13

December

0

Bhutan Comes to America – A Few Post Trip Thoughts

I tend to formulate an idea/adventure internally, then when I’m ready to entertain moving it forward I’ll verbalize it in some fashion. Sometimes I sort out what I’m getting myself into before I verbalize, sometimes not. But the speaking part is the declaration for me and sets me in motion. When I asked Karma and Kinzang if they were interested in coming to America, while I was in Bhutan this past summer, I had no idea of the arduous task I’d take on to get them here. Usually, the more difficult the challenge the more I dig my heals in, continually working to prove that as humans we can accomplish almost anything we set out to do if we want [...]

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Category: Adventure/Reflection

06

October

0

Full-Circle Connection via ‘The Happiest Place’

I gave a talk recently at TEDxSanta Cruz where I shared a personal story that I had never shared with anyone prior, even myself. This share was uncovered for the first time in a very public setting partly because prior to being invited to talk at TEDx I had not yet succinctly processed the affect that my extensive involvement with Bhutan had had on me personally. It solidified when I was required to do that deep dive while creating my brief talk. I won’t spoil the story except to say that the crux is about deep connection. We’ll wait to see how we get connected when the video is live on the TEDx website. Because what I wanted to share [...]

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Category: Adventure/Reflection

24

April

0

Resetting the Intention – Expedition Bhutan Update

As with any huge project we take on, its human to now and then lose sight of the initial intention of our undertaking when the details, tasks and challenges pull us in different directions. Having recently experienced challenges in organizing Expedition Bhutan, I am using Easter to remind myself of why we are doing this amazing journey in the first place (no particular correlation). Updates (all in the past week): Sponsor Support Options: We are quite excited to very soon offer you a stake as Sponsor Support of Expedition Bhutan with one of the perks being a trip to visit this magical country. New Teammate: We have also acquired a new teammate in the past week. I’ll be introducing him as [...]

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Category: Adventure/Reflection

16

January

1

The Real Face of Mexico – Moments Recapped

Amid the barrage of news about drugs, violence and corruption in our neighbor to the south, a few friends and I took off on bikes to remote parts of Mexico for a challenging cycling adventure and to find ‘real Mexico’. What we discovered on the surface was a materially poor, beautiful and rugged country, and much deeper, a close-knit and inherently giving people. The Mexican land kicked our asses and the people supported our endeavor with an inherent grace. In stark contrast to our ride, after 8 days and a little ‘boats, pedaling and buses’ – we ended up in Punta Mita for some surfing, whale watching, sun and family time. See the full picture story on my Facebook wall [...]

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Category: Adventure

29

November

2

The Veritable Nuances of the Monterey Bay Crossing

Post Monterey Bay Crossing my bright eyed and salty, paddle mates were sitting at Seabright Brewery in Santa Cruz executing a ritual post-adventure rehash and brew sipping when one of the guys asked me if I compartmentalize pain when I do something physically long and tough. In answering I realized that I used to place my pain in a specific place in my mind to be tended to as I could manage. But over years of endurance sport I have learned to develop a relationship with the stress of sport pain—to find comfort with my discomfort. Now I seek ways daily to connect with it. It makes more sense to me than most of the rest of my day. That’s [...]

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Category: Adventure/Reflection