So far during the calendar year of 2021, I've been spent more time auditing OUT of SoCal, than in it! From March, 2021 to September, 2021 I have traveled to the following locations:
- Ankeny, Iowa - Kansas City, Missouri - San Jose, California
- Rensselaer, Indiana - Sacramento, California - Seattle, Washington
- Chicago, Illinois - Phoenix, Arizona - Lafayette, Louisiana
- Spokane, Washington - New Orleans, Louisiana - Cresco, Iowa
- Denver, Colorado - Portland, Oregon - Billings, Montana
Knowing how much I travel, people ask me all the time, "Do you enjoy traveling for work?" Truth of the matter is, I do! We have a beautiful country, and I enjoy getting to see it! Now truth be told, often times I only get to see the inside of a warehouse/office building and whatever is between that and my hotel, but I usually make an effort to make a little bit of an effort to see a "sight" or two.
For instance, when I was in Billings I took the time to make the 90-minute drive to the top of Bearthooth Pass, which is actually in Wyoming. Charles Kuralt had once called this road "the most beautiful drive in America." So, since I was so close, I just HAD to go! And it was worth it! The road skirts along the edge of a glacier-cut valley, then switchbacks STRAIGHT UP a mountain to its nearly 11,000-foot summit. Jagged mountains fill the view as you climb, and when you get close to the top, it becomes more like a prairie, as nothing but dry grass lives at this altitude. When I got to the summit of Beartooth Pass, it was 49F, and a bit breezy. But dang, what a view!!
Just before sitting down to write this blog, I makde my hotel reservation for a one week audit in Jacksonville, Florida! That will be immediately followed by a one-week audit in Williamsburg, Virginia. And sometime before the year ends, I will help to conduct a 5-week audit in Davenport, Iowa.
Yes, I love traveling to see our beautiful country! Yes, I do wish that there was more business in SoCal, but I'm happy to go where the business is.
I am fortunate to be able to see the United States with the assistance of somebody elses money. But there are many people who don't get out at all! Or they go to Europe, but miss what's in their backyard. The United States has the best National Park system in the world! Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, and Glacier are fantastic destinations, yet I'm constantly surprised how many people have never been to them!
Take the time to go see our country; COVID or not! It's a beautiful place, and it deserves to be visited by you...!