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A few of you have written asking about our final itinerary and where we will be relocating to when our trip is over in August. I have been hesitant to answer because:
A. We don’t know.
B. On those rare occasions when we think we know, we are hit with another variable that changes our mind.
C. We don’t want to admit that we have to grow up and get real jobs again.
So here’s what I do know. Currently we are en route to Cincinnati, Ohio via Acadia National Park in Maine. From Acadia we are torn between traveling through Canada or the U.S.
After a nice long visit with my folks in Cincy we will be bee lining it for Oregon which is one of our potential new homes. From there we will return to Durango, fetch our remaining belongings and move to our new home, wherever that may be.
Since no other factors have lead us to a clear cut a decision, why not open this up to public debate. This is the audience participation section of our Blog. Here’s how you play…
Click on the comments line below (it is light blue directly below the end of this post). Begin your comment with the name of the city, town, country, etc. of your choice and then follow that up with your reasoning. Suggestions containing actual job offers will be weighted more heavily.
Here are the choices, in no particular order:
1. Bend, Oregon
2. Salt Lake City, Utah
3. Portland, Oregon
4. Crested Butte, Colorado
5. Any other place that we can get jobs or that will grant us work visas.
Small print:
We reserve the right to completely disregard all votes and make up our own minds.
Votes made by my parents for Cincinnati, will be ignored.
Spiteful votes for places like Farmington, New Mexico or the moon will be ignored.
All votes for "grow up and get a job", or "make your own minds up you poser gypsy wannabees", will be disregarded.
Any votes containing the phrase “yuppie gypsy posers”, or anything similar will be highlighted and mocked in future posts.
Feel free to chime in on must sees between here and Cincy and any hair brained ideas that might help to keep us in perpetual motion. Happy voting.
June 16, 2005
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30 comments:
Your number one choice is the place. Bend, Oregon is a wonderful place that can be enjoyed year around. I used to spend my summers in Bend when I was a tot and went back last year for vacation with my family. We instantly fell in love with the town, but cannot move there because they have no work in my field. We are hoping to move there when I can retire.
Anyplace with the word Bend in it, leaves you wide open for below the belt mockery. That said, it is all about where the money is, and the job. If you start sending resumes now, see what bites. If anything you will get the interview because you have been travelling in an RV for the last year and anyone you potentially work for would be hard pressed to explore that further for their own curiosity's sake. The Boardroom will say "Yeah... let's interview that girl that lived in a Winnebago her whole life" and have the whole thing misconstrued until they meet you.
Living next to a mountain, ocean, any other assorted view - all important - but welfare is not considered income. And mountains, oceans and views don't calm your fears, hug you when you don't feel good or take care of you when you are vulnerable.
You can tell I am personally invested in this decision right?
:>
I would suggest Cincinnati! That would primarily be for the benefit of your parents who used to feed me tons of junk food, play tons of video games, and treated me as an extension of your family. But I think you'll be most happiest in a place with skiing. How can you really go wrong? Technically you could get a "real" job at a resort. Any job where you get benefits I say is a "real" job. As a girl who is constantly looking for the right job you will constantly be in the search-mode for this entity. Remember: A job is a job, but life is a career...
Can't wait to see you guys in Cincy!
Mo
5. Any other place that we can get jobs or that will grant us work visas.
Actually I would edit this one to read
5. Any place that we can get jobs or that will grant us work visas and enable us to chase our dreams.
PS what camera have you used, your pictures are wonderful.
Just started reading you blog day before yesterday and here it is about over. I am up to the ferry trip in Mexico.
I can only dream about your lifestyle,I am an old retired fart now who has postponed his dreams to long. I am sure you will make the right decision, however don't give up on your blog I enjoy it immensely.
Hootal
I could throw in some Baseball and football tickets to sweeten the Cincinnati deal.
Hi there! You know, Fargo, North Dakota is a great place to live. Very upscale, good jobs (a little company called Microsoft) and excellent salary to cost of living ratio. Really, I'm not kidding here...
