Winch And Pulley

Exploring the vast landscape of the USA

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I think when God thought up the USA he designed it with taking road trips in mind. We have a fantastic stretch of country here that must be taken advantage of! So many of the best places to take a road trip in the USA are underused. Although this may not be good for tourism, it’s good for us because it means more room for us!

We had a think about the road trips we have taken over the years, especially during our years at college, and we narrowed it down our favorite destinations.

Sedona, Arizona

We took a dive here in about 2010. It was just far enough from a major center to feel isolated but not far enough to make you feel alone. I really loved it. The landscape reminded me of what Mars would be like. We actually went here for a festival and found that there were many people around. This is probably why we enjoyed it so much.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan

Not too far from home, the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is beautiful. It is what I would expect from a town centered around the water. I had read many times about the beauty of this place but could not grasp it until I saw it myself. Just last year, my wife and I headed that way for a weekend alone. It was well worth it!

Glacier National Park, Montana

For the lovers of outdoors Glacier National Park is like heaven. The park features a snowy mountainside with a lake, and plenty of walking tracks nearby. The learning center was also a great place to pick up on some local knowledge. This was a trip between Pulley and I that we took in college. We headed back there a couple of years ago, and all that had changed was our energy levels!

Falmouth, Massachusetts

If you want one of the USA’s best country coastal towns Falmouth is at the top of my list. The town is great because of its art scene, and it has many local galleries and fairs held that show  local favorites. We stayed a night here on our way to New York, and it turned out to make for a wonderful stay and so we stayed on the way back too.

Pikeville, Kentucky

Definitely not the best known, but with some of the best drives I’ve taken. Pikeville is beautiful, with a windy mountain drive, some beautiful architecture and a small country feel. They often have local fairs and markets held here, with the farmers market offering some of the freshest produce in the country.

The days of college…

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It is fair to say that Daniel (who will now be referred to as “Pulley”) and I got up to a fair bit of trouble in college. Although our naturally competitive nature meant that we studied pretty hard, we also played hard.

Pulley was completing a degree in Architecture and I was following my passion and completing a degree of Arts (even though that isn’t what my future led to). Obviously these courses were pretty full on, but we were lucky enough to be studying close to home and so did not have to live on campus. Half way through our college years though, we decided we wanted some independence and decided to move out together. This is where our troubles began.

Although we have similar interests, we have different personalities that just happen to clash when we lived together. Pulley is a classic prankster that would put saran wrap on the toilet and sirarcha in my coffee. I was slightly more creative.

One time when Pulley was out for the day, I saw my opportunity for fun. I invited my other buddy over and we dressed him up to look like something out of Freddy Cugar and he hid in his bed. I couldn’t wait for this.

I hid when Pulley got home as he went to enter his bedroom, trying to hide my laughter. I could hear him say “hello” to the thing in his bed…. This is where the trouble began. He pulled back the sheets to reveal what I guess hid mind made out to be a dead body (which was my aim). He let out a squeal (I wouldn’t call it a scream) and dialled 911. Shit! How do I explain this one.

Luckily I was able to run to him in time to grab the phone and explain the situation. Confused and irritated, the operator finally understood and I diffused the situation. But calming Pulley down was another story. He didn’t understand anything and could hardly eat the rest of the day. I guess I pushed my limit. I think I may have damaged him psychologically forever.

Anyway, at least I taught him a valuable lesson. From that day onward I never received a hot sauce coffee again.

We’re back!

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Hey everybody. We have finally put our site back up. It’s been so long that it’s simply terrible. The good news is, we’ve been working on a lot of amazing projects (amazing because I’ve been given the opportunity to work on them, not necessarily because I’m involved with them).

We have a bunch of stuff to update everyone on. So much has happened since the last time we posted anything. It is just crazy how much life can change in a short space of time.

Firstly, I’ll start with myself. My wife is expecting another baby. Yup, baby number 3. I guess it is normal to feel mixed emotions. Don’t get me wrong, I am very excited about becoming a dad again but I guess I worry about how we will manage! Anyway, we will find a way. My wife has been reading up on www.parenting.com so I guess that means we will be fine. I am lucky that my parents have decided to move closer to us so that they can watch the kids at times. Other than that, life has been pretty much the same. Work has been crazy and I’ve been given more responsibility with no pay rise. I have also been practicing super hard on the piano, and I am hoping to ace my next exam.

Pulley is doing well. He is still looking for a new house. His dad has not been well so he has had to take a bit of time off work to take care of him. He is getting better quickly though and I have no doubt he will be up and ready to get outside again. I am hoping that their family will move closer to us so that we can have our own community.

We have also began to plan a joint family vacation. This will be a first for us, but it is something we have wanted to do for a while. I am thinking of somewhere in Canada, but I have never been and need to read up a bit more. It is crazy how you can live so close to somewhere your entire life and yet know nothing about it! We were inspired after reading this article on Trip Advisor.

That is about it for now. I’m writing this early in the morning. I’ve been getting up and moving after watching a video about how to stop kidding yourself. I think it worked.