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WBraun
climber
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Mar 15, 2013 - 01:51pm PT
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The man who's bound and chained to his mortal body can't give anything up.
All attempts by such a bound soul is none other than false renunciation .......
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Mar 15, 2013 - 02:12pm PT
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Go buy a used sailboat for 15K, make sure it is the proper model for cruising, and head off into the wild yonder.
I've got a good boat sitting on the hard right now. All waiting and ready to go. I've just got to get a little more money together.
I am still going to spend months this summer living on the boat and sailing her every day around Chesapeake Bay. I might bring it around into the Gulf later in the year, after Hurrican Season.
Next year? Gone baby gone. I have a list 2 inches thick of cool places to go. Even Chile and Argentina.
Ask Donini. Chile is a solid democracy with deep european roots. It isn't a mexican sh#t hole that is full of corrupt cops, robbers, and people who will cut off your head. It is a beautiful place as well.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
The great state of advaita
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Mar 15, 2013 - 02:13pm PT
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath has a good point. You can just throw caution to wind and go (there are arguments to be made for that), but it can't hurt to have a backup fund in place that's good for a plane ticket or some other emergency that comes up. You basically stash whatever money there and then forget about it. Untouchable for wine, women, song, and cams.
Eric
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SCseagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Mar 15, 2013 - 03:35pm PT
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Yep....hit the road, hit the high seas, but with head in the clouds and your feet on the ground (so to speak).
That's kinda our lifestyle now, but we're early retirees...its still great but wish I'd done more when I was way younger.
Right now we spend 3 to 4 months crusing in this bad girl:
last year was Hawaii, Alaska then the Inside Passage, this year headed down to Sea of Cortez...in a another year down the Chilean Channel to South Georgia Island...hopefully to run into Base!
For landlubbing, I'm in negotiations for one of these bad boys..
Sportsmobile
If you think you might like sailing to someplace, check out various sailing sites...there are always people with big sailboats or even big motor yachts looking for crew...no experience needed. There are lotsa people on the East Coast crusing down to BVI, the Gulf areas and on down to South America. Same on the West Coast, with people headed out to the South Pacific or on down to Mexico. There isn't much comparable to being 1000s of miles off shore...a very very special time.
If you are going to be around coastal towns and find one you like you could probably pick up a sailboat really cheap and live aboard. You meet the most interesting people that are crusiers!
The dogs, oh boy...tough one. I have a dog again and land travel not so bad, crusing, luckily we have a big boat and it works out. I had my old dog as far south as Baja (Loreto) and all was good.
Rockin' a panga on the Sea of Cortez...she would and get all excited when we'd go near dolphin pods.
Good luck! It's hard to imagine not being on the road or on the sea (but I did "pay my dues"...so to speak)
Susan
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Mar 15, 2013 - 03:43pm PT
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I like dogs but I wouldn't let a dog keep me from seeking more meaning and experience from life.
And by the way Ron, he *is* talking about roaming the Americas. I know what you mean, but to a person from South America, that kind of comment is the characteristic arrogance that they most resent from the ugly American.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Mar 15, 2013 - 04:57pm PT
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All I will add is this.... before you buy a Sailboat, Motorhome or any "life changing" deal.... maybe try it out first.
I had a boss who went and spent like 300 grand for a top of the line motorhome. After the retirement... he discovered he didn't really like being away from town, "hanging with strangers" for weeks on end. Motorhome got sold.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 15, 2013 - 06:04pm PT
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Wow, some very sage advice here, thanks!
A few thoughts, and nothing is meant to sound snarky so don't take it that way.
-I consider my carpentry work to be a career. I've chosen to not work as a GC anymore because subcontracting allows me much more freedom.
-I'd never leave without at least a grand in an emergency account.
-My travel would be primarily by bus. A vehicle would only get me to the Darien Gap, not SA. But the thought of driving is appealing, I could bring the hound.
-I don't own a lime green nano puff.
-I've been all around the western states. Lived in CO for two years and CA for nine.
-I love Latin culture, that's the real draw for me. Well, that and all the amazing people you meet when you're on the road.
I'm not sure if I'm going to do this or not, but it's certainly a viable option.
Thanks again for the input.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
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Mar 15, 2013 - 07:40pm PT
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Brandon ,since college ,1979,i did some drifting,lived in Colorado ,California,West Virginia.I have been a carpenter since 77,you would be surprised how a carpenter from the NE can get work.Work can get you a good ways from here,just saying.Best of Luck
Homeowner now ,and its very hard to get away.Like DMT said,"if you knew then what you know now"
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 15, 2013 - 07:49pm PT
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I hear ya on the east coast work ethic thing man. It's opened doors for me to install many times.
I'm pretty sure I don't want to know now what I'll know later. It's not the destination, it's the journey.
