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Published: February 18th 2008
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Our guiding principle
This simple illustration reflects a tool used for centuries to guide folks in getting to where they need to go. After announcing our plans to travel the World, many folks have asked us how we decided to take an adventure of this grand scale. I’m sure there is a simple answer to these questions, but everyone knows that I have never given a simple answer to any question.
Lynne and I pause for a brief moment in our planning and reflect on the primary factors that led us to this fascinating decision. For both of us, it all started in the days of our youth. Although our tales are a little different, the experiences of our youth shaped and molded our adventurous spirit.
For me, it started out at a very young age. I was a fearless and curious kid who had to find out what was over the hill or around the next corner. I have fond and vivid memories of traveling around in Fairfield, California on my bicycle. I was content by experiencing new sights and sounds. I had that wandering spirit from the beginning.
As I matured to my pre-teen years, I was fascinated with the TV program Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom featuring Marlin Perkins. (This is where I lose the younger folks as
Wild Kingdom
The TV series that sparked my interest in exploring the world when I was just a child. they run off to Google this) OK, welcome back. I can recall tuning in every Sunday evening on our black and white TV and watching Marlin Perkins. This single TV show set the stage for my desire to explore more of the world.
Growing up in California, I was always fascinated with history and how it applied to California. I paid particular attention to World Explorers like Sir Francis Drake and Spanish Conquistadors such as Balboa. When I refer to Balboa, I’m not talking about Rocky Balboa either. How could I ever forget the influence of Christopher Columbus and how he set sail to prove the Earth was not flat. By the way, Columbus was not the first to reach American soil and he did not physically reach us until his third voyage in 1498—not 1492 as many of us learned in our grade school history books.
When I got my driver’s license, the vast world around me became much smaller. I had the mobility to explore and spent a lot of time in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California. My favorite spot to visit was Coloma, the site of the discovery of gold which lead to
Christopher Columbus
A true inspiration to any of us who have the desire to explore the world. the Great California Gold Rush. A whole new world of history opened up to me with that simple document. Child’s play compared to the world which has opened since I received another document—my passport.
As I matured into a young man and began to raise a family, I still had this unquenchable thirst to explore. By virtue of being in the US Air Force, I was afforded opportunities to live in areas that allowed for exploring. I also was blessed with the opportunity to travel to exotic locations to include Greenland and Honduras among many others.
Lynne’s sense of adventure stems back to her youth as well. She has very fond memories of traveling with her mother and going on road trips. Many of these road trips didn’t really have a particular end destination. These were just road trips for the sake of venturing out and exploring new sights and sounds. They visited sites of interest as well as historical and cultural sites which proved to be exciting to both of them. Lynne’s mother was an avid bird watcher. Although Lynne never quiet latched onto the bird watching fascination, she did enjoy the trips to see various birds
Bryce Canyon, Utah
John and Lynne after hiking to the floor of Bryce Canyon. Another of Lynne's great adventures. in their natural habitat.
Lynne continued this roaming spirit and even worked contracts as a travel nurse to satisfy her desires to see new lands. During her time as a travel nurse, she ventured out to new territories and had a blast visiting special places of interest. She still points these out to me when we are passing some of her temporary residences.
Now, let’s focus on the last 8 years. Lynne and I hit it off immediately by our spirit of adventure and travel. Sure this is common when people fall in love, but this spirit never faded away with us, it has grown beyond anyone’s imagination. Lynne has hiked part of the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina, snow shoed in Northern Japan, hiked to the bottom of Bryce Canyon in Utah, and the list goes on and on.
In recent years, there have been several factors that helped solidify our decision. The TV series “Amazing Race” featured teams racing to exotic locations around the world and opened the door for us both to continue to dream. The Travel Channel has opened our eyes to some really interesting places around the world. Many people watch programs such as these and simple say to themselves “Wow—I would love to see that someday”. Well, guess what, we have said it also, but now we will put these dreams into action.
A couple of other factors were the recent release of the movie “The Bucket List”. Take a few moments to check this movie out. The basic plot behind this movie is: Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die (kick the bucket). To answer your questions--NO--neither one of us is terminally ill.
I began doing a little research on creating a “bucket list” or “life list”. I ran across a very interesting story about a truly exceptional man by the name of John Goddard. Here is some brief information about him:
When John Goddard was a boy, he liked to read. He read books and learned about other people's lives, places in the world to visit, things to do and learn. When he was 15 years old, he had so many things in his head that he wanted to do and learn in the years of his life ahead of him, he decided to make a list so he could keep track of each of his goals and when he achieved them.
One rainy afternoon, he sat down at his kitchen table in Los Angeles and wrote three words at the top of a yellow pad, "My Life List." Under that heading he wrote down 127 goals.
These weren't simple or easy goals. They included climbing the world's major mountains, exploring from source to mouth the longest rivers of the world, piloting the world's fastest aircraft, running a mile in five minutes, and reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica.
John Goddard is now in his 80s and has achieved over 100 of the goals on his list.
He doesn't believe in pursuing adventure for the sake of frivolous thrills, but used all of his experiences to grow as a person and contribute knowledge to the world. "Digging out the facts is the real challenge," Goddard says in summing up his lifetime of experiences. "The adventure is exciting and enjoyable -- but secondary."
You can check out his website at: http://www.johngoddard.info/bio.htm
Lynne and I began to discuss our own life list. This included visiting the New Seven Wonders of the World. We would encourage each of you to sit down and write out your own “life list”. Put to paper all of those things you wish you could do if you had the opportunity, finances, and time. After building your own list, check them off one at a time and move on to the next one. Add to your list as you dream of a new adventure in life.
The final catalyst was reading the remarkable story of Jeremy and Carrie Simmons, a young couple from Arizona, who put their careers on hold for 8 months to travel around the world. Their story can be found at http://www.chickenbus.com
I was immediately hooked with their tale of adventure which prompted me to find other stories. The more stories I read, the more I realized that this is EXACTLY what Lynne and I needed to do. It was our calling.
So now you have it. A brief (well maybe not too brief) background on what led us to making this radical decision that would change our lives for the better.
On Thursday night, we will be flying off to India to visit the Taj Mahal and the city of Jaipur. Watch for our update on this exciting adventure.
Until then DARE TO DREAM.
“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves”.
-- Thomas Alva Edison--
We are fielding questions to be answered in a future blog. If you have any questions about our trip our how we are planning it and we will include it in the post on FAQs.
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