what a long strange trip it's been


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April 5th 1997
Published: March 31st 2006
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HMMM, this may be hard. I am going to try to go back 8 years (or is it 9 years?) and put together a blog for my travels since then. I realize now that I have been on sort of an eight (or nine?) year "journey" since I haven't lived anywhere longer than 6 months since the Spring of 1997. Has it really been that long??? Wow, "what a long strange trip it's been". I fear writing this because I’m sure I will miss times that I spent with some of you. This is more due to my bad memory and the fact that I don’t have any photos of the "trip" with you guys to refresh memory.


Well here I go: I left Duluth, Minnesota, in April of 1997 thanks to the advice of Wendy and Dusty Oosten and I headed out to work in Yellowstone National Park. Just the fact that they told me to go Yellowstone is, what??? A coincidence. You see, a few years earlier I went out to a bar after work and was talking to Wendy when the subject of Dusty came up (she did not know him). After a long distance phone call to Dusty and the introduction of the two of them.... well, they eventually got married. So, if I did not go out to the bar that night, the two of them would not be married and I would probably not be on this particular "journey". Some people say things happen for a reason, others say they just happen.

Okay, back to the story. I don't have too many photos of the first few years of travel so I will summarize with words (sorry - this is more for my benefit so I can figure out what the hell I have been doing). I spent about 6 months in Yellowstone working at the old faithful lodge. I did quite a bit of hiking in Yellowstone and in Grand Teton national park. click here for some fotos I also saw my first James Mcmurtry concert in Jackson Wyoming. In September, I left Yellowstone and headed to Chicago for my mom's birthday and spent some time in the Chicago area. I went out to Park city, Utah, that winter and worked there until the spring of 1998 (the good news is I still keep in touch with several of you who I met there). I took Suzan Melvoe from MSNBC (?) skiing, I saw President Clinton and after the season I drove to Chicago and I took my mom out to my cousin Mikes graduation from medical school at Howard University. It turns out that Suzan's father was the dean of the medical school (small world - there will be more small world stories).

I had bought a Toyota van in Utah and stored it there. I drove from Chicago to Utah to get my van and loaded it up with all the toys - bike, kayak ... and I drove up to Alaska in early June, 1998. I drove the Alaskan highway to Skagway and I hiked the chilkoot pass with a German guy that I had met at a campground. I left Skagway and took the ferry over to Haines where I spent a few weeks. I met a fisherman and his wife and every Thursday there was a “party’ at one of the guys houses, with lots of fresh fish. Everyone brought musical instruments, they sang and had a good time until it got dark (2am). I left Haines and drove to Anchorage, Alaska. Here I learned about Ebay and also did quite a bit of fishing (Tony I wish I was coming up there this summer to do some fishing with you). I drove up to Denali National Park and to Fairbanks as well as the Keni penisula. I panned for gold and any gold I found was lost when I washed my pants and the vial with the gold was in my pocket and it opened up and everything washed down the drain (maybe $50 worth of gold). I left Anchorage in November and I drove back to - I think, Utah. Boy that was a long and cold drive - I think it was 5 days of straight driving!!!! I went back to Park city to work another winter which turned out to be a short season for me. I saw my second James McMurtry concert. ( click here to see some fotos I drove to Las Vegas in February??? And I spent some time with my uncle Mike and visited with my other Aunts and Uncles and a couple of my cousins. I left Las Vegas in March 1999, and I drove up to Washington State and then I took a ferry up to Alaska. I stayed in Anchorage until the fall. When I left Alaska I did not know where I was going so I "moved" to my house in Ely, Mn. The house was a rental property but the tenants at the time were 4 months behind on their rent so I told them to move out and I moved in. Shortly thereafter, Matt moved into the house as my roommate and took care of it for me so I could hit the road again.

I left Ely, Minnesota, in the spring of 2000 and I headed to Moab, Utah. I took a few canoes out west to deliver them for a local Ely company. I spent the night in my van at a gas station in Green river Utah just across the river from Holiday expedition (though I did not know it at the time) I ended up working for Holiday expedition during the summer ( click here to see some fotos of my rafting and biking trips with Holiday and then went back to Ely to spend a little time before going out to Park city to work at stag lodge until the Spring of 2001.

I left Stag and visited my uncle Mike in Vegas again and then went back to the Moab area to work for Holiday Expedition again. In the Fall of 2001 I went back to Ely. In November or December, I took a bus from Minnesota to Washington DC to visit with my cousin Tina and her husband Trey and their Family. From there I took train to New York City to visit Dave (I met Dave in Alaska) and also a couple of guests from rafting trips. This was a few months after 9/11 and I did visit the world trade tower site (as close as we could get).


In January of 2002, I headed to Salt Lake City to work for a German company - première world, during the Olympics (thanks Nicole!!!). After the Olympics I took Morris, a photographer, on a short trip to a few of the national parks in the South West - Zion, Bryce, and Arches national park (click here to see some fotos of this trip After the trip We dropped the car in Denver and I met with Dave Siebert and Annie before taking the train back to Salt Lake City. In the Spring of 2002, Nicole and I took a trip around the southwest going to Canyonlands National park, Monument National Valley, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Zion, Bryce ... ( click here to see some fotos of this trip After the trip I went back to Holiday to work again. In the fall of 2002, I went to two James McMurtry concerts one in Durango Colorado and the other in SLC. After the season was over at Holiday, I drove back to Ely, Minnesota, and I believe I spent the winter there. I think in the fall of 2002 (or was it 2001) I helped my friend Dave V. and his Buddy Dave (beef), both avid travelblog readers (haha), build a log cabin in Floodwood Minnesota. This would not be the last time I helped Dave build something. I think the next winter I helped him for a month or so while he was building his house in Grand Marais, Minnesota.


In February or March of 2003; I drove out West to visit my Uncle Mike in Las Vegas again. I believe it was on this trip that I rented a car and drove to California to visit my cousin Tommy and his family. While I was in Vegas, I had an opportunity to take a 17-night cruise to Europe for only $650 per person. I wasn’t sure what to do and so I asked my Uncle Mike what he thought. His answer was, “when will you get another chance”. Bingo, I booked the ticket. Now the fun starts. I will continue this on another blog - the international years. But before I do i missed a few trips - there was a trip to portland and park city and another trip or two to oregon, maybe a few more to Vegas. I remember one summer i drove from Green river, Utah to meet three of my uncles for lunch in Nevada (I think that was an 9 hour round trip for lunch). Oh ya, and some of the people i met while working; sylvester stalone, the chairman of HBO, a few bilionares, Cal Ripkin Jr., Uma Thurman, Steve Winwood, Dr. Ruth, Dennis Hopper, Sydney portier (sp), Scarlet Johansen, Pat Sajach, Jim Belushi, Bruce Hornsby ....but most importantly, are the people one meets while traveling.


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31st March 2006

judging by the photos, it looks to be a good 10 years,Dave
4th April 2006

......but a good trip
Dave When Wendy and I said go to Yellowstone...we were thinking for the summer.....how many years since that summer!!!! I think its safe to say we influenced each others life and were all richer for it....I hope I formally thanked you for introducing Wendy to me. If not, I have one hell ofa debt to pay. Your travel blog feeds my imagination and I live vicariously through you. My adventure these days is surviving Pack 202's pinewood derby....oh, if my old Army Ranger buddies could see me now! Actually, I have alot to be greatful for and you are part of it. Always know you have a bed and Wendy's cooking at our house should your travels find you in the northland. As they would say in Club OTAS (think hard, you know what the OTAS stands for...think Spirit Mt.)...Keep On Truck'n and be safe. Cheers ! Dusty

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