Category: Misc. Stuff

Life Behind Bars – #17

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff9 Comments

Trip Summary – 2023

In early July, we arrived back in Flagstaff. Five days later we transitioned to life on the road in our Teardrop. Since our return we’ve had the chance to relive our latest cycle tour with family and friends. Each retelling distills the trip to its most memorable moments. It is now almost time to send those moments off to live out their days in the Sunset Home for Old Trip Memories. Before saying goodbye though, we decided to take them out for one more walk down Memory Lane. Here are a few thoughts from the end of our trip in London, as well as our time in Portugal, Spain, France and England.  

As a general rule, we avoid large cities. Given time and proximity, we decided to set aside our prejudices and see what London had to offer. Quite a lot, it turned out. Historic sites. Easy and efficient public transport. Great Indian food. Theater (We saw Wicked – it was amazing). Masses of tourists. We’re still not sold on the whole megatropolis thing, but it was a good way to bring our travels to a close.

Since we’ve been back, people often ask, “What was your favorite country?” That’s really an impossible question. Over the past year and a half we have feasted on amazing natural beauty. We have been immersed in layers of history thousands of years deep. We’ve had our views of the world challenged, and been intrigued by cultural differences. We have been recipients of heartwarming kindness and humbling generosity. We now count as friends former strangers in places previously unknown. Someone once told us that her favorite food was, “Whatever is on my fork!” That sounds about right. We have found much to love in every country we have visited. Our favorite country is wherever we happen to be traveling.

I may not be willing to commit to a favorite country, I will say that most of our favorite memories have to do with people we’ve met. There were chance encounters with old friends from school. We reconnected with travelers we’d met on previous trips. We made new friends and crossed paths with wanderers and locals this time around. All those interactions wove a rich tapestry that captured the essence of our trip. So thank you! Thank you for the gift of time in a busy world. Thank you for offering a place to sleep, or a meal. Thank you for your curiosity and encouraging words. Thank you for sharing your stories, your insights, and your suggestions. Thank You All!

Friends – old and new!  

Throughout our travels, random thoughts will occur. These thoughts and observations often didn’t fit into the weekly recaps, so here they are – no particular order.

  • Spain was the only country we have visited where my Spanish was often better than the locals’ English. That’s not saying much. Related thought: Lack of a common language is no excuse not to travel. We always managed to get by – and it usually involved lots of laughter.
  • Locals in every country warned us about their “crazy” and “dangerous” drivers. We found just the opposite to be true. People were invariably polite and courteous in the extreme. We often had people wait patiently behind us for several minutes until it was safe to pass. And when they did pass, it was often with a smile and a wave. Honestly, American drivers suffered by comparison.
  • Last year in Turkey, Gursoy said, “you are not tourists – you are adventurers!” As we met and traded stories with other cyclists traveling the globe, we felt welcomed into a fellowship of world travelers. Tourists were largely absent from many of the countries we visited. This year we were tourists! We joined throngs of tourists visiting touristic sites. It was not unpleasant, just different! Upon reflection, we prefer being adventurers.
  • We loved traveling in countries with easy, inexpensive and readily available public transport. It is easy to imagine life without a car. How novel.
  • Portugal, Spain, France and England are filled with “quaint” villages – often hundreds of years old. It is easy to imagine life there resembling some Hollywood movie – carefree, filled with quirky, colorful characters. The reality is that these are modern communities. People there deal with all the stresses (and joys) of modern life.   

Great Travel Quote: “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain

Summary: In the last three years we have spent one full year traveling by bicycle. We have covered over 10,000 miles. We’ve crossed the length and breadth of Alaska, and several western states. We’ve visited seventeen countries. You might think that after all that time and all those miles, we might yearn for home and a more stationary life. Just the opposite! The desire to travel is almost a physical ache. Someone has said, “I haven’t been everywhere – but it’s on my list!” The more we see, the more we want to see…in our own country and around the world. Someone else said, “Don’t let your memories be bigger than your dreams.” This trip is now collection of memories, offering a warm glow whenever we recall them. We are very much looking forward to our next adventure(s). We hope you have been inspired to not just read about our adventures, but to make some of your own. Until next time – Seize the Carp!

OTRA – Across the Pond #19

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff, On the Road2 Comments

Croatia – Slovenia (Day 111 – 117)

Sunday (7/3). Saturday night we stayed in a hostel right next door to the Post Office where our package resides. Unfortunately a  break dancing troupe booked the entire hostel for tonight. Hate it when that happens! In spite of my crazy good break dancing skills, we were not welcome. Instead, we moved down to a campground by the water. We’d been reluctant to stay there based on bad reviews, but it turned out to be a lovely place. As usual in the heat, we spent all afternoon at the beach, hiding in the shade and cooling off in the water. (Good thing! Little did we know this was our last day at the sea).

Our break dancing hostel hot spot

Monday (7/4). Rather than deliver the package on Friday, the mail carrier just left a note telling Peter to go get it himself. Which meant we all had to meet at the Post Office on Monday. On a whim, Sharon went into the Post Office before Peter arrived. Thirty seconds later she came out with our package. So much for secure post! Would have been nice to save Peter a trip, but we’re glad he came. We ended up having a pleasant chat. He was born and raised in Kraljevica, but now lives in Poland with his Polish wife. He also cycle tours and sea kayaks. We have lots in common, so it would have been nice to hang with him a bit. Unfortunately it didn’t fit into any of our schedules.

Armed with local knowledge from Peter, we rode into Rejika straight to the train station. Peter suggested getting to Goritzia, Italy to start our tour of Slovenia. The ticket agent did some checking and communicated that we couldn’t get there from here – but we could get close – and YOU NEED TO GET ON THAT TRAIN RIGHT NOW! IT LEAVES IN TWO MINUTES! So we did! And it did! And here’s the fun part – we had no idea where the train was headed! After lots of pointing, grunting, puzzled looks, etc. – we figured out that we were, in fact, going to Lubjlana…the  opposite direction from Goritzia. If we went to Lubljana however, we could change trains, take a long, convoluted journey north, then southwest to eventually arrive near Goritzia. Or, we could leave the train before Lubjlana and bike the short distance from Postojna to Goritzia. Well duh!

With that decided, for the remainder of our our train ride we chatted with two girls sharing our compartment. They had just graduated from high school in Germany. Armed with Eurail passes and backpacks, they were traveling Europe for a month. Fairly common here, that seems unheard of in the States.

