Spoiled Spud

Ahh, Stanley, Idaho along the Salmon River. This is where I was just about the same time last year. Ugh, make that 2 years ago. Where has the time gone? Anymore, my favorite vacations are really "staycations." I'd honestly rather take my breaks within my own state. How many people can say that? It's super convenient because you don't have to worry about the cost of flights and all the headaches that can come with that whole experience. You don't have to deal with making detailed travel itineraries or paying for a travel agent to do it. The list goes on.

I have nothing against people wanting to get away from it all by taking a cruise, going to Mexico or Disney World or any number of other tourist destinations. I just have no desire to do those things. I might take a cruise once...who knows. But when I can drive just a short distance and soak in natural hot springs, swim in clean, cold water on a hot summer day, ski/snowboard/snowmobile on some of the best powder in the U.S., go boating or kayaking, ride on a series of zip lines within the treetops of Ponderosa pines, sky dive, parasail, explore canyonlands, go panning for gold or hunting for opals, take a scenic train ride, surf on a perfect freak wave in the river, mountain bike/atv/dirtbike/hike among the hundreds and hundreds of miles of trail systems, go camping, catch some trout/bass/salmon/steelhead/etc and much, much more.... why would I want to go elsewhere?

I've seen the entire lower 48 United States in detail from a car window, and I've lived in all corners of this nation. This land is amazing and diverse and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I know this. I pinch myself everyday that I live in one of the most incredible states for sheer variety of recreation. I'm only a day's drive or less from Seattle, B.C., Reno, Vegas, Salt Lake City, Portland and San Francisco, the Pacific Ocean.

Anyway, enough blogging about how spoiled I think I am... it's 76 degrees, sunny and I'm wasting time inside the house!!