And so we bid a fond farewell

Years ago, David’s generous mother offered to take his brother and us to New Zealand.  It was one of the best and most memorable trips we’ve ever taken, and it really cemented our love of travel.  At some point, as we were driving away from a town we’d visited, David’s mom mimicked Lowell Thomas’s travelogue closure speech, which always ended with the same kitschy phrase,  along with the name of the place, and some particular attribute, like “And so, we bid a fond farewell to the Rotorura, home of sulfurous stench.”  It became a catch-phrase for the remainder of the trip, and we still intone it while we’re traveling, as we move on to the next destination.

In the past, it’s always been goofy and fun.  Now, as we’re saying goodbye to the really wonderful family and friends that surround us, knowing we won’t see them until late next year, it’s harder.  On the road trip, we’ve stayed in touch via email, and video chat, but it’s not quite the same—there never seems to be time enough to catch all the way up.  This week we’ve been home we’ve been lucky enough to spend time with both our families and have touched base with a few friends, but we’ve just run out of time to say all those in-person goodbyes.  This is the part of this year of travel that’s without a doubt the hardest.

But that’s why this blog has been so important to us. Because we know that wherever we are, you aren’t so far away.  We’ve learned a lot from the challenges we faced keeping the blog updated in the U.S., and we plan to do some a little more day-to-day journaling here to keep this up to date, as much as we can. We also will continue to post our photos and stories from our road trip, so look out for those.

One of the other things we learned while we were gone is just how isolating long-term travel can be. You may know what is going on with us, but we’re out of your loop.  We’ve appreciated every email, every blog comment, every response or like to a Facebook or Google+ post.  They really bring us up when we’re feeling low. Please please continue to chime in with comments here on the blog (it’s easy, just click on the “Add a comment” at the very bottom of each post), or on our Facebook or Google+ pages or posts, or just email us (nevermindthebumpsontheroad@gmail.com) and let us know what’s going on in your world.  This blog is our tether back down to the earth, and we want to keep up with everyone else’s lives.

Our bags are packed, our itinerary printed, and our guides books at the ready. And so we bid a fond farewell to weekly Wednesday dinners with the Bump family, endless games of cards and dominoes with the Abernathy family, our annual pumpkin carving party for all our wonderful friends, soft poodle snores, snow quietly falling outside the window at the cabin, and so many other things.  May it all be there for us until we return.

Much love,
Lana & David