a Muth nomadic: a look in the rearview

A look back so far:

I'd like to dedicate this post in memory of my uncle Timmy. When I was 15 Timmy gave me a copy of Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, a great inspiration. In the dust jacket he wrote, "to the most adventurous member of the family." It meant a lot then and it still does.

Sedro-Woolley, WA

On November 10, 2011 I left Union Station in Washington DC. I tried to buy my ticket for the 11th, so my start date would have been 11/11/11 but because that was a friday the ticket was almost double in price. After a majestic three days in an amtrak sleeper I was in Seattle. From there I made my way up to the Northern Cascades where I spent two surreal months at an intentional community called the Woolley Mammoth.

North Dakota from the train

I stuck to my good friend amtrak and worked my way down the west coast. I poked my head in Portland for a weekend and left the city with a warm soul (if I must settle down somewhere eventually I hope it ends up being Portland.) I had to stop and experience San Francisco and spent a cushy ten days with a bay view in Sausalito.

some bridge in San Francisco

Fiji?

Back on the train and down to LA. I can't really say I've been to LA. Really I just passed through it like piece of corn through the alimentary canal. Sorry, thats gross, but hey its LA! Anyway this kernel was on its way across the Pacific Ocean. With a layover in Fiji that was so humid it felt like someone was holding a warm washcloth over my mouth, I was in New Zealand after a dizzying 14 hours. Ahhhh New Zealand! I would do it all again with my eyes closed just to breathe the air. But this time my eyes were open, in fact probably bugging out of my head as I tried to absorb the most beautiful geography I have ever seen. It feels like a whirlwind looking back at those two months, cascading down from Auckland all the way to Southland. Exotic beaches, lush rain forests, looming volcanoes, giant glaciers and ripping mountains. It was so much to take in in my short time there, but all these images have been etched in my memory.

It would seem hard to compete with New Zealand's extreme beauty but Australia has its own special recipe for wonderment. Incredible wildlife, stunning landscapes, mind boggling geological features and my new favorite drink, the long black! The coffee culture here is not to be underestimated. I started in Sydney and had a great couple of weeks exploring the city and beaches. A quest for employment brought me out to the Blue Mountains and the quirky and slightly off-beat town of Katoomba. The job wouldn't last but I decided I liked the town. After a two week long epic journey through the outback and the red center and back around to Brisbane I decided to come back to Katoomba. Here I still reside, doing a bit of work and preparing for the next leg.

So as of today that puts me at 233 days on the road. Well technically 232 since I jumped ahead a day when I crossed the international date line. I think… I'm still not quite clear on what happened there. I've stayed in thirteen different homes, nine hostels, one hotel, one staff cottage (aka dungeon) and spent about three weeks in my tent or under the stars. I've taken countless buses, six trains, three airplanes, four ferries, a handful of light rails, driven five different cars, rode three different bikes, and walked endless miles in one pair of shoes. And yes, I often wake up not knowing where I am.

I wanted to tell myself that I would stay in Australia for several months and work, so as to save up money and then travel to anywhere else I wanted to go. But reality has set in, I've spent three months here and I'm ready for something new. Nothing feels better than going online and buying that next plane ticket. So in about three more weeks I'll be moving on to… well I'll give you a hint, they have elephants and the food is going to be fantastic!