1-25-10

Ok the trip is done and another Bucket List item is crossed off. I’m writing this as we fly the last leg of the trip home; Denver to RDU. I’ll try to capture some final thoughts on the trip.

This was my first trip with this particular group. While we’ve been friends for almost 30 years, and I’ve been with them in various settings dozens of times, it’s my first time “on the road” with them. They are a fun bunch to run with. Clay is one of my very best friends; we talk almost daily, just running our mouths and trying to figure out what’s going on with the world. I’ve known Joy almost as long as I’ve known Clay; she’s a very special person who shares a birth date with me. Of course, I’m 8 years older than her (I think). And Libby. I’ve known her longer than Clay or Joy, and she is a wonderful friend and person. She is a widow; her husband, Stacy, hired me 28 years ago, and became a terrific friend and a very good boss. So, we all go back a long time. They are good traveling partners.

Yellowstone was everything I wanted it to be. Beautiful, majestic, and magical. While we did not see a lot of wildlife, I enjoyed what we did see. The snowmobile trip into the park was good for the first experience with the machines. A tame ride was good for the start.

The trails were a lot of fun. Very challenging at first, with the veering and bobbing, but became easier as we gained experience. The first day on trails was hard; I think we tried to over-control the machines. The second day I worked much less hard and let the machines more or less do what they wanted to do. That was much easier.

Having lunch at two unique places was a bonus. Both were very different, but each was unique. These trips to strange places make life better.
Characters we met along the way were interesting. We ran into a number of people from NC—it’s sorta weird to go that far to go snowmobiling and run into people from places we know well. I guess North Carolinians like to travel.

I’m glad I did the trip. Initially the idea was to do this “once in a lifetime” thing and never do again. But now, I’m not so sure I won’t do it again! A good time was had by all.