To the great white north - a 50 year old kid's adventure

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I'm off to Alaska for a month or so road trip. How do I get to this point you ask? Wellllllll... that's a good question... I was born a poor child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family... alrighty then, maybe not the most appropriate start. In reality, after eight years, my company and I parted ways a couple weeks ago (they suggested I say it was mutually agreed upon... so hey! it's mutual). Overall I wasn't particularly surprised. My passion for the company had died several years earlier for a variety of reasons. Then I made a lateral move that ended up not working out for a variety of additional reasons. I’ll spare you the dull and drab details as it is boring and might border on violating my no-disparage clause. However, in many ways I was really really tired of the constant uncertainty that turned day-to-day into a ring in Dante's hell, so in that respect it definitely was a mutual separation (at least in spirit). Also, my company gave me a fairly decent severance package, and for that I am grateful. I’ll miss the friends I made there, though I suppose there is that thing called the Internet.

Anyway, there is some serendipity at play here. I get to do this trip! It’s not every day a husband can ask his wife if he could take off for a month to go on a walk about. I had three things going for me:


• A decent severance package
• I’ve been talking about such a trip going on forever, and most important
• I have the best damn wife a man could ever be lucky to find. Thank you Kim.



I have four journeys in my bucket list and this trip to the great white north is the first one. How cool is that?

So now I am in a mad scramble to get ready, both at the home front and for the trip itself. The trip is a solo road trip to the very top of North America. Along the way, I will be a wanderer with no itinerary and no hard dates; it will be a general migration north and back. I do have a vague idea of traveling up the Rockies and then coming back down the Pacific coast. Along the way, I’ll stop wherever the spirit takes me. The even more fun part is that I will camp and cook my food along the way. This will be the ultimate road trip (well at least for me). The scheduled departure is April 17th (OK, so there is one hard date). I'll keep everyone posted.

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Comments

[Jeff Hatley]

Enjoy - wished I could do the same

[Aunt Nancy]

I am so excited for you
I have read so many books about this kind of travel. I am jealous! I hope your trip is fabulous, breath taking, and a great learning experience.

[Wendy West]

Hey
Hey I want to follow your trip so I subscribed! Hope you don't mind! :-)

[Tarkanian]

Of Course Not
I would have included you, but I didn't have your email for some reason... :)

[Steve Pacheco]

FUN!!!!!!!
Hey Bob, This sounds like a dream trip. I have 8 more years till I do something similar.

[Dan Stucka]

Holy polar bears!
It is very understanding of Kim, indeed, but those of us who know her know how capable she is--more than able to run the ship while you are gone. Of course you are violating the principle that it is best when changing jobs to jump right into the search for a new position. But in your case, knowing how many firms would love to find an employee like you, maybe it is just fine. There are a lot of written accounts of people, almost always guys, making the trip up the Pan American highway as far as Alaska by motorcycle. You will easily find some to read on the road. I was intrigued by some accounts myself before you and I learned some extra truths about the risks of two-wheeled adventures. I am glad you are bringing a lockable metal rolling house along. Have fun. I will read and experience vicariously.

[Cynthia Pacheco]

Hey ho! Off you go!
Well, it sounds like a real sabbatical. I pray this is the best trip of your life (so far :-) ). May the force be with you as you travel. Wish you could take a well-trained, loyal Golden retriever with you (a la Dean Koontz)!