Despite whatever grand visions I may have imagined for this trip, it is hard to imagine it particularly grandly as the afternoon drizzle whittles down the already modest snowpack. Will took the Downeaster from Portland, and I picked him up in Woburn, MA. We caught up on life while meandering down towards south Boston and desperately trying to find a coffee shop that wasn’t part of the Dunkin’ Empire. There was no shortage of lamenting Boston’s labyrinth-like roads.

We were undoubtedly a bit nervous for our first stay -- going as far as to debate the etiquette of when to show up at someone's door. Will was under the impression it is best to arrive fashionably late, ~10 minutes past the proposed time. I was skeptical of this position, but was forced into it upon accidentally turning down a one-way street which lacked parking

The trip kicks off in Dorchester with Isabelle ‘11 and Kurt. When Isabelle greeted us, there were two creatures lurking in the shadows behind her; what were these lanky beasts but two Italian greyhounds! Our nervousness quickly gave way to the sounds of squeaking dog toys and dinner preparations. Together, we made and enjoyed tofu, rice, and roasted vegetables. We talked about all manner of things; Kurts roadtrip reccomendations, meditation & retreats, the Italian greyhound lineage and how one ends up in Boston as a Product Manager. While it took them a while to warm up to us, the dogs were jumping and playing in our laps by the end of dinner. As we headed to bed, the day of drizzle faded to a whipping wind.

The next morning, we hit the road and experienced our first cultural event – a Dunkin' breakfast. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed authentic Dunkin’ in Boston, so it felt special for me. Will put on his down east accent(subconsciously), even if he won’t admit it. Now, heading to the Big Apple to meet up with some very recent grads (aka our friends!)

We left Boston shortly after waking up. In trasit, Will and I mused upon silly things to write in this(or future) blog post: how one could use this trip as an investigation of so many things. For one, it is an investigation of infrastructure—or, more specifically, bridges. How many bridges had we already ridden on and sleuthed under? I’d say 17 and 30 (but I don’t know). Infrastructure is naturally connected to our built environment, peoples relation to the road, the car, the neighbors, the strip malls...and their perversity.

Making it to NYC, we met up with our friend Liat '24 who took us to her neighborhood deli for some lunch – $7.99 lamb over rice seemed a good deal in the city that never sleeps. Excellent ppd (protein per dollar), cpd (calorie per dollar), and fpd (flavor per dollar) rivaling that of Chipotle, an unofficial sponsor of this trip. We took our food back to Liat’s apartment where we ate over a discussion of Eric Adams, the Philosopher King of New York.

We spent the afternoon wandering around Bushwick – getting oriented in this vast city. After checking out a thrift store, we visited Maria Hernandez Park and walked a park labyrinth. In the evening we sought out hipster culture at a bar in Williamsburg and then made dinner with some more Bowdoin friends. After dinner, we perused some nightlife. New York is a very cool, albeit expensive city.

For our second day in the city, we split, with William heading to Manhattan in search of spiritual enlightenment to enjoy zazen (meditation) at the Ordinary Mind Zendo ¹. I² found my inner peace riding the Q train to Coney Island to take in the mighty atlantic. In the afternoon, we met up at the New York City Transit museum, to learn about the history of the subway system and check out some old MTA rolling stock.

That evening, we got dinner in Chinatown before meeting up with Tessa '23 and her roommate (my (william) very close family friend) Amelia. Somehow both of our younger brothers were in the city, so we had a relaxing evening hanging out in Tessa's upper west side apartment. Will went to bed and I then checked out a piano bar in the wee hours of the morn.

* Collective time in the metro… 6+ hours?

On Sunday we made our way to West Chester PA to meet Cailey ‘15, who works as a Spanish interpreter and English(second langauge) teacher. As we drove past Philly I remarked how the city was shrouded in some of the most beautiful fog I’d ever seen. The skyscrapers looked as if they were being born out of the fog and the sunbeams were licking the industrial landscape. Will found the fog less compelling and told me I needed to see some better Fog. Photos will not be included as they don’t do it justice and I’m not in the business of proving Will right.

