Thinking For Myself: January 2012

speaking of my birthday

I will be turning 60 this year

60!

holy crap!!

I started thinking a few years ago that the way to avoid dreading that day

was to decide I could take a trip anywhere I wanted

anywhere in the world I wanted

it's a big world

it sounds way easier than it is to decide

I have printed out a map of the world and taped it above my desk, over my computer. It has always been easy to see where I live on a world map – where I grew up - Michigan was easy to see for the mitt shape it made with the great lakes, the Olympic Peninsula was just as easy to see, it was on the border of Canada and the United States, separated by the straits of Juan de Fuca. Our few years in Oregon were a little harder but between the coast range and the snow capped mountains in the southern part of the state. Now we are in south west Florida and our little state shows up really well on a map of the world, surrounded again by water but even more of it.

I have gone round and round about how I would like this trip to be. What I want this trip to be. I was not coming up with anything and so I decided to get organized: make lists!

1. Places I want to visit again

Mexico, Baja, Scotland, New Mexico

2. Places I have always wanted to see

Fiji, Thailand, Italy, Carribean, Alaska, Four Corners area of US

3. Places to camp

Eastern Oregon or Washington, New Mexico, Baja, California desert

4. Places for adventure

Kayak trip - Baja, Everglades, Florida keys,

Hiking - Scotland, Pacific Crest Trail

Things to consider - my birthday is August 1, the middle of the summer in the northern hemisphere. Some places would be too hot that time of year. Hot and buggy. I could go another time of this year and call it the birthday trip but the most fun would be to go on my birthday.

So let's look at this list.

Interesting I put Mexico first of where I would want to go back, Oaxaca, San Cristobal, Mexico City to name a few. Baja, I loved baja. Yeah, yeah, it has probably changed a lot. Scotland, I have only been there once on a trip to take my mom to Britian and I loved it. I was so moved by the country side and the cities and huge stone castles and ruins, a very powerful place and I said I would be back. That would be a cool, literaly cool place to go in August, after living in Florida it might seem down right cold. Ah New Mexico is magical at the right time of year, which is not August. August is as hot there as here only instead of too humid it is too dry. The fall is my favorite time in New Mexico, I would love to take a long camping trip north of Santa Fe in the fall.

How about places I have always wanted to see - Fiji, always fascinated by the south sea islands, I love beaches, who has more beaches than an island? Also I love to snorkel and there are many wild and wonderful places to swim with the fish. I do not know what time of year is best to go, this is a fanasty best left a fanasy. The shock of the long plane ride and the total expensive would make this not so fun. Thailand, same should go for Thailand, but I have always wanted to go to Thailand since I played in the "King and I" in high school. Siam, a romatic and magical sounding place, a place that had not been conquered but intristic for thousands of years. I would love to go to a place that has a totally different religion, like Thailand, the temples there look amazing and inspirational. Italy, I have always wanted to go to Italy as I have heard they are a loud and gestering people- I thought I would fit right in and no one would tell me to speak softer or not get too excited, like they do here. The food is wonderful but all that melted cheese does not really agree with me anymore.....Alaska. Alaska is a place I thought I would visit when I lived on the Olympic penninsula, I thought it was close, it was not close, and I never got there. It would be cool, maybe too cool, I have always wanted to see the midnight sun and if I was lucky the northern lights. I have always been fascinated with the four courners area of the us. It is thick with native american history and artifacts, but August is not the time to visit there, too hot, too dusty.

Camping is one of my most favorite things to do, I love sleeping in a tent on the ground (well on foam, thick foam, one does not have to sacrifice comfort). I love how simple life is when you are camping. Most camping spots are in beautiful and wild places, quiet and peaceful. Some of my favorite camping places are in eastern Washington and eastern Oregon. Or on the coast there. California has many varied environments to camp in, the redwoods, the ocean, the desert. I am kind of over huge mountains and their windy roads. Baja is (was) awesome, it was just one huge campground with beaches on both sides. August is definetly not the time to be down there though, New Mexico either.

I will be taking some extended kayak trips into the Everglades and Florida Keys, but not in August, it couldn't be hotter or buggier than in August. I will save that for this spring and next fall. Hiking - who am I kidding, carry everything I want on my back, I don't think so. Oh though in Scotland they have many hiking trails that go town to town and you don't carry a lot, cool there too in August, could work.

I have been running this around in my head and it feels good to put it on paper.