Zest for Life

Today, the term "weary traveler" comes to mind. The sun has not come out in over a week now and I am starting to realize the effect this has had on my mood. Come on Debbie Downer. I am feeling closed off and not nearly as friendly, patient, or communicative in the grand hostel setting. When I arrived in Christchurch this afternoon, I finally settled on what seemed to be the only overpriced and distant lodge there seemed to be available for one night. I could feel my body tighten and stiffen under the weight of my backpack, and a sizeable bag in each hand as I made my way from the library. How did I become such a bag lady, I thought to myself. The city centre of Christchurch was still closed off which made ... read more

Day 3 As I write this the music is blaring in the background---a Saturday fiesta to celebrate the procession of kids graduating on to the next level. Truth be told, this is not much different from other nights---there is the constant, familiar hum of life in San Juan---which I have grown somewhat accustomed to. This includes the fireworks which are set off at random, the roosters, the chickens, and hundreds of dogs--and believe me, when one is set off, they all are set off! The roofed houses with adobe construction are packed tightly togther around the central park and the ever present old church. Only the center of town qualifies for paving, otherwise it's all dirt roads where pigs, chickens, and skeletal dogs roam, bordered by houses built out of rough-hewn planks with outdoor kitchens, zinc ... read more

I normally like to start my day off with a cup of coffee, but three cups of coffee were in order on this particular day, 2 weeks ago. I woke up this morning to find that our van and trailer were stolen in the middle of the night. Gone. It’s one of those moments where you think to yourself, “Did that really just happen?” Now, I think in my past life I might have cried or at least sworn a few times to let the magnitude of this problem come to life. However, Backroads style, I considerately woke my boss up at 6:30am on a Saturday morning to inform him that I filed a police report, while simultaneously working out the details of Plan B with my calm and collective co-leaders. All said and done, we ... read more

I think I may need to upgrade to a smart phone, because having a dumb phone is no help when you are lost or find yourself “making a U-ey” and a little nine point turn action to back that trailer up! Luckily, not all my passengers were back seat drivers as this was going on. My evaluations for van support in Wine Country ranged from “We love your sunny smile and enthusiasm and hope you’ll be our tour leader on a future trip” to “the girl had no idea what she was doing.” Ding ding, that is correct, because I have never been to Bodega Bay before and although I am van supporting this route, I have never driven it in my entire life. Backroads tries to schedule new leaders with a few days of familiarization ... read more

Ever wonder what it might be like to appear on an episode of the ‘Real World?’ Well then you should come to leader training in Salt Lake City, where you will find yourself sharing space in a condo with 17 other awesome individuals. Luckily, Backroads looks for a certain type off personality in their candidates, so none of us are intentionally bringing drama to the table! Although, I have stirred the pot with my snoring and have switched off where and who I sleep with each night—“Who would have thought that little Keely could snore so loud?!” Our first week of training went very well and I learned many new hard skills. It is very empowering to do hands on work like traying and racking bikes, hitching trailers, and being able to fix and/or replace most ... read more