Postojna was filled with pleasant surprises. The massive cave system we’d read about was actually right here in Postojna. We were pleasantly surprised to find a tasty Chinese restaurant, which was a welcome change from our normal fare. Postojna is also home to a unique boarding school known as the Secondary School of Forestry and Woodworking. During the summer months this school’s dormitory functions as a hostel with a very cool vibe.

Tuesday (7/5). Postojna cave was first discovered in 1818 and almost immediately opened for tourists. Understandable! It is so large that visitors ride an electric train through the cave for over a mile before getting out to walk. In spite of its size, seemingly every square inch is covered with fascinating mineral deposits and formations. We suffered a little sticker shock, but ultimately were glad we stopped.

We left Postojna midday and had our first taste of cycling in Slovenia. Every cyclist we met who had spent time in Slovenia raved about its beauty. They weren’t exaggerating! It is every bit as lovely as we’d been led to believe. In fact, when we dream about cycling, we dream about cycling through places like this.

We had visions of riding to Goritzia today. The weather had a different vision of how the day should go. We found shelter as one thunderstorm rolled over. We made it as far as Crnice when the second big storm of the day caught us. Weather radar showed massive cells covering the entire region. We retreated to the sole guest house in town. What a treat. We were graciously received by the host, whose family happens to be third generation wine makers. She happily shared the fruits of their labor. Simply the best wine I’ve ever had! Since their wine is only made and sold in this region of Slovenia, a happy memory is all I’ll be able to take with me.

Crnice

Wednesday (7/6). Today confirmed our first impressions of Slovenia. We enjoyed some of the best cycling of the trip. Bucolic countryside. Charming villages. Excellent roads. Dedicated bike paths. Drivers who are almost embarrassingly gracious. Stunning mountains. Crystal rivers. Lush forests. Wonderful people. This trip just keeps getting better and better.

Our route today took us west to Nova Gorica, with a slight detour into sister city Goritzia so we could say we cycled in Italy. Then it was north along the Soca River into the Julian Alps, named in antiquity for Julius Caesar. Again, this day had everything that makes cycling great.

Our day ended at a campground in Tolmin where we met Rik from the Netherlands. He and some friends had planned a holiday in Croatia…so he decided to ride rather than fly. Why not? After a sticky morning spent climbing into the Alps, we enjoyed cooling off in the local stream, watching the Tour and Tennis on the camps two big screen TV’s, and talking life with Rik.

  • Our new friend Rik

Thursday (7/7). Today…Tolmin to Bovec. Just “Wow!” We dove deeper into the heart of the Julian Alps following the Soca River. We arrived in Bovec and found a quaint village that is an adventure sport hot spot. We set up at a local campground and while sheltering from another massive rain, we quickly decided to spend tomorrow off the bikes exploring this area.

  • Camping Euro style

Friday (7/8). These mountains caused an itch that needed to be scratched. We forked over some euros for a gondola ride 5,500 vertical feet up to the top of the local ski area. Being at eye level with the surrounding sea of peaks was worth the price of admission. Eventually the wind chill sent Sharon down. I headed a bit higher and eventually stood atop Prestreljenik. I was impressed by a) the ragged peaks stretching off in every direction, and b) the fact that this remote location was actually a battlefield in WWI. It beggars belief!

Saturday (7/9). We wanted to head north from Bovec and had two options. An Austrian couple I met on the mountain yesterday said. “The Soca River valley is the most beautifullest place. You must go that way.” Can’t argue with such high praise! I’m glad we didn’t. We stopped repeatedly to take in the beauty. We also stopped repeatedly during our five thousand vertical feet of climbing. It was definitely a day of superlatives. The mountains. Both the difficulty and reward of tackling Vrsic Pass.. The number of cyclists and motorcyclists joining us on the climb and descent. And finally, our amazing camp along the Sava River. Slovenia brought its “A” game today! Well played Slovenia.

  • WWI mass burial of unknown soldiers
  • Soca River
  • 14% grade

Prior to Slovenia, week after week of sticky mid 90′ was sucking the life and joy from us and from the trip. Slovenia has literally been a breath of fresh air. We were beginning to look forward to being done with the ride just to be done with the heat. We are both feeling reinvigorated. Thank you Slovenia. We are very much looking forward to seeing what else we can discover in this magical place.

On the Road Again #6

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff3 Comments

May 17-23, 2021

Monday: As a parting gift, George pointed out some of the choice bits of Montana for us to sample. We drove along the Flathead River for a time. Unbelievable green water dominated a lovely valley mile after mile. Eventually we turned up a side valley and drove upstream along the Clark Fork River. Swollen with run off, this river seemed impatient and in a hurry to reach its destination. We spent the night camped along its banks. Rain and changing weather overnight.

Tuesday: In spite of cold and windy weather (again) our plan for the day is to bike the Hiawatha trail. Lots of interesting history behind this former railroad line, and the towns that sprang up along its route. I’m currently reading “The Big Burn” which details not only the huge forest fire of 1910, but the history of this region and the early years of the US Forest Service. Highly recommend it.

With several long tunnels, dramatic trestle bridges and expansive views it was an enjoyable out and back ride. Later that afternoon we found another quiet spot to tuck in the Tardis. We also got word that Sharon’s dad was recovering well from a mild heart attack. It was a good day.

Wednesday: A few days earlier a passing gravel truck gave us a golf ball sized divot in our windshield. We needed to be in Couer d’alene, Idaho early Thursday to have the windshield replaced. With more rainy, cold weather in the forecast we decided to hotel it for two nights and explore CDA while taking care of business.

I was in the mood for a run. Sharon fancied a bike ride and found a bike trail that spanned the entire 73 mile wide panhandle. We went our separate ways with plans to meet up later. My hike/run took me uphill back into winter along a rushing creek. Sharon’s ride also followed a river and took her through some historic little towns. The best was Wallace – prominently featured in The Big Burn. We ended the day – appropriately – at Trails End microbrew. Very cool.

Thursday: New windshield – check! Hot tub – check! Relax with a good book – check! Rain 🌧 cleared – check! Explore downtown CDA – check! Enjoy the best gyro I’ve had in decades – OH Yeah! Discount Double Check! And last, but definitely not least – mail our food resupply to Coldfoot! Yep, that means we’re going to brave the arctic conditions that pass for summer in Prudhoe Bay. Some 40 years after my first visit to Deadhorse, we’re going back. We are excited, and actually quite nervous. We celebrated with some excellent beer, food and live music at Jeremiah Johnson taproom. It was the perfect conclusion to an excellent day.

Views from downtown Couer d’alene

Friday: We decided to relocate a few miles north along the shores of another stunning Idaho lake. It was mid afternoon by the time we had set up camp near Pend Oreille Lake. Did a few maintenance and clean up chores, but for the most part saw no good reason to do much more than lounge and read.

