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FINALLY, a personal note from Mike:
So, after a crazy 18 days of driving Route 66, visiting Roswell (aliens are real!), Vegas (the idea of leaving with money is not real!) and a lot of amazing experiences, I am officially back to work today.
I want to take a moment to publicly thank Dave Scherer for making it extremely easy for me to take the first real, actual long-form vacation I have ever taken since we launched the site back in January 2004. As Dave will attest, I really concern myself with the site and with creating content for it, so for me to even do such a trip was concerning for me. I really had an amazing time and while I popped in with some content from time to time, it was the first time ever where I wasn't working phones or chasing stories (although a few found me anyway) since before we even launched PWInsider.com. It was an extremely weird feeling for me and at times, disconcerting if I have to be honest, but I am glad I had the time off.
Everyone needs a chance to recharge their batteries. Dave made it possible for that to happen for me and I want to thank him, as well as Richard Trionfo for covering the PPVs I missed as well as Paul Jordan and everyone else who pitched in. For the record, Rich is blaming me for Talking Smack being canceled and the return of The Great Khali, so I really owe him.
As I said, I drove Route 66 and spent a lot of time visiting areas I had never been and saw so many awesome roadside attractions but also a lot of scary old ghost towns (Google Vaughn, NM). I really can't begin to express how amazing it was to see the changes in geography as you changed from State to State and as a NYC guy, I was blown away by how open and wide the sky was in the Southwest. It really was amazing to see a completely different aspect of America in person and everyone I came into contact with was amazing.
It was really an amazing trip where I felt very much at peace and loved every second of it, although I teased Dave last week that Vegas was "just OK." It wasn't. For the record Dave, It was pretty awesome. I even got to see Penn & Teller, which has been a bucket list thing for me for many years.
I was able to see places I would never have visited and found new cities I was absolutely in love with (New Mexico is just amazing), visit with family members I hadn't seen in years, make some new friends, sample some great food and create a lot of fun adventures. I even ended up having wrestling find me a few times over the course of the trip, proving once again (at least in my case), wrestling is life.
In all seriousness, if you ever have the chance, be sure to take the time to create your own adventures the way I was lucky enough to do so. It doesn't matter where you go, as long as the experience enriches you and makes you happy. In the end, you'll be forever thankful that you made the journey. If Route 66 is something you've ever considered, Jerry McLanahan's Route 66: EZ66 Guide for Travelers is the way to go if you need a primer. It was perfect.
Before I go, I just want to thank all of you who support the site, however you do, for making it possible for me to have the opportunity to go on my adventures the last three weeks. I loved it all and I am happy to be back at work.
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