We reached Cailey’s around 5:00 and stumbled upon by a convivial gathering of neighbors at the tail end of their valentines weekend brunch! It was five hours past the brunch’s start but they were still going strong, discussing numerous neighborly concerns.

We chatted for a bit before setting off at Caileys suggestion that we go to Bingo night at a local pub! The prospect filled us with glee, but upon arrival we heard the unfortunate news that Bingo master Tony, was sick with the flu. Nonetheless, we decided to stay for dinner. As the waitress took our orders and made ready to leave, Will changed his order to a cheesesteak– a choice he did not regret.

I woke up to some meows as Tinto, Cailey’s siamese cat attempted to crawl under my blankets. We enjoyed a great quiche (crust courtesy of Cailey’s mom) to the hum of the local weatherman making really ok jokes about a coming storm. Despite the prospect of 50 mph winds, we headed into downtown West Chester for coffee. Boy, it was cold – the type of cold that you feel in your eyeballs. However this pleased me. It has been since last winter at Bowdoin that I was graced with such conditions.

We walked around the quaint town past used book stores, cafes and a doggy ice cream store (no human ice cream on offer). We sought shelter from the wind in a local church with beautiful stained glass, and then returned to the car to take the scenic route to Longwood Gardens. We walked around a stunning set of conservatories and gardens; hanging gardens, an orchid room, bonsai garden, etc and toured the home of Pierre Du Pont (of Teflon fame) who had designed the gardens some hundred years ago.

Perhaps the highlight of our trip to eastern Pennsylvania came this afternoon, where after a nice lunch at a public market in Kennett Square, Cailey informed us that we were in the mushroom capital of the world. We walked up the street to The Mushroom Cap museum and gift shop, where William and I sampled mushroom infused coffee and the three of us watched an informative video about the Eastern Pennsylvania mushroom industry. Very reministent of a favorite TV show How it's Made, which overviews industrial production processes.

We arrived in Washington around 5 PM, driving past the Whitehouse and Washington monument to Foggy Bottom, where we met our hosts for the night – Ashley ‘06 and her partner Sergey and their three young kids. They took us out to a wonderful dinner at an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. At dinner we talked about the ImF where Sergey works, living in DC after Trump, navigating grad school, having children — getting them into schools, and so many tidbits about Bowdoin.

We made it back home to a much quieter house and ended up helping assemble some Valentine's cards for one of their children who had missed cupid’s day due to sickness. But we soon ran into an egalitarian nightmare! We had attached little airplanes to each of the cards, but by the 18th and final card, we had run out of planes. We solved the problem using a matchbox car instead and hoped no one would notice -- see photo for, EVIDENCE.

The next morning, we appreciated the chance to catch up on some sleep, and headed to a nearby coffee shop to do a little writing and coding. Afterward we set off for the Smithsonian Museum of American History by way of the White House and National Mall. As transportation has become a central theme of this road trip, upon entering the museum, we headed straight for the General Motors Hall of Transportation. It surpassed all of our hopes – really one must check it out for its multi-sensory offerings, to experience the immensity of steam trains, or feel the risk of the first-ever cross-country automobile trip in 1903. We also walked through an exhibit entitled Zen & the Open Road, which we found quite pertinent to our trip. Unfortunately we had limited time at the museum, but we enjoyed what time we had quite immensely.

We returned to Foggy Bottom to pick up our car and say goodbye to Ashley and her daughter, and set off for Richmond VA. However, not 15 minutes later we received a text from Ashley who had discovered William's boots, which he had left... forgotten. We spun around and headed back. On our second attempt at leaving our nation's capital we made the decision to take the express lane, which we have since learned, may have cost us a considerable sum.

We stopped in Richmond for a splendid dinner with Brad '23, one described by his wife Julia as the most colorful boy meal she has ever seen. As a bonus, we got a night lift in a barley lit apartment gym! Everyone was pleased! Then Will and I got to hit the road for our first bit of night driving. Night driving is so fun! Unfortunately, it is scarcely built into our highly structered plans. There is something rather primal(?), at least freeing, about flying down the high in the dark. Recommend.

