So there it is. In 2020, we drove eastward to visit good friends in NYC and Boston. I ended up with two episodes of a podcast which I called Point of No Return. The name reflected the sense of existential angst that was us going on vacation during the height of a pandemic. We had some memorable moments dealing with a religious order in suburban Boston, followed by a rendezvous with friends in Long Island before heading north to the Catskills. No one knew back then how things would turn out. Back in August of 2020, Joe Biden hadn’t yet won the election. Vaccines weren’t available yet. So my mood back then was nihilistic to say the least.
It’s now July of 2021. My family is fully vaccinated and we are about to head west this time, to explore what we had originally wanted to do in 2020, which was go to the Grand Canyon with our east coast friends. We depart in early August, so this is sort of a pre-production blog post you’re reading. We’ll be on the road for most of August, about 22 days, with stops in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Zion National Park in addition to the GC. This year, however, brings it’s own apocalyptic theme: climate change.
If you’ve paid attention to the news lately, there is a heatwave out west, with many states being scorched by temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, even places like the Pacific Northwest, which has not seen highs like this for decades. I’m writing this from Chicago, which tonight has dropped to a quite comfortable 69 after its own few days of 90 degree humid weather. Scientists are pointing to the effects of climate change causing these extreme weather fluctuations not normally seen. We survived the COVID crisis, only to face another one. Maybe this will turn into a theme for the travelogue. Maybe not. We’ll see. Hope you tag along for the ride.
Note: I am also in the midst of self-producing a hybrid podcast on the college search for my high school senior daughter. Might throw some stuff related to that in the mix as well. Hopefully my recording equipment doesn’t melt in the desert heat.