The mysterious Bellatrix
Oh, the rat race of American life. It all starts with preschool and the nagging need of the parent to make sure their child gets ahead in life. As we grow older each of us internalizes this drive to work harder, longer, and smarter in order to grasp at the illusion of success. Eventually we all just end up as cattle walking a monotonous circle through the field, missing the unexplored areas outside of the fence. Sure we take a week, or maybe two, each year to take a perfunctory look at the world outside of our pasture; but we rarely have the chance to be submerged into the wonders that surround us in this great nation, and to explore the rich history surrounding it. Now, please, don’t get me wrong. I find hard work and dedication to be extremely important and admirable traits--I just feel as if I, and all of those around me, have been missing the bigger picture. Those who know me well can attest to the overzealous and perfectionist tendencies with which I have approached my education, career, and other aspects of my life. As a matter of fact, I would not even be talking to you about this issue if not for my husband’s adventurous nature and larger-than-life schemes. That brings us to the part where I introduce myself, my husband, and our solution to the stated problem. We will be known by our “trail names” which are commonly used by through-hikers.
We are the “Ramblin’ Bauers”, a young couple from West Virginia (which is a state, not just a region of Virginia) planning to travel the contiguous 48 states and parts of Europe over the course of a year. We both grew up in families that moved frequently, due to our fathers’ jobs; a fact to which I accredit our unsettled need for new scenery. Likewise, each family grew into a very strong and loving unit living in almost heaven, WV. In-state tuition, scholarships, and separation anxiety (that one on my side only) led both “Bilbo” and me to attend West Virginia University. Insert magical, romantic first meeting and I’m sure you can fill in the blanks leading up to the altar. Fast forward through 4 years of blood, sweat and tears to find us on the brink of Bilbo’s graduation from medical school. He was fortunate to earn a residency position in his 3rd year of medical school and was given permission to take a year off between graduation and his intern year—securing the opportunity to ramble around the USA and for this story to begin.
My name is “Minnie” and you might also wonder how I was able to obtain the necessary freedom to travel. I am an occupational therapist at a local hospital. Lucky for me, OT’s are hard to come by in WV so my employer was quick to offer me a year of leave on the premise that I would return. That left us with just one major obstacle: What do we do with our cats? Sweet little Bellatrix and Fyodor couldn’t live in a kennel for a year or sleep in a tent. We didn’t want to have to be away from them either. Solution: we bought a used RV. Room for romping, places to hide, and AC hook up at the RV park to avoid roasted kitties. Human perks: a bed, a shower, and no need to spend the year in a tent. Let’s just hope it doesn’t break down.
Now our house is on the market, our belongings are packed up, and our trip is roughly planned out. All that is left is to wait and plan our excursions. My last day of work is May 27…JUST ONE MONTH AWAY! I hope you will enjoy the excitement with us as we prepare to hit the road and join in the wonder as we explore our country. Bon voyage!
The slothful Fyodor
