Of course one person cannot possibly see it all, so the challenge is what should you focus on? My answer to that somewhat rhetorical question is whatever jumps out and grabs my attention at the time. I prefer not to travel by myself. Often I travel with family, but being a teacher (now retired) I would arrange trips with student groups and with teams I coached. It was gratifying to see the look on an athlete’s face when they saw the Rocky Mountains for the first time or the look on the face of a student after their first dive in the Caribbean. It has been a long time since I did that kind of trip, but the memory is still fresh. That leads me to my next story which I want to post before I am posting from my next location.
I have a friend named Bill who likes to travel and is an open-minded, adventurous sort who is married to one of my former colleagues. (When we get together these days, she reminds me that she was my boss, because she was the Chairperson of the Science Department.) About twenty years ago, I remember the look on Bill’s face when he was suiting up for what was the highlight (for most of the students) of my first Costa Rican adventure; the challenging, white-water, Pacuare River. Bill and his wife Frances were helping me chaperone this high school, science-oriented trip to the rainforests of Costa Rica. Bill had never been white-water rafting. In fact, he told me just before the activity that he could not swim. I knew he was born and raised on a farm in the plains of Kansas, but it did not register as a place where kids did not learn how to swim. Not that it matters much, but Bill is a little older than me (At the time of this trip, Bill was in his early 60’s.) and an engineer turned attorney, who worked his whole adult career for the government. I mention this to let you know he was a little out of his comfort zone with a paddle in his hand, a life jacket strapped tightly to his torso, and a helmet on his head about to get in a rubber raft with a bunch of high school students whom he had only met ten days ago. Oh, and by the way, on the flight down from Washington, DC to Miami to make our connecting flight to San Jose, CR, we lost a jet engine. (Well, we didn’t really lose it, but it had to be shut down to avoid a fire.) On one engine we had to divert to make an “unscheduled stop” in Tampa with emergency vehicles waiting with flashing lights near the runway, and a local news team ready to interview the passengers as we (fortunately) walked into the airport. So now that the stage is properly set, back to the look on Bill’s face…I still remember his grin and he is still a good travel companion today.
Last fall, Bill called me to ask if I was up for another road trip. Frances was going out of town with her sister and he was thinking there were things for us to see while she was away. In 2018 we traveled together to the southeastern U.S.A. to visit a couple of National Parks and National Historic Sites, along with a few State Capitol buildings. These are the things that sometimes fit into travel plans as I try to see it all. Even though my background is biology, I am curious and interested in seeing whatever there is to see. I talk to many people who never take advantage of all the country has to offer, but Bill is not one of them. In 2019, Bill was interested in seeing a few more things in a loop through Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. We toured five State Capitol buildings, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, a few National Wildlife Refuges, Valley Forge, where George Washington made camp with his troops during the Revolutionary War, Delaware Water Gap, the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania (not to be confused with the Grand Canyon of Arizona), and had dinner with a friend I toured Madagascar with in 2018. Thanks to Bill for initiating this “little trip” that was quite enjoyable. You can see some of the photos from this adventure by clicking here. So What to See depends a lot on who I am traveling with and I like traveling with people like Bill who can challenge my curiosity and carry on a good conversation.
I hope to post soon about a return trip to Costa Rica.