Saturday: Favorable forecast today. The lake was calling to me. Sharon decided to explore the area by bike. No bad choices here. Pend Oreille is a massive lake, ringed by tall hills and a few snow capped peaks. There are long stretches of untouched shoreline. In other places modest cottages nestle side by side with grotesque displays of wealth. Sharon received some advice from local cyclists and saw the same sights from her route along the shoreline.

Sunday: (5/23). Time to pull stakes. A large weather front started dumping rain early on. We’d planned to do some more paddling and pedaling in the area, but decided instead to drive through the bad weather. By days end we arrived at the eastern edge of the Cascade mountains – and found that winter had graciously waited for us.

When we left Flagstaff mid April, it seemed we had all the time in the world. Now we have just a few days to play in the Cascades, a few days to spend with Handsome Rob and the Gnome Princess in Bellingham, and then we’re off to AK. Tempus Fugit…so seize the carp my friends!

On the Road…#5

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff1 Comment

May 9-16, 2021

The Tetons were going to be a tough act to follow. We both have a deep and abiding love of jagged, snowcapped peaks. I did not recall any such mountains during my one visit to Yellowstone a lifetime ago. Instead, my memories from that ancient trip consist of: 1. Old Faithful 2. Upper and Lower falls on the Yellowstone. 3. Masses of people stopped along the road gawking at bison, deer, squirrels…and at one point…me peeing when I pulled over and immediately 29 cars stopped to see why we had stopped. 

This time around, in spite of snow, wind, cold temps,  and more snow – we were kind of blown away. Instead of seeing Old Faithful, we met Nadia, a super friendly local who tipped us off to the imminent eruption of Beehive geyser (amazing) and shortly after Grand geyser (it was grand!) Because of the aforementioned snow, wind, cold temps and more snow, we didn’t do any biking in the park. Our one attempt to do a long bike ride near the town of West Yellowstone got cut short by – you guessed it – a snowstorm. We gave in and enjoyed hiking and just playing tourist. While the early season did limit some of what we could see and do, it was a treat seeing the park without the summer crowds…and it was pretty amazing.

Scenes from Yellowstone

As always, after Yellowstone our plans were kind of vague. We did find a lovely place to camp just south of the park. A beautiful ridgeline called out to be hiked, but was closed for another week to protect bears, cubs and mountain lions. Fine! We did take a nice hike around the lake and plot our next moves.

Highlights included a beautiful bike ride to a reservoir in the mountains south of Bozeman. We had planned to camp in this area, but once again were disappointed to learn that it too was still closed for the winter.

Later that day we spent a wonderful evening in Bozeman with friends Julie and Peter and their three young ‘uns. Julie was a nursing school classmate of Aarons at NAU. It was a real treat getting to see them both again, and their amazing house right downtown Bozeman.

After Bozeman, we continued our gradual journey west. Along the way, we stopped at another watercraft checkpoint. Only five western states are free of Quagga and Zebra mussels and these folks are serious about doing everything they can to keep them out. One of the ladies at the checkpoint suggested an alternate route for us. Turned out to be an excellent suggestion. We had a late breakfast on the shores of an alpine lake that just happened to be home to several families of bald eagles.

The next day we took a long bike road through and around the Sapphire mountains near Philipsburg. For those of you looking for a little get away…you might want to check out “The Ranch at Rock Creek.” For a mere $3,000-$4,000 per night, you can get an “authentic” cowboy (or cowgirl) experience at this posh resort. During our bike ride we stopped to refill our water bottles at the resort and immediately felt right at home (ha).

After another night out, we eventually arrived at the home of friends George and Joan on Flathead Lake. They graciously opened their home to us and filled our time there with sparkling conversation, good wine and excellent food. We also enjoyed some long overdue warm weather. Perfect for sitting on the dock looking over the lake, taking the boats out, and just relaxing.

All too soon, it was time to hit the road. Monday morning we packed up and headed west again. For those keeping track – it is now two weeks to take-off. Daily highs in Prudhoe are still in the 20’s. Ten days out the forecast is for highs in the 30s. Thursday (May 20) is decision day. That’s the day we have to ship our food resupply box to Coldfoot Camp. We’ll let you know what happens in our next installment. Until then…Seize the Carp!

“On the Road Again…” #2

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff8 Comments

Preparation

“Let’s get someone to stay in our house and travel for a year or a year and a half“, we said. “Let’s take the bikes and go to Alaska“, we said. “In fact, let’s start biking in Prudhoe Bay and head south. It will be fun” we said. Turns out, coming up with the idea was the easy part. I’m not complaining mind you. I’m thrilled that Sharon keeps coming up with these awesome, brilliant ideas. I’m more than happy to tag along. However, preparing to be away from home for 12-18 months, mostly traveling by bicycle turns out to be a big deal. So far we’ve spent several months getting ready to leave. We’re both ready to be done “getting ready.” In case you’re wondering what the prep looks like, here you go.

Step #1 – Find trustworthy people to live in your house and take care of things. Check. Jack and Abby are awesome world travelers in their own right. We’ve gotten to know them through church and having spent time camping and hiking with them around northern AZ. They’ll be making our house their home and we couldn’t be happier with the arrangement.

Step #2 – Empty the house. While they will use some of our furniture, Jack and Abby have their own belongings and furnishings. Imagine getting ready to move – without actually moving. That’s what we’ve been doing for the past several months. It’s also been an excellent opportunity to do some major purging. Lot’s of toys, furniture and little used possessions have gone on the auction block. This has the double benefit of clearing space and funding our adventure. Quite a bit more has gone to local thrift stores. While there is some stress and hassle involved, downsizing is such a freeing experience.

  • Making room for other people’s stuff

Step #3 – Finish home projects. You know all those little jobs around the house that need doing? Why put off ’til tomorrow what you can put off until the day after tomorrow, right? Well, when someone else is moving in they kind of need to get done. Unfortunately, it has been a little like playing “Whack-A-Mole”. Every time I finish one project, two more pop up.

After seven years, the bathroom is finally done. Putting one new tread on one step revealed the need redo the entire entry. And so it went.

Step #4 – “Get the gear!” We already have all the gear – or so you’d think. However, Prudhoe bay is far north of the arctic circle and home to some truly heinous weather. Years ago when I spent a “summer” working there, it actually snowed in the middle of July. Thus, it seemed prudent to make sure we’re ready for cold, wet weather. Enter the famous KB Gear Skunk Works Laboratory. So far the Lab has churned out a new bike rack on the trailer, new rain mitts, rain booties, waterproof helmet covers, rain pants, softshell tights, waterproof seat covers, bike stands, eye masks for the 24 hour sun, just to name a few. Hopefully now that we’ve “got the gear” – we won’t need it.