We started the day at Williams' lovely home in Charlotte, where we had headed the day before from Washington in an effort to outrun some snow. After a breakfast of oatmeal, we took some much needed time to reimagine our car packing technique. Earlier in the trip, we had implemented a method of decanting the necessary clothes from our larger backpacks into smaller ones – a method that has led primarily to a backseat in utter disarray.

After a few hours on the road, we rolled up to a Chipotle Mexican Grill on the outskirts of Columbia, South Carolina where we were met with authentic southern warmth in the burrito line! Will was already basking in the splendor of southern charm – even if right now it was complimented with a somewhat abnormal 30-degree day.

Exiting the highway for Bluffton, we got a sense of the diffennt environment of SC, spanish moss adorning live oaks and palmettos grew like weeds. After driving through a pretty undeveloped South Carolina forest, we arrived in the beautiful small town of Bluffton where we met our hosts for the night Jennifer ‘88 and her husband Brad.

For dinner, Jennifer made us a delicious meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas—solid Southern comfort food. As we ate, the conversation turned to how intense college admissions have become. Jennifer, who volunteers as a Bowdoin interviewer, mentioned that fewer and fewer high schoolers from South Carolina even look at Bowdoin these days. We talked about their varied career paths learning that after 2008, Brad completely switched gears and became a ferry boat captain. With Will’s background on the water, they traded stories until the conversation finally drifted to why we were on this trip in the first place.

We’ve been hearing a common refrain about social disconnection, and Brad’s perspective really struck a chord. He’s active in a program called F3, a free workout group for men. According to him, so many guys end up with friendships defined mainly by work or by who their spouses know, and F3 offers a different kind of camaraderie—a circle of trust among men who come from all sorts of backgrounds. Perhaps this is more particular to men of that generation and of the south, but I was reminded by a similar remark made by my Dad about Church.

Jennifer now works on an architectural review board for a nearby community—something completely different from what she ever imagined as an undergrad. She laughed about how her coworkers were ready to check on her if she didn’t show up to work on Monday. It was a lighthearted reminder that not everyone “gets” what we’re doing—particularly those who come from different school backgrounds.

By the end of the evening, we felt energized, not only by the great meal and laid-back conversation but also by the deeper insight into how people find community in unexpected ways. F3 gave us a fresh example of how people still manage to connect in a world that often feels disconnected. We hit the hay early.

The next morning we took a walk with Jennifer and her dog around historic Bluffton. Walking on the seashell inlaid side walks, Jennifer told us about the history of the town, how Bluffton had been burned to the ground as an early casualty of Sherman's march. We learned about how much the town has changed over the last 20 years with many people moving here for retirement, or to work remotely. What was once a sleepy coastal Carolina town, now has a seemingly endless stream of construction action, building new houses and renovating old ones, to meet the demands of the changing demographic.

Coming from Bluffton we decided to stop in Savannah on our way to Atlanta. It was town with its own feel: lucious squares every few blocks, a bounty of shade, and a clash of the SCAD student and SC sensibilties. We spent a few hours wandering around, enjoying some coffee at the Sentient Bean - perceived center of savannah-style hipsterism. On our way back to the car we were drawn into one of the Savannah College of Art and Design buildings, and found ourselves sucked into a “immersive 4D experience” entitled SCAD Story; a telling of the history of SCAD through a series of rooms, hidden doors, fog and wind machines and surround sound. You really have to see it to understand.

We arrived a bit north of Atlanta, drawn by the prospect of spending a night with three dogs and a pig. We were excited, and by this point, we’d let go of most of our nervousness that comes with knocking on a strangers door. We don’t make a big deal of the minutes leading up to arrival in the car, we just hop out, knock and see. Things really aren’t that complicated.

We were greeted by our hosts, Sarah ’88 and her husband Jon, along with a few of their dogs. After a quick tour of the house, we were introduced to Hamlet, their pig, who was trying to burrow under some blankets on the couch. They told us that having a pig around can be a lot like living with a teenager -- sometimes quite moody.

