This photo has nothing to do with Day 100
Today is day 100 of my trip. Not including October 20, which disappeared, I have been away from Kansas City for 100 days. I was in New Zealand for 92 of them.
I’ll just give you a quick summary of what I have been doing for the past week, since I arrived last Friday and I just got into Kansas City this morning.
After the long bus day to Auckland, I stayed with the Heinrichs for two nights. The full day I had was spent doing laundry, buying souvenirs, and packing. I also had to make sure my shoes and tents were immaculate to pass through California customs.
The next day was the longest day of my life – 45 hours long to be exact. I took off from AKL at 3:15p.m. on January 21 and landed at LAX at 6:15a.m. I waltzed through customs – they didn’t even care that I described New Zealand as “one giant farm” – and took a shuttle to the train station. I took the Pacific Coastliner Amtrak to San Diego to visit my good friends Brandon and Katie.
During the next week I relaxed with the newlywed Laughridges and tried to figure out how to get back to KC. Fly? Too expensive. Buy a car? Potentially more expensive and too risky. Transport a car? None available. Rideshare from craigslist? Too much of a headache. I finally landed on taking the Amtrak from San Diego to LA to KC. I left Wednesday afternoon and 38 hours later I arrived at Union Station.
It feels good to be home, but it also feels cold. I’ve been spoiled by my extended summer.
I’d like to thank everybody who read about my New Zealand trip. I hope to be fortunate enough to use this blog in the future on other adventures. It kept me sane to be able to write it all down, because I did a lot of absurd things and met a lot of crazy people. I’d also like to thank those who commented, especially Mrs. Knipp.
Photos and videos coming soon! Within the next couple of days, look forward to seeing a bunch of media uploaded.
