After losing my position at the company with which I worked in early August (state legislature seriously
cut funding to Fl Housing Corp to redirect funds elsewhere), I was feeling pretty low. I had worked with the company part-time for a while and then full-time in late June, however very quickly the funding changed, thus making me change with it. However with that I suppose came a silver lining. Just a week or so later I found out through some deal forums (e.g. slickdeals.net) that JetBlue was going to sell an 'all-you-can-jet' pass that would be good for ALL flights between Sept 8 and Oct 8th. The $599 pass would include all the taxes and fees for domestic flights, leaving only some taxes for international destinations. Taking a look at the
route map, I realized that this would be an opportunity for me to check off a significant portion of my life list. In 10th grade religion class at Bishop England High School, where I grew up in Charleston, our instructor gave us a project to make a list of goals for our lives. In class he gave the example of a group of friends that had done this when they were in school. At the funeral for a friend many years later, those students were surprised to find that each of them still independently kept and carried that list with them. So, I made a list of 100 things I've wanted to see and do throughout my life. Maybe one day I'll share that list, but the point was this was suppose to be a lifetime dream list of not just places to visit, but also accomplishments, goals, and honors. I have been so extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to accomplish and experience so many of those goals and they have been so worthwhile. I still have some significant milestones to pass, and the list is dynamic enough to need adjusting at times, but it has been a great tool.
Anyway, after consulting my work schedule, open, my savings account, tolerable, and my enthusiasm, high, I decided to just go for it. So, knowing this would be a popular thing, I called up JetBlue and made the purchase. I loved the flexibility of the program such that a passholder was allowed to make as many changes as they wanted without penalty as long as it was done three days prior to the day of flight. I read that someone had created a
Facebook discussion group for AYCJ passholders so I joined in. Here people were throwing out itinerary ideas, so I too spent some time mapping out where I wanted to go. I spent a week or so during free time coordinating with anyone else that expressed an interest in visiting the same place as I may have been and setting up some ideas.
Realizing that I'd need to stay connected, I finally broke down and purchased an iPhone 3GS. It is funny/dumb that even with my technical background I had fought the idea of having one for a long time. I had a once close friend that had an original iPhone and can recall how many times it was handy looking up something when on the road, however I had been against what I considered spending/wasting money on things like text messaging ('why not just call someone') and mobile e-mail when I could do it at home for less money; however over the last year I've reevaluated a lot of my old stupid habits and quarks and the general cost of them. Besides the trip, the iPhone finally got to the point where it was extremely useful and did just what I wanted, including copy/paste, video, focusable camera, speed, and memory capacity. I had been using an iPod Touch for quite a while and found it invaluable in Italy in May and decided it was time to upgrade. I am glad I finally caught up. The new device is exactly what I needed and the versatility made it an invaluable tool for the upcoming trip. On most trips, I would only have a few flights that would be easy to track, however this trip would involve at least 14 flights, 2 countries, multiple time zones, and many different car rentals. It was suggested to those using this pass that we should check out
tripit.com. this became an incredibly invaluable service that made organization so much easier. Instead of simply having to enter data by hand, whenever a flight, hotel, or car confirmation was received, one simply had to forward the e-mail to the company and everything would be organized automatically. The company even had a
free Tripit iPhone app available that gave easy access to the itinerary at all times, even when not connected to a network. The best part was that the tools and services I needed were free, though there is a paid 'pro' version that provides a lot more services, such as travel delay alerts, useful to travelers. Several of us also made use of the ability to share itineraries to keep track of friends' progress. I also started using Twitter,
twitter.com/mblitch, for the first time. While I'm not someone to post constant status messages of mundane activities, I did start to find it useful to stay connected to local events, friends, and travel companions. I attended a
Tampa Bay Tweetup event in May at the
@flaquarium, but really hadn't done too much with it until planning this trip. Though my knowledge is quite rudimentary, I did learn a fair amount from someone once quite involved in mobile advertising (e.g. texting codes to get information/coupons) and several other
friends that were quite involved in social networking and SEO. On this trip, I found that Twitter became a wonderful way to stay connected, share information and ideas, and feel a part of the trip for others. As I'd later find, it really did help improve the quality of many of the trip experiences.
