The Breakdown

The Breakdown-

I left Sydney in January of 2013, did a 10 month trip around Australia/New Zealand, Asia and Africa and was back in the U.S. for the holidays. After spending Thanksgiving with friends in Vegas I loaded up the SUV and began my road trip east across the U.S. to spend Christmas with my parents in Iowa, followed by a trip to New York for New Years and a visit to my grandfather in Florida. I road tripped back west, snowboarding all along the way to Vegas, where I resupplied and 3 days later began heading north.

Starting in Park City I eventually crossed into Canada near Calgary then headed west to Vancouver. Back over into the U.S. I leave my car with a friend in Seattle for 3 months while I head off again, this time for Europe. Europe becomes Europe + Northern Africa and 3 months becomes 4 months. I spend another week in Seattle upon my return then make the drive south back home to Vegas. I laid low for a while in Vegas, resurfacing every once in a while for music festivals and random nights out on the town, but I continued to travel: Another visit to my parents in Iowa, a road trip to Chicago, camping trips with my brother in Utah, a road trip through California from San Diego to San Francisco, national parks, sporting events, another music festival, no rest for the weary. Back to back weddings in Jamaica and Cincinnati, a quick stop off in Kentucky to visit old friends before yet another visit to the Iowa farm for Christmas. And then this latest departure; just shy of 3 months in South America including a pit stop at my 7th and final continent, Antartica.

Not included in that marathon was the year before traveling when I left Las Vegas, the only home I’d ever known, and lived for a year in Sydney, opening a nightclub as Director of Marketing, which would prove to be a game changer for the entire country. We made tons of allies and as many, or more, enemies. Battled against an unfamiliar and hostile work environment from an oppressive landlord in an over regulated industry and walked away with Best Nightclub of the Year honors for all of Australia…

So there was that little thing that happened as well. As I’ve said before I don’t count that as part of “traveling” though cause Sydney was living. I have a ton of friends there, can point you in the direction of a great restaurant in Surry Hills or draw you a map on how to cycle from The Opera House to Bondi Beach. However, including that time in Sydney it will be just shy of 3 years and 4 months since I left my extremely comfortable, perhaps cushy, life in Las Vegas.

My longest duration away was 10 months and, although I knew I wasn’t finished yet, I had a grand sense of returning home following that maiden voyage. When I came back from my European leg it felt more complete, but I left this blog completely open ended and didn’t even contribute any final thoughts on that trip, perhaps sensing a continuation. After all what good is a round the world journey of you skip a huge chunk of it? But now the end is truly here and it doesn’t feel like it. I only have 1 week left in Bolivia before returning to Vegas then it’s over. I’ve gone away and returned home so many times over the past 3 years that I’ve become desensitized to homecomings. My poor dogs don’t even know what to think anymore.

I can’t wrap my head around the fact that this magical and fantastic, once in a lifetime trip has come to an end. I’m reluctant to even say it’s the end because in the back of my mind I don’t want to believe it myself. I know I’ll never lose the passion for travel and there’s still so much I want to experience that I can live 6 lifetimes without seeing it all. Scandinavia is calling, Central Asia is calling, Central America is calling, Eastern Europe is calling, Alaska is calling, Mongolia is calling, but for now it’s home. Home is calling.

Bob