Welcome 2019

Hi folks. I know I’ve been MIA but I have to say that the tail end of 2017 and most of 2018 were tough times for me and my family. We lost our Mom. The family is having challenges with the Big C and my hip finally hit end of life. I had a total hip replacement in December. We also added to the family with the birth of a new nephew so it wasn’t all bad. But it did put a damper on my posts. It was hard to write cheery. upbeat entries when everything seemed to be going wrong. I have even been considering giving up my time share and hanging up my traveling shoes. which brings me to my thought for today

Time to Channel my Inner Josh Gates

I may have mentioned before that my travel inspiration is Josh Gates, host of Destination Truth, Destination Unknown and Legendary Destinations. He’s always getting into “iffy” situations but he does it with humor and aplomb! When I had issues on the Road to Hana in Maui I held onto my composure by asking “What would Josh do?” Josh’s hero is Indiana Jones. I like that character too but since he’s fictional I’ll stick with Josh as my trail blazer.

Destination Truth, Memoirs of a Monster Hunter

I’m reading a book by Josh (Destination Truth, Memoirs of a Monster Hunter) and I was hit by a comment he made. He talks about how the more you travel the more you want, even need, to travel. That’s what I felt while I was jetting around the US but then my hip slowed me down. Follow that up with a DVT after a flight to Hawaii and I felt like I’d been grounded. At first I had withdrawal. I was so depressed that I couldn’t just take off and go but  the longer I had to put travel on hold the less I wanted to get back into that craziness again. I just wanted to curl up at home with a good book.

Re-thinking the Future

Reading Josh’s book made me realize the travel bug is still there. It’s just hibernating. It’s waiting for my body to recover enough to be able to enjoy my trips again. I’m still in recovery mode from my hip surgery but as soon as I’m cleared to snorkel with Manta Rays again or swim with sea turtles I’ll be back on the plane to adventure. Even the Bears of Katmai National Park are calling!