Phase 1 Complete

I can’t believe it’s been 6 months. How can time go by both so fast and so slowly at the same time? It’s been a whirlwind! Here’s a recap of the past 6 months.

Road Trip Summary

Stats

Stops

All this while working full time – which I can’t stress enough. Besides that, I haven’t been doing much! I’m a pretty active guy, but that might be more than I’ve done in the previous 6 years. Now that I’ve written it all down and had a chance to reflect on it, it kind of boggles my mind.

Itinerary: Actual vs Expected

I thought there was a strong possibility I may get steered in different directions on this road trip so I didn’t fully commit to an itinerary. Having said that, I did have a lengthy list of places where I was hoping to go. I ended up sticking to that list, with a few exceptions.

Additions

  • Reno, NV – I did not plan to go to Reno. After South Lake Tahoe my intention was to move to the north side of the lake for an additional week. Since I had already stretched my budget staying in South Lake Tahoe, when I couldn’t find reasonable north shore accommodations, I decided to stay in Reno instead.
  • Banff, Alberta – Banff was also not on my list. Once I was in Canada however, it seemed like it would be a huge missed opportunity to skip over it. I went there with some big plans but ended up leaving and not experiencing any of it due to wildfires and air quality issues. Huge bummer!
  • Bozeman, MT – A quick 1 night stopover on my way to Yellowstone turned into 2 nights due to heavy rain.
  • Couer d’Alene, ID – I’ve never been to Idaho. With an extra night to kill on my way back to Whitefish, MT from Yellowstone, I made a last minute decision to check it out. I thought it would be a shame not to go, even if only for a night.

Subtractions

  • Crested Butte, CO – Another mountain biking haven, it was likely to be my final stop. Sadly, the last month got a little crazy. An unplanned work trip to Milwaukee, a change in plans to spend time with my sisters, a quick weekend in Florida for a wedding, my slow recovery from a previous mountain bike crash, and some early winter weather in CO were all factors in me not making it there.

As much as it pained me to eliminate even the 1 stop that I did, I realize that I can’t do it all. And that’s okay. There still remains a lot of places I want to check out in the West. Not to mention, I have a feeling there will be some repeat visits to some of these places in my future.

Road Trip Interview

Are you glad you did it?

Yes.

Did your car survive the road trip?

It held up pretty well…if you don’t count the fact that the engine will randomly shut off – while driving! It’s not the greatest user experience when you lose power steering driving on steep curvy mountain roads with no shoulder. I should probably get that looked at.

Other than a couple oil changes, I got it serviced once in Victoria, BC to replace the rear brake pads. Out of nowhere, the day before I took it in to get serviced my rear wheel was making a bad grinding sound. Turns out the mechanic said my lug nuts were all loose and the wheel was about to fall off!

On second glance, it’s amazing that I survived the road trip.

What was your favorite place?

That’s a really tough one. I think I’m leaning towards Bend, OR. It has a partial leg up because it’s 1 of only 2 places I stayed for 3 weeks. Most other places were only 1 or 2 week stays, so I definitely got to experience more while I was there.

The sheer variety of stuff I did there made it unique and standout in my mind. I went mountain biking, tubing, and hiking. I also jumped into Crater Lake and checked out the Bend Ale Trail.

Not too shabby.

What was your least favorite place?

I admit this is totally unfair, but my least favorite place was Reno, NV. First off, it was an unplanned stop. Second, I was mainly only there to get closer to somewhere else – Downieville. Third, I did nothing in Reno the entire week I was there except work and sleep.

I was really exhausted that week and felt I needed to recharge my batteries. Since I wasn’t planning to go there it made it easier for me to justify not doing anything while I was there. So it’s my least favorite but I admittedly gave it no chance.

What was your biggest challenge?

Finding balance. Between working full time, exploring in virtually all of my extra free time, and traveling constantly, it is hard to find balance. A few different times I had to tell myself that it was okay not to do something. Or that it was okay to hike an easier trail.

“When am I ever going to be back here to do this again?”. That was my mantra and helped to push me to do a lot more than I think I even planned. I like pushing myself, but at the same time it’s also okay to take a breathe and slow down.

What was your biggest surprise?

I’d have to say it was my 2 hostel stays. One in Golden, BC, and one in Jackson Hole. Both of those were some of the all around most pleasant and convenient stays I had. Having never stayed at a hostel, perhaps my expectations were set too low. I really enjoyed my hostel stays.

What was your biggest disappointment?

Canada. Our neighbor to the North was not kind to me. I had some grand plans for my time in Canada and nothing seemed to work out. I enjoyed my time in beautiful Victoria, but when my first whale watching tour came up virtually empty, and my plans to kayak with killer whales fell through, it soured my stay a bit on Vancouver Island.

Next I went to Vancouver. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling all that great during my stay there. It didn’t help that it was unseasonably hot and I was staying in an equally hot condo with no A/C. On top of that, the 1 thing I wanted to do was to mountain bike at Whistler, which I did not get to do because of wildfire smoke. I didn’t have much of a backup plan for Vancouver when that fell through.

I proceeded to extend my Canada trip to the Canadian Rockies. Then had big plans to take a week off of work and camp in Jasper and Banff National Parks. I had to cancel all of that due to wildfire and air quality issues. I promptly left Canada.

*** RUNNER UP: A very close 2nd would be the weather on my hike of Half Dome, and my inability to complete the hike. That still sticks in my craw!

What would you do differently?

Two of my more enjoyable stays were also my longest – Palm Springs and Bend, OR. By staying longer I was able to get much more familiar with the city, join a local gym, workout regularly, and establish a bit of a routine. I am definitely a creature of habit. This whole journey is outside of my comfort zone in that regard.

I knew my itinerary was ultra aggressive. I’m working full time, and when I’m not working I’m constantly out pushing myself with physically demanding hikes and mountain bike rides. At the same time I’m also researching, planning, and making arrangements for my next destination.

Not to mention keeping up with this blog!

Then packing up and heading out, often times driving all day to my next stop to start the process all over again. Now imagine that is happening every week. That was the case for about 5 weeks in a row. Brutal. Even 2 week stays are just too quick in many cases.

I’m glad I had an aggressive itinerary because there were so many places I wanted to experience. Having said that, that pace is not sustainable long term. Certainly not while working full time. If I had to do it again, I think I’d stay 3-4 weeks at a time, and slow down.

Final Thoughts

There’s something very gratifying about nurturing an idea, making a plan, preparing, putting that plan it into action, and then seeing it through. Before I began this journey, I stated that this was going to be an epic road trip – and it most certainly was!
I wanted to dedicate some amount of time here to look back, reflect, and celebrate this milestone. Now that I’ve completed my road trip and tied a bow around it, it’s time once again to look forward.

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” – Seneca

So what’s coming next? I sense a new beginning.

Filed in: Milestone

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