Super cliche, I know.
I seem to thrive in Latin America.
Hey Moose, thanks dude. I'm not sure that it's feasible to bring my dog with me. I'd be relying on public transportation.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
The great state of advaita
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Mar 15, 2013 - 07:57pm PT
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moosedrool wrote:
> (Bring the dog along. If you get starved, you can eat it, just like
> the old Polar explorers did, Fridtjof Nanasen and such. Just ask Marlow.)
I was actually thinking of this earlier. :-) Specifically, it reminded me of an old sci-fi movie with a young Don Johnson of all people. It's a good movie. Spoiler alert: at the end, he, his girlfriend and dog (who can talk by the way, this is post nuclear apocalypse) are facing starvation. She says we need to make the obvious decision. The next scene is of him and the dog. They are talking about how yummy she was! :-O
Eric
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LilaBiene
Trad climber
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Mar 15, 2013 - 08:01pm PT
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When I was 18, I took off for Germany for a year because I figured if I waited, other stuff would get in the way. I hope I can manage another few years overseas here and there, just need to work out the finances (i.e., pay off student loans). (Other stuff WILL get in the way!)
And I seem to remember that you DO come from rather adventurous stock, no? (That picture of your grandpa skiing? Yeah, I think he'd give you a righteous nod.)
But, seriously, since we may have a chance to climb (if spring ever decides to roll on in), I'll bring my brother along and you guys can talk travel. He's been all over the world. (He was climbing in Vang Vieng per his photo caption that he sent me.)
His latest message: "So do you go to gyms to climb in winter? Is it pricey and do you need to invest in equipment to really start climbing?"
Muah ha ha ha! Evil grin. Reeling in the line...
And P.S. Ekat, the hubby and I have spent most of the winter scoping out livable transport, so I'M not gonna stop ya! ;D
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Edge
Trad climber
New Durham, NH
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Mar 15, 2013 - 08:03pm PT
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It's never too late to take a stab at the Golden Ring.
With my youngest graduating college in May, our house of 19 years sold and emptied, and me not getting any younger, my wife and two corgis will be hitting the road with no plan other than to take 4 months touring the western US and looking for a place that calls to us to settle down. Work? I'll find something; obsessing about all the possible bad things that might happen is like praying for a disaster. I prefer to hold a place for our greatest dreams to be fulfilled.
Everything important will be in our RV; wife, dogs, climbing gear, books, and some clothes. The rest is just stuff.
I will turn 52 on the trip. It's time, I can feel it with every fiber of my being. Good luck Brandon.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
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Mar 15, 2013 - 08:17pm PT
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Maybe ill see ya out there Edge,Your words are good,ill be 54 this summer.Kind Regards
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Mar 15, 2013 - 08:30pm PT
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hey there say, brandon- ...
you've got a lot of both ends of the ol' line here, one ways
to tackle this, as to which way to go, etc...
so i can't say much... but let the pot stew just a bit, first...
following heart and gut feelings is good, but, following a fast
impulses due to soon coming change, can go wrong, fast...
when you do find the right trail though, the ol' pup dog
needs to be settled... sounds like your're adventures should
be more to 'temperary outings' if the dog is so attached to trust
and bond with you...
there may be a whole other better wonderful plan, nearby, just waiting
for you, that you don't see yet... that then, could very well lean
to your other dream, as well...
let the stew pot of thoughts and feeling settle a bit... and test
the nearby waters (states, nearby as well, not just home, as many of the states there are close together)...
:)
let us know, how it all turns out...
*my now ex, turned my last dogs into a bad situations,and i'd not want those kinds of sad troubles to hurt anyone... sometimes i still feel those painful times, and you don't want that, though mine, i could not stop...
you have a say, in your dog... dogs... :)
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Mar 15, 2013 - 09:00pm PT
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Brandon, my advice is to do what your heart tells.
However, I took my dog Ci (border collie/lab) from Wales to London to California to Ireland.
I never gave up on him (he is no longer with us, sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis, buried in a grave I dug overlooking the origins of the Liffey River in the Wicklow Mountains.).
Can you leave your dog with your dad?
You are quite young, I have no answers, as I am struggling with my own questions. Do I leave my partner into State care just so I can have some freedom? Do I care about her enough? Yes.
Apologies if that is not enough to answer your question.
I am as screwed up as... if I was a 14-year-old.
EDIT
It sounds exciting, traveling, and why not. See if you can find a good home for the dog. But whatever you do, do not have him/her put down. It's a life.
I am trying to save some urban foxes from mange (Wildlife Trust, Dublin SPCA, Animal Foundation... all say they want to help me, but no action yet). And foxes are maligned, domestic dogs do more damage (especially in places like Ireland during lambing season), especially when two or three or more - they are pack animals after all - get together. Back home in Saranap (Walnut Creek/Lafayette), if a chicken or rabbit was gone - raccoon. Eggs eaten - skunk. Total chicken coop wiped out - domesticated dogs, not foxes.
