Shefly,
Thank you for your kind and insightful words. I am sorry for the loss of your grandmother as well.

The trip was bookended by the deaths of two important men in my life -- my dad and Peter. Riding does help, although it is also often a time I feel the loss most profoundly.

I know that grief comes in waves and continues for a long time. It is a process that will ease with time, but I know it takes time too.

Hira