On May 17th I will be leaving Blacksburg on a 16 day adventure with my friend, Mohamed, or Mo for short. I met Mo about 3 years ago as I was preparing for a hike up Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, the tallest free standing mountain in the world and highest point in Africa. Mo is from a small town near Dar Es Salem in Tanzania, near the Eastern coast of Africa. Mo grades from Va Tech in December and I've asked him to go along with me. He plans to stay in the United States for three more years in order to get a master's degree, and then most likely head back to Tanzania. My friend Wanda Price and I think Mohamed has great days in front of him, possibly as the president of Tanzania??
My trip across the United States has several themes. The most recent one is based on the John Steinbeck book, Travels with Charley, which is his account of traveling across the country with his dog, named Charley.
Another part of my plan is based on a desire to have gone through all 50 states. Unless I decide to make an extra trip I'm going to miss North Dakota, which will leave me only Alaska left. Wendy and I are hoping to make Alaska a reality summer of 2015 with a cruise from Vancouver and hopefully a preliminary visit to the Canadian Rockies starting with Edmonton, Alberta and including Banff, Lake Louise and other sites between Edmonton and Vancouver.
Lastly, this is a journey for my father and grandfather. My father's family made regular trips to Yellowstone National Park, so that will be one of our early stops. I never got to know my grandfather well, but wish I had. I new my father better, but lost him 24 years ago when I was 34.
My father's family was an adventuresome lot and lived in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina before they were called that. My grandmother used to go bear hunting with the men and regularly caught more trout than my grandfather. I hope that I will be able to live long enough and have the energy and financial resources to take my grand children to places like this.
Details to follow soon. Less than 30 days before we leave.
