Carnegie libraries visited: Dixon, Woodland, Sacramento, Lincoln Dayse sober: 271 Not every day on an adventure is adventurous. When Kelly and I spent those seven weeks hiking along the Continental Divide in 1980, most days held hours of walking along mountain trails, or bushwacking through forests, or tromping down logging roads, in ways that allowed quiet contemplation, sweat, sore feet, and only moments of wonder. A few days I do recall vividly without a prompt: traversing

Carnegie libraries visited: Okolona and Houston, Mississippi Days sober: 245 Alabama (“We defend our rights” is the state motto) gave me a little gift this morning. When turning off my iPhone last night, I inadvertently put it in SOS mode. The SOS mode disables the cellular service I needed to use my maps and apps. To turn SOS off, I thought I needed a wifi connection, so I drove back to the Ben May Library because I knew that the library would have one. Libraries are good th

Carnegie libraries visited: Rockland, Massachusetts Days sober: 484 One more time. Hit the alarm. Squirm into my clothes – should I buy another car before an extensive trip, I’ll get one in which I can sit upright in my sleeping quarters – and pop open the back hatch. Slide out. Walk into the hotel to pee and splash water on my face and, if I remember to bring my toothbrush, scrub my teeth. Click another daily pledge on my I Am Sober app. Read my daily meditation. Check my co

Carnegie libraries visited: The Frances Perkins Branch Library, Worcester and Marlborough, Massachusetts Days sober: 483 Goldfinger retains heat fairly well, which I am thankful for because a hard frost had fallen. Lying on my back, I wriggle into my pants, pull on my socks, shirt, down vest, and hat and then stroll into the lobby, as if I were a valued patron, to warm up. I wasn’t in a hurry to lift off, as the Frances Perkins Branch Library, in Worcester, didn’t open until