Final Thoughts and Reflections

***Disclaimer: This post is both the last on this blog as well as a much sappier post. If you aren’t interested in sap, skip to the one below this as it finishes up the story of the trip without getting reflective on you. It is still kind of funny, though.***

So that’s it. Thousands of miles driven, half an oil tanker used, four amazingly hospitable families, and five nights camping with varying degrees of success. A final vacation before truly leaving the Chapel Hill bubble and breaking out into the Cruel Real World.

Quick-Hit Things I Learned:

·        A phone car charger is a glorious, glorious investment.

·        Twelve-year-old rated sleeping bags… aren’t.

·        After a few days on the road, anything less than a six hour drive is nothing.

·        People are much friendlier drivers the further you get from a city.

·        If the mood needs raising, Pitbull is always successful.

·        Asking people for their favorite road song is a fantastic idea, even if you aren’t road tripping.

·        Fire is a difficult smell to remove from clothing.

·        Mongolian Barbeque is only worth it when the parents are paying.

·        Chipotle is worth it even if you have to sell yourself to get it.

·        Inactivity is progressive and contagious.

·        Germans travel to outdoorsy places by the busload.

I need to say something here about my traveling companion and impetus for this whole trip, Conor. For those of you that don’t know, I met Conor only last May when I found out I’d be working on Admissions Ambassadors with him. As Conor and I spent most of the fall working together on a major project, we grew to be close friends. Even as our duties waned in the spring, our friendship flourished and we began to talk about driving out to San Francisco together. By the time I graduated, Conor and I were occasionally showing up to outings and meetings wearing the same thing, which is mildly embarrassing for him considering my fashion sense is somewhere on par with the vision of a mole.

(Moles are blind.)

By now, Conor and I are essentially capable of communicating full trains of thought through half-laughs, eyebrow raisings, and sidelong glances.  Considering I thought we were doing that already, but this trip has taken it to a whole new level. Besides being a phenomenal, knowledgeable, and laid-back travel companion, Conor has 3 qualities that are absolutely essential in a road trip partner:

·        A varied and extremely wide-ranging musical taste and selection

·        A good sense of direction

·        An excellent sense of humor

Of course, Conor has many other qualities that made this trip priceless. He finds beauty in things I simply overlook: a rock formation, a towering mountain, or a flowing river. Where I tend to take these things for granted and focus on the ridiculously fat man in the Hawaiian shirt taking pictures with a Polaroid camera, Conor steps back and sees the scenery. On this trip, he was the definition of “make sure you stop and smell the roses.” Without that, the quality of this trip would have been drastically reduced.

 Also, all of the good pictures are his (photos here). Apparently talent with photography runs in the Farese family. As does a profound love of the outdoors, although a big part of that I’m sure is the influence of the Thacher School. After visiting that little slice of the Ojai Valley, I understand why Conor can appreciate the simplicity of a long hike or a mountainous skyline where I generally don’t.

Conor is also much nicer than I am, is much more cautious about imposing, has far more tact than I do, and is simply much better at subtlety. This was rather important when interacting with total strangers, whether it’s German hikers in Zion or a ‘roided up bartender in Columbus, not to mention that he was better at conveying the gratitude we both felt toward the families that took us in along the way.

BUT: Conor is afraid of heights, and I’m not. Conor 1249, Nate 1.

To be honest, I’m better with the written word than in person, so if we stayed with you and you’re reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

·        To the Millers: I loved the stellar dinner, conversation and the random comings and goings of your son’s friends.

·        To the Matous family: I have no idea how to pluralize your last name. Thank you for the wine, the embarrassing pictures of Conor’s dad, and the room with the dolls. Thank God I never saw Chucky.

·        To the Jensens: Although our stay was brief, thank you for showing me the clear beauty of Ojai, the sheer happiness at seeing ESPN again, and for opening your home to us. I never got a chance to properly say thank you in person because frankly, I really am not a nice person before 9am.

And of course, to the Farese family: Besides the fact that your son is one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met and a person I will consider a lifelong friend, wherever life takes us, thank you for hosting me not once but twice; for allowing me to wax rhetorical about politics and psychology; for allowing me to dare to play that unbelievably phenomenal piano you have; and finally, for quite simply a great time with your kid Conor. If any of y’all are in the D.C. area, please shoot me an email or give me a ring. I’d love to see you.

It’s also my mom’s birthday. Happy birthday, Mom! You’re the best!

Well, this is the end of the blog. I gotta go find a job now. Government? Psychology research? Of course, if you’ve got any openings… Just sayin’!

I hope you all enjoyed reading this thing. I’ve certainly enjoyed writing it; it’s helped me re-discover that I truly do enjoy writing, especially when I enjoy the topic and it doesn’t require sixteen hours of library research.

If you want to know more about my travels, my job search, or me in general, I’d love to talk to you. My email is nafriedm@gmail.com, and I’m pretty decent about responding to things. Stay in touch, godspeed, and adieu!

Goodbye, blogosphere!

-Nate