How about Long Beach California. Snoop dogg would love for you two to live in our town. But since thats not on the list I have some property in Mcminnville Oregon for sale. (I'm not kidding) Mcminnville is the home of the Spruce Goose and just 40 minutes from Portland!
We will miss your Blog.
Jason
jnjferrier@charter.net
I say Bend. My personal goal is to live in Hood River. But its seems people who live in Hood River, end up moving to Bend! Of course then they are always back in Hood River vacationing.
Cincinatti... I am trapped in my Midwest hometown at the moment:-( I love to windsurf, ski and bike, but all last winter (6 months of it) I ended up playing Hockey cuz of course in the midwest, in winter, windsurfing, skiing and biking just does not work.
I think you used the term "special place" to describe the hapiness of kayaking some great water. Well maybe, just maybe, if you go to Cincinatti you two can find your "special place" albeit on frozen water at the Hockey rink.
Back on a more positive note... Bend
Yellow Springs, Ohio. Picturesque, quaint (did I write that), alternative living to the big city feel and the bourish, borish, bourquoise of eclectic society so often considered in vogue along that Eastern Seaboard. Art culture is varied. Bike trails, parks, and glens abound. Distant from Cincinnati. Tres distant from the Rockies but you won't mess them. Coffee house, creamery and local color will embrace you. A definite must see.
No, No, No, you can't stop! Can't you two get some kind of book deal? Hello travel channel, don't you see what a goldmine these two are?
I've followed your trip with interest and envy. One of these days, if we can ever get our sons grown up and their college bills paid.........
Anyway, given my preception of your likes, dislikes, and employment skills, I'd heartily say the Salt Lake City AREA is a great choice. That said, I wouldn't give anybody a plugged nickel for living in the Salt Lake Valley--surreal crowds, terrible air quality are among the principal reasons. But, getting up towards Park City is the ticket. Easy access to the airport, easy commute to SLC if you need city-style employment. All the desert-rat funsies you could ever hope for just W and SW of SLC, yet plenty of law office work in Park City proper, instructor positions at numerous ski mountains, summertime paddling work, flyfishing guide work. Park City is pricey, but no more than Durango, I'd guess, and quite possibly less. Surrounding towns such as Heber City, Coalville, etc are 20 miles from PC on good high-speed, plowed highways, so even living in Heber or Coalville is do-able, and still close enough to SLC for some long-distance commutes.
My own profession is rather portable, and I do seriously contemplate moving to the Park City area in a few years, at least part-time, as I can do tax work work a few days a week and do the Courtesy Patrol gig one day a week (no pay, but a snappy uniform, a season's pass to your mountain, plus one day a week free at any of several more). I'd return to the East to tend to family businesses and properties, and fish the Chesapeake Bay, come summers.
Have fun contemplating, planning, and executing your plans. Hard to go wrong with the options you're looking at.
Best wishes,
Foy
Who is this Anonymous person and why are they deciding your future?Bend is great but housing seems spendy, and jobs few. Portland is a great place, never lived there (lived in Seattle for 7 yrs) but would visit often. Salt Lake not my choice for religion, never been to Crested Butte. My wife and I traveled the U.S. for 30 days 9000 miles and came home to the parental units to be close. Choose a place that makes you happy and gives you some enjoyment. Working isn't really all what it's cracked up to be. I will play it safe and vote just about anywhere in Oregon.
My vote would be for Portland, OR. You’re close to the mountains and the ocean. You also have great areas for white water rafting and mountain bike trails in the Gorge. I grew up in the Columbia River Gorge and loved it. I will most likely be moving back some day soon myself. It’s not a bad commute to Portland either.
A good alternatives to Portland or Bend would be Seattle or Wenatchee. Both have plenty of recreational opportunities: whitewater, hiking, biking, fishing, snow sports, etc. The damp side of the pass tends to have more jobs. Good luck.
I say Oregon, Portland or Bend. Mountains, Rivers, The Ocean, you can't beet that. Long Live the Under aged RVers!
mooresville, NC. NASCAR capital USA
What's this west coast st....uff. Look for hidden treasures my friends. The west is for those in denial. Kentucky mountains, Michigan's Upper Pennisula......Appalachia. Tourism for the adventurer, climate variation for the impatient, green, green, green, blue and green. Once you hit the ocean what is there? Blue. That's it.
