Times they are a-changin!
Getting there is different for everyone and every situation. My first trip out, I flew. MUCH fun. Out from Portland which is a big airport. Wound up in two SMALL airplanes. Small as in two rows on one side, one on the other and I got the window seat! We - me and the person I went with - were booked for the row on the wing, so out the window I got a PERFECT few of the propeller. It was super cool to me. My second time ever flying and here I was in this super small plane with old school propellers.
But I was stuck in the park without transportation to the nearest town 3 hours away.
The next time - I got a car. My crazy self, I got the car AND learned to drive in two weeks, got the license and was out the door. Absolutely the best route. Sure. The point is - ROAD TRIP! Yellowstone is only a 14 hour drive away, but since it was my first time and I was taking my best friend, her parents came with. It was SUCH fun. We made a two day deal of it. Took our time. Like one should with a road trip. You don't want to rust off and just BE where you're going. You don't want to drive through all that country and only see roads and hotel rooms... Drive to Idaho, stay, then drive to Montana. Then drive in to the stone. I went to the Cracker Barrel for the first time. I had interesting conversations. I saw new places.
My second year I did it again - but by myself. Espresso from a cart in Idaho talking to a woman who transplanted FROM OREGON where I was from. Who'da thunk?! Such interesting things.
The next year I went with a boyfriend-of-the-time. Went to yet new diners I hadn't been to before. Stopped to see different things.
And now I'm planning my trip to Alaska. The options! We thought about taking the ferry up from Washington. We thought about driving up - getting passports and going through Canada and into Alaska. We thought about flying up. We TRIED to think about taking the train, but alas, no trains through Canada.
We settled on flying. But it's not just fly up, go in, be done. Just like a road trip. You don't just go. You take your time. We are flying up three weeks early. We found an awesome hostel to stay in for two weeks. Go up with a few light bags and check out Anchorage for a few weeks. Buy a car while we're up there - thank you inventor of Craigslist. Then drive in to Chicken - a WEEK early so we have time to settle in and get a feel for the area. It's not like driving to work.... Get up, go, get there. No. Take your time, see the world as you go not just the bit of the world you land in.
The goal for this summer is to end it with our own rv/mobile home kind of thing. Then our next trip to winter seasonal we can take longer see more. I'm super excited for a mobile home. No more new housing. As much as I enjoy packing and unpacking, coping with new housing can suck. No more hotels. Which also helps with our timeline. Having our own kitchenette we won't necessarily need to budget for as much eating out. Groceries are cheaper. AND! We could get a pet! :D
So yes. I get side tracked. Getting there. The point is that it's never the same and the possibilities are almost as endless as the places you're going TO. The only option that is not an option is to go straight there without passing go or collecting 200 dollars. Take a stroll around the board people! See the sights, stay at Park Place. Even when it seems I took the same route twice, it was so different. The similarities were drowned out by the unique experiences.
Speaking of getting there - as a last note, one more thing I love about my work. Every day you get up, get ready for work. You take the bus, you drive, you commute somehow to your job. Right? So do I. The difference? My commute is through a mountain with amazing views (especially if you can catch the sunrise over the white river turnout!). My commute back to my folks house is a lot of I5 just like yours, but first, the drive down to Gresham - through all that forest. Amazing. There is little beauty in asphalt and concrete to me. The incredible skylines and high rises aren't as stunning to me as they are to some. I'm not saying my life, my commute is any better than anyone else's. On the contrary, I believe my chosen life really isn't for everyone or even most. I'm only saying TO ME (the one that matters), my commute is better for the sake of the beauty. TO ME, the mountain drive is more appealing than the high rises in Seattle with its Space Needle or the asphalt mazes of Portland that some I'm sure enjoy.
So yes. Getting there. Even if you DO enjoy the high rises and asphalt. Take the time to enjoy it now and then. Realize the beauty around you. Try not to take it for granted. If you prefer nature for beauty, find it. And enjoy it. Whatever is around you. Just notice it. Take a look round the next drive your own. Inhale real big. Notice anything new? Notice anything you didn't notice before?
There you have it. We're gonna get there. :D
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