That was a little curt. Sorry about that. I'm a little tired this morning. This is day 13 for me on the road and it's been five and a half years since I've taken a trip of this length. (Some of you may remember the original trip I took to Ireland, Scotland, UK, France and Spain back in '09) Anyway, the fatigue I feel now has given me some insight into that trip actually. I remember about a week into that trip feeling tired and lonely and wondering why I felt that way since, at the time, I was in beautiful St. Andrews, Scotland. The truth of the matter is, for me, traveling is fun and can be exhausting. I felt some of the same feelings when I got to Seattle this time. I was tired, in a city I didn't know, it was a busy city, and I was by myself. Fortunately for me I was able to meet great people along the way much like I did in '09. It's almost humorous that I'm about to list some of the key people along the way that helped make this trip a great experience for me just like I did in '09. So here goes:
In Portland, the folks of the Huddle were great. Some of the other coaches I met made that experience so much better. It was already an awesome experience and some of you took it to a whole new level. Outside of the Huddle, folks like Marc, Jeff, Dustin, Michael, the other Michael(my first Uber driver!), Lewis(Hertz), Michelle(Vintage), and Stacy(Vintage) helped make Portland feel like home for me. The couple I met while at Canon Beach that mentioned the Astoria Column were great too as well as the Canon Beach local that talked with me about the area. Really nice man.
In Seattle, Chris, the waiter at Triple Door, Will(seaplane pilot) and Daniel(Uber) helped make the big city seem a little smaller.
In Indy, of course my friends Brett, Billy, Dards, Ross, Sheldon, Coach Odom, Coach Duckett, Coach Stokes, Coach Potosnak, Mike B, BJ, and the countless new friends I made through these guys made the experience awesome.
It was funny to me that while in Seattle and while I was feeling isolated, I thought, "I think the part of traveling I really enjoy the most is the meeting of new people." I then was able to meet a few folks and it was amazing to me how my opinion of Seattle changed from "meh, it's ok," to "you know, not too bad at all."
The sightseeing and "traveley" highlights from this trip:
-Multnomah Falls outside of Portland. Wow.
-The drive from Multnomah and the quick stop at Horsetail Falls and then the lengthy stop at the Vista House to watch the sunset over the Columbia River. That was incredibly gorgeous.
-Canon Beach and Ecola State Park. I thought I was in Scotland.
-Astoria Column. That was one of the best last second, spontaneous decisions I've ever made. What a gorgeous view and unique landmark.
-Washington State Ferry ride to Bainbridge Island and back. I love riding ferries. Have ferry, will travel™. I think I'll get a shirt made
-The seaplane ride out of Lake Union in Seattle. When asked where I wanted to sit, I couldn't get "up front" out quick enough.
-Space Needle and monorail in Seattle. Honestly wasn't impressed with either of these but I wanted to remember I did them.
-Amtrak from Portland to Seattle. The best $34 I've ever spent. 4 hours of smooth transportation. It was good to be on a train.
-The early morning exploration of Portland the first Friday and subsequent use of the MAX and Portland city bus on the way back to the hotel. My ability to get lost in a city is truly incredible. I loved that it cost me $35 or so to get downtown that morning with an Uber and $2.50 to get back.
-Walking to the Indiana War Memorial twice and getting denied entrance twice because they were closed. Still one of my favorite sites in the country. Also tried to get in the Scottish Rite Cathedral but missed the tour window by a couple of hours.
-Going to the Duke-Wisconsin NCAA championship game last night. What a game. 13 lead changes in the first half alone and then classic performances by two Duke freshmen to propel their team to a 5th national title, three of which have been won in Indianapolis.
As I sit on this plane in Indy and think back over the past 13 days, there aren't too many things I regret, if any. I did A LOT and I feel it right now. I still love traveling. That's the cool part. I think I learned the value of not feeling like I have to do EVERYTHING and get to know EVERYONE while I travel. The truth of the matter is that I'm one person and some people will want to talk and some won't. In the same way, I'll be able to get to some sights and others I won't. And that's ok. It was valuable for me to be around people that are working on their craft and getting better brick by brick. That gave me good perspective and drive to keep working on myself. I'm a work in progress and that's ok. Just like I won't be able to get to every sight or meet everyone in a city, I won't be able to master everything I choose to do, and I'll be able to improve at those things though. Being gone taught me the value of routine. I like waking up, making breakfast, drinking coffee, reading and writing before I get my day started whilst in Columbia. I found it more difficult to do those things while out on the road especially when I got to Indy.
Thanks for reading, folks. Keeping this blog is a nice way for me to remember my trip and a way to stay connected to the fictional reader.
No comments:
Post a Comment