JULIE'S JOURNAL

You may follow along in our journey by visiting Julie's Journal page. It will include photographs, suggestions, mishap adventures and our experiences on the road and back-country trails.

If you would like to know more about the history of our adventure click here for the history page. How we planned, saved money, chose our equipment and prepared for ten months on the road.

These are some other web sites we found useful and/or have recpical links with.

Returning Home
July 19 to July 23, 1999

Written by Julie Hackler and Dave Fink

With less than $100 in our pockets and $400 in our bank accounts we decided it was time to head home before we had to hitch hike our way back. From Port Angeles, Washington we were heading directly east back home to Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. David's Uncle and his family had the sudden opportunity to move back east, so we helped them pack up and move out within a week's time. To help with the move, we offered to drive one of their vehicles back to the East Coast. Dave drove the truck and trailer and I followed close behind in their station wagon. With the help of a CB and a scanner we were able to talk to one another so the twelve-hour's a day of driving weren't so lonely.

Unfortunately we were not able to finish out the Ultimate Life-Altering Adventure with a trip to Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Parks, but we decided we would leave them for U.L.A.A. II.

We were able to return home in exactly five days. We put metal to the petal every day and woke up around 9 a.m. and did not stop until 10 or 11 p.m. We passed Dave's Uncle a few times on the road since he was in a huge U-Haul truck that couldn't exceed 55 mph. We waved as we passed and wished him luck. We got home on Friday night and I really couldn't believe it when we crossed over into New Jersey. I knew I was home when the road opened up to a five-lane highway and cars just sped in every direction with no avail to anyone around them. Ahh…. New Jersey drivers! It was good to be home!

The Ultimate Life-Altering Adventure turned from an eight-month adventure to a six-month journey. The reason we couldn't last until November was due to finances. We both thought we did pretty well with money, considering the gas prices out west rose to the highest in many years. We were paying well over $1.80 per gallon for regular for several months. In addition to the gas prices our breakdown in Colorado added to our lowered bank accounts. But for the most part we stayed within our means and kept track of almost every penny. (Although it was a little difficult in Las Vegas, if you know what I mean!)

We planned for many stops along the way, but like everyone told us we just left it up to deciding at that moment where we would go next. We added quite a lot of unplanned stops and skipped a few that we planned to see. It was hard to hit every place we wanted to, so we just kept it in the back of our heads that if we didn't get to see it this trip, we do it on the next one.

The first question I know everyone is going to ask us is what was our favorite place. My first thought is that I enjoyed every minute of every place that we saw. But I did like some places more than others. I would have to say that the National Park I liked the most was Big Bend, Texas. Every trail we went on gave you a unique and individual perspective of the park. The weather was perfect and the people we friendly and outgoing. Although it was out in the middle of nowhere, I thought it was a little piece of heaven in Texas's own backyard.

The city or town that I found the most enjoyable had to of been San Francisco, California. Seeing hundreds of sailboats and hearing dozens of sea lions as I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge overwhelmed me with a feeling of beauty. The city was lively and exciting. Did I forget to mention the great seafood, we sure treated ourselves to a feast of crab, clams and fresh fish.

A state as a whole, I'd have to say I loved Colorado. It's beauty is unsurpassed and the magnitude of mountains, valleys and deserts gave me a complete sense of what America is made up of. The variety of landscapes is an outdoorsmen dream come true. You can ski, snowmobile, snowshoe, snowboard, ice skate, kayak, white water raft, canoe, mountain climb, mountain bike, hike, and just about anything to do with the sun, water and land.

Along the coast, I enjoyed the Oregon coast best. A little town called Coos Bay offers a small town atmosphere with great views. If you have the opportunity I'd suggest driving the Oregon coast trail and taking your time to take in all the sights and sounds.

The second question I know everyone is going to ask is that if it was Life-Altering. Well for me I would have to say yes to some degree. It was not as altering as I first thought it would be. For some reason I believed I was going to return from this trip with all the answers to my life's questions. I think I put to many expectations on my self and all the soul searching I had to do. I did however learn a lot about myself and what I think I want to do with my life. Mainly I want to enjoy myself. I want to have no regrets and always believe that there is nothing I can't do. I never want to feel stuck, in my life. Stuck in an unhappy job, in an unhappy marriage, or in any unhappy and unfulfilling experience. Because I found that you are only stuck if you let yourself stick. I found that there is no other way to be, than to be happy with yourself and the life that you are living. We only have one life, and I want to get out of it as much happiness as I possibly can. This journey across the country did not show me the path to my future career or home, but it did show me that the path I should take should be the one to happiness and self-fulfillment. Wherever that may lead.

THE END