A Look Back at Summer - Overlanding NWxMW - Outside the Box

It's now January and the middle of winter in the US. For me winter is always a time to be a little reflective. I like to look ahead at the year to come and look back at the year that has passed. This summer I had a little trip that turned out to be an amazing adventure. I'm just now ready to start telling the tale. 

Some of you that follow my blog know that I took a trip to Cuba in the summer of 2015 and almost died. Well, it took me a while to recover. Physically, I had two operations that were a success. I went through some physical rehab. And after some months, I resumed doing some of the physical activities that I love to do like basketball, ultimate frisbee, hiking and fishing. I now feel pretty physically strong. 

Surprisingly it took me a while to mentally recover. I've always felt that I've had a strong mind. I learn things quickly. I adapt to changing circumstances. I apply what I learn. But honestly, I have never had to overcome the mental challenges of a near death experience. I had many doubts if I would be able to live my life at full capacity, perform activities at a high level and throw caution to the wind and truly adventure. Well... life is meant to live... so... 

This summer I conceived of a little adventure that would allow me to test my abilities - physically and mentally.

I decided to call this adventure... NWxMW - Outside the Box. I would drive my Scion xB (the box) across the US traveling North to the Midwest and then west to the Northwest visiting a number of national parks, national forests, national monuments and state parks. 2016 would be the 100 year anniversary of the US Park System so I thought that it would be appropriate for me to Find My Park. 

Also, I planned to drop in on a few cities or towns and roadside attractions. I hoped to experience a little slice of life in the breadbasket (farmland) of American. I've traveled afar to 60+ countries, but I've never really traveled into the Midwest part of the US. In addition, I felt that traveling across the US prior to a presidential election would be an interesting way to gauge the pulse of middle America. 

My mode of transportation would not be a typical overlanding vehicle such as a 4x4, Caravan or RV. But I was hoping to show that one can have a great adventure with just about any vehicle. Yep, you can travel with whatever vehicle you currently own. Just GO!

The first leg of my journey would be a simple trip from Austin,Texas to Houston, Texas to visit family and friends.

So… the adventure begins.