Walkabout

When each of our grandchildren turn eleven or twelve, Carolyn and I have committed to take them on a walkabout. Like the aboriginal walkabout, we want these trips to be a right of passage that includes three elements.  First they are for an extended period of time.  A month seems to be about right. The second part of their walkabout is separation from family and friends.  This will move them out of their comfort zone as they have to handle a barrage of new experiences.  Finally, every trip includes a visit to another country to emphasizes that the world is a very big place  Taken together we believe this is a modern version of this aboriginal rite of passage.  It's a trip into the unknown where you have to use what you know in new settings. In doing so you shed the shell of childhood for a new mantle of adolescence.

Carolyn and I look forward to planning each trip with the individual grandchild in mind. The rewards of the walkabout are many, both for our grandchildren and us. The child has a chance to stretch their adolescent wings and have life experiences they will never forget.  We get to create a lasting bond with each grandchild. As an added benefit we also get to see the trip/world through their eyes.  Win, win, and fun for all.  

It's an Adventure Before We even Start

This trip west had three main goals, a walkabout for Lily, to visit my life long Canadian friend Page, and so Carolyn could see the far west.  Planning started six months in advance.  We needed to get reservations for AirBnB's in Santa Fe, and Chicago. This year is the 100th anniversary of our national parks so, reservations for Yellowstone and Glacier had to be made way in advance.

A month before we were to leave, Carolyn's mother was diagnosed with a heart valve problem.  Getting ready for her operation has required Carolyn to stay with her mother through the 17th of June. So, for the first half of the trip, it was just Lily and me. Big change, but that is why we call each trip and adventure.  

Walkabout in the West

Lily on day one of Walkabout

This walkabout is for Lily.  It's a month long trip out west and into Canada. It covers 18 states and Canada in 31 days.  We will visit  six national parks and camp for three days in Yellowstone. She will spend four days in Canada staying in the home of my high school buddy. In Chicago we will see a play produced by her cousin, Will Crouse. The trip will culminate at the Crouse Family weekend. Click the link below to see the exact itinerary. 

This is Lily at the start of the trip in the Fly J truck-stop in Birmingham, Alabama, June 5th. Before we left I explained the rules of a trip with the grandparents. There is a plan, hotels have been reserved, travel times been calculated, and routes laid out; however, as soon as we start the trip it becomes an adventure. No plan survives intact.  There will be changes because of unforeseen events, and new opportunities arise that we could not plan for. Adventures are what make a walkabout a walkabout.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1204bZvazs0NtJgQE0Htg3d6XkJZmFf29hQSg8qbsiwo/edit?usp=sharing




 

Whoops More Adventure

On day one of the trip, June 6th, Lily started complaining of a sore throat and a fever. Guess what, she had strep. So after an eleven hour drive to Oklahoma City, we got a room at Hampton Inn and went to bed.  Next morning we found a Doc in the box, he confirmed  that it was strep, and prescribed 10 days of antibiotics.  More adventure.