It’s officially the off season, and I’ve been in Austin, Texas for a little over a week. For the past few years I’ve spent a month or two in Austin with family each winter. I take a few seats out of the van and put in a cot, load it up with some camping gear and make the long drive south and west. I bring a canoe which makes the driving worse due to wind, but I’ve got to have it as there are always trips being planned and new water to explore. And I think I would feel a little naked without one nearby. I’ve got a few poling trips lined up for some of the better known rivers of the Texas hill country, as well as a Big Bend-Rio Grande trip with an old friend.
The plan I’ve used for the past few years is fly back to Maine for our winter programs, then fly back to Texas and drive the van back in March.
After months of not keeping up with email, website updates, and other modern tasks, now is the time I catch up and try to get a little bit ahead. It’s always a bit of an adjustment when I have to start unpacking all the things I’ve crammed into the “do later” bag and actually start doing it now. And after all these years of maintaining such a lifestyle, I’ve become adept at procrastinating and putting off the “doing it now” part of the plan for as many days as I can. But it’s time for me to get back at the other side of my job.
Picture is from my canoe on our October trip on the Allagash. It was a beautiful week during peak foliage, but we did end up windbound for several days.
