A Promise To Keep

July 27, 2012 - A year ago today I embarked on a grand adventure with Bruce. The journey was more than a road trip with a buddy however. It was a fulfillment of a promise I had made to him when I first found out that he would be travelling to the deserts of Arizona; the promise to make sure that he arrived safely to the best of my ability. I kept the promise from the moment I got in the truck that day in Alaska and ended when I was in the air above Tucson two months later.

Yes, I will be taking the gnome with me.

However, I also made another promise, a promise I intend to keep. When the time comes I will ensure that my battle buddy arrives safely back home to Alaska. The trip will be shorter, but it will involve driving up in different weather than when we first went down. Horror stories of the Alcan Highway in the fall and winter do not scare me because, quite frankly, I have a promise to keep.

While the time in between has been difficult and stressful, I am looking forward to seeing my buddy again. The time, while not considerably long, has changed the both of us. However, as I learned in my trip with Bruce the first time; any differences can be mended in time.

I look forward to the trip.

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A Strange Post

March 21, 2012 - Today, while getting gasoline, I saw something that brought back some very good memories.  No, gas wasn't priced at $2.30 a gallon (am I dating myself there?).  I saw a truck and camper that reminded me of the trip that Bruce and I took months and months ago.

Yeah, good memories!

Same type of truck, same style, same color, same type of camper; it was strange to see it my hometown.  If I wasn't positive that Bruce was still down in Tucson, I would have thought it was him.  This glimpse really couldn't have come at a better time considering that we are about halfway through Bruce's extended stay in Arizona.

Sure, I have other ways to remember our fun times.  Besides this blog, I still carry the gnome around with me.  Remember him?

Humberto on Tour

Back in the beginning of the trip, I acquired a gnome (perfectly legal acquisition, mind you).  He travelled with us all around the United States; and along with Batman, was photographed in many different places.  I haven't stopped our little "tradition."

I'll probably get in trouble for it later; but the gnome looks like Bruce.

Humberto has been around since he came back to Alaska.  Mostly, he goes around to different events and poses as Bruce.  Since Humberto and Bruce could be identical twins, many people mistake the two of them.

Shopping at a holiday bazaar.

Humberto prepares to cut a pineapple for the New Year's party.

Don't worry, he didn't drive home that night.

Humberto (or is it Bruce?) trying his hand at chopsticks.

And it's not done yet, not by far.  I will be sending Humberto down to Estrella War this year, and as soon as I get the pictures, I will be posting them.  Sadly, I will not be able to make it down to Phoenix this year.  However, just as the gnome is Bruce while he is gone, Humberto can play me since I can not be at war with my buddy.

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The Long Goodbye

January 25, 2012 - Today my battle buddy went back down to Tucson; his wife and daughter ended up taking him to the airport.  Sadly, I probably won't see him for ten months or so, when I go down there to help him come back up to Alaska.  While that makes me more than a little sad, I am very grateful for the time we got to spend together.

"Leaving on a jet plane..."

Bruce and I have several projects that we have been working on for a couple of years now, and we came up with plans to continue these projects while we are thousands of miles away from each other.  It's going to be difficult, but good friendships mean pushing past all barriers; even distance.

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A Mid-Winter Visit

January 18, 2012 - Bruce has managed to take some time off of work to visit us in the Far North.  To say that I am excited would be an understatement.  How I have missed our adventures (some would say misadventures).  While he is only visiting us for a week, I am sure that we will have fun.  I look forward to the time.

Sadly, a week is a very short amount of time. 

My little corner of the Far North...note the cold.

Today we texted back and forth while his flights were delayed, and he sounds very excited to be coming up; and if somebody could sound excited in a series of text messages, it would be Bruce.

What kind of adventures will we have?  What stories will we tell each other?  Only time will tell.  I am just hoping that it will be fun spending time together like we have in the past.

I look forward to seeing you soon, Battle Buddy!

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Casinos

Note to self: Casinos in Mississippi are tons better than Oklahoma-Ok Casinos sucked!

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28 days after 28 days after 28 days

Ok, where do you go from here...battle buddy was a new term for me...through good and bad we always miss those days we had...they made memories......

My "Battle Buddy" is back home and dealing with his day to day issues and I'm many miles away working on mine. But my journey is far from over! I have a year or so to go. How I spend that time preparing for my return is crucial...if wasted, my trip is for naught.

My battle buddy motivated me to do things so I could be a friend or leader. Sometimes just a pain in the ass, sorry for that!! Without that drive in front of me, the motivation must come from within. I have had that internal motivation dormant for a bit as I did a few things I could only do here. But it strives to come out, what will I do is the million dollar question and I'm open to suggestions. Thanks Battle Buddy!!

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Post Trip Thoughts

November 1, 2011 - I still have the gnome.  He sits up on my shelf along with various travel mementos from my trip; a book, an alligator head, and the stuffed armadillo; among a variety of other things.  Additionally, I've set the cactus next to the gnome, reminding both himself and I of all the fun we had while traveling and the buddy I leave behind for a year in Tucson.

Alaskan enough?

I had an amazing time on my trip.  I got to see strange and wondrous places, meet fun and interesting people, and do things that I would have never had the opportunity to do.  Most importantly, I got to do these things with one of my best friends; which made the trip that much more memorable.

I miss my buddy.

And yes, Bruce and I still talk to each other.  He's my battle buddy, after all, through thick and thin.

I have a lot of good memories from this trip.  If you have been following what I have been doing, you may also know that I have a lot of trinkets from this trip too.  Here are a few of some of my favorites.

This alligator head from Louisiana scares the cats all the time.

The armadillo from Carlsbad Campground.

Authentic Mississippian sunglasses given to me by Blues Legend Chris Gill.

A book from Arlington and a collection of postcards from Carlsbad Caverns.

I probably mentioned that I had gotten a lot of keychains too.  I tried to get one from every state and didn't do too bad with that goal.  Here are a few of the ones that I really like.

My keychain from Canada.

Out-of-this-world keychains from Roswell, New Mexico.

One can never have too many bear things.

A keychain Bruce got me in Tucson.

Oh, and all those bumper stickers I've been talking about...yeah.  They got put to good use.  Check out the back of the trailer now.

There's still room for a few more.

I look forward to the last part of the trip.  In the fall of 2012 I plan on traveling back down to Tucson and helping Bruce come back to Alaska.  With my camera in one hand, and the gnome in the other, we will hopefully have as much fun as we did on the first part of the trip.

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