New places is to be our motto as we travel. I'm not sure I can explain why but new is what motivates me. I come into new places with eyes wide open ready for anything and looking for every detail. I like returning to old favorites but I overlook tiny changes because I've already been there before. The risk of going back to an old favorite is that seems less exciting than the first visit and that can be disappointing. New is an unread book, full of possibility, without expectation. New rarely disappoints.
Both of us have explored a significant part of the West but there are many places we've had to bypass on the way. Our goal on this trip is to get deeper into some of those out-of-the-way spots and give them the exploration they deserve. Destination #1 is central BC. My mental map has a huge blank space between the big parks (Jasper/Banff) and the Washington border. I've driven through but never had the time to explore. In late August we'll be moved out of the apartment and have our stuff stored (mostly in Hood River and some in Richland). After visiting the family in HR, Richland and Spokane we'll swing about and follow the North Star until we find adventure, which I'm sure won't be too difficult.
The wildcard in all of this will be the weather. We're getting a later start, early September, than I'd hoped for and exploration could easily be shut down with a cold snap. So following the warmer weather south will need to factor into our plans. When BC gets too cold we'll follow the turning leaves back into the States.
Our ultimate landing spot is Hood River. There are limitless opportunities for fun in Hood River - kayaking, mountain biking, fishing, wind sports and so on. The small town living is something we both crave after being in the city for many years. And most importantly we want to be closer to Alex and his family. Even 4 hours away was too far and we didn't see them nearly enough. We plan to make Hood River our home for the next several years but there's one more major stop along the way.
Hood River is not known for it's skiing and after last year's dismal NW season I would really like to spend some time surfing the white wave. As fall progresses we will seek a wintry home with a good mountain where we can immerse ourselves in a healthy dose of the white stuff. Our destination is very much in flux because there are a plethora of factors in play. Obviously we will seek out a place with ample snow. A strong El Nino forecast aims us toward southern Colorado or California. We want a place that's not crowded. The last thing I want is to jostle with people in a lift line all winter. Available jobs will be a very important factor as our accounts will be a little thin by winter. We both have some prospects but nothing is fixed. A good job for either of us could shift the tide on where we drop anchor. It's a little scary not knowing exactly what ahead but we are both prepared to explore the unknown.
We will spend the better part of October exploring mountain towns in Colorado, Northern New Mexico and perhaps California, searching for that perfect winter retreat. Once we have some roots loosely in place, housing & jobs being the key factors, we'll continue following the warm weather south until the snow arrives at our winter home. We always love exploring canyon country and the transition between fall & winter should be the perfect time to do some more exploring in pleasant weather.
By late November we should be back in our little ski town and ready to settle down for a epic winter of big pow days and lots of sunshine!
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