2024
On the first day of November 2023, I stopped shaving my upper lip. Every year, I participate in Movember, and I proudly donate regularly to the Movember Foundation. But this year was different. As the clock struck midnight on the last day of the month, I looked in the mirror and saw something I was somewhat proud of for the first time. 28 years into life, I managed to grow a halfway-decent mustache in just 30 days.
I decided to keep it.
And each time I got a comment about it, I joked that it was here to stay and that 2024 would be âThe Year of the âStache.â Then one day, I decided that joke would be anything but.
What I didnât expect is how many memories my mustache and I make together. There are now numerous cities â even entire countries â scattered across our blue marble whose residents know me only as a mustachioed man. Here are just a few of them.
San Diego, January
Tiffany and I never need an excuse to visit San Diego. But on this occasion, we had a great reason to do so.
My great aunt and uncle Gloria and Bob have astoundingly been married for 75 years. To celebrate this achievement, our entire family got together, many of whom have not seen each other for years. I, myself, have been the strangest stranger â which, I suppose, is a side-effect of moving across the entire country. Additionally, nearly none of these family members had been formally introduced to Tiffany. It was truly a joy seeing everyone again.
We opted to get a hotel in downtown San Diego (a bit far from the festivities) and enjoyed exploring what is rapidly becoming our favorite California city.
Savannah & Orlando, March
Tiffany and I are both members of Women in Aviation International (WAI), an organization which exists to increase the number of women involved in all aspects of aviation and aerospace. Every year, they hold a massive conference (one of the largest in the industry) somewhere in the country, and this year it was in Orlando.
The general rule of thumb for the WAI Conference is to get there by any means other than flying, since just about every attendee is likely to be an airline employee or family member. As such, we made a road trip out of it. In order to break up the drive a bit, we booked a hotel in downtown Savannah, Georgia for a few nights. Weâd both been to Savannah too many times to count (we routinely fly there for work), but never ventured more than a few miles from the airport. We ended up finding a lot to love in the city!
Once settled in Orlando, we enjoyed serendipitous reunions with aviation friends at the conference as well as several Floridian friends and family members around the area.
Rather than stop in Savannah twice in one trip, we elected to do the return trip in one long haul, which is how I learned my maximum daily tolerance for sitting in a car is only about four hours, give or take. Despite my insisting we'd never plan a travel day as long as this ever again, I would promptly forget all about it the following month. Which brings us to...
Columbus, April
In early April, a total solar eclipse was predicted to cast its immense shadow directly over the small Indiana town of Columbus. Briefly Hoosiers ourselves, Tiffany and I were no strangers to Columbus. We knew several friends that resided in Columbus, so when we saw it listed as being in the path of totality, we knew this was where we needed to be.
To everyone unacquainted, Columbus is home to Cummins, a massive manufacturer of engines perhaps best known for their diesel engines. In 1954, then-president and chairman of Cummins, Joseph Miller, established the Cummins Foundation. Mr. Miller was a lifelong architecture enthusiast, and as such insisted that a portion of Foundation funds go to funding the arts and architecture within the tiny town. His assumption was that pretty buildings would help Cummins attract the best talent in the world to their tiny midwestern town.
Over half a century later, Columbus is an architectural Mecca. And in a roundabout way, his bet was the reason we picked Columbus as the location from which we would view the eclipse.
Once again, we made a road trip out of it. Flights were extremely full to every airport within the path of totality, and rental cars were sold out everywhere. Turns out, this was quite a popular event. Two drives, two days apart, each substantially longer than my maximum four hours. Adding insult, each was painfully similar to the drive we made numerous times in the process of moving from Dayton to Charlotte.
The eclipse itself was beyond adjectives, and unconditionally worth the pilgrimage. I cannot recommend highly enough that everyone take the opportunity to place themselves in the path of totality at some point during their time here on Earth. No photo, no video, and no textual description will ever be able to do the experience justice.
St. Louis, June
Come June, we faced our first real scheduling challenge of the year. Friday evening was the second anniversary of the Critical Mass bike ride in Charlotte. For six months, I had promised my friends in Charlotte Urbanists that I would be there. Then, relatively last minute, our college friends Emily and Tyler invited us to their wedding just outside of St. Louis⌠the day after Critical Mass.