Once we settled in, we got to chatting and quickly realized what a small world it is. Sarah and John had worked at Deerfield and Taft, two boarding schools that competed with my alma mater, Berkshire. Even more coincidental, John grew up in Harvard, Massachusetts—the same small town where Will’s dad grew up -- figuring out they had basically been neighbors.

Over a stupendous southern dinner(cheesy grits, homemade biscuits, steak, and chocolate chip cookies) we talked about plenty: being on both sides of grading as a student and teacher, the insanity of college admissions, the value of living in different places, changing careers, and as usual some Bowdoin reminiscing. To top it off we ended the evening learning O shit, a simple, risk baiting, overthinking card game.

For our second day in Atlanta, we had a lovely pancake breakfast with our hosts, said goodbye to the three dogs and pig, and headed to the local Starbucks to do some further trip planning. Around noon we headed to our next host and friend Will Hausmann ‘22, math PHD student at Georgia Tech. He took us on a walking tour around midtown¹ and downtown Atlanta, culminating in a greatly anticipated trip on MARTA. We entered the MARTA station at Peachtree Center only to find that just one of the two lines was running, and that we would have to wait 17 minutes for the next train, a prospect which would sadden most people, but fired me up as I relish any opportunity to spend time underground in a transit system.

In the evening Will took us to northeast Atlanta for a night out on the town. We started off at the Dark Horse Tavern, SEC sports bar on top, live rock band karaoke in the basement. We watched a few singers of varying degrees of talent, and then moved down the street to Blind Willie’s Blues Club, a more laid back affair. Where an old gentlmen orbited aroudn the club playing sax and a gold fan teetering above the stage like a rocking chair.

Sunday: today marks our first real test as we face an 8 hour drive from Atlanta to St. Louis. The drive is going well so far, as we approached Nashville, we liaised with Nashville native, Michael Gordon ‘25, after a reddit search to find the best hot chicken came up inconclusive. Michael informed us that there were two main options: Hattie B’s or Boltons, saying in reference to Bolton's “Fair warning though… it’s spicy”. We decided on Boltons.

We entered the concrete bunker-like chicken shop and were faced with a simple menu and ordering process: select a cut of chicken, and a spice level ranging from light through mild to medium hot and extra hot. William and I both opted for the chicken plate, chicken with two sides. The chicken was a combination of delightful succulence shrouded in a satisfying crunch, but even the light mild had our eyes watering after a few bites, at which point William made the prudent decision to buy some water.

Soon Tennessee gave way to western Kentucky. Searching Atlas Obscura, William identified a gem of roadside America; Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland Museum... wow. The art garden is made up of different sculpture-esque art ranging from giant baskets brimming with empty beer cans, to plastic deck chairs nailed to trees. Proprietor Kieth gave us a great tour of his creations, regaling us with his Dad/bad puns that are the inspiration for each piece of art, chairway to heaven, root canal, 10 more he told me I didn't fully grasp or understand. It is definitely an experiential visit and highly recommended if you are ever cruising Highway 24. Speaking of the Highway systems, if you aren't familiar with the numbering systems this video is coolio.

St. Louis greeted us with the gateway arch, backlit by a dramatic sunset. We made our way to the west side to meet our host Lucie ‘94 who works as a 4th grade school teacher. She lives in her childhood home across the street from Forest Park, considered one of the largest urban parks in the United States (500 acres larger than central park).

Lucie had prepared some St. Louis delicacies for us to try, toasted ravioli, known colloquially as T-ravs, and for desert gooey butter cake, another st louis staple. Over a delicious dinner of shakshuka, we learned about the hollow core phenomenon that has plagued St. Louis and other American cities with downtowns once bustling, now empty as work has moved away or online, a problem greatly accelerated by covid.

The house was very cool, Lucie’s dad had worked as a rare book seller and had amassed quite the collection. After dinner she gave us a tour of the basement with rows upon rows of books. We then went upstairs for perhaps the highlight of the evening, a viewing of Monument to the Dream, a 1960s film documenting the creation of the gateway arch.

