2016 – North Country Summer

Amy: As G2 (our trusty 2006 Rav4) headed east across Canada, Jon and I marveled at the beauty we experienced in the Canadian Rockies. Our time in Banff and Jasper National Parks became a highlight of our travels with the distinctive blue waters and jagged peaks. However, the time had come to move on and we made our way back to Minnesota for my 20^th class reunion and some rest and relaxation.

A little time in one spot was welcome and a change of pace. Since last August, we visited 14 countries on five continents. We spent time in 18 states and five provinces. We experienced the beauty of the US with visits to 20 National Parks and Monuments (Happy 100^th Birthday to the National Parks!), as well as visits to a number of National Parks in Thailand, Australia, and Canada. We spent months living from the back of G2 by converting the little SUV to our “mobile home.” We stayed with many welcoming hosts and took in new places and cultures.

We learned so much about ourselves: how to plan, how to go-with-the-flow, how to budget and also stay frugal during long term travel. We learned more about the privilege we have, how to manage expectations, and to be grateful for each day. We learned that most people are kind and giving. We learned the importance of patience and embracing the moment.

After all of that, we were blessed with six weeks of visiting with family and friends this summer. Here’s my top three list from our summer break.

1- Canadian Camping
As we made our way back to the US, we camped at some lovely and low-cost (or free) campgrounds on our drive through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. The highpoints of our trip back included spotting a pair of moose in the farmlands east of Edmonton and up close sightings of two friendly beavers at a provincial campground in Saskatchewan.

2- Family Time
My ancestors on my mother’s side were Finnish immigrants that settled in Minnesota about four hours north of Minneapolis. I imagine they chose the location as it was similar to their homeland. My parents are blessed to still live on that land on a charming little lake and it is one of the most beautiful places to spend summer days (in my opinion).

We swam in the lake, kayaked and tubed in the calm waters, picked berries from the garden, and spent as much time outside as possible. Jon got to cut down some trees and we played lots of games with my family and visited with many friends.

Both Jon and I have family in the suburbs surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul, so we also spent our time seeing Jon’s sister’s new home, playing many card games with Jon’s parents, visiting my sister and her family…and, of course, checking out a couple of new breweries. Another highlight included time in one of my all-time favorite cities: Duluth. The picturesque city with hills hugging the shores of Lake Superior makes my heart feel good. We enjoyed Hairball, a high-energy 80’s tribute band, and watching the large boats make their way into the harbor.

3- 20^th Reunion and 12^th Anniversary
One of the reasons we headed back was to attend my 20^th class reunion. I graduated with about 40 people from Cherry High School in 1996 and had fun catching up with old classmates and sharing memories.

Just before my reunion, Jon and I celebrated our 12^th wedding anniversary. What a year to reflect upon! To celebrate, we traveled up the north shore of Lake Superior and stayed at the Lutsen ski area. We decided to climb Eagle Mountain- Minnesota’s highest point. For those that have known us for a while, we enjoy snagging summits together. In 2013, Jon and I summited 52 unique peaks (some large and some small), and loved the time outside together. So a hike up to MN’s highest spot was a great fit for our celebration. The peak was fairly small with a straightforward hike. The most challenging aspect included swarms of mosquitos in the low lying areas along the trail. We survived and enjoyed the experience, in spite of bug bites.

Intermingled with our relaxation and fun, we spent time discussing our next steps. We both experienced mixed emotions with transitioning away from traveling. Simultaneously it felt as if we had been gone forever, but also as if no time had passed at all. We discussed continuing to travel and looking for jobs abroad. We discussed moving to a new state or settling back in Minnesota. I naively thought I’d have “figured it out” during our travels. After much contemplation, we decided to head back to Colorado (at least for a bit of time). After living in the state for 13 years, we missed our adopted home and weren’t quite ready to say goodbye.

To cap off our year of travel, we wanted to have one last mini-adventure. As our travel budget was wearing thin, we looked to use our frequent flyer miles for some lost cost fun and opted for a get-away to San Diego. We will share some highlights and pictures (as well as more next steps) in an upcoming post.

(Dates: June 25-August 15, 2016)