Slow travel & work reflections from a month-long Pacific Northwest roadtrip

Hi friends! I'm back to daily blogging now that I've returned from a month-long road trip to the Pacific Northwest.

Here are some photos & videos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VfhtbvTY8FGk5buW7

I loved trying out "slow travel." I've done it before and it was enjoyable again to spend up to a week in living in one place, having days to just chill indoors, and then more frequently going out to explore.

In the Pacific Northwest I saw waterfalls, cityscapes, lakes, mountains, and friends. Seattle felt to me like a more homey version of San Francisco. More clean, more quaint, people seemed less rushed, the streets were less crammed, etc. The traffic was surprisingly bad.

My favorite parts were up near the Canadian border, where I stood looking longingly at Surrey, British Columbia across the water. The border police were very friendly people, by the way :)

Up north, despite my aversion to cold, I did love most seeing CLOUDS. And green spaces. I felt like the land was so alive and lush and suffused with bodies of sparkling water, water which glowed green and blue and white. Walking in a town called Leavenworth I felt I'd been transported back in time, a quainter time. Driving along the Columbia River I felt I was beholding deserts, canyons, and forests all at once.

As it rained outside, in my room I felt so cozy, and in the car I felt so safe and comfortable. When I went I saw the fall leaves just coming out like red and gold flares. They made mountains seem like they were laced with autumn colors, flecked with metallic sheens that stood out like rusty trims. As I stood at Pittock Mansion viewpoint in Portland, looking out at the city of many bridges, I listened wistfully to friendly local tell me that in a couple weeks the fall colors would become increasingly rich.

California, you see, is bereft of seasons. As much as constant Mediterranean weather is good for the soul, and as much as I really do dislike the cold, the cost-benefit in my mind has changed regarding the weather. I'm willing to put on more coats and get more gear if it means more fall colors. More winter mornings. More clouds in the sky and that delightful smell of petrichor. Cleaner streets and cleaner air.

All this is to say, I'm aiming to move out of the Bay Area within a year to somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Ideally right now I'd like north of Seattle, near Canada. The land there was amazing. It's also a great point to launch off to other adventures in Alaska, Canada, and more.

I am not as exhausted as one typically would be when returning from travels because the pace was so manageable. We got back to our lodging often before dinnertime. We could sleep in. We went where we wanted and the itinerary was very manageable.

What I would've changed is made the travel even long - alas, one wants to have it all. Sitting in the car for such long stretches didn't suit me, but it was a small price to pay for the trip. I remain eternally grateful for everything.

Also, Zooming into class from wherever felt so cool. I have a lot of thoughts swirling in my mind about the future. A lot of things in my life have developed or changed very fast. The people I talk most to, the communities I interact with, are now closer in line to those goals which remain constant in my Life Plan.

I'm about to open up a book draft sent to me. I never really took a "break" from work - I was constantly working the whole trip and it was admittedly sometimes stressful to hotspot into a class meeting on a car and hope the reception would stay constant. What lingers in me is unease about my inability to unplug and stop trying to do five things at once.

My mind just races, and I don't know when to draw the line between leisure and work when I love work so much it's all I want to do.

How do you draw this line?