Day 2 - Feeling Better

 Woke up feeling so much better than yesterday.  Starting to think it was food poisoning, since it came on so fast and was gone in 24 hours.   I so wanted to get on the road, but thought I should make sure I could keep food down before heading out.  So saltines and Gatorade for the day.    I got the car packed, thinking I might be able to get on the road late afternoon.   But yesterday just wiped me out and I just didn't have the energy to start on this long journey.  

So I went to bed early and woke up at 3am, loaded the hounds in the car and off we went.   Things were going great.  I was thinking, I won't arrive much later than I originally planned.  It was a looooooonnnggg day, but we were making good time.   Until we got just outside Gallup, New Mexico.    Just outside Gallup, New Mexico, we came to a complete stop.  We were basically parked on Highway 40!   We sat there not moving for 2 1/2 hours and during this time, it started to snow and the temperature dropped!  The road was basically becoming a sheet of ice!   Unfortunately the nearest exit was almost 30 miles away (in either direction).  Once the snow started and the roads became icy, I didn't think we'd be going much further for the night.  I thought it might be a good time to find a hotel before they all get booked!   After a few phone calls, I finally found a pet friendly place off the next exit.   Now I just had to wait for traffic to start moving so I could get there.

Day 1 - Trip Delayed

 The plan was to leave Monday afternoon, the day after Christmas and knock out 4 or 5 hours so I wouldn't have to be on the road 12+ hours two days in a row.   But you know what they say about best laid plans.

I woke up Monday morning, feeling a little icky.   I had a 6:45am appointment to get my car serviced, so I thought I better take a COVID test just in case.  I didn't think it was COVID but I didn't want to risk sitting in the service department and potentially getting others sick.   Before I could even take the COVID test, I became violently ill.   In a matter of minutes, I'd gone from feeling kind of icky to completely nauseous.  I had to call the dealership and cancel my appointment, I wouldn't be going anywhere for the day.  On the plus side, when I finally did take the COVID test, it was negative, but I was down for the rest of the day.  So my departure for Joshua Tree was delayed. 

Time for Another Holiday Adventure!

 As many of you know, the Traveling Hillbilly has a group of friends that go on a trip around the holidays every year.  We've been doing this for more than a decade and it's become one of this hillbilly's favorite traditions.   Now since the pandemic, we've been keeping the trips more local, less global.   This year, we decided to spend some time in Joshua Tree, CA   I've been in and around that area many times, but have never actually spent any time in Joshua Tree so am excited for some great hiking and chill time with friends.

Do We Really Want to Get Back to Normal?

I visited a small town in New Mexico back in March and the wildlife in town was abundant.  There were wild horses at the golf course, Elk at the library and crossing busy streets (they even used the crosswalk).   You couldn't drive a mile without coming across some amazing wildlife.   Now I've been to Ruidoso, New Mexico many times and I've always seen deer and maybe an Elk once or twice, but it had never been like this.   We've all seen the stories about animals coming in to towns during the pandemic when everything was shut down, but it was incredible to experience it first hand. 

But now as the town is once again crowded with visitors, the wildlife is starting to retreat.   Don't get me wrong, there is still wildlife in the area, it just isn't as abundant was it was just a few months ago.    Ruidoso remains a beautiful little town, but this traveling hillbilly misses the Ruidoso where the animals seemed to live so casually with the town folk.    Just not sure I'm ready for everything to get back to normal. 

Lessons/Advice from Sheltering In

For those of you new to self-quarantine, sheltering at home, or whatever you’re calling it during this pandemic, welcome to my world.   I have been unemployed for several months now so I’ve learned a few things.  Now I only have four-legged kids at home, so my experience may be a little less stressful than those of you quarantining in a small space with multiple children!  But here’s what I’ve learned, good and bad, about being home day after day.

First, the day will go by much faster than you expect.  Even after months of this, I’m surprised how it can suddenly be 3p and I haven’t even had lunch.  You hop on the computer in the morning to check email, and then for me, start looking for a job.   If I find something of interest, I customize my resume to the job description, draft a cover letter and apply online for the job and suddenly 3 or 4 hours have gone by!  Now for those of you with kids, you may have a different experience.   Maybe time will drag by and you’ll be like how can it only be 10am?  I wish you well.

You can have a glass of wine with lunch, or two, or three if it’s an especially tough day!  You’re not going anywhere, so why not? Let yourself imagine you’re having a vacation day on occasion.  We all know day drinking is completely acceptable when on vacation.  So indulge ever so often.

While you're drinking, you can get caught up on all that great  content – this could be the content that’s been stored in your DVR for months that you haven’t had time to watch, discovering a  new show on your favorite streaming service or finish binge watching the show you started a couple months ago.   You can watch Tiger King with no guilt!  The good news is there is a lot of content to keep you occupied.  The bad news is, with the current halt on productions there may not be any new content coming down the pike.  So, you may want to limit your binging, so you’ll still have something good to watch when we don’t have a slate of new content coming out in the fall (see post regarding suggestions for new fall shows).

You get to learn what your pets do all day while you’re at work.   Admit it, it has always been a challenge to leave the dogs each morning to head out to work, especially on those raining, grey or cold days. Now you get to, even if it’s sunny and beautiful outside!  As suspected, my dogs sleep most of the day.   However, they do follow me when they see I’m heading to the kitchen.   I’m not sure what our dogs will do when we finally do go back to work.  

