Fort Collins (Colorado, USA) | Am I a Hobo? - 1 Mar, 2023

Genoa Coffee and Wine, located on the left corner in the photo, has been one of the places I have been spending my time lately. If the weather permits, walking here takes me about 20 minutes.

Over the last few days, I watched a couple of movies that were recommended to me. Both movies center on long-distance journeys involving the Appalachian (AT) and Pacific Crest Trails (PCT). The AT is a backpacking journey that stretches from Georgia to Main along the eastern part of the United States. The AT is approximately 2,200 mi (3,540 km) long. The PCT passes through the western United States. It begins on the Mexican border, finishes on the Canadian border, and is longer than the AT at 2,650 mi (4,264 km). The AT and PCT can be hiked continuously from start to finish or in sections. The two trails are part of the Triple Crown in the United States, which includes the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). The CDT is the longest of the three trails at 3,100 mi (4,989 km) and passes through the Intermountain West of the United States. The PCT is the most challenging of the three trails.

For reference, the AT is about twice as long as all my combined hiking in Ireland, Wales, and Spain (1,600 km). The first on my list was A Walk in the Woods with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. It is an entertaining movie with great banter and worth the watch. The second film is Wild. It stars Reese Witherspoon and recounts the story of Cheryl Strayed, who thru-hiked the PCT solo in the mid-1990s. A more somber film than A Walk in the Woods, Wild is a great story! 

I mention these two movies here not because I aspire to be a film critic in the future. 😂 Rather, the two films have some similarities. Plus, both caused me to reflect on my experiences. In Wild, a reporter with the Hobo Times crosses paths with Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon) and asks to interview her because he's seldom met a female hobo. "I'm not a hobo. I am hiking the PCT," says Cheryl. The reporter responds with, "Ok. Where do you live?" "I'm in between places," says Cheryl. The reporter responds with, "uh, uh. What's your job?" "I don't have one," says Cheryl. It was at that specific moment that I started laughing out loud. Let's see. Where do I live? Nowhere at the moment. What's my job? I haven't worked in 8 months. If I use those standards, I guess I am a hobo too! 😂 The best part is I've never felt better!

I recently passed by my house in Fort Collins, Colorado. My house is the one on the right side of the attached home. I love several things about my house, but I am not ready to call it home again just yet. I have agreed to lease it out for another year. The couple occupying it are good tenants, and I have been pleased with the outcome thus far.

One of the things I love about my house is it backs up to open space. There are no neighbors in proximity to the east and north of me. The east side of my house is pictured in the background on the left.

I expected my review of my posts to take less time. I finally arrived in Santiago and continue to find nuggets as I read through my posts. To break up the monotony of reading and reflecting, I decided to sign up for online cooking classes. As I mentioned, culinary experiences have been essential to my travels, and I enjoy cooking. There's no better time to develop my skills than now.

I joined America's Test Kitchen (ATK) online courses. They are currently offering a free 3-week trial. I am using it to hone my fundamentals. I love immersing myself in the experience. I approach each lesson as if I know nothing. It allows me to get curious and be present in each class. I've completed nearly a dozen courses so far. My eyes are wide open, and I realize several things. First, even though I thought I knew what I was doing in the kitchen. I really don't. Second, having the fundamentals nailed down improves my enjoyment and yields better results. Third, why did I wait so long to immerse myself?

ATK is great. It's a combination of techniques and recipes taught through videos and reading. There is also the ability to discuss with other students and instructors and share pictures of my results. If you ever wanted to enhance your skills in the kitchen, ATK is a great low-risk way of improving your skillset. Their recipes are fantastic too! My first dish was a Hot and Sour Stir-fry which I nailed! 😁 It was better than any dish I've ever eaten in a Chinese restaurant. Of course, I didn't take a picture. I promise on the next dish, I will!