Post Trip Thoughts

October 13, 2016

Brett
We've been home for a week and have experienced a torrent of emotions. Going back into the "real world" of work and responsibility has been a lot harder than we expected. In some ways two months doesn't seem that long and it other ways it does. When I think back to the last time we were able to get away for 2 months it would have been summer break in highschool. Thats a long time ago. When you start working a 9-5 and going through the daily grind, time seems to start to speed up. Its easy to get stuck in ruts, get comfortable, get complacent. To get trapped in it. Two months of seeing the country has been like stepping outside of a the glass globe that is our lives and seeing it from the outside, knowing we'd have to go back in. Something we completely avoided thinking about pretty much the entire trip and which hit us like a brick wall.

The first few days back I was pretty inconsolably depressed. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't shake the sadness. However, as the week has worn on I've remembered how extremely fortunate we are. Not just to have been able to travel like this, but also in our lives at home. We came back with a list of places we definitely know we want to revisit and spend more time in as well as some places we might even want to move to some day. Maybe more than anything this trip has shown us what's really important to us. What we really need(soap, nature) and what we can live without(TV). I hope to spend much less time in front of the TV going numb and much more time out there creating new things and experiencing the amazing world around us.

Steph
I went and got the pups and returned home on Saturday. To say I was excited to see them is and understatement. I was beyond thrilled with emotions when I picked them up. The first week home was tough, even for the pups. The thought of just selling everything and traveling sounded really enticing. There were times where it felt like we were gone forever and then times when it felt like we had just left.

I feel very fortunate to have been able to go on such an awesome journey, with such an awesome person. This trip has made Brett and I stronger in our relationship. We really work well together as a team. I learned a lot about myself on this trip and as cliche as it sounds, I am my own worst enemy. I sometimes let fear keep me from doing certain things. That is something that I will continue to work on and be aware of going forward. Also, nature is powerful and can really soothe your soul if get out there and let it. This country is beautiful and there is so much to see and do. I am challenging myself to spend more time exploring, learning and enjoying the simple things in life. I realize that I don't need a lot of "stuff" to be happy. Heck, I basically wore the same thing the whole trip. What I do need is to make the most with the time I have and be open to new opportunities, big or small.

Extra: Thank you WOOF NANA & WOOF PAPA

October 01, 2016

When we were planning this trip, one of the hardest decisions we had to make was to leave the dogs behind. They usually go everywhere with us and they LOVE to go hiking, camping and backpacking . We knew that with the kind of trip we were planning, having them with us would not be an option. Most dogs are not allowed on a lot of the trails and we definitely could not have backpacked with them. My mom agreed to keep Rigby & Roady for the 9 weeks that we would be gone. I gave mom a list and made a calendar of everything the dogs needed and she put up with my obsessive-self and politely listened to all my instructions. I want to say a HUGE and SPECIAL THANK YOU to my mom, WOOF NANA and to my dad, WOOF PAPA for taking such amazing care of Rigby and Roady. Thank you for the text updates, videos, face-time, and for being so awesome taking care of them. I like to think that Rigby & Roady got a little vacation too. They went to Sonic, lots of truck rides around the country-side, went to the river and even jumped in my Uncle's swimming pool. They had someone with them all the time and, just like at home, got their 15 minutes of bone-time 3 times a week. While there were plenty of times that I missed them, I knew that they were in amazing hands!!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I was able to enjoy my trip almost worry-free knowing that my fur babies were in your hands!!!! I love you both so very very much!!!!!

Day 62-63: Denver to Nashville

September 30, 2016

Denver Day

Woke up today with nothing on the agenda but to check out of our current hotel and move over to The Magnolia Hotel. We did some shopping and saw a couple different neighborhoods. Along the way we went by the REI flagship store which was 3 floors of outdoor enthusiast paradise. Around Beer-Thirty we dropped into a place called First Draft, where you are given a card and can try as many beers as you would like . You pour the beer from the tap and the cost is totaled by how many ounces you pour. Neat! We also had some tempura chicken wings that were unexpectedly delicious!!!! So crispy and glazed to perfection. For our last meal of the trip we scored reservations at a place called Root Down on the recommendation of some friends.. If you are ever in the Denver area...its a must do. They are farm to table and even have a 4,000 square ft garden in the middle of the city where they grow 20% of their our own seasonal vegetables. It was one of the top meals on the trip, if not the very best. We couldn't have asked for a better meal to cap off the journey.
Even though we were up in the air about whether to stay in Denver or just head on home and adapt to the reality of "normal life", staying turned out to be the right move. It gave us some time to wrap our heads around the fact that we were done. Its not really possible to describe the mix of emotions that we are experiencing at this time. On one hand, we are exhausted. 60 days of almost non-stop moving and exploring is fun, but its a lot and it adds up. On the other hand we consider ourselves so very lucky to be in a position where this trip is possible for us and the thought of this experience being over was agonizing.

One thing we're sure about though is that we have to leave Denver tomorrow and we intend to drive the entire 19 hours non-stop if possible. We're ready to get home and the thought of staying in a crappy hotel in the middle of nowhere is not appealing at all. Here goes nothing.

DAY 64- THE DRIVE TO NASHVILLE
Didn't sleep so great last night with so much running through our heads but woke up in pretty good moods. There is a reason they derisively call middle America "fly over country". Because its much better to fly over it. Its flat and unchanging for the most part. A mixture of grassland and corn for hours upon hours. After having done so much driving on the trip and,with the van being so comfortable, the time passed surprisingly fast. Before we knew it we were in Topeka, then St. Louis. I (Brett) drove the first 4 hours, then Steph put in 5. Then I drove 7 straight and got us through St. Louis to Paducah, KY.

