We’re not going to Death Valley

November 26, 2024

I don’t remember just when the idea set in that we would change our approach next year and stay longer in America than the normal three months before coming back to Europe. I think it was sometime in the summer in England, but it could have been in that wet, unhealthy time in northern France. In any case, it came from remeniscing over the surprising fact that the Covid year was one of the best years for us since going vagabond. We really enjoyed moving from one month-long base to another with the car, getting settled in and familiar with an area before moving on. A month in John Day, another in the Palouse and Lake Coeur d’Alene, then Corvallis, then Bellingham, then that amazing two months when we managed to get to Croatia at a time when the roads were nearly empty.

We envisioned doing something similar next year, heading north after Tucson and revisiting past favorites and some new ones: Saint George and Moab, maybe as far northeast as Kalamazoo or Oberlin or Ithaca and the Finger Lakes before crossing back west to Portland, stopping in MSP to visit Shawn and the girls and Greg and the Feeshko on the way. We’d leave it open-ended, but maybe not return to Europe until late summer or autumn.

We would both love to see the Finger Lakes District again, and especially Ithaca. It was one of our favorite stops on our ride from Minneapolis to Newark three years ago. We should have stayed in Ithaca much longer.

And beautiful Geneva (NY) too. We said it was as good as it gets at the time.

That rough vision gradually shrank and evolved into a focused and less ambitious one; and by late September we’d settled on a specific plan. We went so far as to fix on dates and make cancellable bookings. it looked roughly like this:

Two weeks in Portland, then three weeks driving to Tucson, and then six weeks there.
A couple of weeks in southern Utah, mostly in Moab and Saint George. A visit to Canyon de Chelly, a place I’ve long longed to see, factored in the plan also.
A week in first Boulder City and then Death Valley, with Susan Carpenter who planned to fly out with Vivian George and join us.
A leisurely drive back to Portland, and then departure for Europe for six months, starting in England.

We were quite enthusiastic about this plan, and particularly the part about seeing Death Valley again with Susan and her rental car. It would open up some new possibilities, like driving up to Daylight Pass or Dante’s View, coasting back down to the floor of the valley for 25 miles, and then driving back up with the other car to retrieve the first one.

It would be fantastic to revisit this spot, sitting on a rim overlooking Canyonlands to the Henry Mountains.

As much as Rachael loves hiking now though, we won’t be hiking the Primitive Trail to Double O Arch again. We felt lucky to survive it four years ago.

Such a nice vision, but it’s been scrapped. So what happened? The election happened. I think it was the day after the day after that we got in touch with Susan and we mutually decided to call it off. Suddenly the thought of spending two months longer than necessary in our troubled land lost all appeal.

So not this year, Susan. I don’t think Death Valley is going away anytime soon though.

So what is the plan then? Good question!

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Marilyn MudgeIt is so sad that people who obviously love this beautiful country, don’t want to spend more time here. So many of us truly understand that. I am angry and also disgusted with the people who support and seek to benefit from what could be the destruction of our democracy. Your decision to change plans is a sign and/symptom of greed and power.
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1 month ago

Bill ShaneyfeltI'm not so sure it is going to be all that bad... Both ends of the political spectrum are famous for using scare tactics. I can remember it from when I was in high school in the 1960s and it happens almost every election. We have a great country with lots of checks and balances to hold the course. I'm just going hang in here and expect moderation.
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1 month ago

Andrea BrownDon't skip Canyon de Chelly though. Holy smokes was that an incredible walk. As I remember you had to have a tribal guide and you couldn't photograph any tribal members going about their business down there. I totally agree with your take on the election.
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1 month ago

Ben ParkeDon’t blame you one bit for wanting to limit your time in the US. Enjoy the freedom you’ve got to venture to less chaotic places, although an alarming amount of Europe is heading down a similar path. The election in Romania is filling that way as well. I think Denmark is still pretty sane. And Switzerland.
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1 month ago

Scott AndersonTo Oh, we feel like we have a choice. It’s not like we think we can’t stay here. It just feels like a nicer way to be spending nine months next year to be over there watching kids playing in piazzas and dogs in the restaurants. Do it while it still works.
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1 month ago

Suzanne GibsonWe are looking forward to your return! The sooner the better.
You scrapped the plan, but where would you have gone if you came back in early autumn and then spent the next six or nine months in Europe/UK? Brrrr!
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4 weeks ago

Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonYes, I know. It was really only partly about the politics. The longer we thought about it, the less sense the idea made.
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4 weeks ago

Karen PoretTo Scott AndersonThanks for your thorough reasoning..
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4 weeks ago

Tricia GrahamMaybe in four years time
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4 weeks ago

Gregory GarceauWe're hoping you can still find a way to visit MSP, Shawn, The Girls, and especially Greg & Feeshko.
Sincerely, Greg & Feeshko
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4 weeks ago

Scott AndersonTo Gregory GarceauThat’s jumping ahead of the narrative, but yes that’s the plan. We’re looking at stopping off for a few days on our way back to Europe around the first of March. And if you’re around, of course we hope to meet up. We’ll be in touch.
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4 weeks ago

Janice BranhamThe roads not taken sound pretty spectacular. We're aiming for Canyon de Chelly and the Finger Lakes next year, among others. Since the election I've had to curb my unhealthy obsession with the news. It's easier to ignore when we're on tour and the days are full. Just gonna keep riding and hope for the best.
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4 weeks ago