The next morning, we checked out the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, a giant church aptly described by Lucie’s mother as being covered in a “sea of mosaics”. From the basilica we headed downtown to the base of the gateway arch, truly an amazing creation, and by far the biggest arch either of us had ever seen. We had hoped to visit the St. Louis city Museum in On but alas it is closed on mondays so we opted for the next best thing; a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Factory. We learned about the history of kings of big beer, the brewing process, and at the end, received two bottles of “day fresh” Budweiser.

Kansas with Garrett ‘08 was smashing. We met up at his home, got a lay of the land and then he took us to play pickleball. When emailing with Garrett, the possibility of a pickleball match came up as a fun option. We didn't realize we would be facing a former Bowdoin tennis all-american and occasional semi-pro, sponsored, pickleball player. Two on one we stood no chance, even with Garrett playing a few points holding his beer. We finally managed to win one game 11-8 when he played us left handed. I learned a lot about pickleball, and I’ve become fond of the peg-serve technique.

After finishing up sport, we headed over to Q39 for some real Kansas City Barbecue. Along the way Garrett gave us a tour of one of the fanciest KC neighborhoods, home to George Brett among others. As a KC native Garrett helped us navigate the barbecue ordering process, and got us some burnt ends to start, a very prudent choice.

We talked about Garrett’s career after Bowdoin, having launched multiple startups, and now working for himself as a CPF. He gave us some meaningful advice about building things and we threw ideas back and forth about our alumni hosting idea.

The next morning Will, ever insistent, made sure we stopped at Waffle House. As we ate our waffles, a gruff older gentleman slowly got up from the counter, selected a soul pop track on the jukebox, and walked out. How poetic! And exactly something I think Atticus Rosen '24 would love to do and would love to hate. After breakfast, we headed to the national WW1 memorial and museum, quite unbelievable to imagine the scale and atrocities of the time. Definitely worth seeing if you get the chance.

As we headed out of KC, we tuned in to K-Love – a local radio station – which has a network where you can be notified anytime somewhere prays for you. They offered the trusty advice to move the body, spend more time with Jesus, and wake up a little bit earlier, advice we will take with us into Colorado.

Denver marked our second non Bowdoin official stay, we stayed with Will’s cousin Claire and her fiance Andrew. We had a swell time. Brief overview:

• Made use of the apartment facilities for a night lift in the gym
• Went on a hike in Boulder’s Chautauqua park to Royal Arch
• Visited famous Dushanbe tea house in Boulder
• Dined at a neat mexican joint in Denver
• Plenty of jovial catching up

Out west, the summers are brown and the winters browner. At least this seems something I thought someone might say if they roved around Denver. Yet upon heading out of the city on I-70, weaving through canyons and past famous ski slopes, the winter landscape burst with color. I was reminded of Georgia O’keefe painting, with mountains, gullies, gulches, and peaks in rich reds, purples, greens, whites, and tans. Often multiple ridgelines running downward sloping would line up to place the distinct colors together. Andrew’s recommendation to take I-70 for just 15-30 minutes extra driving was well worth it!

We made it to Salt Lake City to stay with Per ‘22.5. To our complete surprise he lived with two other Bowdoin alumni: Brooke ‘23.5 and Cario ‘24! We were welcomed into their home by Per, who gave us a trial run of an important presentation he was preparing for the next day at the genetics lab, where he works as a lab tech researching novel assays for fly preferences. This is another technique to study fly preference/motivation/etc. After the presentation we made vegetarian medley bowls for dinner and enjoyed the last drops of some acai juice (much too sweet.) As we ate we got to catch up on all sorts of things, talked about Per’s looking into a neuro PHD, living out west, skiing often, effective altruism, longevity research, and some smatterings of philosophy.

After dinner Per, Brooke and the two of us headed down to a brewery to see Theoretical Blonde, a local bluegrass band. We were but a few people from the door when the line stopped moving because fire capacity had been reached. However Per, being the SLC highroller that he is, got called up from the line because he had gone on a date with the door woman – not sure how this interacts with fire capacity but we didn't mind!

