An Elephant Ride

Although I don’t recall our mom verbally telling us to ‘pay attention’ to all that is happening around us, she helped us see the beauty in our surroundings and shared natural observations with us that cultivated an awe and respect of nature. This influence impacted Chris throughout his life and is evident in his emails and letters to me. In May 2000, he spent time in Thailand. It was there he had a pendant made for me, which I wore daily when he was deployed. During this stay, he also had adventures that were quite different from anything we experienced growing up. 

In three different emails, Chris wrote about elephants. Google, in its infinite repository of knowledge, provided great insight into these magnificent creatures. They have close family bonds, are spirited, playful, protective and have excellent memories. Whether my brother knew this or not, he had similar attributes. Since today, September 22nd, is National Elephant Appreciation Day, it seemed like the perfect time to share memories of Chris telling me about his encounters and to celebrate the largest land mammal on earth. 

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Was good to hear from you, only have a minute. I’m writing from an internet store in Pattaya, Thailand. It is nice here, wonderful people. I’ll send postcards and pictures when [I] get back to Japan. Right now I’m going to go ride an elephant. Love, Chris

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It is great here so far. I have shopped a bit, getting tailor made suits tomorrow. The elephant ride was interesting, they are so big, yet so gentle. Fed a little monkey today, they are little people!! Be good, I’ll talk to you again soon… write whenever you can… Love, me

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Oh, by the way, the van I was in today had to stop before pulling out into the road because a vehicle came by in front of us; it was an elephant with 3 human passengers!! I got a picture for proof. It is definitely a rare sight where we are from!!!

Bye for now.  Love, Chris

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As we are tracking Nels on the run across America, I was curious about both the speed and ground an elephant could cover in a day. In spite of their size, they can hustle! Several sources noted they have been clocked between 15 and 25 mph and can cover between 15 to 120 miles per day depending upon needs and circumstances. Incredible!

Nels is on day 15 into his run and working his way through Utah at approximately 9,400 ft. as I write this. Colorado is on the horizon! If you are new to this blog, do you know his why? He is running in support of military veterans and would love to raise $100 per mile for Wounded Warrior Project/WWP for the 3,067 miles he will run from San Francisco to New York City. That’s a lofty goal. Will you consider being a part of this journey? Visit T4N1.org today and you can donate directly to WWP. Your contribution will fund vital programs and services offered to military veterans who come home to their famiilies.