When I get older I want to head out west. I want to explore the heartland, see vast open spaces, new landscapes and different types of farms from what I'm used to seeing in New York State. I sometimes feel a bit strange being cowboy and never really going west of Ithaca. Sometime though I will go out west and explore a new world.

There are some massive wild areas out west that need to be explored. I want to get off the interstates and see the real world beyond the cities. I want to see vast forests and farms, see what people are doing in the vast country beyond the world I am so familiar with. There are those fantastic national parks. There is so much world out there, and so much to see.

I will also visit cities. I want to be involved in the 2008 Presidential race and other issues out west. I want to see how people live in the big cities, along with the countryside. Yet, you do not see the world going on the four lane to the next city in political convention where everybody wears the same gray flannel suit.

I plan to camp out many nights in the back of my pickup truck. I might occasionally stay at inexpensive campgrounds or motels, but I also want to spend a lot of time in the woods. I might bring a tent and occasionally tent camp, so I can get a deeper connection with nature and camp where I'm not allowed to bring my pickup.

I realize this dream takes a lot of planning and might not even happen during the Summer of 2008. My truck will have close to 100,000 miles then and I might even be looking at getting a new truck. Not to mention the costs of food, gasoline, health insurance, and any loss wages, particularly if I take an extended break to drive out west.

I really want to go out west and explore. I know if I save up and continue to work on this dream I can get out west and do my own dream.