The reality of life kinda set in back in May. It was the anniversary of me taking off from my last trip and I didn't have any plans to travel. Which was painful! I just did this epic trip just a year ago and I don't have plans to go anywhere yet? Boo.
So, I reached into this silly brain of mine and was thinking WHAT could I possibly do on a tight budget? ROADTRIP! okay, okay, now where? Well, looking around my desk and on the internets... hmmm. WTF do I want to go? OMG! I need to get my passport stamped!!! I got this passport back in 2008 with the intention of going to Brazil w/ a boyfriend that turned ugly and thus I decided not to go. How does that feel? Having this great looking picture, no dents, no folds empty passport! One of the worse feelings in the world. Just a proof of my fear of travel in the past and the inability to get my sh*t together to leave and go somewhere!
Cheap? Able to use my passport= CANADA!
Now, how am I going to get there? Hitch hike? Bus? Plane? Bike? There are certain levels of comfort I am not willing to give up just yet. Travel is a process of getting to know yourself. How to handle stressful and unfamiliar places, people and experiences. Thinking back of what made me happiest when I did travel was driving. So, to make this experience more affordable and more FUN! I decided to extend the invitation to my Couch surfing community. Had received a huge interest back in May now I have a solid group of 4!
Currently, I am making plans for the backpacking permits, Couch Surfing locations and gear. Today, we assembled the car-top box now just need to reach out and see about getting more donated/ borrowed gear. It's 13 days until take off... will check in right before we leave.
I will try to encourage the other folks to contribute to the blog should be a fun trip.
Leaving Aug 17- 30th. Rough sketch of route: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Stockton,+CA&daddr=40.69296,-121.4191+to:42.88949,-121.83046+to:45.30201,-121.74491+to:45.50942,-122.6867+to:47.40386,-123.88779+to:48.41995,-123.36444+to:47.58643,-122.32008+to:Vanc%C3%B4ver,+Col%C3%BAmbia+Brit%C3%A2nica,+Canad%C3%A1&hl=en&geocode=FUYwQwId5D_F-CmBIUR7cw2QgDHYy08E0fV2WA%3BFeDsbAIdpErD-CnxM5h00TjNVDEVHFMM58Mmvg%3BFRJxjgIdxAO9-ClvdftFXS_GVDEgq9M3Ew4Gtg%3BFfpAswId8lG--Clz4laQIBm-VDF1DvIJCNsuSQ%3BFSxrtgIdFPOv-CnvyXLqFQqVVDG4Z9eKeTSz2w%3BFVRT0wIdUp-d-Ckr0JukEf-RVDEpGfKuNjAW9Q%3BFW7U4gIdqJul-CkrdFBxkXSPVDFkvP0WKB89xw%3BFX4c1gIdMIu1-CnX84bLhGqQVDHBIt2DGZ2LLA%3BFaqq7wIdOW6p-CmzT6lD8XOGVDGL84Gb6paRuw&mra=dpe&mrsp=4&sz=8&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7&sll=45.452424,-122.475586&sspn=1.58372,3.488159&ie=UTF8&ll=48.122101,-122.557983&spn=1.507068,3.488159&z=8
Wow. I hear the sadness behind an unused passport. The potential that exists within the blank pages, the space for recording fun adventures and wonderful memories encapsulated in the pages of an official document. I hope your passport soon gets stamped all over, meeting your need for fun and adventure.
ReplyDeleteSharing: my passport is blank as well. I am looking forward to that aspect of my passport changing. As this is my first passport, it will also be an aspect of my life that is changed as well.
Last summer 2010 I got within ten miles of the Canadian border. But ten miles is a lot on a bicycle trip when the bicycle trip is ending in Montana and the riders are feeling tired, worried about the durability of visibly increasingly thinning bicycle tires of a weird hard to obtain size. Plus it began to have poor potential weather, indeed with snow falling heavily as we boarded the Amtrak at East Glacier Park Station going toward Sacramento, California, where we had started the summer bicycle trip three months earlier.
Who else is going with you ?
Ming :)
http://CouchSurfing.org/rkmlai
Hello Ashree,
ReplyDeleteDo you think there is potential for a day hike up Black Butte http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Butte_(Siskiyou_County,_California) (projected to be a six hour hike) as we go past Mount Shasta ? I am deeply interested in doing this, yet wonder if there is interest among you and the others or how this fits into the time schedule.
Or interest a trip to Lost Valley http://LostValley.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Valley_Educational_Center , an intentional community 18 miles southeast of Eugene, where I lived, was the nurse, and studied permaculture for three years ? I visited there last summer on the above cited summer bicycle trip.
Ming