Home Again

It's a funny thing about going home after I've been away for a bit. I don't get homesick until the homecoming date is within reach. Last year in Alaska, it was about a month prior since a number of the college kids left in August, and I was staying on until September.

This summer, it was in the middle of my last tour. I was excited when the last tour started because I would get to go home, but in the middle of the tour, we had cranky people, things going wrong (which is inevitable for any tour - prepare for the worst and be pleasantly surprised when things go right), it was hot, etc. At that, I was ready to go home by Las Vegas. And to make me all that much more eager to go home, I had a brand new nephew waiting for me!

All that being said, I still had a great time during the tour, met some very interesting folks, passed out my business card to a few travel writers and soaked in every second of being in some of our country's most beautiful parks.

The saddest part about leaving this section of tours is that I won't be touring any longer with my travel buddy Ernest. He and I went to ITMI together, and we're the most unlikely match, but we had a blast these last four tours. He and I will be doing the Parks of the Northwest trips with GrandLuxe, but not at the same time. If fate has it, we'll run into each other through Yellowstone .... Two tour buses passing at the Fountain Paint Pots ...

Now that I'm home, it's great. My friend Donna picked me up at the airport after a last-minute change of plans, I've played with all my nephews, seen my family and I'm still meeting up with my friends around town. Life is good.