The Year in Travel
As the year (and this column) winds down, I look
back on what 2003 held in store for me. Though a
number of things didn't work out as I had intended
this year, one aspect of my life did live up to
expectations. My love of travel has grown with
every year, and 2003 gave me a smorgasbord of
opportunities to get away and visit places I've
never been.
I started off the year (and, again, this column)
on the road through the American Southwest,
seeing the natural beauty of Arizona and New
Mexico. In April, I joined a group of adventurers
on a Total
Escape excursion to Joshua
Tree National Park, which proved to be the
catalyst for the rest of my travels this year.
Through friendships made on that trip, I made
numerous trips to Baja California: the Baja
500, Mike's
Sky Ranch, Guadalupe
Canyon, Ensenada, Baja's wine country,
Cabo San Lucas
and more. I also slept amongst the pines of Big
Bear three times within a one-month period; camped
and hiked in the Laguna Mountains as long as my
allergies allowed me;
and explored sites like Onion
Valley and Fossil Falls along Highway 395, east
of the Sierra Nevada.
Long have I enjoyed camping, but long it has
been since I've camped as much as I did this year.
With the addition of a new Coleman camp stove and
sleeping bag to my collection of gear, 2004
promises to maintain this trend. More than
anything, I hope to return to Europe this coming
year, though my employment and financial situation
will have to factor in to the feasibility of such
an opportunity.
But most of all, I want to make real strides in
an area which I've neglected in 2003. Though I've
done lots of traveling, and have written up most of
the trips for my personal edification on my travel
site, I've made little serious effort at publishing
any travel articles. I've made the trips, I've done
the writing; I just haven't taken the few extra
steps to tailor my writings to specific
publications and start sending out queries. It's a
goal I intended to work towards when I dropped out
of law school. The recognition of my love for
writing and travel helped me make that
decision last January. Now, it's time to follow
through.
So it remains to be seen what awaits me in 2004,
but whatever else happens, it will surely involve
lots of writing and traveling!
My travel site has been updated with content
and photos from most of the year's travels. Take a
moment to pay
a visit.
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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