Pushing Through Roadblocks

Pushing Through Roadblocks 

Hello friends! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? It’s taking everything in me to resist the corporate urge to thank you for your patience right now.

I started this trip a little over 3 weeks ago, and boy has a lot happened since. I’m planning to separate everything out into 5 separate posts; you can pick and choose what interests you. Below I’ve linked 2 completed follow up posts, which are somewhat more joyous than this one. And don't worry; there will be plenty more content. I've got lots of ideas that go beyond just "hey, here's what I did!"

The trip somewhat expectedly got off to a rocky start. It threw me curveball after curveball, and I was starting to think I was cursed never to leave the Midwest. But I managed somehow, with a lot of help, and it has been pretty smooth sailing since! I’m extremely happy with the decision I made, and have had many moments of unbridled amazement and wonder at the sights, sounds, and yes, smells, I’ve rarely experienced...


That said, the first couple weeks were not without their challenges. The main one, which some of you know about, was my car being essentially totaled (maybe not technically but in all effects) in Minneapolis. 

Basically, it was experiencing frequent overheating which damaged the engine cylinders beyond repair, and it was going to cost $11k to replace the engine with a used engine with over 100k miles on it. And considering I paid just north of $12k for the car, this was out of the question.

The used car salesman told me in 30 years of working there, he’d never seen a hybrid have this issue. So essentially it was a fluke. Great. 

After a literal 9-5 day at the dealership (I thought those days were behind), and many back and forth calls with my parents, we came to a solution. They would front the money to buy a new car, so that I could continue my trip, and we would sell the car when I get back to pay them back. Albeit not the ideal situation as it means I won’t have a car after my trip ends, but I’m extremely lucky and grateful that I had financial support to didn’t stop the trip dead in its tracks.

Now this happened 2 weeks ago, so I have moved on and accepted that sometimes shit just happens, but yes, flushing $10k down the drain was a very difficult pill to swallow.

There have been other struggles that may have given me second thoughts if I wasn’t so sure about my decision. There was the fact that 2 separate people agreed to sublet my Chicago apartment, and then backed out due to employment issues, one of them just TWO days before he was supposed to move in. Then extremely windy conditions in Voyageurs National Park derailed my (potentially overly ambitious) 4-day canoe-backpacking plan. And some other minor nuisances that required some flexibility and backup plans along the way.


But we’re not here to dwell on the problems, even though that’s pretty much all this post is. In fact, I was kind of dreading writing this as it would force me to do just that. But I decided that additional posts full of positives from the trip and why I’m so glad I’ve started it would more than make up for this somewhat negative post.
It has been a spectacular 3 weeks, filled with stunning scenery, unique geological and hydrothermal features, all kinds of wildlife, interesting people, and the freshest air I’ve breathed in a long time. Please join me as I share my experiences in these first few weeks with you!

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