We’re really doing it

We’re in the airport waiting for our flight to start boarding. We’re early. We had plenty of time to get checked in, go through security, have three bags reinspected, walk through the entire concourse, get a coffee at one place and a meal somewhere else, and now we’re going to buy a neck pillow. It feels luxurious to have time on our side. Not to dwell on it, and this will not be a shock to those who know us, but we’re pretty sure this has never happened to us before. We think it bodes well for our trip.

Here’s to having time on our side during this next phase of our life!

Our Horizon

We found a renter, hired another consultant, booked our flights, and we're a week away from leaving!!!

Here's the latest broad scope of our trip.

So far, the only definitive dates are based around starting our journey in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 20th, heading north to Santa Cruz for Memorial Day weekend, continuing north to spend June and July in the Pacific Northwest, making our way back south (passing through San Francisco) to Nevada for Burning Man during the last week of August, and finally, decompressing at Lake Tahoe during the first week of September.

From there, we are open and unplanned and we will see!

Late Spring 2018, California:

• Begin in Los Angeles, May 20th
• Pacific Coast Highway
• Big Sur
• Redwoods
• Santa Cruz, Memorial Day
• Lake Tahoe (and Reno, NV)

Summer 2018, Pacific Northwest:

• Devil’s Tower, Wyoming
• Bighorn Medicine Wheel, Wyoming
• Olympic Peninsula, Washington
• Crater Lake, Oregon
• Portland, Oregon
• Seattle, Washington
• Irondale, Washington?
• Glacier National Park, Montana?
• Banff, Alberta
• Alaska?
• San Francisco, August 19-22
• Black Rock City, Nevada, Aug. 23 - Sept. 2
• Lake Tahoe, Sept. 3-5

Late Summer 2018, California:

• San Francisco
• Redwood
• Muir Woods
• etc.
• Mt. Shasta

Fall & Winter 2018, Southwest US:

• Lake Tahoe
• Sequoia
• Sierra
• Yosemite
• Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona
• Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Quartzsite, Arizona
• White Sands National Monument
• Death Valley (wildflowers)
• Fly to Northeast for Holidays?
• Family Vacation (Holidays or Winter Break)?

Our Plan

Our timeline for leaving is contingent on a few factors:

• Renting our condo (completing renovations, finding a renter)
• Hiring an additional technology consultant at Joe's company
• Establishing a structure to ensure sustainable success of Joe's company, as well as our Namago endeavor

Our best estimate is "early spring,” which now, well into January, seems closer than ever, though it's still nebulous. We don’t have an actual date as of yet. Nonetheless, we know and trust and plan for late March.

While in the throes of cleaning house, gifting and giving away what were once our treasured belongings, and reshaping our mindsets about life and belonging, we sometimes slow down and embrace the fun of envisioning where we plan to go…

Early Spring 2018, California:

• Begin in Los Angeles (3-4 days)
• Angeles National Forest (2-3 days?)
• Palm Springs
• Joshua Tree
• Death Valley (wildflowers)
• Sequoia
• Sierra
• Yosemite
• Lake Tahoe
• Reno
• San Francisco (May 5-8, 2018)
• East Coast (2-3 days, fly to conference)
• Connecticut (May 10-16, 2018)

Late Spring 2018:

• San Francisco
• Redwood
• Muir Woods
• etc.
• Lightning in a Bottle? (May 23-28, 2018 in Lake San Antonio, Bradley, CA)
• Mt. Shasta

Summer 2018, Pacific Northwest:

• Devil’s Tower, Wyoming
• Bighorn Medicine Wheel, Wyoming
• Olympic Peninsula, Washington
• Crater Lake, Oregon
• Portland, Oregon
• Seattle, Washington
• Irondale, Washington?
• Glacier National Park, Montana?
• Banff, Alberta
• Alaska?
• San Francisco (August 19-22, 2018)
• Black Rock City, Nevada (August 23 - September 6, 2018)

Fall & Winter 2018, Southwest US:

• Lake Tahoe
• Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona
• Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Quartzsite, Arizona
• Fly to Northeast for Holidays?
• White Sands National Monument
• Family Vacation (Holidays or Winter Break)

These are just lists of places we wish to experience, loosely grouped by locale and arranged according to climate. There's something to be said for “un-planning our travels” (thanks Wynns!), but I think the more we research and plan now, the more with the flow we can go down the road.

A bit more nebulous still, here are some other places on our list:

Spring & Summer 2019:

• Boulder, Colorado (June 2019)
• Yellowstone, Wyoming
• Glacier National Park, Montana

Summer 2020:

• Alaska?