guadalupe Peak is the turnoff to Carlsbad Caverns, one of my most favorite places. I wave at it as I drive by. I cannot bring myself to visit it again yet, because Plague. And also, because I associate the Caverns with Cherished Friend -- we went there together many times, both by ourselves and with other members of my family -- and I am not sure what it will be like to visit the Caverns without him. It won't be the same, I know. Will the ghosts of visits past be comforting? Perhaps they will. I won't know until I go.

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One of the hardest parts of Pandemic, is not feeling that the situation is safe enough to travel and see Cherished Friend and his Oceanside. I miss walking and talking, sitting in companionable silence, running mundane errands, together. The long solitary drive past the Caverns' road and through Guadalupe Pass reminds me of what is absent. I let the beauty of the scenery wash over me, and try to remain in the moment, rather than allowing my mind to wander backward or forward in time. It is easier that way. 

Someday, I will visit Oceanside, and I will get to see my Friend in person again. And it will be delightful.