Determined to do both, we needed to fly out the day of the wedding, which is not for the faint of heart, especially when flying standby. The day of, all flights into St. Louis were booked solid. No chance we would both get a seat and make it in time for the wedding.
So we called an audible.
We found a wide-open flight into Evansville, Indiana â some 164 miles away â then we rented a car and drove the remainder of the way.
We actually arrived into St. Louis with a little bit of time to kill, so we stopped briefly in downtown St. Louis to see the Gateway Arch (Tiffanyâs first time) and Busch Field. While we loitered taking touristy photos, it started to rain. Lucky it did, as we had lingered longer than we really could afford to. We rushed back to the car, checked into our hotel, changed, and rejoiced in witnessing our friends tie the knot.
Bishop, June
Later the same month, I flew out to California for a weekend trip with my dad for our somewhat-annual Fatherâs Day fishing trip in Bishop. Each time the two of us visit, we stay in a furnished camper thatâs already hooked up and ready to go at the campsite, no towing necessary.
The best part about the mountains is that you're totally disconnected from everything else. No cell service, a 30 minute drive to the nearest town. The world is quieter; time moves slower, and every night ends with a campfire. And beside that campfire each night were two mustaches, each happy to be out in the fresh mountain air.
On the day of Fatherâs Day, we rented a boat and dedicated ourselves to fishing for the day. On this particular day, we ended up catching fish nearly as quickly as we could throw our lines in the water! No trophies though, so they were all released and swam away (with quite a story to tell!).
Wilmington, July
At a certain point each year, usually around early summer, Tiffany and I decide weâve been away from the ocean for too long. This year, the urge came in July; we decided it was time to go coastal. So we packed up the car and drove down to Wilmington, North Carolina. Despite being our closest North Carolina beach, this would be our first time visiting Wilmington outside of work.
We booked a small boutique hotel downtown which ended up being the greatest decision of our trip. Like Savannah, we enjoyed spending the majority of our time rambling around the downtown area, stopping in the various shops, cafes, and restaurants, and taking tons of photos.
We also carved out a portion of a day to hike the wetlands. I had recently purchased a new camera and zoom lens with the intention of birding and I was eager to try them both out. This nature preserve provided the perfect opportunity! Despite our eagerness, our hike was cut short due to the most terrifyingly large spiders in the most terrifyingly large number Iâd ever seen (here's a photo for the brave). They were evidently harmless to humans, and their webs were genuinely beautiful. But walking into one of these webs on accident would have been psychologically harmful. Iâm a big spider fan (no mosquitos on this hike!), but even I have my limits.
With our hike abbreviated, we defaulted to spending the rest of our afternoon at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, the second NC Aquarium location weâve visited. We loved it, and once back at home we promptly became members of the North Carolina Aquarium Society.
Minnesota, August
My grandma turned 90 this year! To celebrate, the entirety of my momâs side of the family got together to celebrate this tremendous milestone. In addition to having the opportunity to introduce Tiffany to even more members of my family, I was honored to have the opportunity to show her around the Minnesota sites and sights I have been visiting since I was a kid. And yes, of course, I took her to the Mall of America.
My only regret of the trip was that we visited during the State Fair (best in the country by far) but didnât budget enough time to attend.
Our rental car for this trip, by a fluke, was a Ford F-150 Lightning. While it wouldnât have been my first pick to get around (especially since we stayed, yet again, downtown), driving it around awakened something in me... more on this in the conclusion of this yearâs letter.
Greece, September
The year really came to a crecendo with this trip. Our friend from work, Kristina, who is Greek, invited us to attend her wedding in Greece â quickest RSVP yet. The wedding ceremony was held at the same church her grandfather used to attend when he was growing up. This church was nestled deep, deep, in the mountains of mainland Greece, in the Karpenisi region. Just to reach the town required a four hour bus ride.
Thankfully, we knew most of the other guests on the brideâs side; fellow pilots, most of whom are or were coworkers of ours, which made the long travels very doable.
This part of Greece was incredibly beautiful (perhaps the whole country is, not sure... we'll have to come back). Perhaps the best part, at this time of the year, the mountains were entirely devoid of other tourists (they usually come in the wintertime to ski).