Everything was pretty smooth until the sun set and then some weird stuff started going on. We stopped for gas east of St. Louis. It had been dark for about an hour or so. We had already drank two Starbucks Doubleshot Energy drinks and I pounded a 5 Hour Energy because I was starting to fade. The thing kicked in and worked, but around the Illinois - Kentucky border I started tripping out pretty hard. Something about the black road, white lines, hours of loud music, and the smooth ride of the van made it where, all the sudden, I didn't feel connected to my body. Like my arms wouldn't work if I called on them. Then my mind started going crazy and passing transfer trucks became a white-knuckle experience. I immediately turned the music off and told Steph that it was time to switch up. She did so gladly and took us the last two hours to the house. We arrived around 4AM.
Walking into the empty house was a very strange experience. It felt like walking into a strangers house or another hotel room. It was familiar but unfamiliar. After 2 months of mostly one to two night stays, it was hard to believe we were staying put. To be honest it was kind of unsettling, but that didn't matter because it was time to go to sleep. Unfortunately we had to get up the next day around 10 to clean out the Steed and say goodbye to her. Also on the list of things to do is go get the pups which we are very much looking forward to!

Day 60-61: Rocky Mountain National Park

September 27, 2016

We checked out of Winter Park this morning and headed to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). We had cancelled our car camping reservations for the night before and decided to just go ahead and cancel our 2 night backpacking trip as well. At this point, we were physically and mentally just done for. Our last camping spree lasted for 8 days and it was glorious, but the thought of backpacking in freezing temps and having to sleep in a tent for another 2 nights was just too much. So, we decided to find a hotel in Estes Park and explore the park by car and foot. The park was beautiful!!!! The smell, the trees and the fall colors gave us this feeling of being at Brett's grandfathers place. It was also cool to see the fresh snow on top of the mountain peaks.

We made our way through the park and stopped to have some lunch and then off to our hotel. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out in the hotel and dining on some amazing New York style pizza from Antonio's and having our last bottle of red wine from California. At this point we were also debating skipping Denver all together and just coming on home. I'm not real sure what had us feeling conflicted but we decided that we would do a day-hike in Rocky Mountain National Park the next day and put off the decision until then.

Day 2
Got up this morning feeling sad and depressed at the thought that today could potentially be the last day of our trip. We checked out of the hotel and grabbed breakfast at Notchtop Bakery. While we were there I called the Magnolia Hotel in Denver to cancel our reservations for tomorrow night. At this point we had nowhere to stay tonight (we were supposed to be backpacking) and everything in Denver seemed to be booked up or WAYYYY expensive. The Magnolia Hotel informed me that we would not get a refund because when we booked we agreed to their no refund policy for the discounted rate. This was super frustrating. However, it helped Brett and I make our decision to do our hike and then head to Denver to enjoy 2 nights of the city. So that's what we did.
The trail was absolutely beautiful. The elk are in rut so, as we were hiking, we could hear the screeching-like bugle sound coming from the male elk. If you have ever heard this sound you know that it is unforgettable. We stopped off and watched a couple males hanging out in the open field but that's all they did, just hang out. We then hiked down to the lake and took some time to soak in the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.

We made it back to the van around 2:00 and started the drive to Denver, but not before stopping to view the elk one more time.

We arrived in Denver around 4:00 and checked into our hotel. Our goal: Grab dinner and then DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!

Day 57-59: Winter Park, CO

September 25, 2016

Winter Park
Woke up and got a leisurely start this morning. Wish Erika could have stayed with us longer but we had to reluctantly say goodbye. She assured us that even though the weather was a bit of a bummer she still had a great time which made us feel good because that was very important to us. We'll definitely be going camping together in the future. Maybe even backpacking!
It was time to move on into Colorado to Winter Park. The drive was about 6 hours and they were calling for some snow. We were not feeling great about the prospect of driving across two mountain passes in the snow, but the Steed urged us on.

We arrived in Winter Park with little fuss and checked into our hotel. We were here to do some downhill mountain biking. For those not familiar, its where they take you and your bike up the mountain some 2-3 thousand feet and then you get to ride all the way down. I (Brett) was beyond excited about this. Unfortunately, I was under the impression that Steph had MUCH more experience on a bike than she did because when we got up there it quickly became obvious that she was out of her depth. This was some SERIOUSLY gnarly downhill. In fact, we later found out that its some of the hardest downhill in the whole country. Not a place for beginners. Steph managed to finish out the first day, completing a whole trail and without killing herself and I had a lot of fun, but it was snowing and super cold so I called it a day after around 3 runs.
Later that night we were talking about what we wanted to do about our reservations the following night in Rocky Mountain National Park. We were scheduled to car camp one night and finish strong with a two night backpacking trip at 10,000 ft in the Rocky Mountains. The problem was, at this point in the trip we were pretty much freaking done for. The thought of camping OR backpacking in sub freezing weather was just too much for us to bear. We decided to cancel the first nights car camping and extend our stay in Winter Park. YES! More bike riding for Brett!!!

The next day was all blue skies and moderate temperatures. In other words, I had the time of my life.....ending the day on black diamond runs I probably had no business being on, but I just couldn't help myself...they were so fun. Steph took the rare opportunity to go into town and lounge around the room without me all up in her face. Winter Park was getting ready to close down for the season and we basically had the place all to our self!!!! We were both extremely happy with our decision to extend (even though it kinda felt like The Shining!!!)