Starting Now...

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Today I begin my travel blog, although I am unable to get up an go a-traveling right now. Wanderlust has been seeping into my waking and dreaming life recently (actually, it's always there but lately it’s been more acute). Trains, long distance hikes, long runs, Alaska, the desert...these are some of the themes. Money is too tight to get up and go with my wife and three kids and there's no time with work and such. So it's either pine away or start thinking like a traveler and find some adventure in everyday life. Starting now I'm an amateur micro-traveler and mini-adventurer.

I'm writing from Rutland, Massachusetts, United States of America - the geographical center of the state in the Northeast corner of the country. Our region was very recently (December 12th) ravaged by an ice storm that damaged trees and brought down power lines. We were without power, heat or water for 8 days. Some people went much longer. Thankfully the temperatures were relatively mild and there was no snow. Since December 20th we've had two snowstorms and at least 12 inches of snow. Tomorrow is supposed to be 60 degrees F. Climate change is just a liberal scare tactic, right? Sheesh. The damage to the trees is much more extensive than any ice storm I have ever seen. It's hard to find a tree without a snapped off top or limb.

Last month I ran my first ultra marathon down in Maryland - the JFK 50 Miler. I finished it without injury and think I might be hooked on some aspects of it. I love the feeling of moving forward over ground I've never covered. The pain in my legs and feet I could do without, but everything has a price. It made me start thinking about trying to run a marathon in all 50 states and DC (I have three in my pocket now). It also got me thinking about running for a greater cause. So I've set a goal to run 500 miles of races in 2009. I'm working on identifying a good cause to run for and I have something in mind but have not made the connections yet. I'm hoping some travel (albeit micro-travel) will come with those races.

So that's a little bit about me and what I'm trying to do. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow and get them posted. I would welcome hearing from other travelers - especially those living close to the ground. May you be blessed and kept!

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