Tim Monzon

Yep, I’ve decided. Okay no, I probably won’t be going until say July or so, but I’m pretty much set on roadtripping this year. Last year both Hawaii and Florida helped me stimulate the economy, and this year it’s going to be Washington State.

I’ve discussed this at length before with Annie and Jason, but seeing as they’re getting married in a month (wow!), I’m probably going to end up going alone. Actually, in my mind, that makes it all the more exciting, and allows me to follow my own schedule.

I’ve got plenty of people to visit up north anyways. There’s Alyssa, Jayna, Veronica in SF, Jeff and Long in Washington, and Jonah in Oregon. People that I sorely need to reacquaint myself with, and hopefully crash at their places while I’m travelling up =P.

Ideally, I’d like to plan it for about 3 weeks to a month. I figure, if I’m gonna drive up there and back, I might as well take the scenic routes the whole way up. Maybe find out just what the heck the Mystery Spot is all about, and visit Pea Soup Andersen’s. Visit the Nike factory maybe, and find the Oregon Trail. Take another look at the Space Needle, and watch some fish fly while drinking some coffee from the first Starbucks.

A friend suggested that if I’m going to do all this, why not write a travel essay of your journey? I should. I mean, I’ve already made a couple of books that have been published on Blurb.com. Granted, they’re all photobooks of events that I’ve covered, but it sure would make for a great memento for myself. And heck, considering people can buy the book, maybe I’ll make some money too .

So why have I decided this? Well, I feel like I need to get off my butt and do some living. I’m a bit tired of all this talk about the financial crisis, international border conflicts, ecological meltdowns and what have you. It’s not that I’m trying to avoid these current events though, mind you. I just feel like…. I need to take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture. That this world is meant to be enjoyed, not worried over. I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like all these gloomy forecasts are showing in the work I do and my outlook on things. I need to change that.

So a vacation would help shake things up a bit. So here’s the plan: Save up a grand by July (sorry economy for not doing my part to stimulate you). That should be enough to cover all travel expenses, and hopefully keep me covered the whole time I’m not working =P (duh Tim, that’s what accruing vacation hours is for!). I’d do it in June, but I wouldn’t want to be gone during my sister’s birthday. July is fairly free for me. Visit anywhere and anything that strikes my fancy. Stimulate the economy through spending, and stimulate the mind by travelling and learning.

Let’s hope this happens.