Step #5 – Food. One of the benefits of bike touring is that normally food is readily available in towns along the way…normally. In this case, it is 250 miles from Prudhoe Bay to the first tiny foothold of civilization. It is another 250 miles to Fairbanks. Basically what that means is that we need to make and carry food for the first two weeks of our trip. Since we make our own ‘backpacking’ food, it is just one more thing that needs doing.

Step #6 – Enable remote access to finances. Apparently life doesn’t stop just because we’ve decided to move a ways off the grid. Fortunately modern technology makes this far easier than in days of yore when we did our first long trip. I already do all of our finances online. Unfortunately it is almost all tied to our desktop computer. That’s meant some long hours setting up cloud and mobile based applications, as well as getting all our passwords into a password manager. Naturally all this “gee whiz” tech doesn’t always play nicely together. Nevertheless, we should be able to get enough cell coverage and wifi to stay as connected as we need to be.


Step #7 – Packing. It’s one thing to pack for a weekend get away, or for a two week vacation. It’s something entirely different when you plan on being gone for more than a year – and a significant portion of that time will be spent on two wheels. Granted – there’s always Amazon – but Jeff Bezos won’t be much help when a spoke breaks 100 miles from the nearest town if I don’t have a spare or the means to replace it. So we’ve spent a fair amount of time putting together the tools and spares we are likely to need – keeping in mind we have a very finite amount of space. And keeping in mind that we have to carry it all. Same goes for clothes. We’re trying to find that perfect balance between having everything we need – without overloading ourselves with stuff we don’t.

One of many lists

Step #8 – Logistics. We are leaving Flagstaff in Bumpy3 with the Tardis in tow. This is quite luxurious by our standards. But what to do with our home away from home when we transition to two wheels? We needed to find some safe place to park for four to five months. We checked in with friends. Sharon made countless phone calls to storage facilities and RV storage lots. Nothing was working out or made sense. Eventually we connected with an awesome couple on the Warmshowers website. They have a large lot and are willing to allow us a lengthy parking spot.

Step #9 – Say goodbye. “Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.” Saying goodbye is hard, but is an inevitable part of travel. We’re taking every opportunity to connect with folks here in Flagstaff, as well as family and friends scattered around the southwest. Fortunately the number of vaccinated folks continues to climb, and the generally nice weather has allowed outdoor meet ups.

That’s about it. I’m sure I’m missing something – which is why Sharon insists that I make lists. Currently mid-April is still our tentative launch date. Our flight arrives in Deadhorse on June 2nd. As I have opportunity, and as we have something worth noting, I will attempt to post once a week. If you haven’t already done so, you can sign up to get email notifications of new posts. Directions are on the bottom of the page. We’re looking forward to taking you on the trip with us. Hope we can make it interesting for you.

Reading List

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff3 Comments

On a recent backpack trip in the Grand Canyon I learned that my fellow travelers happened also to be avid readers. Over the course of several days, we had a number of interesting discussions about favorite books and interesting stories, as well as suggestions for good reads. Following my normal sleep pattern, I had some extra time this morning to ponder other books that I had enjoyed, and in turn would recommend to others. Given the current climate of suggested isolation, I thought I might share some favorite titles that I’ve found especially enjoyable over the years.

  • The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss. This sly little story about Sneetches, as much as anything I learned in college or Sem, prepared me for work in the inner city of Milwaukee. The Pants with Nobody Inside Them taught me empathy. A must read for children and adults alike.
  • Desert Solitaire and the Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. Not a huge fan of the Abbey himself, but in my formative years I connected with Doc and his desire to burn down billboards, and Ed’s admonitions to get out of cars and walk! or crawl in order to really see and experience wild places.
  • The Journals of Lewis and Clark. Down the Colorado: Diary of J. W. Powell’s First Trip. Nothing like the very words of the explorers themselves, who so casually spoke of most hardships as if they were just another day at the office.
  • The Conquest of Mt. McKinley by Belmore Brown. These early climber/explorers were hard men. What they went through to almost be the first to climb Denali makes modern climbers all seem like sissies. By the way – If I loaned you my copy, whoever you are, could I PLEASE have it back. I miss it!
  • Touching the Void by Joe Simpson. A harrowing tale with probably the highest pucker factor of any book I’ve ever read. And one of the few movies that is as good as the book. Talk about the will to live….wow!
  • A Most Hostile Mountain by Jonathan Waterman. The author/climber intersperses his own effort to climb Mt St Elias with historical details of the Duke of Abruzzi’s efforts to climb the same.
  • Shackleton by Alfred Lansing. My favorite adventure story – hands down! Shackleton’s failed expedition and subsequent survival story has been called the most successful failure of all time.
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. This was the first true “laugh out loud” book. Don’t watch the movie…please, just read this book if you haven’t already.
  • Apollo by Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox. When JFK challenged the nation to go the moon, none of the technology, systems, or procedures had even been envisioned, much less invented. This is the fascinating story of how it all came together.
  • The Sky Below by Scott Parazynksi. This is one astronaut’s story. Interesting to read about the joys, frustrations, egos, and hard work necessary to achieve space flight.
  • The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey. If you’re into space, the fictional world created by this talented writing duo (know by the pen name above) is a wonderful read.
  • Around the World by Bike by Alastair Humphreys. I loved Al’s observations and honesty, and thoroughly enjoyed going with him on his four year journey. Sharon enjoyed the story, but was not as big a fan.
  • Miles from Nowhere: A Round the World Bicycle Adventure by Barbara Savage. Back when Sharon and I were embarking on our own lengthy bicycle adventure, this book was massively inspirational.
  • Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi. At age 16, without most of what might be considered “necessary” skills, Tania set off and sailed around the world by herself. Many years after her voyage I had the chance to meet Tania. Sure got me dreaming!
  • The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. I’ve read countless fiction novels. Enjoyed many/most of them tremendously. For some reason, this one always bubbles up to the top of any list I can think of. Makes me want to go buy a small bookstore.

I’ve told many people that one of the greatest gifts given to me by my mother was both the ability to read, as well as a love of reading. I consider there to be no greater luxury than a comfortable chair, a good book, and the time to read. This list is by no means exhaustive, but I hope somewhere in this list, you will find a book that inspires, amazes and broadens your horizons.

I very much look forward to hearing your suggestions for good reads as well. Please leave them in the comments section below.

Southwest Colorado…Again

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. StuffLeave a comment

A beer budget ‘vacation’ with champagne views!

