Perjalanan ke Barat - Hari ke 4

Akhirnya, hari ini aku merasa lebih sehat.
Di Amarillo, TX, pagi hari, kita memutuskan untuk menjenguk monumen nasional penambangan Allibates Flint (Allibates Flint Quarries National Monument). Kita tiba di pusat informasi jam 10 pagi, yang kebetulan setepatan dengan tour untuk menjenguk tempat penambangan batu flint.
Petugas taman memberikan sejarah dari tempat ini dan kita mendapatkan pelajaran tentang bagaimana orang Indian di jama dulu kala menggunakan batu flint untuk peralatan dan sebagai uang.

Monumen Nasional Penambangan Allibates Flint

Batu Allibates Flint

Setelah dari tour di tempat penambangan Allibates Flint, kita menuju ke Cadillac Ranch yang berlokasi sedikit barat dari Amarillo, TX.

Cadillac Ranch

Kita ingin tiba di Monumen Nasional Petroglyph sebelum pusat informasinya tutup. Kita tiba di sana cukup waktu untuk menjelajahi trail pendek untuk melihat batu batu Petroglyph (batu dengan gambaran2 dari jaman dahulu). Menurut Sean "Ancient Graphity".

Monumen Nasional Petroglyph

Sahah satu dari Batu Petroglyph

Tempat ini dekat dengan Albuquerque, NM. Jadi kita memutuskan untuk makan malam di restauran Mexican di sini sebelum melanjutkan perjalanan ke Grants, NM dimana kita stop untuk hari ini.

Rute perjalanan hari ke-4 

Perjalanan ke Barat - Hari ke 3

Taman nasional sumber air panas di Hot Springs, AR serasa unik. Tutur Sean: "Tempat yang paling bukan taman dari semua taman nasional". Aku setuju dengan pendapatnya. Taman nasional ini adalah kota dengan banyak tempat pemandian air panas.

Interior dari Park Hotel, Hot Springs, AR

Deretan pemandian air panas

Kita memutuskan untuk mendapatkan pemandian air panas tradisional di rumah Buckstaff. Dari berendam di bak mandi perorangan dengan whirlpool ke pemandian schitz di mana aku duduk di bak kecil dengan sumber air panas yang menyiram ke punggung. Kemudian aku diarahkan ke kamar asap air, yang sedikit klaustrophobic. Setelah itu, aku di selimutin dengan handuk panas. Langkah terakhir aku mandi dengan air dingin. Serasa melegakan. Aku merekomendasikan untuk mencoba kalau kamu berada di sekitar tempat ini.

Rumah pemandian Buckstaff

Di tempat ini kita mengisi semua wadah air minum kita dengan air dari pusat air panas. Mereka ada tempat khusus untuk itu.

Pusat Informasi dari taman nasional Hot Springs

Setelah itu, kita melanjutkan perjalanan ke Amarillo, TX.

Rute Perjalanan hari ke-3

Perjalanan ke Barat - Hari ke-2

Kemarin keadaan badanku semakin buruk karena flu. Kepalaku sakit, dan aku merasa sangat lemah. Andre memberikanku teh dengan eucalyptus kemarin malam dan pagi ini. Hari ini aku merasa lebih baik, batuk dan pilek mulai berkurang.
Pagi ini kita berangkat dari tempat Andre jam 7 pagi dan memulai perjalanan ke taman nasional gua Mammoth. Kita mengambil 2 jam tour ke dalam gua yang serasa sangat singkat.

Tempat masuk ke taman nasional Gua Mammoth

Di dalam taman nasional Gua Mammoth 

Di dalam taman nasional Gua Mammoth

Setelah tour, kita melanjutkan perjalanan ke Memphis, TN, dan menikmati makan siang di tempat BBQ yang di advertiskan sebagai tempat BBQ terbaik.

Pemandangan di kota Memphis, TN

Di dalam restoran BBQ di Memphis, TN

Sekarang, kita melanjutkan perjalanan ke Hot Springs, AR

Rute perjalanan hari ke-2

Perjalanan ke Barat - Hari Pertama

Baru mendapatkan flu Senin lalu, sekarang aku merasakan sakit kepala dan pilek. Batuk sudah mereda. Kita sekarang dalam perjalanan ke Bowling Green, KY. Menjenguk Andre dan menjual beberapa barang barang yang terpaut dengan balap mobil ke dia.
Sean menyetir dalam perjalanan ini. Semoga besok aku merasa lebih sehat.

