Monthly Archives: February 2017

Be Gone, For Good

The Dates are Set – June 2nd – 11th

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We have our plan finally taking shape.  Wes, Kevin and I all got together via Skype (video update coming soon) and figured out the days for our first trip.  We will be going from Chicago to The Badlands on June 2nd.  The entire trip should take about 8-10 days and we are going to do our best to update everyone along the way.

It didn’t take much but this simple meeting has reinvigorated me for this trip.  It reminds me of a great lesson that can apply to almost any aspect of my life.  When I get bogged down and start to feel like my wheels are spinning, get everything moving forward again with a deadline.  It doesn’t have to be a final deadline but even a recognition of your next milestone.

Now our next step is getting everything ready for the trip and getting our route down.  We are trying to consider all our options for camping so we can do this trip as in touch with the outdoors as possible.  We are also looking at opportunities for charity work along the way.  Some of these options will depend on our route but we should be considering these possibilities as well.

If anyone has contact with someone that could use three Marines’ service or just want to hear a good story between Chicago and The Badlands please reach out to us through this blog.

Be Gone, Diary, For Good

Hurdles and The Inevitable Bog Down

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This idea sprung up based almost completely on inspiration.  My dreams were to get a bike, plan a trip and find a billion ways to help others along the way.  Unfortunately, passion fades and before long I am left with the nitty gritty of real work.

The time spent on the bike learning is still spectacular and I am enjoying my time on the local roads just as much as ever.  Each mile on the road makes me feel better about the trips we have planned for the future.  I am looking forward to exotic travels to places I have never seen.

The trips are tough to plan but I have faith we will get everything together.  Right now, our initial issue is getting three guys who are all very busy to have two weeks free together.  My goal is to coordinate my journey so I can stop over at a few friends on my way to Chicago before the collective trip.

Lastly, my goal in doing all this travel is the “for good” part.  I began this quest with way too much arrogance about how valuable my time would be.  I thought people would respond to the trip and be interested in our story.  The truth is, after some research, this type of trip isn’t even slightly uncommon.  There are people all over the world doing far more intense trips.  We are ordinary by comparison.

My goal at this point its to find what makes us unique.  I need to capture our hook.  From there I can capitalize on an original narrative to find ways to benefit those we meet on our travels.  My first thought is to interview the people we meet in restaurants, hotels, gas stations and bars so I can flesh out a picture of what makes us similar around the world.  I want our travels to be a link so people can see themselves in a total stranger.  If I do it well, the world can be just a little bit smaller for everyone following along.