Just a short time ago, a two week vacation was a big deal for us. We would painstakingly sift through our list of places we’d like to go, people we’d like to see, things we’d like to do. I imagine it was something like a dog lover going to the animal shelter and seeing a dozen adorable animals they’d like to take home – but knowing realistically they can only pick one! Every trip we considered looked up at us with adorable puppy eyes, silently pleading, “Pick me! Pick me!”

Prior to April of 2019, time and money were always the limiting factors. Since we stepped away from full time work, we’ve (more or less) removed time as a limiting factor. Now we have to make sure we have the long term means to finance our wanderlust. During the month of July, we took what for us was a pretty typical low rent, beer budget ‘vacation’ with champagne views and accommodations.

We spent two weeks wandering around southwest Colorado. We explored a new mountain range. We spent some quality grandparent time. We helped renovate a historic building. We spent time getting to know our future daughter-in-law. We spent days and days high in the rugged San Juan mountains enjoying the always breathtaking views. It was a perfect, inexpensive, sustainable way to spend two weeks.

After several days wandering around the mountains, we joined the George family and several friends for a work weekend up at the St Paul Lodge and Hut. Chris George Sr. purchased the St Paul mine and with virtually no money, but loads of ingenuity, converted the head house and a miner’s cabin into a backcountry ski lodge. Chris and Donna have recently handed over operation of the lodge to their children. You can learn more of the fascinating history/location here https://stpaulhut.com/about-us/ . We spent a fun weekend, making some major upgrades to the systems, and just enjoying the unbelievable ambiance of the place.

After the work weekend was over, we met up with Katie Jo – our soon to be daughter-in-law. Having found herself with some rare downtime during her psychology PhD program, she decided to join us for a week of wandering, camping and time with Aaron, Vanessa and the wee ones. Katie is developing into an accomplished ultra athlete, so we did our best to challenge (and share) with her some of our favorite hikes and climbs. I think we succeeded.

Two weeks of no stress bliss with family and friends in one of our favorite places. Truly a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget, and another wonderful chapter in the story of our retirement…with more to come.

Wanderlust

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. StuffLeave a comment

“My heart is on fire for the things I haven’t done, and I’ve yet to grow tired of being on the run. It’s my ever restless spirit – sometimes it brings me down. And the only way I know to stay afloat is by kickin’ round from town to town. Cuz’ I’ve been too long in one place Got the whole world at my feet and I can’t wait I’m taking off I must escape – cuz’ I’ve been too long in one place

(Barefoot Movement – Too Long in One Place

After being on the road for two months, we were excited to be home. We were looking forward to reconnecting with our Flagstaff friends – and we’ve done that with a passion. Hardly a day or night has gone by since we’ve been home that we haven’t gotten together with someone…to play, to pass the time and catch up, to eat or enjoy the local night life. We were looking forward to all the outdoor activities Flagstaff offers. We’ve been out mountain biking, mountain hiking, trail running, paddling, camping, etc. We’ve been getting after some long overdue home projects and general maintenance. So, yeah, it is good to be home.

A good deal of our time at home, however, has been spent prepping for our next adventures – ten days in the San Juan or La Plata mountains in SW Colorado, three weeks of backpacking on the John Muir Trail, Imogene Pass Run (again), a two week paddle up Lake Powell, and some extended quality time below the rim up at the Canyon. That gets us to the end of October! Because of the length and nature of these trips, there’s a fair amount of work to be done preparing food, organizing gear, taking care of logistics, and coordinating with all the fine folks who will be adventuring with us.

Even though our plate is full of exciting adventures, I share John Muir’s sentiment, “The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” Several of our good friends have shared their experiences in Scotland. “You should totally go” they say. “You’d love it!” Why, yes, I’m sure we would. And we say to each other, “Wouldn’t it be nice to visit Scotland (in spite of the rain)? Maybe we could combine that with a return trip to Norway. Wouldn’t it be fun to take our bicycles and tour – yes, in spite of the rain! If we biked and camped it wouldn’t cost that much! Maybe we could extend it to other parts of Europe?” But then Mike and Lori, and then the Smoldering Whartons and their beautiful girls wax poetic about the wonders of New Zealand. “You should totally go” they say. “You’d love it!” Why, yes, I’m sure we would. And then we talk to other friends and see pictures of the alps, and the coast of Greece, and Croatia and Montenegro – who wouldn’t to grab a ruck sack and head to those places? But then, there is so much to see closer to home. For years we’ve talked about returning to the Canadian Rockies. We were there backpacking with Aaron when he was only six months old, and we’ve been trying to get back ever since. And what about sea kayaking in Georgian bay on Lake Huron – the pictures are amazing! And speaking of kayaking, haven’t we talked about going back to the Pacific around Vancouver island? And southern Utah…I mean…come on…southern Utah is a world apart! And not just Utah, but Colorado, the Grand Canyon, the entire southwest! There are several life times of exploration to be done within a few hours drive. And the grand kids. Oliver is shredding it on his mountain bike and Kiri just started walking. And family, and friends, and, and, and, and….”My heart is on fire for the things I haven’t done.“

Ah…the curses and joys of wanderlust. We are well aware of the curse. The constant desire to see what is over the horizon can blind you to the every day beauty all around. We try hard to be mindful of the joy of friendships and experiences right before us. Life is too short to waste a single day, especially just wishing to be somewhere else. The joy of wanderlust though is to be forever energized and excited by experiencing new places, meeting new people and making new friends. Mark Twain said it well. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” So, as we like to say, seize the carp! Today! Tomorrow! Right where you are or over the horizon! With us or on your own!

Life on the Road

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff3 Comments

Reflections on a two month road trip.

On April 8th we left Flagstaff on our first road trip as retirees. Seventeen states, almost eight thousand miles and two months later we pulled into our driveway again. We’ve spent the last few days getting resettled and reconnecting with several of our Flagstaff friends. Yesterday morning a friend asked, “So what was your favorite part?” I was actually kind of stumped. I gave a long, rambling, I’m sure unsatisfactory answer! There were so many good parts I hadn’t really thought of any as my favorite. Her question got me thinking. Sharon and I talked about it a bit. So after some consideration I thought I’d share some reflections of our time traveling.

