Missing the Adventure
I feel old when I say this but man this year is flying by fast. It’s almost June and I haven’t went on an adventure this year. Sure, I’ve had plans, but something canceled two of my trips. That something is the COVID-19 pandemic. As my state of Texas is slowly opening back up and the country slowly opens back up, I am getting excited at the possible adventures to come. Though its only been a few months it feels like its been over a year.
My first trip I had planned to do was going back to the Big Bend National Park. If you haven’t been, I strongly suggest you check it out. I went back in 2018 with a dear friend, TC, for a 5-day trip. The initial reason for the trip was to get a trail rated badge from the Jeep program. Black Gap is the only trail in Texas eligible for the program, so I figured it was worth a trip. Once I did more research, I learned of all the amazing things to see, trails to drive/hike and places to camp. Once I got there, I was mesmerized by everything. It completely changed my life and how I wanted to spend the rest of my vacations. I wanted to go on more adventures! I wanted to explore, hike, 4 wheel and enjoy nature more. I missed it from when I was a kid back in North Dakota. Back then I would go fishing, hunting and camping almost every weekend with my Dad. I learned so much and enjoyed every minute of it. Once I moved to Texas, I cut out the camping and hunting, reducing my outdoor enjoyments to fishing.
But after my trip to Big Bend everything changed for the better.
My next trip I had planned was going back to Moab, UT for the Easter Jeep Safari 2020. My wife, Daphne, and I had gone the previous year for EJS2019, and it was the best vacation we have ever had. It was like our honeymoon and we enjoyed every minute of it. The views, the trails, the people and of course the Jeeps. This is the trip I was looking forward to the most. We met people in 2019, developed friendships and were excited to see them again. We were excited to do some more rock crawling, to enjoy the road trip and see what else we can explore. Of course, EJS was canceled and we never got to do the trip.
Back to today, everything is slowly opening back up. I have started looking at the calendar trying to figure out when should I go to Big Bend. My 7-year-old son, Jaxon, wants to go badly before school starts back up. Is it possible to make a trip to Moab this year or should I try somewhere else? This is part of the excitement, the planning.
So, everyone, let’s start our planning because soon this will be opened back up for us to have an adventure. Hopefully I see you on the trails.
Lloyd