Goodbye, My Old Friend

I knew that this day would come.  I had dreaded it but thought I could face it like a man.  I remember when it came time to put our Cocker Spaniel Henry down.  I thought I would be fine.  Besides, he was only a dog.  But as I held him and the Vet gave him the shot my eyes filled with tears.  He was a long time friend who had made so many trips and adventures with me.  I thought of all our backpacking and camping adventures. As I said goodbye to Henry, I looked up. The sun was bright and the weather warm.  Skip forward to this last weekend. It was time to say goodbye to another old friend that had made many adventures with me. This time we made our last short three hour trip together.  This trip carried us across the high desert and down toward the Columbia River.  As we crossed into Oregon  I looked out the windshield and the sun was bright and the weather was warm. As so applied the brakes and we glided into the parking space at the Toyota dealership in Hermiston, Oregon. I thought of all the adventures we had been on together,  Canada, Moab, Colorado, just to name a few.  I signed the papers and pulled the gear shift into drive.  As I exited the parking lot in my new 2021 Toyota 4 runner TRD Off Road, I caught a glimpse of my old friend.  I waved a thankful wave at the Jeep Rubicon that had pulled me through and toward the best adventures.  So far…