Inside the bar, we noted an extremely high rate of manicured mustaches, excessively hoppy beer and five panel hats. Once again we had found ourselves in the beating heart of local hipster culture. It soon became apparent that there was a certain tension between the crowd and band. The band wanted everyone to be quiet before starting each song, but the venue being a brewery, and not a concert hall, the patrons didn't always oblige. At some point the band implemented the quiet coyote signal, widely used in elementary school settings to quiet a classroom (see photo). .

Headed out early-ish the next day to check out Antelope Island. A super super stunning island where Bison roam free! Throughout our time in salt lake, we felt the subtle embrace of mormonism, including on the island where Brigham Young himself had brought his cattle to graze

Yet another beautiful drive, this time to Jackson! I was happy to be returning to the town where I spent a summer working after freshman year. We took a walk where the snow was packed before heading to meet our host for the night, Nate ‘93. He is a lifelong educator and now works on innovation in the education industry at large. A lot of our talk ended up being about the school system and different educational theories and models – placed based education, incorporating ai into education, the changing pressures, educational inequality, public v charter vs private schools. He got quite excited when Will told him about the two student public one room school, on Cliff Island in Maine, the smallest he had ever heard of. It was also really great to hear about the different periods of his life, trying to help open other schools with place based education models.

His wife Rachel came back later, and we got to hear about the 15 months they spent together living in a red pickup truck tracking coyotes in the park. That sounded really awesome. Rachel used to be an educator but now does some parental coaching and works part time at United so the family gets free tickets! The next morning they headed out for a very Jackson day of nordic skiing while the snow was firm and then some backcountry in the afternoon.

We set off for Grand Teton National Park to hike – with the slight hope that with the horrible things happening to the parks department, there may be some silver lining with no one at the gate to charge us the $35 dollar entrance fee, alas there was, so due to budgetary constraints, we turned around and drove down a random dirt road as far as the plow had gone. From there we parked and walked over to Mormon Row, a road along which some of the earliest settlers in the valley had homesteaded. It was also right by one of the most photographed barns in America (dubious.) Walking back to the car a fellow hiker noticed my Bowdoin sweatshirt and said they'd also gone. We didn't catch her name, but she graduated in 2018! Frighteningly small world, estimate is Jackson has extremely high Bowdoin per capita.

For our second night in Jackson, we visited our most elusive roommate, Reed Carlman ‘24. We got to his house before him and spent some time with his sister and dad – recently elected county commissioner (congrats!). Reed’s dad wanted to take advantage of the warm weather, so we headed out to chip ice, and cut firewood with a crosscut saw. Finished with playing lumberjack, we headed to the local bar Stagecoach for a round of pool and met up with Reed. On the way home we picked up some groceries at Hungry Jacks (the first place I hypothetically used a fake id), and enjoyed a lovely dinner with the Carlman family. We talked about politics, Reed’s recent call to jury duty, and what it is like living in Jackson, an island of blue in the most conservative state in the Union.

After dinner, Reed took us on a brief night ride along Fish Creek, stopping to take in the majestic stars. He then had the great idea to take us to Jackson’s own Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. The bar typically charges a $10 cover for non-Jackson residents, but that just wouldn’t do. So, we came up with a plan—Reed drafted a multipage lease agreement to help us pass as locals. We weren't sure how it would work, but after studying Reed’s handiwork quite closely, the bouncer let us in free of charge.

As we went to bed, we held out hope that the warm day and cold night might let us experience the rare phenomenon of crust cruising – where the top of the snow freezes so you don’t sink into it. Alas, the days in the gym hurt us and a bit too often we break through the crust and sink into the snow. We took fat bikes from Wilson towards town town and then checked out small parks and took Nordic trails along the Snake River – taking in beautiful views, fresh freezing air, and no shortage of dogs being walked.