The entire trip, from start to finish, was immaculately planned by the brideâs mother which made for completely stress-free travel. We had a tremendous time!
Getting back to the U.S. was a fun challenge, since nearly every pilot in attendance worked for the same company, and thus would be trying to list on the same flights. And it just so happened that American set the cutoff for the end of the summer season right in the middle of our trip, thus cutting three daily flights to/from the U.S. down to one.
So instead, we got creative! We took a late British Airways flight from Athens to London (our first time listing on a non-American carrier); spent a long, sleepless night at the Heathrow airport; and in the morning, hopped on a wide-open flight to Raleigh-Durham (a route which, to this day, I donât fully understand). But because of the niche nature of this route, Tiffany and I, as well of two of our friends, were able to snag Business Class seats for the long haul back to the U.S. And, in lie-flat luxury, I can happily say I got a full nightâs sleep to make up for the sleep lost in London. I woke up over Maine the most refreshed I have ever felt on an airplane.
San Luis Obispo, September
Hot on the heels of the Greece trip, our wedding fatigue for the year was beginning to set in. But we still had two (and a half, more on that later) more to get through! Both were for Tiffanyâs cousins, and both were getting married in California. This first wedding was a big moment for me, because it was my first opportunity to meet most of Tiffanyâs extended family members (after over seven years of dating!).
You could probably guess, but â yes â another tiny boutique hotel, this time in downtown Morro Bay. More time spent walking around sampling the sights, coffee, and food. Just on the opposite coast this time.
Chico, October
The second of the two California weddings was defined by the number of times I sarcastically said âLong time, no see!â to Tiffanyâs family members, who had to endure two whole weeks without seeing me or my mustache.
The highlight of this trip, though agonizing at the time: Chico is about as âin the middle of nowhereâ as a California city can get. To travel there, we flew into Sacramento then rented a car (a Tesla, because California!) and drove 90 minutes through corn, rice, orange, and almond fields to the big little town.
We were only there for a few hours when we learned that one of Tiffanyâs cousins had a horrendously delayed flight into Sacramento. Not shy about roadtripping, and feeling vaguely guilty as though we somehow shared the blame by virtue of working in the industry that caused this inconvenience, Tif and I volunteered to make the trek.
We arrived back into Chico after 1am, which was quite a doozy. Especially considering I was on the East Coast a few days prior, and Tiffany had just flown in that morning (4am equivalent for us). Autopilot deserves most of the credit.
Hilton Head Island, November
Now time for the half wedding, the home stretch! Are you feeling our exhaustion yet?
Our friend that got married in Greece thought it best to have a domestic reception on Hilton Head Island for those that couldnât justify a flight halfway around the world. But of course, everyone that went to Greece was invited to this event as well.
This was a two-night event, though we admittedly didnât stay very long either night. By this point, we were so incredibly wedding-fatigued from the past few months that we decided it best to turn in early each night. In exchange, we got to spend some extra time on the beach. And I canât imagine a better way to bring our travels to a close for the year.
Conclusion
Never would I have thought growing a little upper-lip hair would lead to so many incredible adventures. Had I known, I would have done so sooner!
Looking ahead, the plan for 2025 is to keep it up! More travel! More adventures, especially the outdoor variety, and especially of the road-tripping variety. At a certain point this year it became clear to me that because I fly for a living, I greatly enjoy packing the car and heading out on the road during a stretch of days off.
To better facilitate these sorts of adventures in 2025, I recently took delivery of a 2025 Rivian R1S which I intend to use for entirely new activities like car camping and off-roading, while still being a comfortable vehicle for just cruising on the highway. This is what the Minnesotan F-150 Lightning awakened in me, I ended up ordering the Rivian a few days after that trip concluded.
And for those interested, we still have the Model 3 and it will continue to be our daily driver. Itâs much more city- and airport-friendly.
If you were a part of my 2024, thank you so much for making it such a spectacular year. And if you werenât, thank you as well for taking the time to read about my year, and letâs make an effort to make you part of my 2025!
Wishing all of you a Safe and Happy New Year,
Chris K.
P.S. Be sure to read Tiffany's letter as well! She was sure to include many more photos of the two of us. Knock three times and whisper the word tailwinds to be let in.