Don’t create an unrealistic “To Do” list that you’ll stress over daily.  You always talk about wanting more time, so take some time for yourself.   Allow yourself to sleep in, or waste a day watching TV.  I’m not saying you should be a slug everyday but give yourself a break.  This will be over before you know it and you’ll quickly be back to that crazy hectic pace and wishing you’d taken advantage of this time.  Find a balance between being productive and being a little self-indulgent.   Snuggling in the bed with my pups while watching the early morning news has become my favorite time of day.  Mornings have always been hectic.  They’ve always been a scramble trying to get out the door to get to work on time.  Now I still wake up at the same time but allow myself to stay in bed during the news, while the dogs have their post breakfast nap.

It’s easier to beat yourself up – tied to the above, it’s so much easier to beat yourself up because you have more time to think about all the things you should be doing.  You’ll start asking yourself, why I haven’t I lost those 10-15 lbs.  Why aren’t I cooking healthy meals every day?  I have the time now I should be getting more done.  Remember you’re only human and just because you’re home now, doesn’t mean there are more hours in the day!

Reach out to friends and family.   Even though we can’t all get together in person, a nice long chat with your siblings, or if you are lucky, your Mom, Dad or grandma is good for the soul!   We often go weeks without talking to our loved ones who are far away.  Well take advantage of this time and catch up with them.  You’re never know what pearls of wisdom grandpa might offer.   And if you’re home with your kids, allow yourself to spend time baking with them, watching a movie or putting puzzles together.    Make this quality time together.

Everyone I know always says, they wish they had more time!  They are always complaining about being too busy.   Well now we have time, and for those of us who are unemployed, we have even more time to stress, to worry.   But don't spend all of your time stressing out.  

Overall, you need to strike a balance between giving yourself some ‘quality time” and getting some of those “projects” done.  Otherwise, you’ll feel completely overwhelmed, you’ll totally stress yourself out, as well as your spouse, significant other, kids etc.   Then you’ll go back to work, completely exhausted and feeling like a failure because you didn’t do those hundred things on your to do list!

Remember, just breathe.

The Traveling Hillbilly's Wings Have Been Clipped!

This quarantine is tough on everybody.  We are all grappling with this pandemic and are ready for our lives to get back to normal.   For those of us with a passion for travel, we can't wait for our next adventure!   A lot of us are probably spending this time, thinking of all the places we'll be going to when this is over.   I have a feeling we'll have a new normal after all this, but truly hope it doesn't curtail our traveling expeditions. 

After spending a few months on multiple road trips traveling the US to see family and just enjoy this beautiful country, I feel as though my wings have been clipped.   I'm itching to get back on the road but know that staying in is what is best for the country right now.

As you shelter at home, what is the next place you're dreaming about?   Where will your next adventure take you?

The Safari Experience is Beyond Words

How do I even begin to express how amazing this part of the trip has been?   One of the great things about travel is it allows you to learn and experience different cultures.  It gives you a whole new appreciation for the people in this world.  But with this trip it is like we’re in a totally different world.   I think most of you can imagine what a safari would be like.  You’ve seen movies, read books and/or seen pictures, so you have this idyllic version of what it could be.   I know I did.  But let me tell you, it really delivered on that idyllic picture.  It was everything I thought it would be and more.   You’re driving on a dirt path in open air (not all safaris have open air vehicles) all-terrain vehicle (in our case, a Toyota Land Cruiser)

and turn a corner and there’s  a giraffe, maybe two or three.  You watch in amazement, excited like a little kid, as this giraffe nibbles on the tree.   After appreciating the beauty and goofiness of the giraffe, you continue on and suddenly there’s a herd of elephants walking through the trees or playing in a water hole.   Or you might see a lion or a pride of lions napping in the afternoon sun.  It’s literally like a scene out of Jurassic Park, but with animals that still exist!   I mentioned before how this experience brought me to tears and think it’s because I became so overcome with emotion and excitement that tears were the only way to express what I was feeling.  It is just too hard to put into words. 

In just a few days, we saw lions, elephants, zebras, giraffe’s rhinos, hippos, impala, buffalo, leopards, hyenas.   It was simply incredible.  Not only did we get to see and appreciate these amazing animals, we got to see them in this beautiful land.   There were stunning vistas, beautiful sunsets and amazing, warm people. The people of South Africa are inviting and friendly.   They want to make you happy and go out of their way to ensure you are having a good time.  They have a love and appreciation for nature and conservation.  Maybe that is not the case at every lodge, but it certainly was at ours. 

But this trip is about more than just the people and their culture.  It’s also about the animals.   It gives you a whole new level of appreciation for the animals on this planet and how they, just like people, have adapted to different environments.   You truly are in the wild and getting a chance to witness animals in their natural habitat.  While our guide wanted to make sure we had the adventure of a lifetime, he was always very respectful of the animals and ensured we didn’t “overstay our welcome” if they seemed to be bothered or agitated by our presence.

The Traveling Hillbilly highly recommends taking that safari trip you’ve been thinking about for a while, or adding to your bucket list if it isn’t already on it.  I doubt you’d regret it.   However, one piece of advice, don’t make it just about getting that perfect photo for your social media accounts.   Yes, of course you are going to want to take pictures (and lots of them), but don’t forget to put down the camera for a bit and actually be in the moment and appreciate the amazing experience you are having.

It truly is that epic adventure, you’ve imagined in your head!