Archives 2022

At the age of 16, I embarked on an unforgettable Colorado River rafting adventure, following in the footsteps of my father, who had experienced it a decade earlier. Years later, my sister ventured on the same journey. Now, nearly four decades later, I find myself drawn back to this remarkable experience. Join me as I prepare for my upcoming road trip from Boston to Colorado, where I’ll once again set out on this incredible river adventure.

• 
  Parking at Airport Mesa Vortex, Sedona, AZSeptember 7, 2022
  Explore the enchanting Sedona Airport Mesa Vortex—a spiritual haven with insider parking tips. Immerse yourself in its magic, history, and mystical allure in vibrant Sedona, Arizona.
• 
  Visiting Airport Mesa Vortex, Sedona, AZ – Aug 2022September 6, 2022
  Embarking on a captivating weekend adventure in Sedona, Arizona, I was drawn to one of its mystical gems—the Sedona Airport Mesa Vortex. “What is a vortex?” Among Sedona’s array of vortexes, the Airport Mesa Vortex stands out, easily accessible but quite popular. To bask in its serenity, an early arrival is advisable, as I discovered firsthand. Amidst the bustling crowd, I found a moment of solitude and felt the energy of the vortex, making it a memorable experience.
• 
  New Jersey into Virginia – June 2022July 14, 2022
  Traveling had me on the move for a full day, making my way westward from New Jersey. I journeyed through several states and managed to reach Virginia before finding a spot for a night’s rest in my van.
• 
  My Van Life Journey: Exploring New York City’s Sights and Sounds (June 2022)July 13, 2022
  Join me as I dive back into van life and explore the vibrant streets of New York City. From towering skyscrapers to delicious meals, it’s a day filled with exciting adventures!
• 
  Colorado River Roadtrip and BackMarch 10, 2022
  My next road trip will take me from Boston to Colorado where I’ll set off again on a Colorado River rafting adventure.

I made it home yesterday.

I left New Orleans in a rental car at 3 a.m. Saturday morning. With just enough room for the driver, I managed to pack everything from the van into it.

This is not how these trips are supposed to be traversed. It was very cramped. I am used to having the bed in the back but in this situation, I could not even put the seat back to rest.

I made the most of it. I made it home Sunday.

This was my Saturday drive.

I would like to have gotten a coffee at Cafe Du Monde on my way out of town, but they were closed. I believe before Ida, they were open 24 hours. Ida hit New Orleans hard. It was very early morning and dark when I exited Louisiana and entered Mississippi.

	I drove into Alabama. Sweet Home Alabama. Home of the World Games this year and then the radio played Tuesday’s Gone by Lynard Skynard. I enjoyed that. The sun came up. I enjoyed that too.
I stopped for coffee at Just Love Coffee Cafe in Tuscaloosa, Alabama…	and I ate my first womlette. It made me smile…. and it seemed to smile back.

Birmingham, Alabama

I played George Ward Park Disc Gold Course in Birmingham, Alabama.

I didn’t realize I was going to go through Georgia and then I entered Tennessee. I had never been to Tennessee before. Now there’s only 5 states I’ve never been to.

Chattanooga Choo Choo

And it turns out, today was the 141st anniversary of Chattanooga Choo-Choo.

I stopped in Chattanooga, Tennessee to get some work done. I needed to finish out a few reports before the end of the day and opted for a little place across the street from the Chattanooga Choo Choo. I sat outside and when the reports were done, I treated myself to a nice cold beer. I enjoyed the beautiful weather, people watched and then took a little walk around the area.

Athens, Tennessee

There was a highly rated course that I wanted to play, however, I’d be arriving 45 minutes before sunset. I played Athens Regional Park very quickly …. and shot very well! It is such a beautiful course. I would like to get back here and enjoy a slow round some day.

Knoxville, Tennessee

I didn’t stay long in Knoxville. I was going to just drive past it and make some time before I got to sleepy. But the Sunsphere was only 3 minutes out of the way, so why not. “The Sunsphere, located in World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, is a 266-foot high hexagonal steel truss structure, topped with a 75 ft gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the 1982 World’s Fair.” – from the Sunsphere’s Google page

I drove through the night with frequent stops to rest, however, with the vehicle situation, rest was hard to come by. This was definitely a difficult trip and was a struggle at times. I don’t like driving like this and am looking forward to figuring out my next vehicle.

Sunday morning I stopped at a Planet Fitness in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and had a shower and a hydro massage. That was certainly helpful and I also stopped in New Jersey to see a cousin I hadn’t seen in years. I napped there before completing the last 4 hours.

I arrived home Sunday afternoon. It was nice sleeping in my bed.

I left home on Dec 17 and tonight is my last night before I start the 24 hour drive home.

It’s been months and it does feel that way. Hard to believe that my visit to my cousins in New Jersey was the same trip as this. They were my first night out of Boston in New Jersey as I headed south eleven weeks ago.

My plan was to leave New Orleans a week ago which was the Friday before Fat Tuesday. The Universe had other ideas.

The pickup truck attempted to get through the yellow light. He didn’t make it. And he ended up driving away at the end of the evening.

Plans for after New Orleans before the incident.

Actual plans.

I needed to stay in New Orleans until the insurance adjuster took a look at things. At that point I’d be able to make some decisions. I was here an extra week and had to remove the planned drive taking me further out west to the edge of Texas.

I did, however, end up getting stranded in New Orleans through Mardi Gras. I reconnected with friends I hadn’t seen in 30 years and got to see a small glimpse as to how some of my life may have been if I decided to stay in New Orleans all those years ago. It was really special.

This is Tommy. A friend from 30 years ago… and still a friend today!	This is basket 14 at City Park Disc Golf Course in New Orleans that I had the opportunity to play.
These are friends from Boston that were down in New Orleans on Krewe of Tuck.	And these are my friend from Boston throwing beads at the Krewe of Tuck parade.

And although the car is totaled and I missed out on seeing some new places and visiting some owners I was looking forward to seeing, the silver linings continued to show themselves.

It’s time to finally head out. I leave tomorrow and decided to stop at a local bar for a cold beer on my last night. It was a bar around the corner that I had visited on one of my first nights here. I sat outside again. It was very peaceful. I thought about the past week… and the past eleven weeks.

As I finished my drink and went to leave, the bartender asked how I was doing. I told her everything was really good. My car is totaled and everything is really good.

I am feeling very grateful.

So I’m a good way into this trip that started when my folks rented a place in Orlando for a week. This was my map of red dots before I left.

A week traveling to Orlando and then 6 and a half weeks of exploring Florida, this is what my map looks like now.

The density of the dots has increased in the center of Virginia due to my visit to Raleigh and I’ve created an anchor on the end of Florida.

Here are some close ups of my new red dots …..