Snow in September. Doesn’t that sound appealing? Also our cell phones don’t work and everything is more expensive. You’d think this was miserable experience that we couldn’t wait to escape. But this is when I fell in love with Canada. Tom and I actually purchased a paper map of Alberta on our first stop north of the border, and used the ancient tool to successfully navigate to our AirBnb apartment in downtown Calgary. I now realize how much we rely on smart phones to travel. This would have been a routine situation 10 years ago, but today it’s an actual challenge. For such a small accomplishment, I was legitimately proud that we actually found our way in a foreign city by using just a paper map and our own intuition. Tom suggested we sign up for the Amazing Race. Beyond the unseasonable snow and cold (and higher cost of food and fuel – $1.30/liter!), Canada has a lot to offer. The most spectacular sight in this part of the Country is undoubtedly the Canadian Rockies. The first visual of the mountains was literally awe inspiring, and the views from Banff National Park are the highlight of the trip thus far. […] Read More
It took a 10 hour haul to get to Jackson, and we missed the landscape change on the drive by arriving after dark. Waking up in Jackson encased by the mountains was surreal. It may seem like a small thing to get excited about, but I’m not used to being surrounded by these kinds of goliath landforms. Jackson is definitely a trendy ski resort town. It has a blend of cliché old west tourist traps and hip restaurants and shops. It’s also mega expensive. The cheapest place we could find to stay was a Motel 6 in Jackson. Although this was one of the nicest motels that I’ve personally stayed in, the lowest price we could find was about $140/night. Our park ranger friend (and couchsurfing host for 2 nights), Christina, informed us later that the government owns over 90% of the land in the Jackson Hole region, limiting the amount of available space to expand the town. She informed us that Jackson is the most expensive real estate market in the country, even surpassing Manhattan. It’s so expensive in fact, that many of the people working service jobs in the city are living in camp sites temporarily as an […] Read More
We left Charlotte 16 days ago, and today we crossed the 4000 mile marker. It seems insane. 4000 miles already? In just 16 days? I’m writing this from the expansive, sprawling grasslands of Wyoming on our way to Jackson, the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone. This is the beginning of the meat of this trip. The next 6-7 weeks will be spent in the Rocky’s and west.They say it takes 21 days of doing something to form a habit. After 16, I’m starting to see why. A week ago this all felt haphazardly put together. I couldn’t find items buried in the trunk. We were constantly rearranging, and we crammed and shoved lose items into nooks of the car. I felt like we were on an episode of hoarders using every possible inch to store things that we probably don’t even need. But now, a week later, we’re starting to figure it out. Camping stuff in the skybox, clothes in the trunk, electronics and cooler (for easy access) in the car’s interior. We’re finding a little bit of a rhythm.In the last 7 days we made a second attempt at swim lessons for Mac at the O’Connell residence in New York’s […] Read More
After completing about 1/10th of our journey, this analogy seems to be the most fitting. Tom, Mac, and I have traveled about 1700 miles in our first week, or as Tom refers to it, “Our Blitzkrieg up the East Coast”. I’m realizing now that this trip will be equally challenging as it is exciting.I’m still working on getting into the flow of traveling every day, as the constant change is a new concept for me. I’ve been on somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster with enthralling highs and quiet lows. The highs build positive energy, and the lows deplete it. Constant travel can grow tiresome and things will not always go according to plan. Yet, the highs of making progress towards this goal that I’ve set is strong enough to squash any of the down moments.The main source of this positive flow of energy has been my interactions with people. Each stop is filled with hospitality and encouraging conversation. Our hosts are excited to hear about where we’ve been and where we plan to go. However, the most engaging conversations have been focused on the why. In these discussions, it becomes apparent that we all share some level of brimming desire […] Read More
