day man
It has now been nearly two weeks since leaving our jobs, but our travels haven't really started yet. These two weeks were meant to be open so we could unwind, spend time with family and friends, and get ready to start the big trip.
We spent the first week together in New York and the past week where we each grew up (me in Minneapolis and Carla in Milwaukee). My days have generally been spent relaxing, with bits of organizing and preparation sprinkled in lightly. I found out what it's like to be one of the surprising number of day people in the East Village. Needless to say, it's a different cast of characters walking around on a Tuesday at 11am when I make my way to the coffee shop. There is something to be said for being outside while the sun is up more than two days per week.
Highlights of the past couple weeks included not setting an alarm in 13 days, spending quality time with my family, many meals with good friends, getting acquainted with my car, a Twins game on a beautiful spring day-- they won 10-0-- and a day trip to visit my uncle's family near Duluth. The trip to Duluth was kind of a sneak preview of our road trip-- about 300 miles total. I went by myself and listened to Philip Glass on the way up and Pink Floyd on the way back down. It was cold and rainy but the air was refreshing.
Today is the last day of sitting around Minnesota and I'm very excited to get on the road. Carla arrives this afternoon and we drive down to our cabin in Illinois tomorrow morning. The next few days will be spent in a forest near the Mississippi river valley, completely off the grid.
