The Best Trips…

If you read my vacation recap posts, you probably noticed some negativity as the trip progressed. Even though I try very hard to look on the bright side of things and I don’t want to come across as a Debbie Downer, I wanted to share an honest account of our experience in California this summer. I’m not perfect, my life isn’t perfect, and I never want to give the impression of perfection here. I want to keep it real.

I don’t view those negative experiences as a bad thing. It turns out that the trip, all the good and bad, taught me a valuable lesson about traveling…

When you visit new places, you see new and interesting things.

You begin to look at the world around you in a different way.

You do things you never thought you could do or would do.

Experiences can spark you to act on your dreams…

Or spark dreams you never even knew you had.

Sometimes, you never want to return from your travels.

But while traveling allows you to appreciate new places, some trips also help you appreciate the places you left behind…

I think the best trips do both.

And that is exactly what this summer’s trip did. I saw new things, experienced new places, had dreams of new adventures sparked. I also appreciated home…finally. I missed my town, I missed my house, I missed Wisconsin. And I realized that this is where I want to live my life.

I’ll still get to see the world, but every traveler needs a home base. And this summer, it was nice to know that I really had one.

So with that, I’m closing the book on California 2011. Time to look ahead to next summer. I’m not absolutely sure where our next adventure will take us – we’re still mulling it over – but I’m excited for the journey.

Tagged as: backpacking, Bailey, dogs, Kettle Moraine State Forest, Lembert Dome, Mono Lake, Muir Woods, Nevada Falls, Sequoia National Park, sequoias, Tenaya Lake, Thea, Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, Yosemite 2011, Yosemite National Park