Week 4 & 5 #arrtusa
A few weeks flew by without a blog post. I’m not surprised at all seeing that I’ve never been able to stay committed to a project like this one. Here I am now. Let’s try this.
Biggest reflection this week: all of this feels so normal for me, but from most anyone else’s point of view, this is a bit crazy and/or awesome.
- We ditched 90% of our belongings before we left Portland
- We have no permanent home or kitchen or living room or Christmas decorations or closet or backyard.
- After we’re done with our trip, we’ll be moving ourselves and our dog to another continent.
I wasn’t scared when I left to live in Spain the first or second time. I wasn’t scared to drive across the country the first, second or (now) third time. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 for the most part don’t bother me at all. We get plenty of comforts on our trip as it is — we’re never “roughing it.”
I don’t say all this to brag, but only that maybe I jump into things blindly and don’t think about them as much as I should? Still, I haven’t regretted any of these experiences. I am thankful for them, and am trying to enjoy them as much as possible.
Why were we able to do drop everything and travel? Two big reasons. We lived somewhat frugally in Portland for four years, and saved some money. What we earn now is thanks to being at a remote-first company. We knew that the former was a given — we had the money saved, so knew we could count on it. The latter, however, was never taken for granted. Anything can happen to your job at any point.
Ok, back to catching up from where I left off…
After Oakland & SF, we spent one week in Palm Springs. Our Airbnb was practical, but I did have to use the wifi hotspot for most of the week — at least for video calls.
I stuck to my earlier schedule whenever I could — working about 6am to 3pm. Leaving early lets me catch the sunset and have some activity outside before the sun goes down.
We were staying near a really great park, so I spent a few mornings working there, and then would switch to the Airbnb in the afternoon. We also weren’t far from downtown Palm Springs which has a ton of coffee shops, so it was nice to be able to walk there in the morning too. That flexibility is great for days when I don’t have interviews. When I’m interviewing, though, I definitely prefer to work from the Airbnb so I can guarantee a quieter atmosphere for those calls.
The week after we were in Lone Pine — this is a small town situated next to the Alabama Hills, the setting of many Western films. From just about anywhere nearby, you can see Mt. Whitney — the tallest mountain in the lower 48 — and if you drive a few hours in the opposite direction you find the lowest point in the US — Death Valley National Park.
So, yeah, it’s a beautiful place.
The Best Western in town has some of the fastest internet I’ve ever encountered, ever. It was such a relief to be in a place with reliable wifi! I worked from the hotel every day, following my early schedule again.
A negative for this place just comes with the territory. It’s a small town, so the grocery store isn’t great, and the restaurants aren’t either. Your best option might be the barbecue place. I had a pretty decent salad at one of the American places (all of these places are very American).
This weekend we’re camping at The Valley of Fire in Nevada, and then we’ll make our way to Flagstaff, Arizona, where we’ll stay for a full week at an Airbnb.
If I’m good, you’ll hear from me again next week. :wave:
