Wow, it’s been awhile since I entered something on this little blog of mine. My last post, mired in the bygone throes of Covid shook up my motivation to write while travel took a bit of a backburner. I never actually stopped traveling or exploring, but the jolt of that time shook my motivations in the moment.

Life has changed a lot in the time since my last post. Namely, my wife and I settled into a house a few years ago in our new home state of Minnesota. The pace of travel has changed a little bit, for better or worse. For one, as someone with an explorer’s mentality my mind is constantly curious. Living on the East and West coasts opened up a plethora of day and weekend trip opportunities. The Upper Midwest, while not entirely devoid of intrigue, is a vast expanse with culturally and geographically notable features scattered at greater distances from each other. Longer weekend flights are also a little more difficult to do, as we aren’t starting from a closer jumping off point. Never mind the longer winters which tend to keep one inclined to stay indoors (or book a longer trip out!). I am a bit of a fish out of water away from my favorite outdoor activities (mainly hiking and/or being near an ocean) but having a house we can call our own has been a massive improvement from apartment life.

With that said there are less weekend “roadies” these days and more curated weeklong and week-and-a-half experiences. I’ve lately linked up with a new friend from our neighborhood who had never left the confines of the country. We’ve since traveled to Spain (mainland and Canary Islands), Gibraltar, Japan and the Northern Mariana Islands (The photo here shows me on Tinian back in January, a few months before Typhoon Sinlaku made a direct hit). Motivating others to travel has really been one of the great joys of partaking in this passion!

I’ve kept this site up in the meantime and have actually updated my travel checklist page to keep my own records up (though stopped dating my own travelogue). Since completing all 50 states in 2016, I did manage to complete all Canadian provinces and territories with a visit to Yellowknife in September of last year. A planned trip to the French territory of St. Pierre and Miquelon (near Newfoundland) will “complete” my personal travel map of North America from Mexico on up to Greenland. So, yes, the travel has never stopped for me – but the focus has changed to longer trips.

I have plenty to recap from the past six years and hope to touch on some of the more memorable experiences over that time period. We’ll talk soon!