Homer, AK. Yup, that's the place fer you guys. Alices Champagne Palace has nickel beers on Wednesday nights. You could guide on the Matanuska, fish for salmon and halibut, paddle all over Cook Inlet, and ski the Chugach all year. There's also Walpole, Mass -a great little hamlet on the East Coast, between Beantown and Providence - where mentioning my name might just land you in the local high security prison.
Or you can rent our driveway in Seattle, it's a sweet three hour commute to Portland, and you'd have the opportunity to profoundly influence Amy's childhood while at the same time helping to feather my nest egg.
Other places you may have overlooked:
Goodland, Kansas-located in the geographic center of the country, it would be close to everybody without being really close to anybody...
Gem Village-it's affordable, and oh so close to Durango, which is what you really want, you know it is, why don't you just admit it and be done with it all.
Vuluatu (sp?), Tonga - You can kayak until your arms fall off, surfing can replace skiing-year round- and you don't have to worry about a job because nobody has one anyway. It's warm so you won't have to pay much for clothing, you won't need a car since you can walk everywhere on the island and paddle to the other islands to drink kava, food grows everywhere and is free for the taking if you can shinny 65' palms, dive to 120' for clams and spear sharks from your dugout canoe, and I think they even have the internet!!!
Pierre, the capitol of South Dakota, (or is it North Dakota, I dunno, doesn't really matter anyway), the point is that I think you guys would make great politicians, and where better to carve out a niche for yourselves and make an impact on society than in a place like Pierre, North Dakota, (or South Dakota, I dunno) but really, there's hardly anybody there so it would be really easy to win a seat in their state senate as long as you tell 'em stuff they wanna hear, or maybe you could even run for governor as a husband and wife team, that would shake things up a bit...
Portland; if I must adhere to this ad hoc jumble of random locations while at the same time realizing that it is my (and only mine) opinion that you will truly consider above all others, based upon its thought provoking merits and the knowledge that I (and only I) have your true interests at heart. Besides, it has a lot more going on than any of the other places and I know that Rachel is a worldly woman who craves the culture that Portland could provide. You could buy that place in McMinnville, OR that that other guy is practically willing to give away (talk to me first) and then Dan will be somewhat out in the sticks and will feel less threatened and afraid of being close to the big city (wussy man, afraid of a little traffic and smog, hah!) yet you could both find decent jobs that would provide you with a livable wage so that you could begin that huge family you've always wanted while still finding the time and have the financial wherewithal to take spontaneous trips to New Zealand to ski Mt. Cook for the weekend.
Oops, gotta go...
Your mom and dad are lobbying for Cincinnati. So are we!!!
Jan and Ron
I like the suggestion of Gem Village! Local bar, general store, and an orange tractor store! What more could you ask for?!
I've been following you two as well (the couple of RVers from Whistler, BC). We recently went through the "this place is too expensiv" and travelled around BC thinking that we could find a town with reasonable house prices (cash out of our condo), good skiing, hiking, biking etc. Well we thought we may have found the town but when we got back to Whistler we realized, this is where our hearts are and money is only money. Maybe go back to Durango and see then move on.
I also agree - TRAVEL CHANNEL GET ON THIS - all of us 40somethings are getting ready to roll in the RV.
Good luck and if you're ever in Whistler email me (Kelly) I'll get you cheap ski tickets, free parking lot and cheap beer (well sort of).
I would have to agree with Ron & Jan. Settle(?) close to your poor decrepit parents so you can comfort them in their golden years. (Gotta Norton!).
Hey kids, Congratulations on your anniversary and the completion of your dream trip. I have followed you from day and one and have thoroughly enjoyed your blog, and especially the photos. When I couldn't get away from Dayton, Ohio I could travel vicariously through your eyes and stories and enjoyed many places again that I have seen, and haven't seen. I hope you let us know how it turns out and where you end up. I love Portland, but the traffic is terrible. You guys seem best suited for the mountains.
Gene Siesky
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