Let’s call it research…
See my husband and I are heading out on a trip. I can’t call it a vacation really. Because when you say “vacation” the idea of exotic locations, spas, beaches, and relaxation usually spring to mind. And that really just doesn’t fit what I’m about to do.
We are heading off to Labrador and Newfoundland, Canada. And we are taking the dogs (family trip!). And it is most likely going to be raining at least a little every day. And the high temperature is almost 70, which isn’t bad if you are in a car and not out in the rain and wind. But we’re hoping to get in a lot of hiking. Let’s not talk about the lows, because we’ll be camping the entire time. So yeah, a Jeep loaded with dogs, camping gear, food, traveling the most remote road in North America along with a LOT of mosquitoes … it isn’t a vacation.
It sounds more like an adventure.
Which is fine with me. I love adventures! It is why I write epic fantasy, because it helps bleed off my desire for travel to far flung places while safely ensconced on my bean bag chair on my porch. But every once in awhile I just have to leave the house. After all, how would I know how difficult the trek into the Alin Mountains in Rule of Fire would be if I didn’t trek off into the mountains once in awhile?
If I didn’t crave getting out of the house and going to amazing places, I never would have seen this mother sloth and baby who happened to come down out of the tree, something they do only once every two weeks, just when we were visiting Manual Antonio NP in Costa Rica!
I know now before setting out that things will NOT go as planned. Heck, we’d initially planned on taking the motorcycles … with dogs and lots of gear. Or maybe we’ll end up in Nova Scotia? I know at some point:
- I will be soaking wet and covered in mud.
- I will be hounded by mosquitoes.
- One of us will trip while hiking. As long as nothing breaks and the dogs are fine, I’m okay with this.
- I will be uncomfortable, lacking sleep, itching bug bites, hungry, and dying for a good cup of tea.
- There will be moments I really wonder why I bothered to do this.
I won’t say I’m an adrenaline junky, but I will say out of my mother, father, husband, and I that I’m the one looking REALLY excited about what we are about to do!
And there will also be two perfect days (probably not consecutive) when the sun is out (briefly) and serendipity will land something amazing in front of us like an iceberg or free lunch. Those will be number twelve days and make it all worthwhile in a way that can only happen if you slog through a handful of number two to four days. That is the prize of something amazing, slogging through crap (writing a book has a TON of hell days but the end result is always worth it!).
The majority of all pictures shared from the trip will be from those two days.
Another awesome adventure – reaching Machu Picchu at dawn after four days of hiking, including a 14,000′ pass, on the Inca Trail!
The reason I’m telling you this is because we’ll be gone awhile. I’m not really sure how long. Three weeks? A month? It really depends on how the trip goes, where we end up at, and a million other little factors. But just like this post, the blog will continue while I’m gone! I’ve scheduled out some great posts:
- An announcement about a new release that will really help fantasy authors
- A post with tips on how to create cultures for your world
- A post about the importance of names with an announcement attached!
So look for those in the coming weeks. I’ll be out of wifi coverage for most of the trip (heck, the Canadian government hands out satellite phones to people for this road!), so I’ll be behind on replying to comments. But I promise to get to them when I can. Hopefully I’ll be back after the last post is scheduled but if a Friday goes by without a one it means I’m still on the road or a trail … somewhere!
Have a great August everyone!
Previous trip with motorcycles, but no dogs! 🙁
Don’t forget to check out:
I’ve been around the world, twice. I’ve been in the jungle, and visited ruins in the Yucatan peninsula. I was at the tiger balm garden, when it still existed, in Hong Kong. I’ve been high enough in the air to see the curvature of the earth, and deep enough in the ocean to have been crushed if the equipment had malfunctioned. Even at my age, I still have things I wish I had done, but my physical body makes them off limits, unless I want to risk permanent disability. (some of them might be worth the risk) Adventure is what you make of it. Now it’s an adventure just go to the store, and make it home without becoming a story on the nightly news. I honestly don’t envy you the trip, because I’ve been to that part of Canada, and didn’t leave anything I need to go back and get. I do envy you the experience, because I know how marvelous it is to be able to simply say, “Yeah, I did that”, and not have to lie. I want to thank you for the wonderful posts, (both of you) and take a moment to express my gratitude for you two just being yourselves. You’ve encouraged so many aspiring authors, and adventurers, while working to undo some of the massive damage done to this old world, over the last two thousand years. Mankind is only now discovering just how fragile the ecosystem is, and how hard it can be to repair it. Everything you guys are doing now is something I would have done myself, if I hadn’t been so busy accumulating things. (fate, and circumstances, wiped all of that away, and now i realize that what’s valuable can’t be bought, or sold, it is intangible and beyond price. Happiness is a means of travel. Safety is an illusion. Security is in the arms of the one you love. Wealth is being able to share a meal with someone who doesn’t have one. The only thing that matters is how you feel when you look in the mirror. If you like the person you see, and aren’t ashamed of yourself over something you’ve either done, not done, or are doing, then things are fine. It’s nice to have a place of your own, and income, but it’s better to be happy and well. Travel on, my friends, and may you find something so wonderful that words can’t express it. {and for us, that’s saying something} As the Elves in my fantasy world would say:
Go n-éirí an bóthar leat
Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl
Go lonraí an ghrian go te ar d’aghaidh
Go dtite an bháisteach go mín ar do pháirceanna
Agus go mbuailimid le chéile arís,
Go gcoinní Dia i mbos A láimhe thú.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
The Dwarves would say pretty much the same thing, but in the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages.
Thank you so much, Victor! Your experiences sound amazing as well. Some day it would be wonderful to sit and have a coffee (well tea for me!) and talk! I’ve thought a lot on this trip about what is important in life. I keep coming back to being nice to those you meet, embracing what the day holds, and feeling moved by what you experience. Somehow having a high paying job, lots of toys, and little time to experience life doesn’t make it into that equation. Everyone needs to choose what is important to them. For me it is new horizons, helping others, and writing, of course! 😀
Have a great trip/trek Autumn – it’s goooood to take a break from cyberspace too! 😉
Thanks, Jan! Its been great so far!
Have a great and safe trip! 🙂
Thanks, Ed!