Rute perjalanan hari pertama

T Minus 3 days to Road Trip

There had been too many development since I last wrote the journal on the airplane.

Currently I am sitting in a cafe, down with cold, and can not be at home.  Because my condo is being inspected for a pending sale.  Sean is also sitting with me at this cafe.

Now, you might wonder, wait.. I thought you guys broke up.  Yes, we did.  And yes, he did moved to CA.  Fate is a funny thing.  He called me one day to asked how I am doing.  And I told him about the job interview in SLC, UT, and the fact that I got the offer, and I need to move to Utah soon.  Hearing that, he threw out the idea for him to come to Michigan to give me any sort of help that I might need.

Before he came over, I managed to sell my BMW (the track car).  Not getting to much money out of it, but it is still descent.  Plus, I managed to get rid of an item that I do not need anymore.

Put my condo for listing on the Monday before New Year's day, and received an offer last Thursday for the listing price.  I decided to accept the offer and get on with my life.

For the past days or so, I had been busy with packing, throwing out / donating out stuffs that I no longer need / use.  Moving was really stressful!

I am still excited about the road trip and the new job, but right now the moving and packing stuff had been too overwhelming.

We had planned out our road trip, which will be something to look forward to.  I had bought for my car the roof box and wind fairing for the road trip.  Oh, by the way, I bought myself a Subaru Impreza outback sport.  I found no longer appealed to BMW.  I think now BMW is just a status symbol car if you are not planning to track it.  However, once you use it in the track, it will eat up your money real fast.   So, as a functional car, the Subaru is perfect.  Not only for climbing trips, but for the future life in Utah.

Back to Michigan, for the time being

December 13, 2013 - On a plane from SLC, UT to Detroit, MI

So, continuing from last time. I am back in the airplane, this time flying back to Michigan.

The interview went really great.  Most of the time, I felt that it is more of them pitching the job and their company to me, rather than me pitching myself to them.
Seems like that they are more looking for a person with great attitude of change and open mind, as well as get things done as quick as possible.

And I showed all those attitude to them.  The best part of it all, during lunch, they are really honest to me that they really love me and would like me to start as soon as possible.  They have not given me an official offer yet.

For me, the job is exciting, challenging, at the same time, scary.  But the reward can be great if I can follow it through.

So, when I get back, I need to start the process of selling my condo in full throttle motion.  Also, time to clean up, sell, or donate most of my stuff that I do not need.

Then start looking for a good place to stay.  For now, get an apartment, which give me flexibility until I can find a good location.

On the way to Utah

December 12,  2013 on an airplane on the way from Detroit, MI to Salt Lake City, UT

So now, I am here, sitting on my airplane seat, getting ready to go to Salt Lake City, UT for a job interview there.  I did not plan this.  An opportunity just open up, and sort of landed on me by chance.

How I got to this point, that's a big question. It all started last summer. I was dating Sean.  And yes, he's a guy, and he's American.  As some of my friends know, I had always interested to date girls.
In any case, I though of just having him as a friend with benefit, and it would be a perfect idea because he is moving to California.  Maybe I do not want to loose him as a good friend to climb with, I do not know what is my ulterior motive is myself, I decided that I wanted to move to CA for him. And what more can I ask, it has great weather, proximity to climbing. Both quality of a place that I like.  Plus, access to Indonesian food is the icing on a cake.

Nevertheless, after a few months of climbing and fun, we broke up.  Ok, so that's the background story of me and Sean.  Unfortunately, when I made the decision to move out of Michigan, I told my boss with the hope of internal transfer to a position in CA.  I do not regret that decision.  But as a person who have a high pride, and also not loving the people I work with added in the mix of things, I am determined to leave my job for next summer.

Getting this interview is a very interesting process for me.  I was just received the job update from LinkedIn.  And just noticed that there is this job in Utah that draws me.  So that afternoon, I decided to cancel my climbing time to apply for this job.  Which I am now grateful to do that.  Because a couple days later, I got an email from the job poster that he is interested to interview me.  And I replied right away.  Turns out the phone interview went well.  Now they are moving fast to get me to go to their on-site interview.  Which is why now I am sitting in the airplane on the way to SLC, Utah.

Just the thought of I'll be surrounded by so many climbing crag, makes me very excited of this opportunity.  On top of it, the job looks like a very challenging job, which, to me is a stimuli of my drive and my brain.  One of my colleague mentioned to me that when I am presented with challenges, this is where I do well.  And she can tell that I loved being given a challenging problem to solve.