We headed a bit south of town and into a nook in the foothills to find Ollie's classic mountain abode. Oliver runs Darwin ranch, the most remote guest ranch in the Lower 48. He had just gotten back that day from picking up Garret, a chef who works at the ranch in the summer but had just spent a month entirely alone caretaking at the ranch. I say picking up because it is a 25-mile snowmobile out to the nearest road. So we spent some time debriefing that, hearing about what it is like there(without the internet), trying not to go stir-crazy. As is now an obligation, we will note Ollie's pets: dog – whose name now sadly eludes us– and cat named Chainsaw! We talked about working on ranches, all the awesomeness and weirdness and hard work. Then, being Sunday, we headed to Church – but that of the Wilson, WY variety: swing dancing and live music at the local bar. One of the band members was almost 100 (playing the harp) and was the first person to ski down the Grand Teton – a true local legend! We had some beers and got some dinner there.

Headed home and ended up continuing a great chat later than most. We talked about the culture shock of showing up to Bowdoin from life in Wyoming, seasonal work, plans to open up another remote ranch in Argentina, work hard, play hard, building things. I feel we clicked quite well. The next morning we got some coffee, kodiak cakes(love) and began our longest drive yet, 9:45 to Walla Walla.

We left Jackson early, headed over the pass and down into Victor, passing the campsite/backroads where William lived for a summer. A snow that had started on the pass gave way to rain in Idaho, a rain which intermittently accompanied us a good part of the way west. As we approached Boise, roadside fences were splattered with tumble weeds – some as big as a yoga ball, some worn down to just a roll of branches. A fierce headwind bullied us, cutting our fuel efficiency nearly in half :( Pit stop in Boise for lunch tacos at the Tin Roof( thanks to a recommendation from Boise resident and fellow polar bear Zoe Peterson ‘25.)

After refuelling we hopped back on the highway, once again battling the fierce winds. As we pulled into Walla Walla, we had a bit of time so we headed to the Fort Walla Walla Museum. William opted for some rest time while I headed into the quaint museum located in the former fort. The museum gave a nice overview of the history of the town, its role as a stop on the oregon trail and its strong agricultural history, and lots and lots of plastic farm animals (see picture with horse team)

We headed over to meet our hosts for the night Jonathan ‘87 and his partner Stacy. They had both been living on the East Coast, but had recently moved to Walla Walla to open a tasting room for Foolhardy Vinters , a winemaking venture that Jonathan founded with his Bowdoin classmate Dan. After some time talking, Jonathan took us on a tour of the surrounding valley where we saw vineyards laid out over the rolling blue hills. From there we headed to downtown Walla Walla for a wine tasting at their new tasting room where we learned about all things wine; tasting, making, and mixing.

Over dinner at a lovely local Italian restaurant, we learned about their careers, how Jonathan had trained as a chef, and studied winemaking in France after Bowdoin, and Stacy’s culture shock after moving east from Cheyenne, and her time working in the tech sector. William and Stacy connected over their shared interest in zen meditation. [I, William, was lent a zafu and zabuton for the most physically comfortable sit of the trip] We keep finding ourselves remarking just how varied the different lives and careers of the people we have met are.

I felt a bit confused at the conclusion of our beautiful 4 hour drive down 84 to Portland. It was not enough driving. By this point I like the driving alot. Hesitation about road trips or long drives feels of another time. What is one to do with their day, if not spend it on the interstate!?

We made a bee line for Beaverton to meet Wills’s uncle Nathan ‘87 who works as a lawyer for Nike. He took us on a tour and soon Will started to notice his Hoka’s stuck out like a sore thumb. I don't think we saw a single soul who wasn't sporting the swoosh in some capacity. We walked across the sprawling campus, past buildings named for icons like Serena Williams and Lebron James, and checked out a coffee table made up of tennis racquets smashed by John McEnroe.

After the tour we followed Nathan back to his house in the hills above Portland where we went on a walk to a park. I grew more and more amazed by the green skin of the city. In the hills, everything is covered in green, moss, leaves and lichen giving the feel of being in a majestic tree house rainforest. Will’s aunt told us about someone she knew who had done a cross country road trip attempting to spend no money and instead trading his artwork for lodging. He even spent a few hours trying to convince a state trooper to let him off of a speeding ticket in exchange for a piece of art.

