USA (Feb - Aug 2002) - August 22, 2002 Our journey began at the very end of January when we flew from Austin, TX to Maine to pick up our new VW camper van that was soon to be named "Heimo". We left our dog in Austin and spent about 2 weeks driving down the east coast visiting family and friends. "Heimo" needed a few trips to the car doctor on his inaugural voyage, but we were so excited to begin our trip that nothing could dampen our spirits too much. We for sure got a good taste of what it's like to give up the comforts of home (auto coffee maker, shower, comfy bed) in exchange for a mobile bed & kitchen. After returning from our cross-country trip back to Austin, we packed up our rental house and left to explore the western United States. We had a hunch that this is where we would like to live upon our return from our trip around the world. It was quite liberating to pull out of the parking lot of our 10x12 storage unit with only our dog Chuy and clothes/gear that would fit into "Heimo". February 2 weeks: Drove car Maine to Austin 2 weeks: Hung out in Steamboat Springs, Colorado skiing, snowshoeing, and relaxing in the high country March Crossed Utah on our way to Las Vegas (hung with Mom & Joel for a week-fun!!!), stopped in Rancho Cucamonga, CA (Rancho Relaxo) to see Greg Larratt then hit LA for a few days and stayed with Margot & David. On our trip we spent most of the time visiting family and friends which resulted in us not sleeping in our VW as much as we though we would. We would love to take another trip to the beautiful sights of Utah and spend some quality time camping and hiking. April Made our way north from LA towards Oregon on the PCH highway. The drive was absolutely incredible and camping in the van was a blast. We spent most of the month hanging out with Jon & Jen (Dave's bro & sis-in-law) and their dog Guinness. Our Chuy and Guinness fell in love, were spoiled rotten with all the attention...and of course caused much mischeif! Summer in Seattle We were blessed with an unusually beautiful & long summer in Seattle. Highlights include catching up with Dave's parents and extended family in and around the Seattle/Portland areas. Marisa was finally exposed to a long stretch of beautiful weather in Seattle (perhaps we'll live around there on our return). We managed to SLOWLY got our @#$& together in time to leave for Australia in August. We also fit in a short camping trips, took a scenic train ride to Vancouver, Canada (the weather was amazing and we had great fun getting to this beautiful city), toured the Olympic Peninsula, and relished the relatively rain-free Seattle summer. To sum up our US travels, the favorite stops were in Steamboat Springs and the drive on the PCH from Santa Barbara to Portland. It was also a pleasure to have spent so much time with family and friends along the journey basking in the glow of self imposed unemployment. America is huge!!! While we enjoyed canvassing the country in "Heimo", it takes much more time to really get to know a place. We plan to take the rest of our lives exploring as many nooks and crannies as possible in the US and the rest of the world!