I travel quite a bit. In the past I’ve done various things to keep track of my trips and share my experience with family and friends. The last time I did a big trip I wrote my own application to generate the web pages, with ugly-but-effective results.
This blog, loathe as I am to use the term, is the next attempt.
My plan wass to hit the road at the end of August, 2008, and after visiting friends in Brussels and Lyon, head very roughly east to Kathmandu.
Plans changed…
Since I was supposed to be editing wedding photos, and taking new photos to eventually sell, when first my laptop died in Sarajevo, and then my camera broke – in the middle of the Adriatic, I had to change plans. Neither Dell nor Canon would assist me in Croatia – had to go to someplace more mainstream (and hence expensive) to get repairs. I ended up visiting a friend in Ireland, and since that was halfway to Ohio… I just went home. A friend had suggested a road-trip to the American Southwest, and that was incentive enough for me!
Itinerary
This was a very rough schedule. Check out how radically it departed from my plans and ideas right around the beginning of October, 2008.
| Day | The Idea | The Reality |
| August | ||
| 31 | Brussels, Belgium | Brussels, Belgium |
| September | ||
| 1 | Brussels, Belgium | Brussels, Belgium |
| 2 | Bergerac, France | Lyon, France |
| 3 | Bergerac, France | Lyon, France |
| 4 | Bergerac, France | Lyon, France |
| 5 | Lyon, France | Lyon, France |
| 6 | Lyon, France | Nice, France |
| 7 | Lyon, France | Nice / Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| 8 | Nice / Monaco | Saluzzo (Torino), Italy |
| 9 | Nice / Monaco | Saluzzo (Torino), Italy |
| 10 | Torino, Italy | Saluzzo (Torino), Italy |
| 11 | Torino, Italy | Bologna, Italy |
| 12 | San Marino | Rimini, Italy (San Marino) |
| 13 | San Marino | Rimini, Italy (San Marino) |
| 14 | Venice / Slovenia | Rimini, Italy (San Marino) |
| 15 | Slovenia | Ferry: Ancona – Split, Croatia |
| 16 | Bosnia Herzegovina | Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina |
| 17 | Bosnia Herzegovina | Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina |
| 18 | Bosnia Herzegovina | Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina |
| 19 | Bosnia Herzegovina | Nightmare bus to Split |
| 20 | Sail along Dalmatian coast | Hvar, Croatia |
| 21 | Sail along Dalmatian coast | Mljet, Croatia |
| 22 | Sail along Dalmatian coast | Dubrovnik, Croatia |
| 23 | Sail along Dalmatian coast | Trstenik, Croatia |
| 24 | Sail along Dalmatian coast | Korčula, Croatia |
| 25 | Sail along Dalmatian coast | Makarska, Croatia |
| 26 | Sail along Dalmatian coast | Split, Croatia |
| 27 | Sail along Dalmatian coast | Plitvice, Croatia |
| 28 | Montenegro | Plitvice, Croatia |
| 29 | Montenegro | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 30 | Albania | Zagreb, Croatia |
| October | ||
| 1 | Albania | Cork, Ireland |
| 2 | Macedonia | Cork, Ireland |
| 3 | Macedonia | Cork, Ireland |
| 4 | Istanbul, Turkey | Cork, Ireland |
| 5 | Istanbul, Turkey | Cork, Ireland |
| 6 | Black Sea Coast, Turkey | Cork, Ireland |
| 7 | Black Sea Coast, Turkey | Cork, Ireland |
| 8 | Black Sea Coast, Turkey | Cork, Ireland |
| 9 | Black Sea Coast, Turkey | Cork, Ireland |
| 10 | Eastern Turkey | Cork, Ireland |
| 11 | Eastern Turkey | Shannon, Ireland |
| 12 | Eastern Turkey | Waverly, Ohio, USA |
| 13 | Eastern Turkey | Waverly, Ohio |
| 14 | Eastern Turkey | Columbus, Ohio |
| 15 | Georgia (?!?) | Waverly, Ohio |
| 16 | Georgia (?!?) | Circleville, Ohio |
| 17 | Georgia (?!?) | Circleville, Ohio |
| 18 | Armenia | Circleville, Ohio |
| 19 | Armenia | Waverly, Ohio |
| 20 | Armenia | Waverly, Ohio |
| 21 | Armenia | Waverly, Ohio |
| 22 | Azerbaijan | Waverly, Ohio |
| 23 | Azerbaijan | Waverly, Ohio |
| 24 | Azerbaijan | Waverly, Ohio |
| 25 | Iran (?!?) | Columbus, Ohio |
| 26 | Iran (?!?) | Columbus, Ohio |
| 27 | Iran (?!?) | Columbus, Ohio |
| 28 | Iran (?!?) | Waverly, Ohio |
| 29 | Iran (?!?) | Waverly, Ohio |
| 30 | Iran (?!?) | Waverly, Ohio |
| 31 | Iran (?!?) | Waverly, Ohio |
| November | ||
| 1 | Pakistan (?) | Waverly, Ohio |
| 2 | Pakistan (?) | Waverly, Ohio |
| 3 | Pakistan (?) | Waverly, Ohio |
| 4 | Pakistan (?) | Waverly, Ohio |
| 5 | Pakistan (?) | Tipp City, Ohio |
| 6 | Northern India | Hays, Kansas |
| 7 | Northern India | Moab, Utah (Arches NP) |
| 8 | Northern India | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| 9 | Northern India | Hurricane, Utah (Zion NP) |
| 10 | Northern India | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| 11 | Northern India | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| 12 | Northern India | Death Valley, California |
| 13 | Northern India | Big Pine, California (Ancient Bristlecone) |
| 14 | Northern India | Three Rivers, California (Sequoia NP) |
| 15 | Nepal | Lodgepole Campground, Sequoia NP |
| 16 | Nepal | Lodgepole Campground, Sequoia NP |
| 17 | Nepal | Mesa, Arizona |
| 18 | Nepal | Tusayan, Arizona |
| 19 | Nepal | Mather Campground, Grand Canyon, AZ |
| 20 | Nepal | Mather Campground, Grand Canyon, AZ |
| 21 | Nepal | Page, Arizona |
| 22 | Nepal | Cortez, Colorado |
| 23 | Nepal | Pagosa Springs, Colorado |
| 24 | Nepal | Lamar, Colorado |
| 25 | Nepal | Collinsville, Illinois |
| 26 | Nepal | Waverly, Ohio |
Since the end of November I mostly have bounced around between Columbus and Waverly, Ohio, with brief trips to Baltimore, Little Rock, Arkansas, Chicago, and West Virginia.
The next trip departs on June 7th – Peru! I found a group who organizes medical personnel (doctors and nurses, mainly) to volunteer to help give basic medical treatment to people around the world. I convinced them that having good photos of their work would be a good idea, so I am tagging along! I will also be photographing between 30-40 people to prepare for cleft palate reconstructive surgery.
Unfortunately I have to pay part of my own way, and since I’ve been not working since August money is getting a little thin, but I think it will be a great experience.