My wife passed away October 25th while she was working in Colorado. She was the inspiration for this blog, as she was probably the only avid reader of it... The intent was to document our trips and journal them; to share with the world our exploits and adventures, show off what we've learned, warn others of the mishaps we experienced, and most of all, have the time of my life with my wife. Unfortunately, that time was far too short.
I've lost my navigator, and it sucks (even if she would guide me to wrong states, in circles, and nag me to play country music). One of the things I find myself questioning is my desire to drive and travel. I know I still love it, as driving has been one of the things that has kept (and still keeps) me sane throughout everything, but part of the joy of the road trip was having someone to share it with. Someone to see how happy the stupidest things made me, to take the pictures that I would have never thought of, to make that random stop which totally made the day, to be excited for the next day with. Like so many other things, having someone to share an experience with made it that much better. I saw her happiness in things, so I found that happiness. She'd think of things I wouldn't have thought of. Even down to the person to write down the licence plates we'd see or getting my ass kicked playing the alphabet game. Road trips just aren't the same without a navigator in the passenger seat.
But I have a few road trips in the queue. Before she died, we had talked about wanting to be cremated and where our ashes were to be spread. Being the National Park lover that she is, Christine wanted to be spread in a few National Parks. I'll add a few more for sentimental reasons, but here is where she will end up as it stands now:
- Acadia (Maine)
- Glacier (Montana, where we honeymooned)
- Yellowstone (Wyoming, where we honeymooned)
- Yosemite (California)
- Grand Canyon (Arizona)
- Cape Hatteras (North Carolina, where we eloped)
So other than Hatteras, there are a few road trips in the works. And other than Acadia and Hatteras, everything is out west, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind a few other side trips as well; there were so many parks she never got to see. I don't know when I'll get out there to put her in her final resting place, but when I do, I intend to make the trip out there and back the main show. Thats how we traveled... the destination was only a stop. The journey is what mattered. Its just sad that her journey ended while I'm still on mine. I'll keep going though, because you never know when that random stop will be the highlight of the day.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Bored and stuck in Boston
This week is one of my 'up in Boston' weeks. Working onsite for the customer, making the big bucks.
But I want to be home. Christine is leaving for Colorado for her summer/fall gig Memorial Day weekend. Thats 18 days, and I'm stuck here. NOT COOL YO.
At least work is going fast up here, and 4 other guys from work are onsite (same customer, different internal projects). Its nice to socialize with them every now and then and not have my nose stuck in my laptop, working away. The whole 'all work and no play makes Matt a dull boy' thing.
We're also carpooling to save some money, which means I haven't driven since Monday morning. I miss my car and driving around.
But Christine and I may be going to the beach for the weekend! A small road trip is what the doctor ordered, some quality time with the wife. Its nice outside in NC now too (although starting to get hot). Maybe to play at the old lighthouse location, the scene of the crime. Or just enjoy the weekend. Yeah, thats a wonderful idea.
But I want to be home. Christine is leaving for Colorado for her summer/fall gig Memorial Day weekend. Thats 18 days, and I'm stuck here. NOT COOL YO.
At least work is going fast up here, and 4 other guys from work are onsite (same customer, different internal projects). Its nice to socialize with them every now and then and not have my nose stuck in my laptop, working away. The whole 'all work and no play makes Matt a dull boy' thing.
We're also carpooling to save some money, which means I haven't driven since Monday morning. I miss my car and driving around.
But Christine and I may be going to the beach for the weekend! A small road trip is what the doctor ordered, some quality time with the wife. Its nice outside in NC now too (although starting to get hot). Maybe to play at the old lighthouse location, the scene of the crime. Or just enjoy the weekend. Yeah, thats a wonderful idea.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Lets go to, I dunno.... Colorado?