So, after a lot of planning, packing, and preparing, I was ready to get started. I had decided to make the most use out of this pass, so I set my first flight out of Tampa for the earliest possible, 6AM on the first day (9/8/09). So that no one would have to get up so ungodly early in the morning to take me to the airport, I had my father drop me off at 11PM. My plan was to find a quiet, dark place in the airport to sleep until I had to get up to go through security to catch the first place. I learned in past airport experiences that airport chapels tend to be about the best place since announcements are turned off on the room and no one ever really seems to come through. So after making sure everything was charged and everything checked off my mental checklist, I caught a little sleep to prepare for what may be a last big youthful adventure. I was excited about the experiences I was going to have, the people I would meet, and hopefully the good memories that would be made. What also made this trip a little exciting was this morning I got a call from one of my former directors asking me to come in to discuss a few things. Though I didn't say exactly what I was doing, I did indicate that I was going to be unavailable for the next month and then, upon request, scheduled a meeting on the first day I was back home. Maybe things will work out, but for now, I was ready to hit the road. I have my new netbook and iPhone with which to stay connected, a stack of magazines piled up over the months to go through on my first flights, and a stuffed backpack containing just about everything I would need for the next three weeks. It was time for a walkabout.
My sleeping area for the evening
Mike G and I woke up to a clear sky, fresh morning, and made our way to Acadia National Park. I was able to pick up my NPS passport stamp for the park, grab a map, and get some info. Knowing I'd be hitting various parks and monuments on the trip, I also purchased a National Park Annual Pass to support the park system and maybe save a little money if I got enough use out of it. We headed to Bar Harbor for some breakfast and planning before getting on the scenic loop road to start some hiking. There really isn't any back country camping available since this is a small park with most most trails being simple day trips. We decided to hit the Precipice Trail first (since it was first along the loop road). Though the length to the top is only .8 miles along the east face of Champlain Mountain, there is an elevation change of over 1000 feet with much of the trail along sheer rock cliffs with only iron rungs for support. The views are quite grand though once you get up a bit since it offers some wide sweeping views of Frenchman Bay. 
It had been closed for a few years due to earthquake damage but has since been repaired, though it can be closed at certain times of the year due to nesting falcons. It was a pretty arduous climb but well worth the effort. We had a lot of fun scrambling over the obstacles and meandering along the cliffs that reminded me of the Via Ferrata trails that I've wanted to climb in the Dolomites of nothern Italy. Along the way went past a couple of guys resting for a spell. When we got near the top one of them caught up to us and we chatted a bit as we matched paces towards the end. We learned that he was a ranger at the park enjoying a fun hike on his first day off in 13 days. The other guy was some other older hiker that was apparently somewhat overwhelmed by the physical exertion on the trail, so he has stopped to share water and talk for a bit. 
The ranger was retired Coast Guard and this was his retirement job. As we walked he shared some stories of the park and rescues (which are not uncommon on a couple of these trails) such as having to carry out people that might have gotten hurt or dealing with heat stroke and dehydration. Apparently federal law limits gifts to employees, even rescue personal, so the most one very grateful hiker could donate after being rescued was a $5 Starbucks gift card to each of those that had been involved. It was very nice to see someone that gave so much of their lives dedicated to public service, so we were glad to actually be able to thank them for that. It is said in the National Park Service that even though the monetary compensation may be low, the hours very long, and the physical endurance often extreme, those that serve are paid in sunsets. With inflation these days, I think they are also paid in sunrises.
After relaxing a bit at the top we went down another trail and caught the bus back to the trail head before heading to the overlook located just before the overlook near Schooner Head. It was fun to scramble along the rocks and poke around the sea cave a little bit and grab a few more shots of the bay. After going by the entrance station, we walked around Sand Beach for a little bit before tackling the Beehive Trail. This was quite similar to the Precipice Trail in regards to distance, trail type, and elevation changes (though only a 500 foot ascent). Though tough, it was an enjoyable non-technical climb and definitely got the heart pumping. We were able to make this into a loop trail as well and ended up right back at the car after we descended via The Bowl trail.
The next stop was Thunder Hole. Unfortunately, just a couple of weeks prior to our arrival, several people were swept out to sea by a large wave from the remains of a tropical storm battering the coast. One later died and two had to be rescued by the coast guard; (story). This site reminded me of Punakaiki Pancake Rocks on my trip to New Zealand in 2008 and even a few spots on the southeast rocky shores of Cozumel on the hash cruise last year since it had the same hydraulic effects. We got there after the ranger station had closed, so I wasn't able to get the park stamp for that location, but it was still a relaxing spot. We drove a bit more of the park loop road, stopping by a golden Otter Cove before heading to Cadillac Mountain to watch the sunset. 
Even though it was a bit chilly, the view at 1500 feet was great to watch the colors change for the setting sun. I set up the camera and was glad to be able to just quietly relax and enjoy the experience after a bit of exertion and distance covered during the day. Mike G and I grabbed a bit to eat in town for dinner and, after a bit of driving, finally found a nice field to put up the tent and camp out again for the night.