When I moved to Enniskerry in 1997, the advice I was given, was... leave your dog on a leash if out walking, otherwise a farmer has the right to shoot him if he thinks during lambing season especially. I replied "My dog would never do that. He is a Welsh dog, raised in sheep country." Didn't cut any ice. So, I was very vigilant when out with Ci. He wouldn't do anything, but a farmer sees a dog in the field... bang.
Brandon, no guilt trip intended, but if your feet get itchy, make sure the pooch gets a fair deal.
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Chugach
Trad climber
Vermont
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Mar 15, 2013 - 10:55pm PT
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I climbed and hitched 8,000 miles one summer and had the time of my life. I was 22 but I don't know if that matters. Do it! Take the leash off and run.
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Mar 16, 2013 - 12:55am PT
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Live and travel within YOUR means--what you know, what you can cope with, etc...
Fantasy is always free, everything else has a price; don't forget that.
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bergbryce
Mountain climber
California
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Mar 16, 2013 - 01:15am PT
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I couldn't leave me dog, no way in hades. I've only had him a year and a half and the joy I get out of him blows me away. Makes me wonder what a child might make me feel like?
Oh, but this is about you.... tough choices. Pare down your stuff and what's left I would put into storage. Pay for it for a year, maybe 18 months. If after a year or so of traveling, or of doing whatever, if you decide you don't want what's in that unit, forget about it and follow your new path.
I know when I went abroad for a year, I ended up missing people, familiar places, foods, etc. after being away for some time. Rediscovering some of that stuff like an old pair of skis and certainly the one photo album I do have brought back good memories and helped me feel grounded although my roots were kinda shallow.
Edited to add:
My opportunity came up fast and I had to decide quickly, whether or not to go. Granted it was a well paid gig, I was leaving a new, exciting lifestyle I felt I was just getting into. I had a lot of doubt but in the end am very glad I went for it. Living internationally is a very enriching experience.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Mar 16, 2013 - 08:24am PT
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The sheep heard you were coming and fled
Jim, don't tell me you are so inclined. ;-)
What's the old joke: Wales, where men are men and the sheep are scared. (told by either English or Scots)
Of course the Down Under version is:
New Zealand, where men are men and the sheep are scared. (Told by Aussies).
Or what a Dub would say: "Wicklow, where the men are men and the sheep are scared".
Same joke, just regional variations.
Or Woody Allen's Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex, with the one skit showing Gene Wilder, getting attached to a sheep, so to speak, and ended up drinking a bottle of Woolite, in the gutter. Gives new meaning to Skid Row.
Brandon, I don't know if they are still available but there are student work permit exchange programs (my first work in France and in Ireland were with such six-month permits).
Enroll in your local community college, get your student ID and then apply for such a permit.
I cannot remember what the criteria was back then, but I think you had to show you were a full-time student (12 units or something like that). And I think there was also an age limit. That said, there are ways around it (I got a student work permit when I was 39 to work in Ireland this time around. Still here after 17 years). Actually I was doing an unpaid, I stress unpaid, 13-month internship for my masters in Michael D Higgins office (Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht). He was minister then. Now he is president of Ireland.
And the criteria was you had to get it before arriving in the exchange country, but my last one I wrangled while here in Dublin.
But if you try and get one for France, avoid August. Everything shuts down in Paris. Believe me, it can be a nightmare. And I love Paris and Parisians.
JIm Brennan is right, I talk too much about myself, but those are my experiences. Travel Dude.
I think that both dogs would be happy with your dad, if he was willing. I'd imagine he'd want you to travel and see parts of the world.
Best wishes with whatever you decide.
And many of the comments posted are excellent. For example... below.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Colombia, South America
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Mar 16, 2013 - 08:39am PT
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Brandon you've got it made. I wish my family had moved to Colorado but my dad was employed in New York. Yuck! If you don't want to live in his basement, maybe I can? Seriously, if you can speak a little spanish, South America is a great place to explore. What you need is time and patience for third world travel. As for employment my guess is that you will not want to work for the wages down there as a tradesman, also all the construction methods are different. You may be able to get a job as an English teacher, lots of gringos do that. But getting a work visa anywhere is a serious pain and not something you do on the go.
I would plan on about 6 months. You will get tired of it eventually. But also when you get older you may never have six months free like that. I know I don't. I am heading back to Colombia in three weeks and really excited about it. Its a great place but the climbing is not really developed. The tourist scene is in Ecuador and Peru, maybe start there if you want to get used to it. Whatever you do, save two months to hang out in Patagonia, in fact you might even just start there.
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