Another rainy day in Washington!

I tried to bring the sunshine from New Jersey back to Washington, but it didn't work. 50 degrees and cloudy yesterday, and 40 degrees and raining today. Great! It made me jealous for one second of everyone enjoying the weather in NJ until I remembered that jealousy doesn't help me enjoy the present moment at all. I think I also visited NJ during my favorite time of year--when everything is tipped with fresh, spring green, flowers are blooming everywhere, and the returning heat of summer makes you forget you spent the last 6 months cold. Bike riding with my dad through the wooded hills of Mendham and the wide-open farm fields of Cranbury reminded me that NJ has its pretty parts too, and the towns in which Colin and I grew up are some of the nicest places in NJ. But I also realized that I miss family more than I miss NJ itself.

Vermont was gorgeous and I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for the job in Burlington. It would be funny if we drove across country and ended up back east, but in my opinion we wouldn't be settling for anything if we ended up in Vermont. Curt and I got to drive into the Jeffersonville area as the sun was setting and thick, gray storm clouds were lifting after a violent and crazy rain. The mountains were green, the ground was all mud and puddles, the locals were out with chainsaws clearing the road of fallen trees for fellow townsfolk.

Last night we drove from Seattle to Marblemount and this morning we headed into the Methow Valley across the newly-opened-for-the-season North Cascade Scenic Highway. There were still impressive piles of snow lining the road and fresh ski tracks on the trails. We were a little sad that the skies were gray, as the North Cascade Scenic Highway is supposed to be one of the prettiest drives in the United States! We mostly saw fog. At least it was pretty fog. We had lunch at the cute Mazama Store and are now in Twisp as thunder rumbles and rain falls. Tomorrow we make our way closer to Idaho!

Look Misa, I'm eating green things while you are gone!

I know, you must be so proud of me, it is not multiple cheeseburgers from an establishment that we won't name here. Olive oil, garlic, broccoli, spinach is what's in the frying pan along with spaghetti in the other pan.
This is also a shot of how we cook on our Coleman double burner stove. This stove is around 30 years old. It used to be my parents until I adopted it. I wonder if this is what they used on their trip around the country in their Audi Fox?

It's kinda pretty here

 

I found this great spot along Chuckanut Drive about 10 miles south of Bellingham.  I pulled over to eat lunch at a scenic overlook and saw a trail that dropped into the woods and headed towards the water.  Tucker and I plunged down this incredibly steep trail and found ourselves at a set of train tracks and then the water.  Hidden between the train tracks and the water was a great little camping spot that has been  shown a lot of love.  There was a bunch of stone walls that were ringing the camping area with a bunch of artsy rock cairns and a great little firepit.  I am guessing that it is mainly used by sea kayakers as there really isn't any access besides this.  It was nice to find such a gem with absolutely no garbage around it.  Tucker went for a swim for a little while and got to see his first freight train go by within 20 feet.  He wasn't really sure what to think about it. 

New Jersey Morning

Am I allowed to post on the trip blog when I'm technically on a trip from our trip?

For the past month or so I'd felt that the days were passing more quickly, and as it seemingly got closer to the end of our trip (with summer approaching), I found myself looking more to the future than the present. What will we do when our money runs out? Where will we end up? What kind of jobs will we find? Rather than letting these questions pass through my mind, I clung on to them, probably causing distress to both Colin and myself.

Then last night I experienced culture shock upon returning to New Jersey. Is New Jersey really so different from the rest of the country or have we been visiting just the unusual pockets of the United States? The shock made me realize the greatness of our trip and reminded me why we set out on it in the first place. New Jersey is not the norm and the lifestyle most enjoy here is not a standard to force yourself to live up to or maintain. It is simply one way of life. And if that way of life doesn't feel right to you, you find ways to change it. On our trip, we have been inspired by so many people and so many different landscapes that it would be impossible to ever return to New Jersey as the same couple we were living the same life we did.

