[Smokey]

A great story about a family travelling in an unusual car. They've even got a kid. P.I. story

[Dayhike Mike]

Awesome story! Thanks for the post!

[MCaver]

What a fantastic story. Kudos to them for pursuing their dreams. I went through an awakening of my own a few years ago, and Washington plays a big part in it. When I lived in Dallas, I lived pretty close to the yuppie lifestyle. I had a nice job and a nice car and a nice apartment and I wanted expensive things. I wasn't really happy, but I didn't really know it at the time. Every year or so, I'd get restless and stir things up a bit, whether it was jumping jobs or moving into another apartment or whatever. I was always looking for something and could never find it, and I didn't even really know what it was. Finally I decided what I needed was the mother of all changes, moving away from Texas. As part of my "stirring things up" I had started taking big vacations and all the places I went -- Yellowstone, Yosemite, Jasper/Banff, Olympics/Rainier -- were starting to show me what I really wanted. Then the opportunity came to move to a new job, this one in Seattle, and I jumped at it. I packed up all my things I'd accumulated and drove my too-expensive car half way across the country. And Washington changed me, or at least helped me change myself. Being out here I finally saw that what I wanted wasn't things, but to see places. What I wanted was to see natural beauty, not own possessions. What I wanted was artistry, not merchandise. The old camera I'd had for years became more important to me than any expensive piece of hi-tech equipment. So I got rid of most of it and started pursuing activities instead of objects, and making me happy was my only criteria. Here it had all fit into place. Moving to Washington really was like moving to a home I didn't know I had. I still like nice things, but I don't need nice things, and nice doesn't always mean expensive. I allow myself my expendatures, like camera gear. But I find I don't want many things, or that they aren't worth what they cost any more. And I'm happier than I've ever been. Anyway, that's my journey so far.

[Smokey]

MCaver, I used to do a lot of bicycle touring, mostly in the 80's. Sometimes for months it was just my bike and what fit on it. You can get a lot of junk on a bike by the way. Somewhere along the line I got suckered into the status quo. This many years later my most vivid memories are napping on cool shaded concrete on a scorching Montana summer day, grasshoppers pinging off my spokes in South Dakota and campers insisting that I couldn't possibly have enough to eat, I had to come over and share their meal. Nothing I ever bought, or any day at work has ever come close to being etched into my memory like those carefree bicyclin' days. That was before cell phones and multi-tasking became popular. I think I might get squashed on the roadside today. Gary

[MCaver]

That's pretty much the attitide I've taken the last few years. I've pretty much changed my whole attitude since I moved here, and it just feels right, a good fit. I work in the tech industry, but I don't participate in the rat race. I love what I do for a living, but I don't feel the need to make it my life. As much as I like it, I only do it because I have to. I'd much rather be out on the trail taking photos. A lot of the people I work with live and breathe technology and gadgets. I still don't have a cell phone, because I haven't needed one. I do go in for a nice utilitarian gadget like a DVD player, or the occasional computer game, but I'm just as happy sitting on the balcony with a book or magazine. I'm much more comfortable with myself than I used to be, now that I know who I am.

[Jill]