The aha moment tour is complete. I have traversed the entire country from the West Coast to East Coast. Holla! Never really did have a chance to digest it all...but a few highlights, for what it's worth: San Francisco / Sausalito, CA: The Golden Gate Bridge, Dutch Crunch bread; Golden Valley, AZ: The McKinney’s RV and the SW desert landscape; Las Vegas, NV: The Strip, my Eiffel Tower glass, the Hoover Dam; Albequerque, NM: Downtown Nightlife, The Frontier Restaurant tortilla's; Amarillo, TX: The Big Texan Restaurant; Oklahoma City, OK: Lunchboxes at Edna's, Econolodge's Letter to the Editor, Filming SaraSara Cupcakes; Omaha, NE: The Old Market, Desert Dome at the Zoo, Dixie Quicks Restaurant; Springfield, MO: The largest Springfield in the USA; Memphis, TN: Beale Street Blues; Little Rock, AR: Digging for Diamonds, Memorial Day Weekend Riverfest, Clinton Street; Jackson, MS: Mississippi; New Orleans, LO: Café Du Monde, Burbon St., The French Quarter; Birmingham, AL: The Sloss Furnace, The Civil Rights Institute; Chattanooga, TN: Chattanooga Choo Choo, Rock City at Lookout Mountain; Nashville, TN: Music Row; Savannah, GA: The Historic District and the squares, Hangfire Bar, The Riverfront, Tybee Beach, The Sunrise; Columbia, SC: Tea Party & hats; Roanoke, VA: USAir Volunteers & Vouchers.
I have been everywhere and nowhere, all at the same time.
I lost count of the many of hotels rooms I stayed in and the hours clocked on the road. Instead, time passed as media cards filled up and blogs posted to the web. I fell in love with the clicking shutter sound of the SLR camera and the freedom of finally being a travel journalist. I have come a long way to make a living in travel journalism. A number of days in the field affirmed this exciting direction: the journey to Sara Sara Cupcakes in Oklahoma, the adventure digging for diamonds in Arkansas, and the trip to Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga. I have been traveling for years and telling stories for longer than that, but never before exactly like this: with an HD video camera in hand and editing software on my laptop, a perfectly mobile TV studio.
I returned home with a generous collection of memories captured in pictures and video. While Katie collected tacky refrigerator magnets and Brett purchased every koozie / cozy in sight, I collected gigabytes of souvenirs.
America is no where near as exotic as some of the places I have been. There are no three-wheeled vehicles speeding into oncoming traffic, no fussing over money conversions, no struggles with everyday communication. The South was probably the most exotic place I could think of, and it was very cool. I dug the whole Southern hospitality thing (yes maam!), the classic varieties of Southern food (hello fried green tomatoes & sweet tea!), and the melodic way of speaking. Yes, it was a real treat to go down South.But, unlike some trips, this trip was less about the trip, and more about the people. It was inspiring to listen to everyone's aha moments, and hear how everyday people are doing incredible things. There are some interesting people in this world. They are parents, entrepreneurs, writers, musicians, athletes, scholars, and everything in between. They are probably standing right next to you, you just never bothered to ask. Everyone has a story, each one unique and deeply personal. It was touching to come face to face with the real heros of our day; to talk to grandmothers who had become first-generation college grads, talk to brave entrepreneurs giving up everything to start a dream career, and talk to mothers and fathers glowing about being a parent. I was reminded that you can do whatever you set your mind on.
Since leaving the tour, I had a wonderful month cleansing and rebuilding; shedding all evils and surrounding myself with good. It has been a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with friends and family, reevaluate my life, and focus on what comes next. I have control over my life, and it feels good.
(family reunions)
For the first time in four years, I get to experience summer in Colorado! The place is as gorgeous as ever. It's been fun to explore Denver's neighborhoods: dance atop of Lodo's rooftop patio, chat with old friends in NE Denver, and sip on bottomless Mimosas in the Highlands...and see Vail at peak summer season.
(Denver; Vail)
So what's next for TravelingJules? A dear friend of mine recently suggested I grab three friends, jump in a van, and let Liberty Mutual sponsor a trip around the country taping people's "Oh no" moments! Gotta love the creativity! Instead, I hope to continue doing my travel journalist thing, and have recently accepted a new job at a production company!
More on that next time. :)
