Traveler III
Advocate I
Off-Road Ranger I
0745
Explorer I
Trail Blazer III
20527
Well said! (although I can say I have never met a cheesecake that I have not liked, and that may actually be the ultimate test of achieving burn out to see how much time it takes to be tired of something, Hang on while I get my fork.) Our adventures, while are never planned or scheduled, always involve pushing the line of exhaustion. Left unchecked I would be on the move almost constantly trying to find what is around the next corner, Michelle's would be more relaxed, no need to push it we will get there eventually. After over 20 years we have developed a formula that works for both of us to maximize the adventure while keeping just short of 'hitting the cheesecake wall" so to speak. We just cant wait to reach the point where we can do this with out time constraints of having to work for a living.
Trail Blazer III
20527
We have found the highway travel time a welcome part of the trip If we have a long haul, we will leave at midnight or close to it, and that way we get out of our own state long before the sun comes up and quickly feel that we are on an adventure. We are always on the look out for the 'biggest ball of twine' roadside attractions and take time for some geocaching along the way. We keep the rig fully loaded except for clothes and food, and do little to no planning other than picking a likely destination so we go spur of the moment. Not having reservations give much leeway into revising your route, or even the final destination while under way. Bad weather, unexpected closures and off we go in a different direction without stress of having to cancel reservations etc. Occasionally that may leave us overnighting in unusual places but all part of the experience. With that said there are a few exceptions to our spontaneous trips, such as when travelling with others or when going to a specific location that requires advance permits or reservations, and then the engineer in me gets to come out and create spreadsheets.. lol
Advocate II
Traveler III
Advocate I
Influencer II
its an american thing called "overindulgence". like when i go to an all you can eat buffet and even though my gut hurts and im exhausted from eating...ill still grab a clean plate and go back up 'one last time' and then bitch all the way home how full i am.
Advocate I
Often we get caught up in things, and become somewhat a slave to our hobbies. I let it happen with racing cars when I was much younger. I started with AutoX which is generally informal, and at least with the group I mostly ran with lighthearted. Once I got into "real" track stuff, it became more and more serious, and my group of friends I raced with slowly dwindled because of that, or other life reasons (marriage, kids, career...). One day I realized it had lost most of its fun, other than a few highlights on-track the weekends ended up just feeling like a lot of work, and I was doing it "alone." I realized I had felt that way for awhile, but for some reason felt overly compelled to keep doing it. For me car clubs, racing, etc. were (and still are in some ways) a big part of my identity, so I think I subconsciously had myself convinced that I almost "had to" keep doing it. As I mentioned before, I let the same happen with big RVs and sand rails and the "Glamis life." Overall, that's why Overlanding has been such a welcome thing to me. I truly enjoy the simplicity and relaxation... but even this I'm sure I can push too far.
Off-Road Ranger I
0745
Several years ago, my wife & I were out in the southwest for about 7 weeks. I was newly retired and we had no timeline. Temps were dipping into the low to mid teens nearly every night. We bounced around quite a bit, starting at Big Bend, GILA NF, then Canyonlands, down into what is now bears ears, backpacked the painted desert, back up to Mexican Hat, Then up into Grand Staircase. We had found a very remote campsite there and after 4 nights I woke up one morning and said- enough, it’s time to head home. We were tired, tired of traveling, tired of the cold, and tired of pitching a tent every few days onto rocky frozen ground. We headed home.
Advocate I
I think is just the sheer size of the wild parts of the country for North Americans. For example I am in Vancouver British Columbia, I planned a pre covid trip to the Arctic ocean, total distance to be covered 7821 Km or about 4860 miles round trip over 20 to 24 days. Most of that with marginal cell service, and averaging no more than 7 hours a day at 45mph / 70kph. I planned 1 down day every 6 days simply to give myself a break. that is a lot driving every day.
Traveler III
Traveler III