For example, my shower last night in the home I grew up in did not feel as magnificent as the $0.75 four-minute shower I took two days ago at a campground outside Seattle. My bed did not feel as soft and comfortable as I imagined it would. I missed the woods and I missed Colin & Tucker terribly. And sadly, despite having everything I need in life, I went to sleep with a complaining voice in my head. I was trying to compare the beauty our trip to the sudden feeling of returning to a life in Mendham, New Jersey that is no longer mine.

Today I woke up at 5:15 am when the sunlight came streaming through the window and went downstairs to find a yoga mat. Instantly I knew I couldn't practice inside. Days and days of practicing outside had gotten to me in a good way. I laid down a mat to practice on the back patio and listened to the chatter of birds mixed with the rush of cars as I sat down for meditation. I didn't have snow-capped mountain views, but I was grateful for the sun, the warm humid air, and for not having to wear furry boots and a down jacket to keep warm during savasana. I was humbled by this simple pleasure, and the negativity of last night washed away.

This morning's practice made me remember that you can be content anywhere and you can complain anywhere. I trust that wherever we end up will be perfect.

You should take a trip!

I have had more time today to reflect upon our trip than I normally do.  I had to drive the 2.5 hours back to Seattle to pick up my debit card.  I was a bit annoyed at myself for doing something stupid like that and generally I prefer to stay as far away from big cities as possible.  I don't like the noise, the crowds, the people, the expenses related to cities, I tend to shy away from the general hipness of cities.  So I guess I was being punished because I had to go back.  Once I got back to the area where the restaurant was I spent 30 minutes driving around trying to find a parking spot for the truck.  Cities are not made to park full-sized trucks.  After cramming myself into a spot and walking the 10 blocks back to the restaurant, I hightailed it out of the city.

Then something started to change, I was making my way out of the city, it was around 8:30pm and the sun was setting behind the Olympic mountains.  I saw about 30 sailboats having a regatta.  It was a very peaceful scene.  My mood started to do a one hundred and eighty degree turn.

Driving up I-5 to get back towards the mountains I realized what a great trip this has been.  Misa and I are so lucky that we are able to make this happen.  We have met a lot of great people, seen a lot of great and amazing places.  I am not sure where we will end up when the trip is over, but the whole experience has been amazing.  It hasn't always been perfect days and sunny skies, but looking back over the past 3 months, it has been such a great journey.

I think a trip everyone should take a trip like this at least once in their lifetime.  We all make so many excuses about why we can't do it: whether it is work obligations, family, money, time, etc.  It is possible if you really want it.

We are in the beginning of creating our own life and this trip is really the start of all of it.

 

Sometimes we run into roadblocks on our trip!

Whoops!

Misa headed back home for a visit with her family this week and I stayed in Washington with Tucker.  I figured while she was gone I could get in a lot of snowboarding.  The weather report looked promising for exactly one day for the entire time she is going to be gone, today!  I dropped her off at the airport at 4:30 am and then drove the 2.5 hours to Mount Baker.  The weather called for partly sunny skies with a high temp of 58.  Sounds perfect for a day in the mountains.  About 50 miles from Mount Baker I stop to fill up the truck with gas.  I reach into my wallet and discover that I don't have my debit card that we are using for all of our trip related purchases.  hmmm, where could it be?  After looking around the truck for a while I end up using  my credit card to pay for the gas. Good thing I kept that in my wallet at the start of the trip.  I continue on the road towards Mount Baker and then it starts to drizzle.  As I continue on the drizzle turns into a steady rain.  What is happening to my one good day of weather?  As I am driving up the access road to Mount Baker, I realize where my debit card is.  I had left it at the restaurant that we ate at last night in downtown Seattle.  Big Whoops indeed. 

So I guess I earned myself another trip to Seattle tonight or tomorrow to pick up my debit card.  Did I ever mention that I don't like cities at all?
  I blame this all on Misa,  I must have been distraught over her impending absence and forgot my card.  I am not normally like this...

Happy Birthday to Colin!

Happy Birthday, Colin! 

If we were at home I would have baked you blueberry muffins and a birthday cake. We will have to have a belated second-birthday celebration for you when we find our new home :)