Poor Me

[Veronica]

Thom's company has been sold and he's going to be out of a job. We've been planning for this since the first round of layoffs in 2001 - so financially we're fine.

We think (we find out today) that he will be getting a pretty decent severance package plus some bonus money to stay through the transistion period. We're going to blow that on travel. We figure we're unlikely to ever get an extended period of time like this again before retirement.

The problem is - there are so many cool places to go! We've already decided we're doing a bike tour of Sao Miguel - the largest island in the Azores. We have my 20th reunion to go to in Maine.

But what to do with the rest of the time?

Mountain Bike Alaska
Road Trip Pacific Northwest - with the bikes of course
Bop around in Europe for a couple of weeks
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia

These are all things we've tossed back and forth. Unfortunately there's not enough time to do them all.

So what would you do?

V

PS I reserve the right to NOT take your advice.

[CycleGiant3]

Mtn. Bike Alaska! That sounds great! I have been to Europe and it is beautiful. I have never been to Alaska and want to go, so now you can go first and let me know how it is!! All of them sound great though, I am sure you will have a blast on any of them. Let us know!

[alison_in_oh]

So what would you do?

We keep talking about taking a biking trip to Europe, but we've decided that since my dog doesn't board well nor even take any separation well, we'll hold off on that trip and stick to domestic road trips.

We did a great Northwest road trip when we were first dating, Portland down 101 through Northern California and visited Lassen National Park, we went through Nevada and Utah (played in Moab) and returned through Idaho...it was a blast! Back then our road trips were all about him taking a long ride every morning and me following a few hours later as his SAG support. Now that I ride we still do that, but we find a destination we can stay at for a few days, so we can do joint rides too! We're going to Vermont this month and probably Colorado in August (though the idea of traveling from bike race to bike race for a couple of weeks has cropped up!)

[Grog]

Mountain Bike Alaska
Road Trip Pacific Northwest - with the bikes of course
Bop around in Europe for a couple of weeks
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia

Alaska sure sounds cool.

PNW is extremely nice too (although rainy at times)

Europe: beautiful but outrageously expensive, the Euro has dwarfed both of our sad dollars here (your American $, my Canadian loonie) and the cost of living is going up too

PEI and NS: why not consider Newfoundland instead? Or, if you're looking for some challenge, biking in Gaspesia or Charlevoix (Quebec)? Let me know if you come around.

What about Argentina? Ok if you're going in our Summer it's their Winter, maybe not the best time to travel (although it depends on the place you're going).

Oh! Enjoy it. I'm glad you can take this time (and money!!) together...

[Irulan]

where's the biggest bang for your buck? The Canadian dollar is still 65¢ to $1 US. Awesome road and mountain biking too.

And contrary to popular beleif, the PNW is not "rainy". The coastal PNW is, as are the Cascades at time, but the PNW is more than a strip of rainforest going up the coast.

I'd vote for a USA/PNW road trip. Road bike, mountain bike, see the national parks, go camping....(St Helens, N Cascades, Rainier, Glacier, Yellowstone...)

Irulan

[LBTC]

Tour BC and enjoy the diverse mountain biking up here!! Our spare room will be ready pretty soon - the mtn biking in williams lake is flowing and fast and treed and FUN - well worth a stop for a day or two...! And we're getting our rain right now...after this the weather should be mostly hot and dry. There's great riding all over the interior of BC! And, yes, with our canadian dollar, it's almost budget travel!

Whatever you decide, I'm still a bit envious! Time and money available at the same time!?! You must have done some very wonderful things to have such good karma! (and good planning, too)

Namaste,
~T~

[SadieKate]

What do you find the most fun or relaxing? I personally like road trips. Bubba and I get the most quality time together when we don't have to deal with someone else's schedule or public transit like airports and buses. We're the most relaxed when we wake up in the morning and turn to each other and say "what do you want to do know?" I also like going places where I can find a meadow stream and shut out the world (some of my best naps are beside a stream ).

All of your choices call to me except where airlines and buses are involved. Heck, I go to Florida for Xmas and come back cranky because of the airlines and everyone talking on cell phones at mega-decibels. Nothing to do with Florida, I just hate being herded like cattle.

You've got a couple of trips with long flights, maybe a car trip would be a nice juxtaposition.

Of course, you know how much I love the PNW and Alaska (good streams for naps). Been wanting to do BC but need the time to drive a loop through the US PNW states and BC. Maybe go to one of the women's mtbike camps.

S.

PS - And, I won't be hurt if you DON'T take my advice.

[spazzdog]

Go follow the Tour de France... do the whole thing. Cycle some of the course, get photos of the whole experience.

That's what I'd do...

spazz

[Veronica]

Well, I'm REALLY excited. Thom's last day of work is June 30! We had been told that it might have been as late as July 30. That gives us enough time to do an Alaskan Mountain Bike Tour, wander around Europe for a couple of weeks, go to Maine and do the Azores bike tour. Severance pay is a really nice thing. Now we have to figure out the budget.

I really like the dichotomy of starting the summer with a camping mountain bike trip in Alaska and ending it with a fancy hotel road bike trip in the Azores. It's too bad that Azores starts with an A. Otherwise I'd have the whole A to Z thing going too.

Of course we may change our minds yet again. It's been fun to read what everyone would like to do.

V.