Winter Road Trips, Limbo and the Next Big Journey

Winter break in Tucson back at the end of 2024 was a nice treat for me. I capped off an overall pleasant year of adventure and connection with Claire by having her spend her winter holiday here at my home in the US. Although she also flew here in Summer, we were off very quickly then to escape the desert heat for our main event of exploring the Sierra Nevada. Now, for a longer stay, we could enjoy the mild temperatures and see the sights of my adopted home and its surroundings. For the second half of her visit, we made for a road trip to Las Vegas in the cold to see some of the Southwest’s most wondrous parks.

After all my time here in Tucson, few friends have actually come to visit for long. I’ve had a few people, including my founding adventurer pal Maxine, who have stopped in en route to the Arizona or Continental Divide Trails, as well as a few road tripping couchsurfers, but they have all been here just a day or two with other goals in mind. Since I’m a nomad who makes the time to drop in on them all over the country or world, it’s not that big a deal. Claire was the first to visit me in my home and just hang out for a while, I guess that counts for something special after being so many other people’s houseguest. It was a good test to focus on how I could best be a host and guide for the cool stuff we have here. Hopefully, if I am to stay here another winter, I can convince some more friends to make the trek!

Some highlights in Tucson? For unparalleled learning about our ecosystem, a trip to the Sonoran Desert Museum was a must for any visitor. As it’s nestled in the Saguaro National Park, it was also easy to do a hike amid its namesake cacti that are so emblematic of this place I live. A trip to Kitt Peak for an astronomy tour was in order as well, and fortunately, a last minute spot opened up for us to also do the night tour as well, and look through real telescopic equipment to see celestial beings in the night sky. Tucson has ordinances and culture around dark skies, so it makes for a great place for stargazers and science. Even from my home within the city, I can see plenty of stars.

People have long talked up Bisbee, a small town with a history of mining near the Mexican border that’s now more of a haven for artists and hippies. Good enough reason for us to sojourn out that way as well. It was interesting as the rare example of building up with tight spaces, similar to European cityscapes. Definitely worthy of an overnight, and on the way we tacked on a visit to the Chiracahua National Monument nearby to see its remarkable collection of hoodoos.

We spent Christmas together, making a vegan roast I scavenged off post-thanksgiving sales, while marathoning every cover of Wham’s holiday classic we could find. I oft am alone on these holidays, so it was nice to share it so warmly this time. On Boxing Day, we’d be off to the Grand Canyon, having enjoyed opportunities to meet my friends here and see a lot of Tucson’s highlights. The Grand Canyon and Utah’s parks were always the main attraction after moi, but where Claire’s return flight would originate from was a mystery for a while, until we found a cheap enough direct return flight from Las Vegas. I’d never been there despite my extensive traveling over the country, so it was of interest to me as well, and a fine stopping point for a road trip from Tucson as a day’s drive away.

Taking Claire backpacking in the Grand Canyon was a treat for me. I can confidently say it’s my favorite place on Earth. Though I’ve been down to the bottom four times now, the journey still takes my breath away, with splendorous views around every turn and a dizzying sense of depth and distance on the rim and its winding trails down. We camped two nights in Havasupai Gardens, still at a chilly elevation, as Bright Angel Campground at the bottom was closed for maintenance, which also required us to detour a few miles along the East-West Tonto Trail, which was novel for me. The top was a bit of bedlam, with huge crowds up to watch the sunrise, mobs at the visitor center and broken down showers after we returned from our journey. Good reminder to be wary of travel to the premier national parks during peak time.

Ending it in Las Vegas allowed us to also make stops at Bryce and Zion Canyons, and get a good day’s driving around the Arizona – Utah borderlands, with underrated places like the Vermillion Cliffs shining as a camp spot one night. Both Bryce and Zion were new places to me as well, and easy to access these zeniths of concentrated beauty, each of which we explored with day hikes. All these parks were absolutely slammed with guests over the holiday season despite the freezing temperatures, but we still made our way about with cleverness and some determination. After hiking Angel’s Landing on New Year’s, we drove to Vegas, stopping one last night free camping under endless stars on the outskirts of Lake Mead before hitting Sin City for a couple wacky nights.

Vegas was curious. Probably the word we’d use most is overstimulating, with all the crowds, electronic gambling machines, and the madness outside our hotel on Fremont Street. Gambling was a bust for me, as always. I consider it a high cost form of entertainment and that I’ll lose all my money, but it was fun to show Claire how table play worked. After days of camping food and otherwise mediocre fare, we were happy to feast at some excellent vegan restaurants. And for a little bit of entertainment, we bounced between the pinball hall of fame and a drag queen experience. I think we’re both of a similar mind that it was worth a peak into the city’s beating heart, but we’d much prefer heading back out into the wild.

After those couple days, it was back home for each of us with another airport farewell; Claire, to the rhythms of Tokyo life and her work, me to drive back to Tucson and continue my era of limbo. I spent much of Winter, sans my time with Claire, in a sort of daze. Besides the absolute pall of the electoral news and its accompanying doomscrolling, I’ve not really been in a place of good focus or productivity. It’s at least been leisurely and social, almost as if I were retired. Job opportunities are quite few and far between presently, but my ambition and drive to stay current over the last year were sapped. I think though, that with the aid of some delayed mental health care, I’ve been nearing the exit of this tunnel. I’m cautiously optimistic for resuming my dev career later in 2025, if the world’s stable, and perhaps abroad, if possible.

What’s next for me now, is another trip to Japan, but with a big objective. I’ll be bringing my bicycle again, and going for a full ride of the country from south to north in one go! I expect to be in Japan for the whole season of Spring, and ride across the country as the weather stays ideal. Half the time will be devoted to the bike trip, and the rest for sharing time with Claire in Tokyo (the butler life). I’m privileged to have this wonderful relationship, as well as the continued time off and stashed funds. I say these are best spent for adventures now before future responsibilities, obligations or barriers reveal themselves. Cheers to a wonderful spring away from the madness at home, and keep an eye out here for frequent trip missives.