I attended a cousin's wedding last weekend (congrats Katie and Mike!) in Iowa and had asked Christine if she was ok with a little road trip. At first, we were going to mosey back to north Virginia and hit up Shenandoah National Park and take the Blue Ridge Parkway south into NC and Great Smokey Mountains National Park. That was going to be a lot of driving. Christine gets car crazy after several hours (or days) of being stuck in a car, so that wasn't the best idea...
I pulled up a map and looked to see what was a day's drive or so from Des Moines. Looking around, it was apparent what the destination should be: west.
Denver is just around 10 hours from Des Moines. Only two states over (Nebraska and Colorado), so that is where we aimed. We'd head out there for a week, and I'll fly back to Boston for work on Sunday (today, boooooo hisssss) and Christine will drive back to Raleigh. She has 3-4 days to do it, so it shouldn't be too bad of a drive.
So now what we did:
- We camped in Nebraska one night at their largest lake, Lake McConaughy, for one night. We were the only ones at the campsite... set up camp just before dark, didn't have a fire since we had already eaten, and tried to watch the stars a few times. The moon started getting bright and filling the sky, so star watching wasn't too great. During the night, it stormed to our south. We got rained on. And we were right beside a busy Union Pacific railroad line, so we kept seeing and hearing trains all night. Not the best thing for people who aren't used to storms on the plains, and can hear a train and a storm at the same time. We were worried a tornado was close by several times.
- Camped in Rocky Mountain National Park two or three nights. We stayed in one of the few campgrounds open yet, Moraine Park. It was quite nice there; several herds of Elk (each herd having up to 50?) frequented the valley and the campground. Between the Elk droppings all through the campground, and being stuck beside/behind Elk several times on the road in and from the campground, it was neat to watch and hear them pull up grass as they ate.
Oh, and the snow covered peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park are gorgeous! If you have the opportunity to go, GO. Even in the off season, it was nice. Just be prepared to deal with snow. Between the Trail Ridge Road being closed (goes over the continental divide and is the highest paved continuous highway in the country) and several trails being under feet of icy/packed snow, we saw why snowmelt can keep rivers full all year.
- Stayed in a cabin in Estes Park off on of their rivers as it rained/snowed. The last few days we were in the mountains, it started to rain and snow. No more camping, we packed up and stayed in a nice cabin, Misty Mountain Inn. A very nicely ran place, and the rooms/cabins were also nice. We stayed put and enjoyed the snow.
- Drove out of the mountains to Denver and drove around town. Drove by a customer's site I've worked at behind the mountains, drove through the mountains some more, and went quazi-downtown to eat our one year dinner.
- Sunday is Christine and my 1 year wedding anniversary. We have till 5pmish to putz around Denver and do what we want, before she drops me off at DIA for the 4 hour flight to Boston. Then she gets to drive all the way home. Lucky :P
Its sooo nice out here. Christine may be getting a seasonal job at RMNP, and if she does, relocation will be strongly considered.
I pulled up a map and looked to see what was a day's drive or so from Des Moines. Looking around, it was apparent what the destination should be: west.
Denver is just around 10 hours from Des Moines. Only two states over (Nebraska and Colorado), so that is where we aimed. We'd head out there for a week, and I'll fly back to Boston for work on Sunday (today, boooooo hisssss) and Christine will drive back to Raleigh. She has 3-4 days to do it, so it shouldn't be too bad of a drive.
So now what we did:
- We camped in Nebraska one night at their largest lake, Lake McConaughy, for one night. We were the only ones at the campsite... set up camp just before dark, didn't have a fire since we had already eaten, and tried to watch the stars a few times. The moon started getting bright and filling the sky, so star watching wasn't too great. During the night, it stormed to our south. We got rained on. And we were right beside a busy Union Pacific railroad line, so we kept seeing and hearing trains all night. Not the best thing for people who aren't used to storms on the plains, and can hear a train and a storm at the same time. We were worried a tornado was close by several times.
