Hello Everyone!
Long time, no see. Today marks the 2nd anniversary of me setting off in my van towards Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and the beginning of my life’s greatest adventure. The next 18 months brought me to 10 states which I explored in great depth, trying to gain a better understanding of the people, culture and history that make each special and unique. I was able to travel thousands of miles, take tens of thousands of photos, record 20 episodes of my podcast American Anthology and generally get a better understanding of my country and myself. It was by no means a vacation, nor was it an easy ride. I found myself working long days trying to publish on this blog as frequently as I could while constantly researching my next podcast episode, trying to eat well and get enough exercise and have a little bit of fun along the way. I battled deadlines, weather, loneliness and serious bouts with depression and self-doubt. But I came out the other side a better person with a better understanding of myself and the country I call home. Looking back, it was a hell of a ride.
After 18 months alone on the road, it was time to take a break. While not gone, my savings were seriously depleted as I hadn’t been able to make as much money as I had hoped while on the road. In addition, I desperately needed some conversation and companionship - something more than the fleeting conversation of a roadside tavern could provide. I found during my 18 month stretch that it was often harder to stop and see friends than it should have been - that while it was always wonderful and joyful to catch up with them, it sometimes brought me back lower than I had been when I arrived at the thought of being on my own again. It was almost as if sharing time with my friends reminded me of just how lonely the open road is. I think anyone who has done any long-term solo travel would agree with that. It’s not the external world that gets you, but the one that revolves solely within your own head.
And so it was that I decided to return to my guiding career for the summer and refill my coffers and my spirit before continuing on this journey. I had to make some money and have some time to think while someone else was dictating where to go and what to do for a while. So back I went, and I couldn’t be happier with that decision.
For those that don’t know, I started guiding tours way back in April of 2000. I have now spent 14 of the best summers of my life working for this company, now called American Adventures. It is a job that has taken me to every state in the country and 11 of the 13 Canadian provinces and territories. It’s where I grew from a scared kid who had barely left the east coast to a confidant and worldly man who knows this country better than most. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to share my knowledge, my time and my country with over a thousand people from every corner of the globe. Some of the people I have met while guiding have become some of my best friends in the world. It’s been an amazing career and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
It was great, therefore, to simply call my manager and tell him I’d like to come back to work this summer and be welcomed back with open arms. Even though I’ve spent much of the last 20 years guiding tours, I am not someone who ever rests on my laurels. I always work my tail off on every tour and rarely can sleep until all of my work is done. My company knows that I will put all of myself into every single tour I run, so I hope I am always welcomed back there.
This summer I got to spend my first month back working in Hawaii, where I took three different tours around the Aloha State. Having not spent a ton of time there in the past myself, many of the places we went to were new to me too - always a challenge but one I was definitely up for. I got to have a really good look around four of the islands and spent a big chunk of the month on the Big Island of Hawaii. I really loved so much about my time there and was sad to say “aloha” when my month was up.
From there, though, I headed off for over three months in the Rocky Mountains, a region I simply can never get enough of. I got to visit Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons four times, Glacier (my favorite) three times, and even got to Rocky Mountain National Park out by Denver. My travels took me through Banff and Jasper north of the border, and even got me out to the Black Hills and Badlands for the first time in many years. One of these trips, a Rocky Mountain High took me all the way south to the Anasazi ruins at Hovenweep, the amazing buttes and mesa of Monument Valley, and the immense grandeur of Grand Canyon.
As the weather started to dip towards freezing, I flew back across the country and took my last two trips into the heart of the Deep South with two loops taking in Atlanta, Birmingham, New Orleans, Natchez, Clarksdale, Memphis and Nashville. We had great food and heard some of the most incredible music imaginable.
I must admit, it was a pretty awesome summer, and you won’t find me complaining. But I did miss you all quite a bit while I was out there. I missed this blog and this space and the whirlwind of trying to keep it going for a year and a half. I did get some photos published when I was in Hawaii, but after coming back to the mainland I wound up on some pretty intense camping trips deep into the National Parks. Internet was almost as scarce as my free time, and I had to dedicate myself to the tours I was on and the people who had paid so much to be there. I haven’t taken out my camera at all in the last month.
But after a remarkably successful summer, it’s time to get my head back in this game again. I’m at home in Washington D.C. at the moment and looking forward to the busy path ahead which will hopefully lead to me being back on the road by early 2020. I have some work to do on Shadow Catcher, my trusty van, to get her back up and ready to roll down the highway. Most of what I need to do is simple and/or cosmetic, but having access to tools and having her empty are both things I want to take advantage of. I will get that one cabinet that is always swinging around when I drive secured once and for all. There is some mechanical work that needs to be done, but nothing too serious. It’s a little easier to get it done with a little bit of money in my pocket and an extra driver if I need to leave it overnight (and a bed to sleep in).
Beyond the work on my van, there is a lot of work I want to do to get this website and all of my social media optimized. I want to finish and update the photo galleries from the ten states I went to last year. I have been having a reasonable level of success with selling my photos, even over this past summer, and want to be sure they are easily discoverable on the search engines. I definitely have a few podcasts to catch up on as well. I left off after my first Louisiana podcast, so I need to finish my second one from the Pelican State and two from my time in Alabama before I’m all caught up. Once I am, I plan to take a season break and get a few episodes ahead before starting Season 2 so they can come out a little more regularly. In addition to all of this, I want to be able to spend some time with my friends and family over the holidays, and do some serious planning for the journey ahead. Yes, it’s going to be a busy month.
I do hope to be back on the road on or around January 8th. The days are going to be short and cold, but I hope to be ready to push south and west and begin my trip across the south with some time in Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona if I can. I’m looking forward to some great blues, some Texas two-stepping and some green chilies, batwing doors and cacti. It should be a diverse run across the south, keeping it new and interesting as I go. I plan to take a lot of photos and be really proactive about getting them published and working with local boards of tourism along the way. I even want to do some speaking engagements to meet more people and get out my message to TRAVEL MORE, even if you just go to the next county over. Widening your knowledge and experience are always a good thing.
As of right now, I will probably be back guiding tours next summer with the goal of saving up enough to take the following summer off and get up north on my own for a while (with you along for the ride). But that’s a ways on down the road, so I’m not going to get ahead of my horses on all of that.
Anyways, I am definitely back and very much looking forward to getting all of this back on track and moving towards the future. If you’ve hung on through the summer, I really appreciate it. I’ll be keeping you updated through the rest of the year and hopefully even blow the dust off of my camera and bring you some holiday cheer from my lens to you. I can’t wait to get back on the backroads and byways of America, but want to be sure I’m rested, caught up and fully prepared to go. I can’t imagine it will be as exciting as it was two years ago today, as I headed off from home for my first night in the bitter cold of West Virginia, but I hope it will be close. Much more to come, y’all! It is great to be back.
-Mike