"Anything that is of value in life only multiplies when it is given." Deepak Chopra
I’m on my way to the Arnold Sports Festival. It’s one of the largest Bodybuilding and Fitness competitions in the world, with a very large health and fitness expo. For four days I’ll be hanging out with thousands of other health and fitness enthusiasts……looking forward to meeting people, getting motivated and learning some new things!
I’ve gotten hooked on a series on the Discovery Channel, Everest: Beyond The Limit. You can watch full episodes on the Discovery Channel website, download series 1 (2006) or series (2007) on iTunes, or get the DVD. It’s a great show, full of all the drama and adventure you could every want. Best of all, it’s real.
I am a big fan of mountaineering books and stories, though I have never actually strapped on (or even held) crampons before in my life. I just finished Ed Viestur’s new book, “No Shortcuts To The Top,” detailing his conquest of the world’s 14 highest peaks over 8000 meters, all without bottled oxygen. There’s something about these mountaineering stories, and the extreme effort, patience and long-term planning they require; that are really gripping to read. Even though any expedition has massive logistical and team considerations, there is a huge focus on individual will that just appeals to me in the same way individual pursuits like racing an Ironman or other endurance events have.
I’ve read dozens of accounts of Everest summit attempts, but I never really understood how extreme the effort really was. This show takes you all the way to the top, using helmet cams shots from base camp (using a high powered telescope). What I was also amazed with, was how so many of the adventurers were absolutely clueless about mountaineering, yet expected to summit. Several appeared extremely out of shape, and just plain uncoordinated and unskilled on the mountain.
I can’t imagine how someone could travel to a remote region of the world, spend 3 months and $50K to land on an expedition team….and yet not put in the full effort to at least master the technical skills involved with such a climb. At the same time, the power and strength of the Sherpa people was awe inspiring. They climb ahead of the expedition teams, breaking trail, setting all the fixed ropes (miles and miles worth) up the mountain, and climbing backbreaking loads. In many cases, top Sherpa crew members will summit several times in a single season! They are the real heros of the story.
Think about your five closest friends. These are the people you spend the most time with, either in person or via e-mail, Facebook, MySpace and phone conversations. According to popular wisdom (and it proves to be correct in my life), these five people will define, over the long term:
This is a very unscientific, but highly demonstrable truth. Think about it. Your peer group defines not just who you are, but who you become. Choose your friends wisely.
Hit up Bumbershoot today. Saw a bunch of new bands and better-known artists Joss Stone and John Legend. Tonight I’ll see Lupe Fiasco and Wu Tang Clan!
This morning I wasn’t up for going, but went anyway. Glad I did. There was a lot going on, plenty of Vegan options at the food stalls (I love Ethiopian food!), cool street performers and plenty of big-name and lesser known bands.
I was telling someone yesterday how I never regret taking action when I have the option to either do something or not. Glad I took my own advice!
I recently had some friends come visit from around the globe. One from Portland, one from Sweden, one from Arizona and one from Pennsylvania (or wherever he happens to be in a given month…in a few weeks it will be Europe). This is a very happy-go-lucky crew in the biggest sense of the term.
My friend from Sweden, for example, works only as much as she needs to…..that is, enough to support her adventures and travels around the globe. My friend from Pennsylvania calls nowhere home…….and is as content sleeping on a park bench as he is a nice bed.
The commonality here, is that they work to live to work. They do not live to work. There is no postponement of joy or happiness for some other day. It all happens now.
Since they are on a budget, that also means a lot of their enjoyment is “free fun”…..like parcouring, scavenging for free fruit on city trees (Ravenna in Seattle is full of it…have you ever tried a Papple? They are everywhere), hiking, relaxing in the sun, playing the guitar, taking funny pictures and spending hours laughing at them….you get the point.
Rolf Potts termed this type of lifestyle as Vagabonding.
Vagabonding - n. A deliberate way of living that makes the freedom of travel possible.
While I enjoy the comforts and certainty that a great job, stable circle of friends and nice place to live all provide….part of me is jealous at the absolute freedom my Vagabonding friends experience…..and the extreme joy they have found in the simple things that don’t cost a penny, and frankly don’t require anything but a little creativity and lots of awareness in the present moment.
Sitting at the Ontario California airport bound for Seattle. The road trip was a lot of fun, and quite an adventure. We saw much more than i was expecting to see, was pleasantly surprised with the grandeur of the National Parks and the drivng itself was not only tolerable….but actually very enjoyable for the most part.
I have hundreds of pics from this adventure….and will be posting the best ones for your viewing pleasure in a few weeks.
