If there is one New Year’s resolution I will make tomorrow, it will be TO TRAVEL MORE, both in the United States and beyond. I have the time, and most certainly have the inclination. The wherewithal, however, seems to come in fits and starts so I will just have to grab it when I can. Life is too short to sit still and watch opportunity pass me by.
Looking back over the years I realize I have traveled a good bit in my life, primarily all over the US and in the Canadian Rockies. I visited Jamaica for a week 25 or so years ago, the only time (except for three visits to Hawaii) I have been off the North American continent . I have never been to Central or South America, or Europe, or Asia. Or Antarctica. I want to see all the geology I possibly can in what is left of my lifetime!
I played it safe for several decades, staying too long in a career that sucked the life out of me and that I eventually came to despise. Regretfully I did not travel as much as I should have back then. My recently launched career as park ranger for the National Park Service is a life-long goal finally realized. I get to travel and work in some of the most spectacular geological landscapes on the planet. Still, the seasonal status is a double-edged sword. I get to travel during the winter and work for five months in the summer at places like Katmai NP in southwest Alaska, but I have no insurance or retirement. Of course, there could be worse things than getting a permanent job at a national park.
Have a Happy and Peace-filled New Year!!!
