Summer has been a pretty slow one here at Club Josh. Maybe because I have been using Twitter too much, or just generally being lazy. Fall is just around the corner and it is shaping up to be a pretty fun one travel wise.
So far in 2009, I have been to Mammoth, San Francisco, and Phoenix, but no real exciting new places of travel. My last trip, which I never really touched on, was a nice relaxing couple of days in 117 degree heat in Arizona. I spent most of the time indoors, but did venture out to see my Mom’s new office and to spend quality time with my Grandma as well as other members of the family. Thankfully, as Summer comes to a close, life seems to be getting back to normal after Daniel’s accident.
Now that Fall is here, it’s time to get back on the travel bandwagon! First up is a week long trip to the South starting and ending in Nashville, TN. It is another round trip a la the classic Dome to Dome trips. If last year was Dome to Dome: Alberta, should this be Dome to Dome: Great Smoky Mountains?
Reflecting on my travel itineraries, there really have only been 4 previous Dome style trips: Dome to Dome (Minneapolis via the Dakotas, Devil’s Tower, Iowa, and Wisconsin), Dome to Dome Twice (Chico via Seattle, Butte, Yellowstone, Grand Junction, and Salt Lake), Dome to Dome Thrice (Davis via Salt Lake, I-80, and US 50), and Alberta 2008 (Calgary via Banff, Jasper, and Edmonton). While this year’s trip is a bit longer than Alberta, it still is no where as long as the early Dome trips. Oh, what is a Dome style? A road trip that starts and ends in the same place without repeating back on a route. Most of my Foreign trips have started in one city and ended in another. Europe 2007 was close to a Dome, but it was more spoke and hub with Daniel and I passing through London 4 times.
Sorry for the off topic brain spasm! Anyway, the trip to the South should be fun and will take me to Nashville, Knoxville, Dollywood, bits of North and South Carolina, and then down to Atlanta before heading back to Nashville for the flight home. Originally, I was going to go in to Nashville and out of Atlanta, but R/T out of the same airport was more cost effective, and it gave me an excuse to tack on a couple extra days of vacation.
The Big Trip(tm) of 2009 is looming in December. I have been saving money for the ginormous plane ticket to Argentina (some of which is being discretely spent beforehand – oops!). There are so many things I want to do/see while I am in South America. I have to remember that you don’t need to see everything in one trip. The current plan is to see Buenas Aires, Montevideo, and Iguazu Falls, but I am still pushing for a side trip to Ushuaia so I can say I have been in the Southern-most city in the world. Granted, a “side trip” might just cost as much as the “main trip” so I need to be careful of scope creep and keep my ambitions in check. Unfortunately, reading my Argentina Guide Book is not helping!!
In other news, I am still waiting to see what my future will be at work in the next few months. This news could certainly impact my travel plans, but only in scope, and not actual trip reduction. I am keeping my fingers crossed for good news. I know what I want, so it is just a matter of seeing if I get it. The big prize at work is looming on the horizon, and I continue to think positive that it all will work out when all is said and done in January.
Time will tell where this crazy path called life is taking me! In the mean time, I am working on the back of house of Club Josh, a little at a time and hope to have something nice to push live before too long. (Again, please do not hold your breath!!)