Summer in Africa

Millers on the Way was originally intended to give our friends and family back home a sense of what the Camino de Santiago, a 500 mile pilgrimage walk in Northern Spain, was like.  The trip was a wonderful adventure and rather than let the blog lie dormant, we used the site briefly to post some pics from last summer's John Muir Trail hike through the Sierras in California.  So here I am again awaking the travel blog from its slumber by frantically typing, packing, cleaning, and panicking, just hours away from embarking on another adventure.  Something tells me this trip will be a bit different, though.

For starters, we are traveling to Africa.  We will visit several countries starting in South Africa and if all goes well, will eventually find ourselves in Nairobi, Kenya.  All my travel research seemingly leads me back to the often referenced "TIA" or "This Is Africa."  In other words, as amazing as it is, it is advised to pack some extra patience when traveling through Africa.

In another way, this trip will be different just for simple fact that for the first time in 4 summers, I will not be packing any of my students along.  Instead I will be accompanied by a well read and well traveled colleague of mine at Springfield High School.  He goes by Clark.  Or Morberg.  Whatever one you fancy.  I'm sure you'll meet him at some point.

While I look forward to not carrying around the heavy load that is responsibility for someone else's kids whose parents, though undoubtedly enjoy their time off from them, would like them back someday, I also feel a bit sad.  I know at the first moment of exposure to something unique, I will look around and wish we had some students to share with.  I suppose that is what we will try and do with this blog, just share some of those moments the best we can.

Internet will be a bit spotty in many of the places we will visit (TIA) so expect intermittent posts.  Pics will be uploaded via the Facebook page of the same name.  There is a link to that on the right side of the page.  In the meantime, check out breehikes.com.  Bree, who helped me out tremendously on the Camino, is blistering her way up along the PCT.  She is hiking strong, her posts are honest, her pics are amazing, and the only thing she is guilty of is living my dream.

---James