Life Elevated! On the road with the Teardrop in Utah.
Hey Everybody, I hope you haven’t missed me too much this week. I’ve been fighting off the flu. Ick! It was a good week to be out of commission: I finally got around to sending my beloved camera into Olympus for a much needed cleaning and tune up. But while I’ve been sick and camera-less, I haven’t been idle. I’m always scheming!
Camping on the Lost Coast… definitely scheming!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed spending this winter in Virginia, essentially camping indoors in an unheated house right by the Appalachian Trail. (It’s below freezing but we have a space heater, a fire place, an electric blanket, three dogs and each other. No oil bill … priceless!) And while I always have to put a great deal of effort into avoiding the restless vagabond’s trap of always wanting to be somewhere else, I have been thinking about my next adventure. I miss my Teardrop! Not to mention the freewheelin’ life on the road.
One of my favorite free campsites last summer, near Cedar Breaks, Utah
So here’s my plan for the spring/ summer/ fall: In mid-February, Drew has a week off school so we’re going to head south … to the Florida Keys! We’ll stop in Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA and the Everglades on the way and then head for the southernmost point in the U.S. I’ve actually been there once before, in college, (and wrote a Travels in Geology for EARTH magazine on the ephemeral Keys) but Drew’s never been and I’d love to hit Alaska and the Keys in the same year (damn, 30 was a good one!).
Camping by the Salmon Glacier in Alaska!
Right after we return from the Keys, I turn 31! There’s no way to top last year’s 5-day Grand Canyon birthday epic, so I’m planning to spend my 31st birthday doing what I love most: climbing a mountain. I’m still deciding on the peak, but Virginia offers lots of options. I might even get to use my Xmas ice axe!
After celebrating my 31st birthday on a mountain, followed by a good meal, I’ll get ready to hit the road West. I’d like to set sail in early March, first heading east to the Outer Banks, where I’ve never been — the Teardrop hasn’t yet met the Atlantic — and then to the desert! To the Rockies! To my home on the road!
The Teardrop meets the Pacific
So that’s the plan. For now. Everything is always subject to change. Oh, one more thing: this week, with the flu bearing down, I went on kayak.com and bought a plane ticket: TO DUBLIN! See you in September! Stay tuned… 
