Alright friends, one update and one point of order. Listen up! . UPDATE I talked about my journey to quit smoking in the ritual thread I put together... ...BUT I did promise myself that I'd update Pubski about it, which I'll continue to do. Until it stops being interesting, anyway. I went cold turkey exactly seven days ago. The first three days after stopping were pretty bad. I was nauseous, I got headaches, and I think I was generally just an irritable asshole. I made it through without really snapping on anyone, but...Yeah, I'm glad that those symptoms have mostly abated. Doing some research, it seems like that was withdrawal? Well, withdrawal's done! On to a lifetime of resisting cravings, I suppose. The last four post-withdrawal days have been...Pretty okay? Honestly, they've just been semi-normal days with the exception that I occasionally get distracted by an intense and burning desire to go buy a pack of cigarettes. But the distraction passes if I just ignore it, or redirect that energy towards something else. Coffee has become my savior. Nothing helps an early-morning craving fuck off better than a big cup of coffee! I suppose my addiction to coffee will eventually become a problem as well, but I can only deal with one thing at a time. My willpower is a finite resource. . POINT OF ORDER Alright, for [WEIRD REASONS] I'm going to have a full, honest-to-god two week vacation with no obligations other than "Be at work on the morning of September 9." I don't think I've ever had a chunk of time without anything that I have to do and the freedom to do anything that I want. I'll be going alone. My girlfriend will be in class, and my family/friends will be at work. I could search for someone to go with me, but I'm actually kind of excited about taking a solo trip - something I've never done before. My two biggest resources are time and a decent chunk of change. I need to stay in the US because my passport is several years out-of-date, but I'm asking for suggestions from you all! Where would you recommend a 22 y/o college grad go for a solo vacation in the continental US? Any input is appreciated!
I've got plenty of camping gear, and a certificate that says "Eagle Scout" on it, filling me with all kinds of unwarranted confidence and memories of white boys dressed by their dads as native americans The only place I don't want to go is the Southeast. Basically, cut direct lines east and south from Arkansas and imagine that I'm allergic to humidity
Lots of pretty places to hike and camp in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah... It is a different experience going solo than with a crowd of scouts but I like it, for a few days at a time anyway. Do you want see a bunch of places, or really get to know one place? I've been to Rocky Mountain Ntnl Park on a few different vacations and I'm headed back again soon, and I don't think I've hiked the same trail twice yet. But I've also done a vacation of staying each place a couple nights and staying at Parks or Forests or cities and seeing a bunch of places.
Get your ass to the southwest. Buy a used copy of Desert Solitaire and make it your bible. Poke a cactus. Make friends with the lizards. Go see Meow Wolf in Santa Fe because that place is cool as shit. Spend at least one night sleeping outside, under the stars, ideally somewhere far away from major light pollution. Hike Big Bend or maybe Enchanted Rock and ask an acquaintance from a small online forum who happens to be visiting Austin starting September 4 if he wants to come (he'd love to). Bathe in the heat, and thank your lucky stars that it's a dry heat. The French Quarter's pretty but New Orleans' humidity is deadly this time of year.
I endorse nearly all of this. Speaking as someone whose mother served as a model for a character in The Monkeywrench Gang, I've tried and failed to read Desert Solitaire at least four times. On the other hand, Douglas Preston's City of Gold taught me to appreciate a region I have loathed since birth.
Big Bend is a stunning place. My dad took me out there when I was 12 or 13. The highlight was taking a whole day to start out on the desert floor, hike up blue creek canyon to the south rim, and down into the basin. It's one of my favorite memories. I was almost too tired to stand by the end. If you have the chance to go in March, all the cactuses boom. If you get the chance to go with a geologist, that's interesting too. Enchanted Rock is a fun little park. Crawl through the caves on the back side. They hit capacity kind of early on weekends when the weather's nice though.
It's August in America, so everywhere east of the Continental Divide will be some combination of hot, muggy, miserable, buggy, or swamped with tourists. Anywhere west of the Continental Divide is going to be desert or coastal and wonderful. (Seattleite here, who gloats looking at the weather map of the USA with EVERY SINGLE STATE bright red, and a small green spot in the upper left corner.) So I'd get over your dislike of heat/humidity, and just accept that it's August. MY SUGGESTION: Don't go anywhere in particular. Get in your car and head out in a direction you have never gone. Turn off the phone. Turn off the GPS. Follow the Sun. Or don't. Go towards that mountain over there. Or not. Avoid all freeways, and anything that is more than two lanes wide. If something catches your eye, stop. Explore it. Take a photo of it. Climb on it. Eat there. Whatever. Then drive some more. Find a motel. Stop and get a room for the night. Walk into a local bar and sit at the bar. Order a drink. Chat with the bartender or the person on the stool next to you. Go back to the motel and sleep, without setting an alarm. Wash, rinse, repeat. Here's why: You have all your life to go See The Sights and Go To Museums and Eat At That Special Restaurant and blah blah blah. What you WON'T have later in life, is FREE TIME TO DO WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT. To explore freely and discover shit other people don't know about. Here's a way to look at it: Your romantic partner is going to have places they want to go and see. And they will want to explore with you. New Orleans. Disneyland. The Fallingwater House. Whatever. But how often will you get to take them on a romantic getaway to this little out-of-the-way place you found on a backroad in Virginia, where they have their own _______ and make their own ______ and you can do a _________ like nowhere else in the world? Share with them your experience? Take them on an adventure? (And do MORE exploring with them once you are there, so its not just you dragging them to a diner where you once had a great burger, but the two of you having a new experience together?) Throw some clothes in the car. And a lot of music. And some water and PowerBars. And hit the road. See what happens. You will ALWAYS remember that trip fondly. For the rest of your life. I guarantee it.
If i had a 2 week vacation to take anywhere in the states right now, i'd probably pick the pacific north-west. Seattle, Portland and a couple hikes around Oregon. I'd really like to do a nature-focussed trip around the parks in California, Nevada and Arizona but 2 weeks would seem a bit rushed to really enjoy it.
ORLY. The stretch between San Francisco and Ft. Bragg on the Pacific coast is one of the most beautiful drives I've ever taken. There's all sorts of cool points of interest south and north of it; I love Pismo and I love Vancouver Island. You gotta get out here, though. It might make more sense to fly to LA and book a train... Although sleeper cars are absurdly expensive.
The route that goes along the coast, I presume? Google thinks it makes sense to take 101, the fooolish machine. I'd definitely be driving, there's no way I can rent an automobile and a sleeper car lol Sounds like a fun idea if I make it out that far, though! I'll keep that one in mind
I'd say go and visit friends and family in distant places. See the sights the kid in you always wanted to see. Hike some woods, detach from the world for a few days. Explore new cities, find awesome museums. Spend a day or two figuring out how to make something new. Or maybe do all of the above! Anything's better than couch slumping for fourteen days.
Trust that I won't have trouble detaching from the world. The core question I'm after is whether you have any favorite woods, cities, or museums for me to consider as part of my trip!Hike some woods, detach from the world for a few days. Explore new cities, find awesome museums.