Home Again

Driving down Medlock Bridge in Alpharetta it finally became real.  I was cruising in my mom's car with the top down, feeling the hot air and the humidity and loving every second of it, and a clear statement came into my mind:  I am finally home.

I spent roughly 120 hours traveling, was only able to sleep for about 15 of those, and finally got into Los Angeles.

My Travel Day:
Left Mabuya Camp, Lilongwe, Malawi – 9.am. 8/27
Flight to Nairobi, Kenya – 12:01 p.m. 8/27
Left Kenya to Bangkok, Thailand – 10:13 p.m. 8/27
Land in Bangkok, Thailand – 11:59 a.m. 8/28
Flight delayed due to typhoon 8/28-29
Left Bangkok, Thailand – 7:30 a.m. 8/29
Arrive in Seoul, South Korea – 3 p.m. 8/29
Left Soeul, South Korea, bound for L.A. – 4 p.m. 8/29
Flight crossed the international dateline 8/30
Arrive in L.A. – 12:15 p.m. 8/29

When I landed in L.A., I truly had a couple moments of panic.  I was no longer a participant of the Race, no one was responsible for me, and my schedule was not contingent on another's.  I was FREE!  And it was scary.  I knew that I was going to San Francisco, but other than that I was kind of clueless.  I figured I was just going to wing it when I got to San Francisco and figure it out as I went.  Luckily, when I got to the hotel, I got a care package from mom that had a projected schedule, which was helpful.

I also had my phone and charger.  It took me probably 5 minutes to remember how to turn it on, and another 3 to figure out how to plug in the charger.

I took a couple days in San Francisco itself, reaclimating to the United States.  A couple times, I truly believed the internet was messing up because it was too fast.  In addition, it being so fast interfered with the normal habit of pondering life's mysteries while waiting 5 minutes for a webpage to load.

Outside McDonald's at 5:30 a.m. (I love their biscuits and was taking advantage of jet lag), a man said "What's up?" to me.  I said hello back and he asked me for change.  I looked him over, he was in a suit jacket, warm clothes, pants, nice shoes, rattling a Starbuck's coffee cup asking for money.  I couldn't stop myself from asking incredulously, "You're a beggar?!"  I was so used to beggars having no clothes, a limb or two missing, or some form of disability.

The  week was spent on the West coast in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, enjoying some quality time with my dad after 11 long months away.  Originally, I had planned on doing the whole trip by myself as a way to have some self-dependecy and time to process my year, but Hertz and circumstance had other ideas.

First, Korean Air lost my bag (have no fear, it's safe now at my house).
Second, I dropped my phone in the toilet.  I was so enamored by Pandora, and having music at my fingertips, at all times, that a moment of split concentration put it in the toilet.
Third, Hertz refused to rent me a car.  Without a credit card, and without credit (embarassing as a 24-year-old), they couldn't rent me a car.  The only way is if someone with a credit card was at the drop-off point.

Mom and Dad had other ideas.  Before I knew it, dad was on a plane to get rid of the red tape and spend some quality time with his prodigal son.

We drove roughly 1400 miles in 4 days, spending time in Muir Woods, Crater Lake, Portland, Columbia River Gorge, the West Coast shoreline, and finally Seattle, where we saw my cousin Timothy.

It was an incredible journey, and provided us with the opportunity to talk, share stories, and catch up as father and son.

The purpose of this final blog is to offer my sincerest thanks for your dedication to following my story, providing support, whether financial, prayer, words of encouragement, or all of the above.  This year would have been impossible without the odd e-mail from Mike and others, the blog comments from people I've never met, and the knowledge that the views on those blogs are people who love me and are rooting for me.  I couldn't have done it without you, and I am honored that you took the time to remember me and coax me along this past year.  I am so glad that technology provided a way for me to share the experiences with you, and I look forward to the thousands of conversations and incredulous questions regarding the trip and the things I've experienced.  Thank you so much.

Below are some choice pictures from my trip along the West Coast.  I look forward to seeing you all in the weeks to come, and spend those moments discussing this incredible year, and what's happened during yours.

~Jordan