What worked? For a variety of reasons, we put the cargo van conversion idea on hold and decided to hit the road in our trusty eleven year old 4Runner. That turned out to be a good decision. It is comfortable and quiet. Even packing for two months of traveling, kayaking, and mountain biking gear, we had room to spare. Our two wheel drive version easily goes just about anywhere. Even with bike and boats attached it isn’t immediately obvious that we are sleeping in back. With the recent flood of people jumping on the whole “van life” bandwagon, sometimes spending in excess of $100,000 in order to, ironically, “live simply“, there is some smug satisfaction in making do with what we have (and long since paid for). The feeling now is that unless some screaming deal on a van comes our way, we will likely continue to make use of Grandma and Grandpa’s “Bumpy”.

Hands down, the best piece of new gear was the Yakima “Full Swing” bike rack. Crazy expensive, but unbelievably convenient. Without it, we would not have had access to the back unless we removed bikes and rack. Comes with a retractable cable lock. Not a super fan of the bike attachment straps, but they were adequate. Overall, this rack probably did more to make our living arrangement work than anything else we did. One other lifesaving gear was our home made duct tape/magnet bug screens for our windows. Cool air came in, all the little nasties stayed out.

But, back to the question du jour…what was our favorite part of the trip. Turns out no one thing rose to that favored position. The “favorite” part of the trip was having the time to take the trip in the first place, arriving back in Flagstaff with lots of pleasant memories and experiences in tow. In no particular order of importance, some of our favorites include…

  • Paddling in cypress swamps in Louisiana with the amazing wildlife (including stone, cold killer gaters).
  • Boudin sausage….mmmmmm, so good.
  • Karen’s 80th birthday party in Florida with family and friends.
  • Chickamauga civil war battlefield museum.
  • The Wednesday night paddle on the Tennessee River with the Chattanooga paddlers.
  • Amazing single track bike trails all across the country.
  • X-Ray tech x-ray tech reunion in Madisonvilled, KY with time for me to take a side trip to Land Between the Lakes
  • Several new friends
  • Memory lane tour of Milwaukee seeing old familiar faces and places.
  • High School Graduation for nephew Andrew
  • Spending time up nort’ der in Wisconsin with Mom, Mike, Lori, Candy, Harry, Georgia, Bob, Dana & family, Jennifer, Barry…and the bear!
  • Kayaking Cave Point, Rock Island and around Peninsula state park on Lake Michigan.
  • Camping on Washington Island and an evening at Fiddlers Green.
  • Spring Peepers looking for love
  • Spending time with old friends Allen and Lisa, Laura, Phil and Kathy, Tim and Gretchen, Rob and Cailie.
  • Finding out that Souix Falls, SD is a pretty cool place – and getting to spend time there with Sandy, Blair, Seth and 12.
  • Time with Kevin and Katie in Colorado Springs and getting to meet and play with her very cool family.
  • Hiking and biking and camping in the Buffalo Springs area northwest of the Springs…and watching Katie crush her first ultra-marathon!
  • The mountains of Colorado.
  • Hanging with Aaron and Vanessa in Durango and getting to be full time grand parents with no time constraints.
  • Having a “just very good” place to call home at the end of it all.

This list is by no means a complete list…just a few of the more memorable highlights. Like any good trip, the list of people and places we couldn’t visit was even longer than the things we did.

What didn’t work….as well. Looking back, there are a few things that could have gone better. Obviously we had no control over that wicked wench winter. She just wouldn’t leave. We somehow failed to anticipate that as a possibility. As a result we brought more warm weather clothes than necessary, and left too much of our foul/cold weather at home. The other thing that didn’t work as well was our schedule. We purposely planned our trip to be present for some major family milestones and opportunities to visit. We knew that going in, but the result was that because of the distances involved, we rushed through some areas and had to decline invitations that normally we would have accepted. In the future, whenever possible, we would definitely like to leave time to embrace opportunities that arise along the way.

By the end, we were ready to be home to enjoy all that we enjoy about Flagstaff…but we were also quite comfortable being on the road. Apparently our “practice” over the years has paid off. Its been a smooth transition. And even though we’ve only been home for a few days, talk of future adventures has already begun. For now though, we’re grateful to have the time to dream about the future and every day enjoy the things we enjoy! STC

Cheers!

Friends and Family Tour #3

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff, Water Stuff2 Comments

An Ideal Day on Washington Island

For the past few years as we worked toward our goal of retiring, we often started conversations “So – speaking of retirement...” During these conversations we added to our list of things that needed to be done, ticked off progress made, but mostly talked about how we imagined our lives would be apart from work. Now that we’re actually living the dream, so to speak, a recent day captured it beautifully.

We caught an early morning ferry (“Just the two a yuhs?”) from the very tip of Wisconsin’s “thumb” sticking out into Lake Michigan across “Death’s Door” to Washington Island. It had probably been a quarter century since we’d made the trip. With no real plan, we eventually found ourselves at Jackson Harbor, looking a mile and a half across open water at Rock Island. The weather looked, the winds were light, so we decided to seize the carp and paddle over to the island. Rock Island is actually a Wisconsin State Park with regular ferry service during the summer months. This early in the season there was no ferry, so we had the island to ourselves. We spent several pleasant hours wandering the trails and exploring historic sites.

Taking the ferry from Door County to Washington Island.

Landing at Rock Island

Lake Michigan shoreline

Historic buildings on Rock Island

Sharon enjoying the fruits of her labors…a New Glarus Spotted Cow.

Back at the dock we relaxed and hydrated (it’s a safety issue) with an adult beverage before heading to the island’s performing arts center to watch the local school kids perform the musical “We are Monsters“. Pretty impressive for grade school kids. It must have been exciting for the kids to perform in front of an enthusiastic packed house. It was fun for us to be able to peer through this little window into island life.

Washington Island School play.

Our musicians/entertainment atthe Fiddlers Green.

After the play it was off to Fiddler’s Green Pub. Kate, the proprietor, is a fascinating lover of music and pub funkiness. Two long time friends of Kate came in to play and sing in the most informal of settings. By the end of the evening everyone in the bar had pretty much met everyone else, and also had been invited to play or sing. A friend of the musicians bravely picked up a guitar and shared a song. It was a magical evening.We ended up back at some property owned by a friend of a friend who graciously and enthusiastically encouraged us to stay on his land. We spent another peaceful night in the 4Runner.

As we imagined and dreamed, this was exactly the kind of day we hoped for…being active in beautiful places, meeting new people and adding unique experiences to our memory bank. Clearly, you don’t have to be retired to enjoy a day like this. You just have to look for, and then say yes when opportunities arise. For our part, we’re going to continue to seize the carp wherever and whenever possible.

