I have posted something similar to this in other threads, so forgive the redundancy, but thought there was relevance and value in adding to this specific thread.
I did not chase in 2020. I live in a locked down state (PA), and work for a healthcare company headquartered in NY which was even more locked down. Regardless of one’s personal feelings about the appropriateness of lockdowns or the actual risks of the coronavirus, the overall atmosphere I was living under at the time made it feel imprudent to go gallivanting all over the country. I think my bosses would have thought I was completely nuts and lacking judgment, and it may have even seemed inappropriate to others within the company, as we had shut down offices and were in the midst of responding to the crisis operationally as a healthcare company. Although I am on the finance side of the business, there were issues to deal with even there, with the various relief, tax and unemployment legislation. So here we have the whole management team hunkered down in their homes, and off I go traversing the Plains for two weeks? Probably wouldn’t go over too well. And we were just plain busy. Chasing like normal would have seemed sort of like being tone deaf to what was going on, if that makes sense.
I also felt bad to leave my family cooped up at home alone - kids’ schools closed, no place to go, nothing to do, just leaving them stranded while I’m off having a good time.
My philosophy in general is to realistically assess risk and not put my life on hold just because of the relatively small probability that I contract the virus in any given activity, and even smaller chance that I would be hospitalized or worse. But I don’t pretend to be fearless or reckless either. For example, I got back into the gym as soon as it opened - in defiance of the PA lockdown - in mid-May, but have still not restarted jiu jitsu, which is grappling on the ground and just about the closest contact you can possibly have with anyone other than, well you know... Regardless of how anyone feels about the risk today, it has to be remembered that back in May it was still all new and near the peak of this whole thing. Flying, staying in hotels, going in and out of convenience stores, and eating out for three meals per day seemed to unnecessarily multiply whatever minimal risk I might have perceived in my own local activities.
One of the biggest issues to me was logistics. Would I even be able to find restaurants open? That’s hard enough in some of these towns at night after a chase. If open, would it be takeout or drive through only? Was I willing to eat nothing but fast food for two weeks? Would I be able to do my normal morning routine of sitting in the hotel lobby forecasting while drinking coffee and eating breakfast, or would all that be gone? Would I be able to explore nice bars and restaurants in cities on off-days? It just didn’t seem like it would be much of a *vacation*.
For 2021, I don’t have any of the above concerns any longer. The only potential carryover issue from 2020 is my chase partner. He is generally more skittish about the virus than I am - he is 10 years older than me, so that is understandable. I am not sure if he is going to be willing to go or not this year, or if he will make it dependent upon getting vaccinated.
The bigger issue for me is that I expect to be starting a new job in February, so don’t know how practical it will be to go away for two weeks. I guess there’s no reason that I couldn’t get out for at least one week, but I don’t expect to have the same flexibility to time a good pattern and leave on short notice like I have in the past.
www.denverpost.com
. So much for us being the bad guys on the chaser-rural Plains interface...