- Camped in Rocky Mountain National Park two or three nights. We stayed in one of the few campgrounds open yet, Moraine Park. It was quite nice there; several herds of Elk (each herd having up to 50?) frequented the valley and the campground. Between the Elk droppings all through the campground, and being stuck beside/behind Elk several times on the road in and from the campground, it was neat to watch and hear them pull up grass as they ate.
Oh, and the snow covered peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park are gorgeous! If you have the opportunity to go, GO. Even in the off season, it was nice. Just be prepared to deal with snow. Between the Trail Ridge Road being closed (goes over the continental divide and is the highest paved continuous highway in the country) and several trails being under feet of icy/packed snow, we saw why snowmelt can keep rivers full all year.
- Stayed in a cabin in Estes Park off on of their rivers as it rained/snowed. The last few days we were in the mountains, it started to rain and snow. No more camping, we packed up and stayed in a nice cabin, Misty Mountain Inn. A very nicely ran place, and the rooms/cabins were also nice. We stayed put and enjoyed the snow.
- Drove out of the mountains to Denver and drove around town. Drove by a customer's site I've worked at behind the mountains, drove through the mountains some more, and went quazi-downtown to eat our one year dinner.
- Sunday is Christine and my 1 year wedding anniversary. We have till 5pmish to putz around Denver and do what we want, before she drops me off at DIA for the 4 hour flight to Boston. Then she gets to drive all the way home. Lucky :P
Its sooo nice out here. Christine may be getting a seasonal job at RMNP, and if she does, relocation will be strongly considered.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
I got nothin'
No excuses what so ever for not posting since September. Its only been 5 months...
I'm up in DC on a business trip, learning the latest and greatest about Flex 4 (beta, should be out soon). But the noteworthy part has been the trip so far.
I haven't ridden in a back seat for a road trip in years. YEARS. My brother and I used to fight over who rode shotgun to navigate for dad (who really didn't need any help, but wanted to include one of his boys I now know). I was in the backseat as a co-worker drove from my place in Garner, NC (where we all met up) up to McLean, VA (suburb of DC). It was about a 6 hour trip all together, including stopping for gas and dinner.
It was fun looking out the window and enjoying the ride for a change. And I know my wife will read this eventually and wonder why I never let her drive - I like driving, I just need reminders how fun being a passenger can be. But don't expect my love for being behind the wheel to yield anytime soon.
The trip back Thursday will have me in shotgun. The other co-worker on the trip is flying from DC to San Jose (6-7 hour flight!) to see his girlfriend. We probably won't leave the area until 6 or 7, unless class gets out super early, so most of the riding will be at night again. But hopefully I can follow Orion across the sky for some of the trip.
A trip out west is needed soon... whether its by plane or car, I need to see those mountains, the vast plains, and the wide open sky. It has been far too long.
I'm up in DC on a business trip, learning the latest and greatest about Flex 4 (beta, should be out soon). But the noteworthy part has been the trip so far.
I haven't ridden in a back seat for a road trip in years. YEARS. My brother and I used to fight over who rode shotgun to navigate for dad (who really didn't need any help, but wanted to include one of his boys I now know). I was in the backseat as a co-worker drove from my place in Garner, NC (where we all met up) up to McLean, VA (suburb of DC). It was about a 6 hour trip all together, including stopping for gas and dinner.
It was fun looking out the window and enjoying the ride for a change. And I know my wife will read this eventually and wonder why I never let her drive - I like driving, I just need reminders how fun being a passenger can be. But don't expect my love for being behind the wheel to yield anytime soon.
The trip back Thursday will have me in shotgun. The other co-worker on the trip is flying from DC to San Jose (6-7 hour flight!) to see his girlfriend. We probably won't leave the area until 6 or 7, unless class gets out super early, so most of the riding will be at night again. But hopefully I can follow Orion across the sky for some of the trip.
A trip out west is needed soon... whether its by plane or car, I need to see those mountains, the vast plains, and the wide open sky. It has been far too long.
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