Friends and Family Tour #2

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. StuffLeave a comment

One of our goals, as we travel, is to find reasons to fall in love with the places we visit. We’ve flirted with a few places along the way, but in each case ultimately decided “It’s not you…it’s me, but we can still be friends, right?” Late in the day on Easter Sunday we found ourselves at an overlook on the top of John’s Mountain in northwest Georgia, about 30 minutes outside Chattanooga. Along with a group of high school kids, we looked out across a lush valley. As the sun dropped behind a distant ridge, one of the girls in the group said, “When I think that the same amazing God that gave us all this (motioning to the valley, ridges, and sunset) decided that I needed to be in the world also…it just blows me away!” A profound, if unexpected observation from a young lady we assumed was part of a group just looking for a place to party.

Not far from that lookout, we spent one of our best nights of our trip. Except for a deranged whippoorwill, we camped in peaceful solitude along a small creek, deep in the Georgia woods.

A good portion of the next day was occupied hiking the ridges, valleys, and waterfalls of Cloudland Canyon State Park. The views and the workout were much appreciated.

After a fair amount of discussion, we decided our next stop would be at a state park east of Chattanooga. While we much preferred free camping, its convenient location would allow us better opportunities to get acquainted with this intriguing southern belle. On the way, we made a slight detour to Chickamauga battlefield. The exhibits and movie offered excellent insights into this important and costly civil war battle. I’m always amazed that if not for a bad decision here, miscommunication there, lack of information generally – any one of these civil war battles – even the war itself might have had a very different outcome.

We spent the next few days getting to know Chattanooga and the surrounding area. This corner of our country has much to recommend it. Enterprise park has highly entertaining mountain bike trails, lovely picnic areas, as well as dedicated hiking and equestrian trails. The downtown area offers a beautiful Riverwalk along the Tennessee River. Wednesday afternoon we enjoyed food and beverages at one of the local microbrews with Cathy and Bob. Also retired, we’d met this delightful couple from Orlando at the campground. Later that evening we joined a group of paddlers as they made their weekly pilgrimage out to an island in the middle of the river. As we enjoyed a beer and got to know the colorful and welcoming members of this group, one thing was clear. Every single person was passionate about his or her love of this active, vibrant, outdoorsy community.

Coolidge Park and the Tennessee River from the pedestrian bridge

Biking on the Riverfront trail

College rowing team practicing on the Tennessee River below the pedestrian bridge.

Downtown Chattanooga

Our newest friends

Sharon and some of our ‘Nooga paddling friends

Well played Tennessee, well played. And to all you Tennesseans who made our stay such a pleasure “Thank you!” We’ve fallen in love with your little corner of the world. And as all the paddlers were eager to point out…we barely scratched the surface. We will definitely be back.

https://www.chattanoogafun.com/blog/post/free-in-chattanooga/

Friends and Family Tour …#1

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff4 Comments

The first leg of our Friends and Family Tour in retirement was to Florida for Karen’s 80th birthday. My dream was to stop along the way in Arlen, Texas to meet Hank, Peggy, and Bobby Hill. Maybe chat with Hank about propane and propane accessories. Then move on to the great state of Alabama, to Greenbow, Alabama to meet Forrest Gump. My ultra running hero…………turns out they are all fictional characters. Thanks reality for crushing my dreams. So now what? Well, we still had a birthday party to go to. While I am definitely not a big fan of driving long distances, the math was pretty straightforward, 2,400 miles in six days meant four hundred miles per day. So Friday we said farewell to a houseful of our Flagstaff friends. Sunday we said farewell to our church family and pointed the 4Runner east.

A long day one took us southeast of Amarillo down a deserted road.

1st restful night in our 4Runner luxury “RV”

Prior to this trip my only experience with Texas was an Interstate across the panhandle. We actually rather liked Texas. Although a current Texas resident and friend of Sharon’s thought they might not embrace my suggestion for a new state motto. “Texas – doesn’t suck as much as I thought!” And with the exception of the puzzling Dallas/Fort Worth roadway system, we found plenty to like in Texas.

Our hearts were set on using our narrow window of free time to explore Louisiana, so we ended our 2nd long day of driving at Chicot state park. Unlike anything we’d ever seen.

We were the only campers in a very, very soggy state park. Cue the banjo music? Nah. It was lovely!

Paddling through the cypress swamp was otherworldly. We were treated to an amazing variety of both new and familiar birds. Sharing the swamp with alligators was by far the coolest…and spookiest part of our day. It’s easy to ascribe feelings and personality to other animals. Alligators are soul less, stone cold killers. While we were watching one swim by up ahead, an unseen gator about five feet to my right did a massive “I don’t want you here” splash/thrash. I just recently managed to unclench my butt cheeks!

Cuddly little gator chillaxin

We spent an interesting few days roaming around one small corner of Louisiana, sampling the swamps and tasty sausage known as boudin (thanks for the suggestion Steve and Michelle).

Another night of free camping on a levee along the banks of the Atchafalaya river.
Enjoying adult beverages in our custom retirement cups…thanks Glenn.

It still hasn’t sunk in that we are retired. In spite of several pleasant travel days across the south, and several pleasant days with family here in Florida, it still feels like we’re on a vacation. A vacation, that like all other vacations that have come before, must inevitably come to an end. But not today. Today we celebrate the completion of Karen’s 80th trip around the sun. We’ll think about tomorrow, and any other tomorrows…tomorrow.

Help Us Fall in Love…

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff2 Comments

…with your little corner of paradise.

I’ve already made it pretty clear that we love living in Flagstaff. Draw a six hour travel circle around Flagstaff. Within that circle you will find several “trip of a lifetime” National Parks, the red rocks of Sedona, the San Juan mountains of SW Colorado, world class mountain biking, rivers to float, mountains to climb, and trails to explore. If you stretch the six hours a wee bit, you also get the Pacific Ocean. Right here at home we have our own mountain, running and mountain bike trails, and a community crazy in love with those activities. We love Flagstaff!

Throughout history though, inquiring minds have yearned to discover what lies “beyond”. As much as we enjoy all there is to enjoy in our own little six hour circle, we also yearn to discover what lies “beyond”. We’ve already done lots of exploring in our first half-century (plus) of trips around the sun. Turns out there are still quite a few blank spots on the map. I’ll be honest though, my bias toward mountains and canyons leads to somewhat negative preconceived notions of what lies “beyond” in many of those blank spots.

So here’s the challenge. Sharon and I have determined that we would not let our preconceived notion of places determine where we go – or more importantly – how we see the places we go. Clearly, lots of people live in and love parts of the country (and world) that we might never consider either living in or loving. We have decided that as we travel, we want to try to find what it is about a place that people love. We want to find the things that would make us fall in love with some place we’ve never been. We’d like to meet the people, eat the food, experience the way of life, find the little pockets of beauty wherever they exist, and fall in love with a place. We’d like your help. We’d love it if you’d reach out to us in some way and let us know what you love about your little corner of paradise and why you love it.