In the evening we headed to the Portland neighborhood Ladd's Addition where we met Sue ‘87 who has spent her career working as an author and editor of children's books. She told us the story of going to Bowdoin having grown up in Fryeburg Maine, and after college taking a trip with a friend out to the other Portland and never looking back. We talked about all manner of things from the radical changes happening at the white house to what it is like to ghost write Nancy Drew!

For dinner we made pizza, very colorful. Will managed the toppings, while William chopped and stretched the dough. We were surprised how good it all came out, though Sue had clearly spent some time perfecting the art, owning both peel and stone. Over dinner she shared the difficulties she has had in writing since her husband's passing and adjusting to life after that.

In the morning we said goodbye and opted for the long way to Seattle, driving first to the coast and then up. We soon looked down realizing that there was only 14 miles left in our gas tank, a quick search of nearby gas stations yielded bleak results, with the nearest station another 22 miles west. We went into coast mode rolling down the hills, but eventually found a general store/gas station unlisted on google maps which was our saving grace.

We headed up the Oregon coast stopping at Fort Stevens State Park to go to the beach, and visit the wreck of the Peter Iredale, a four masted sailing ship that had run aground in 1906. Walking around the beach we noticed people driving their cars on the sand which we thought would be fun to try, and it was!

Leaving Seattle we drove up the coast towards British Columbia. Along the way, we stopped in Bellingham for lunch, and checked out a nice little beach. As we neared the border it began pouring rain, and after a very brief questioning by the border guard, we found ourselves in Canada! We headed north into downtown Vancouver, figuring we would check out the city, but with the downpour continuing, and a complete lack of parking, we bailed and headed out of town to a nearby cafe to do some writing

As evening neared we made the short journey north to meet our host for the night Jon Wescott ‘86 at his home in Lions Bay. Over dinner, we learned about how they had moved to BC from Maine and how Jon had run track at Bowdoin.

The next morning, ignoring the weather (still raining) we drove up to a nearby mountain where Jon works as a nordic ski instructor. He had a couple lessons to teach, so William and I put on some rental equipment and headed out. Having not skied since middle school, I had forgotten how much work it is. We did a few laps of the area and then found our way to the lodge, to warm up.We noted that the lodge coffee menu had been altered with a piece of tape over the Americano on offer, now the Canadiano.

Jon had mentioned to us that there was a secret cabin nearby that we could spend the night in if we wanted to. Not knowing what to expect we set off for what he said would be a about a three hour hike in. We ascended through the forest, up old logging roads, and down hidden paths.

While hiking with Jon, where rain turned to flurries, and flurry to snow cover, I was brought back to the last time I spent time hiking on snow. I had dislocated my shoulder in what I’m quite thankful was ultimately a very benign injury in comparison to what it could have been. Walking on the steep slopes of the mountain, I’m reminded of our mortality, but more so the fragility of the body. In the tedium of driving, one quickly overlooks the dangers always present. What being outside of this fast rolling glass bubble and just touching the pavement for a moment would do. It is jarring -- but something I’m reminded of is that we don't take on that seriously, and when we do it always does give me a lift of spirit. Yes, memento mori.

Finally we saw it, a small cabin on the side of the mountain we had been climbing. It was so cool, one room with a wood stove, couch sink and propane cooktop, and a loft above with room to sleep. Jon showed us around, and once we had a fire going, he said goodbye and turned around for the trip back down, leaving us to enjoy this amazing place. As our wet hiking gear dried out above the wood stove (which had been delivered by helicopter the year before) we cooked and ate a simple dinner of sausage and pasta with pesto and promptly fell asleep.

We woke from our nap to the feeling of sunlight! We had been living in a cloud since our arrival in BC, but it had finally broken, revealing a beautiful view out over the ocean and islands below.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, we made our way down the mountain, and headed out of BC. The seamless border crossing heading into Canada was the complete opposite heading out. We were stuck in standstill traffic for an hour waiting for our turn to be let through.

We are always looking for ideas of places to stop along our route, or just any remarks you might have about the blog!

• Paul '82

  Tuesday February 25th, 2025

  This reminds me a lot of a roadtrip I did after graduating, so glad the tradition is still alive!