Wandering Money Pig - A journey of early retirement and FIRE (financial independence retire early)

  Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico  When I was growing up, a close friend of mine (and his family), did a cross country road trip that would cover all of the popular sights along the western states.  There were several national parks they would visit during that trip, and my buddy would tell me of all his fantastical experiences on that road trip.  The one that stuck with me, out of all the places he mentioned, was the Petroglyph National Monument .   I’m not sure why it stuck with me, but the word ‘petroglyph’ just seemed very ancient and fascinating.  I would look up the definition and found out the word means a rock carving, usually prehistoric.  For an adolescent growing up in the mean concrete jungles of New York City , the idea of a cross country road trip as well as exploring prehistoric rock carvings seemed like a fantasy, a pipe dream. My wife and myself’s early retirement would change the equation from a pipe dream into a reality wher...

  White Sands National Park, New Mexico  When I was researching which national parks to visit during my wife and myself’s cross country trip going from North Carolina to California, I knew White Sands National Park would be one of those.  The decision came after being mesmerized by a photo of the park with the whitest sand against a backdrop of the bluest sky.   It felt totally alien with its vast fields of sand stretching endlessly, in the middle of nowhere.  It felt like a set from a science fiction movie, full of mystery and desolation.  We had to pick this park as one of our destinations! On the morning of December 20th, we checked out of our hotel in Carlsbad (NM), and headed for White Sands National Park .  The drive would take about 3 hours, going slightly northwest.  We would drive over  changing landscape of flat deserts to rising mountain peaks as we got closer to our destination.   It was jarring to see snow covered fields ...

  Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico  My wife and myself’s love for all parks began when we brought home our furry companion, Toby, a lovable, playful, and always hungry Pomeranian in 2007.  Prior to our fur ball’s arrival to our pack, we rarely walked/hiked parks. Our usual modus operandi when visiting a beautiful park was to take some photos from a number of scenic overlooks as well as at the entrance to the park where the name of the park would be listed, then go and do the next thing.  We would spend most of the time at the park driving around a scenic drive/scenic loop, then go do lunch after around an hour or so at the park. When Toby arrived, all this changed for us.  He made us walk, come rain or shine, as often as 6 times a day.  On weekends, we made sure we would walk or hike together, exploring parks.  He was instrumental in making us appreciate nature, and for the first time in our lives, we really learned to enjoy the trees surroun...