October 29, 2020

fernweh [feirn – vay] *German

(n.) an ache for distant places; missing places you’ve never been. “Craving for Travel”

I have had this word stuck in my head since a friend sent it to me earlier this month. It perfectly describes the life Jimi and I have been living since we met on a blind date in March of 2013.

Jimi was coast hopping weekly to teach CSM & CSPO Workshops. I tagged-a-long often since I could work anywhere with an internet connection. Needless to say, the United Miles and Marriott Points accumulated quickly. Once a quarter we would take a week off, cash in the United Miles and Marriott Points and live what we preach to our clients, “sustainable pace”. During those 7 years I took countless Domestic flights to 26 cities, 9 International trips with Jimi and 2 solo International trips. November 2019 was our last “sustainable pace” trip. (Psssst, it was a goodie too… Aruba and Curacao)

Then…. WHAM/BAM/BOOM/SMACK… Pandemic! Jimi stopped traveling immediately. We hunkered down at the Lakedick Chalet, in Government Camp on Mt. Hood, trying to figure what to do. It took a day’s worth of Bulleit Rye and a good debate to get Jimi to see that for the unseen future the pandemic would dictate our client’s needs and if we didn’t pivot fast, we would be left behind (Note: Jimi can sometimes have a “get off my front lawn” kind of mentality). With the ski resorts closed, Jimi accepted life had changed, put his head down and started working on virtual content… He WORKED and WORKED and WORKED!! I remember one night looking down from the loft at 3am, with the snow falling in the background he was in the dark grinding away on the computer. When I told him to shut it down and get some sleep he replied with excitement, “I’ve figured out how to transform our in-person games to virtual games with the same learning outcomes”. At that moment I knew his creativity flow would not stop until he felt like our virtual product was one of the best! For the next three days I read, soaked in the outdoor hot tub, watched the snow fall, cooked meals and binged watched Schitt’s Creek. We emerged from the snow and went back to Portland with two amazing Virtual Workshops (CSM & CSPO). His pivot was fast!!

It has been 7 months. Our “sustainable pace” trips, as I knew them, are long in the past. We are staying close to home in Oregon, tent camping, tiny house camping and road trippin’. I have a new appreciation for where we live. Adventure is all around us, look at it with a different lens. I love the Pacific Northwest!!!

*Disclaimer: Do not move here. It rains all the time. We are all super weird. You will not like it ;)

June Cabin Camping – Shelter Cove Resort & Marina, Crescent Lake, Oregon

https://highwaywestvacations.com/properties/sheltercove