This nice areal view of Fort Jefferson on the Dry Tortugas is now the desktop background photo on my computer. It's a US National Park about 70 miles from Key West. It's one of the places I've yet to sail to, but definitely want to go. If you can't figure out why from the photo I can't help you. There is no poetry in your soul.
There are a lot of places within reach of small sailboats that I haven't been to yet. The whole Caribbean is within relatively easy travel distances. Cuba too, for that matter, but the political climate is still not right for the average person to go there. Heck, for that matter, I've seriously had my eye on sailing the Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW) from Virgina to Miami -even have the charts and guidebooks. Life keeps intruding.
If I'm going to see these things in person I've got to get a move on. After all, at 57 I'm not getting any younger. Yeah, I'm not dead yet either. Many people don't even start traveling until they retire at 65 or so. There's even a guy who recently kayaked across the Atlantic at age 67. I don't just want to just see these places. I want to travel to them on a slow little sailboat. The journey is half the fun. Once there I want enough schedule freedom to really get a feel for a place. There's more to travel than ticking off sites on a checklist.
So what's the hurry, besides the regular count down of years? Things happen in the world. We are in a unique period of time when it is possible to travel to many different countries. Historically that hasn't always been the case. Things can change all of a sudden.
At 35 years old I was so injured I didn't know if I could ever do anything else ever again. It took a few years but I was able to regain enough of my health to enjoy life once more. Health and mobility are not to be taken for granted.
-Sixbears
Nice pic . As for father time he waits for no one . Due to my wifes age I am already having to adjust travel plans .I worked for a company once that if you didn't take your vacation your boss and the regional manager had the cash value took out of their check.The founder of the company said EVERYONE NEEDS A VACATION.
ReplyDeleteThe founder was a wise man.
DeleteWe went from paddle craft to sailboats partly due to my wife's medical issues.
What a gorgeous place, Sixbears! I can certainly see why you'd want to sail there. And I agree with you about travelling - getting there is half the fun. Although our sailing is on big ships with lots of amenities(have a great time on yours soon!), we love car trips. Will be driving to North Carolina this fall. My only sailing experience was in a small Sunfish, after which my escort dropped one end onto the trailer and poked a fist sized hole in it. We never took his dad's boat out again ...
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great to see new places?
DeleteLooks like the kind of place I'd enjoy exploring. I'd enjoy taking some time to sight-see, but my current role as caretaker won't allow it.
ReplyDeleteHope you at least get a break now and then. We've changed our plans often when family needed us. I know what it's like.
DeleteI think you're right about getting out and going. In my forties, I felt like I had seen enough of the world and was ready to just enjoy being home. Now, having turned 63, I don't want to do anything really arduous but I'd like to do a little traveling.
ReplyDeleteSailing isn't arduous, as long as you aren't in a hurry.
DeleteI always thought that taking that waterway would be a trip of a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteHope to do it more than once.
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