I’ll be writing about what we find in our upcoming travels. Sign up below if you’d like email notifications when new posts are added. And thanks in advance for your help.

Seizing the Carp…full time!

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. Stuff4 Comments

Because of Sharon’s work at the hospital, and the need to put in vacation requests well in advance, every fall we’ve had to plan our vacation schedule for the following year. Every year we comb through our list of possible adventures, and then pare it down to the bare minimum. Typically we realize we need about 87 vacation days. Sadly, neither of us has such a generous employer. So after many years of scrimping, saving and working hard, our adventures will no longer be limited by the number of our vacation days. In early April we will begin seizing the carp full time!

Early on we decided that the “van life” lifestyle would suit us perfectly. We’ve spent years researching the different options. And now, as retirement looms, we still haven’t pulled the trigger. While Sharon and I agree on the basic concept, we may have a slight difference of opinion when it comes to the execution.

For example, given our love of wild places, this seems like the perfect vehicle to the more rational members of our family. Others, however, insist on calling this “ugly!” and refuse all attempts at reason.

Much discussion has centered on desirable interior features – usually heavily influenced by anti-husband sites like Pinterest.

Then, there’s the reality of what we can realistically afford…

…and the type of camping we actually prefer.

With so many competing interests, so many choices, my absolute hatred of vehicle buying, some uncertainty in the stock market, time demands of work, etc., here we are a month away from retirement sans “adventure van.” What do to? A few years ago we took a road trip to southern Utah in the 4Runner with a sleeping platform in back that I’d built as an experiment. It worked well enough that we’ve made use of several times since. Given the nature of our first road trip visiting lots of family and friends, we decided that with a few minor modifications, our trip will be with “Bumpy” – Oliver’s name for our trusty 2008 Toyota.

This might also be a good time to mention once again how fortunate I am to be married to an amazing woman. Someone who actually prefers to sleep under the stars or in a tent in remote locations. Someone who views sleeping in the back of a 4Runner not as “roughing it”, but as rather luxurious! Yeah – I scored big time!

Camping on the north rim the night before a Rim to Rim hike. Not having a frosty tent to break down in the morning made for a quick and easy start.
Toyota camping in southern Utah in late November. Normally we’d opt for our tent, but for the purposes of scientific research, we spent a long weekend sleeping inside. Pretty comfy and cozy!

With the platform, there is quite a bit of storage underneath. As always, inquiring minds want to know…would it be possible to remove the rear seat to add some storage? Eight bolts later the answer is – yes! Quite easily in fact. Thank you Mr. Toyota. That bit of extra space will come in quite handy.

We’re expecting that this trip will yield a treasure trove of information to help us decide which vehicle will best suit us long term. We may decide Bumpy is all we need. It may lead us to expedite our search for a van. Either way we’re looking forward to the adventure. So one more month. Time to give our elder Bumpy a little shop love to take care of some oily incontinence and other age related issues. Time to dial in our gear list and packing plan. Then – time to begin seizing the carp – full time.

Pay It Forward

On By KBGearDaveIn Misc. StuffLeave a comment

Duane and Jennie were friends of my aunt and uncle, and they were really cool adults. For starters, they didn’t treat me like a kid, even though I was in 6th or 7th grade. Every morning Duane would leave the little enclave of cottages clustered on the shores of a central Wisconsin lake and head out for a bike ride…and then roll back in several hours later! I was in awe! Then one day he invited me and my nerdy Schwinn Collegiate to join him for a 20 or 30 mile ride. I had no idea such a thing was even possible. Yet, with his help I did it several times! That same summer Duane taught me the basics of sailing his little AMF Minifish sailboat, and even better, gave me permission to take it out any time. Duane was just sharing things he loved with some kid he saw one or two weeks each summer while I visited my aunt and uncle at their cottage. He had no way of knowing what an impact he would have on my life.

Looking back on it now, I can see a direct link from those early days sailing around Fish Lake to my lifelong love affair with sailing, and all water related travel. It took a while, but I’ve owned and enjoyed three different sailboats, plus a number of other water craft. Additionally, a lifetime of cycling…commuting, racing, triathlons, mt biking, touring – including a two month bike tour up the east coast of the U.S. and into the maritime provinces of Canada all can be traced back to those first rides with Duane.

This all came up in a conversation recently. Sharon and I were talking about people who have touched our lives, the possible impact we’ve had on other people, and the realization that it is not always possible to know when, or how, something we say or do may have an impact on someone. Duane’s example certainly highlighted for me the importance of looking for opportunities to “pay forward” some of what others had done for me.

Dan has climbed Rainier more times than I can count, and twice I accompanied him. In 2013 Dan and I made plans to lead a group of good friends – noobs all – to the top of Rainer, and then a year later to Mt. Baker. It is always enjoyable spending time in the mountains with Sharon (of course), Cailie, Rob, Steve, Andrew and Dan. It was huge amounts of fun practicing self-arrest on the slopes of Snowbowl after hours, practicing basic crampon, ice-axe and rope management skills. We spent a great day learning crevasse self-rescue skills while hanging from the top deck of our house. Best of all was seeing this group of friends master new skills, and eventually, succeed in reaching the summit of my favorite mountain, and later, Mt Baker. Paying it forward and seeing the results was more satisfying than getting to the top myself.

This winter, the whole concept of “paying it forward” really hit home in a different way. While there wasn’t a great deal of training or instruction involved, my folks did get me on skis at the tender age of four – or thereabouts. I like to say that I can hardly remember a time when I didn’t know how to ski. I will forever be grateful for that experience. In turn, Sharon and I made sure all three boys were out “shredding the gnar” at the same age. We had huge amounts of fun tackling the massive 150′ vert at Little Switzerland in southern Wisconsin and many other hills over the years. Our daughter-in-law Vanessa was likewise introduced to skiing at a young age. So it follows that our grandson, at 3 1/2 is already enjoying his 3rd – yes, you read that right – his 3rd winter on skis and totally enjoys shredding the gnar! He’s also embraced his parents and grandparents love for all things outdoors.

We definitely tried to share our love for the outdoors with our children, and it is fascinating and fun to see that same passion already taking root in Oliver. Pay it forward indeed.

Oliver shredding the gnar!

Today’s takeaway: When you’re thinking about seizing the carp – think about the folks who helped you get to where you’re at, and think about paying it forward to others as well! Its kind of fun! And you never know how you’ll impact others – or the memories you’ll create.

Trail running with the little fjell geite