Help Wanted Ad, Then and Now.

Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.

Seeking a travel companion who can enjoy  being at the beach for sunrise/sunset, in the vast prairies of the mid west where the Milky Way appears as a massive cloud or in the high plains of the upper mid west driving through the gorges and passes of the Rockies on the way to  Glacier NP. I am a decent cook but do not mind sharing the kitchen. I keep up with the current events but I am not a news junkie. 

No wages. The accommodations are vastly superior to what Mr. Shackleton was offering. Not travelling north of the Artic circle. And safe return is highly probable. Self satisfaction of a fun trip is the recognition offered. As I realize I am closer to the end of my pilgrimage then the beginning, I maintain an extensive bucket list of places to go, things to experience and mom and pop diners to visit.

I would have signed on with Mr. Shackleton. Not for the “Honour and recognition”, but for the adventure. The thrill of being there. To the modern generation, being there is watching it live on a phone screen. Communication is through electronic messaging. LOL, IMO, and my favorite FOFO.

Being there. Paducah, KY. NW Nevada desert, on the Road to Durango. NW corner of Texas. The Hermitage. Rijksmuseum. Tower of London. Canterbury Cathedral. Iceland. Everglades. Big Bend. camping in the Okefenokee. Kitty Hawk. Yosemite. The list goes on. Being there. In a stadium with 40 to 75 thousand of your comrades in sports, watching the winning shot on goal and the everybody goes wild. I do not care how large your flat screen is, it will never compare to the deafening roar and the vibrations of the stadium rocking. Being there. To see the Milky Way as a massive cloud while hoping the Marfa Lights will appear. The Persoid Meteor Shower in a bowl surrounded by mountains with no light pollution. Being there.

That is why I am going to the Faroe Islands. No matter how grand the photo shots are, you have to be there to take in the full bigger than life size view. Feel the wind. Smell the salt air. I have read the cuisine is superb. The people are friendly and most are fluent in English. I just have to go to be there.