Preparing for a sidelined season
My optimism for a Plains chase expedition happening this year was already on the way out even before the viewfinder on my Sony FX1 flickered Sunday evening, then started showing what looked like a scrambled cable TV channel picture. On top of everything else - my tax-obliterated travel funds, skyrocketing gas prices, no concrete team commitments, a high-mileage vehicle, slow sales in March and April, a business in need of attention and now critical equipment in need of a major repair are just not surmountable obstacles before spring is over. In the midst of the 'perfect storm' of circumstances in both their magnitude and timing, I have worked to find a way to make things happen this year, but all options are coming up short. Some things just aren't meant to be - fighting against it not only doesn't make a difference, but just makes the inevitable harder to accept. Strangely enough, resigning to the impossibility of this year's trip actually comes as a bit of a relief.
I believe that everything works out for good not only because the Scriptures say so, but because I've seen it happen before. Taking a look at past year's intercepts leaves me with no justification to sulk about this season. I've been blessed with more that I'd ever imagined, so I can manage a year off. So with that sentiment, I'm officially letting the 2008 Great Plains season go. The nice thing about getting older is how days, weeks and months get shorter every year - and spring of 2009 will be here quickly enough.
So with that, we'll officially 'sign off' on the chase expedition blog until April of next year.
Based on the current outlook, this probability table charts the chance of our trip starting on a particular date:
