Oakley Taylor

Movin' and Groovin' Oakley Taylor

In 1973, a naïve young woman embarked on a westward venture to unknown destinations. From the beginning, her plans go awry. Depending on people that fell to the wayside was her first staggering lesson in how volatile the world could be. Still, she continued alone on her journey.

Growing up in the suburbs of Long Island left her craving more than what her hometown had to offer. Her search to quell an insatiable lust for a western lifestyle begins in Colorado but not without a poignant departure from a nurturing family. Leaving her father on the platform at Penn Station as her train pulls out becomes haunting memory.

Yet, the lure of the west awakened a yearning within that she could not dismiss. Colorado was a magnet in the seventies for every wanderer searching for more than what the east coast offered. The brilliant colors of red rock canyons, the grandeur of magnificent, snow-capped mountains, and the crystal clarity of raging rivers, all combined to capture her soul.

But Colorado was only the steppingstone to an excursion that led to the Yukon in a roundabout way. A washed-out highway amid a search for gold all created a detour that led to eight years in a Canadian territory that would alter the course of her life.

She departs from the familiarity of her home country with a backpack and a spirited friend, accompanied by two dogs abducted from a dog pound. There are rivers to paddle under a midnight sun and a trek over a mountain pass that proves to be outside the scope of any vision she'd ever had for herself.

During her stay in the north, she naively puts her faith in a man who tests her capabilities, physically and emotionally. As a result, two new lives emerge under precarious circumstances. She comes to understand the depth of loyalty and the degree of affection that surmount every obstacle she's ever faced. The peril of raising two babies in the Yukon takes on a life of its own.

She returns to the states in a pick-up truck with two toddlers. The remains of a dog in a grave of permafrost and dirt are the only ties she has left to cut in the frigid land she abandons.

Civilization in the states presents new challenges of its own. Existing on the complacency of state assistance becomes intolerable. Single parenthood brings a new set of circumstances to light where poverty and the threat of homelessness evoke unforeseen challenges

This story is a tale of resurrection. From the depths of loneliness and the hardship of destitution, dormant traits surface, strengths that lie hidden in so many of us. Inspired by the kindness of strangers and guided by blind faith lies hope for light at the end of a dark and dreary tunnel.