Yesterday we drove from Idaho Falls to Zion National Park, where we hiked and explored the canyons until dark. We spent the night in St. George Utah.
Today we head to Riverside, California whre my brother will be taking up a post doctral research position. The journey is almost over…..I fly back to Seattle tomorrow.
We were soo impressed with Yellowstone that we decided to make another trip up there yesterday after seeing Grand Teton National Park.
In Yellowstone we had the change to see a Bison walkin along the road….so close to our car we couldve petted it! Shortly thereafter a herd of bison came charging down a steep slope next to the road and ran right across the street…..right in front of our car! Two if the large male bison stopped in the road….causing a buildup of cars on either side.
All of the sudden, they started fightng right in the street (about 10 feet in front of our car). I was actually starting to get a bit nervous…..these animals could easily bust through out windows if they wanted….after about 30 seconds….they calmed down and strolled away….walking right next to our car (practically brushing up against it).
We also saw another Moose (in the Tetons) and the biggest bull Elk I’ve ever seen (in magazines…on tv….anywhere). The antlers were wide than your armspan.
This afternon we should arrive in Zion….in Southern Utah.
Day 5. ~300 miles and 8 hours driving (lots of stops) from Cody, Wyoming to Jackson Hole (via Yellowstone). 2700 miles total so for. We spent about 10 hours roaming about Yellowstone. On the way, we also drove through the Shoshone National Forest with some incredible vistas.
Bison, Moose, Elk, Deer, Geysers…it was awesome! The animals were impossible to miss. Within 10 minutes of entering the park, we say about 20 Bison within 50 feet of the road….drinking by a stream. A mile down the road, we saw a herd of about 1000 more…just hanging out in a large valley.
Yellowstone also features the highest concentration of geyers anywhere in the world. We had fun walking around the steam vents, hot pools and also got to see the famous Old Faithful geyeser erupt before leaving the park.
We drove after dark through the Grand Teton Park (during one of the biggest lightening storms I’ve ever seem) and just arrived in Jackson Hole. We’ll go back through the Tetons tomorrow, before heading down to Salt Lake City for the night.
Day 4 featured less mileage, about 500 miles for the day. Putting our grand total at 2400 or so. If we chose to drive a striaght route to LA, we would almost be there by now! We are having much more fun doing it this way. :)
Even though our mileage for the day was only 500, it took us quite a long time, since much of this was along canyon roads with a lower speeed limit.
We got a late start from Wall, South Dakota, and hit up the self-proclaimed World Famous Wall Drug store. It was pretty crazy. Part theme town, part store.
Outside of Rapid City, we came across another oddity (there are many in this part of the country), The Reptile Garden. It’s the largest collection of reptiles in the world (again, self-proclaimed). I was impressed. Tons and tons of rare and venomous snakes. An 18 foot crocodile and some other creepy, crawly things.
We continued on, making a stop in Keystone, South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore. It is much more incredible to see in person than in photos. The National Park Service did a very nice job creating a few trails to get closer to the mountain, museum and vistors center.
After a couple hours at Mt. Rushmore, we pushed on to Cody, Wyoming, making our way through Big Horn National Park. I wasn’t expecting anything special in this park, but was in for a surprise. There is a massive Canyon in this park (probably a mile wide, mile deep and 10 miles long) with it’s wall formed from sheer faces of granite (I think it’s granite). The rocks in this part of the park are over 3 billion years old (pre-cambrian).
The park is huge, and we drove about 65 miles through the narrow part of it. Along the way, the scenery was amazing and we passed a dozen deer grazing right alongside the road, include a massive 10 point buck! I took a pic on my camera phone and it will post it soon (my camera battery died!).
After exiting Big Horn Park, we hit flat lands again….really flat lands. The flatest soo far. We way about 1 car every 20 miles….and could see the cars approaching from about 10 miles away! Every 20 miles or so, we’d pass through small town, the smalled of which had a population of 10 people! Most were in the <1000 person range.
We ended up in Cody, Wyoming which is one of the main tourist depots for those making the trek into Yellowstone. The east entrance to Yellowstone is about 45 miles away. We venture into the park tomorrow.
Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota
Reptile Garden, outside Rapid City, South Dakota
The big guy trying to bust outta the zoo!
Here’s what 14 years, truckloads of dynamite and lots of manual labor will get you…
My brother and I
Flatlands of Eastern Wyoming
Day 3. 580 miles driving from West Des Moines, Iowa to The Badlands, South Dakota (technically Wall, South Dakota). 1900 miles in total so far.
Driving from Des Moines, the scenery went from rolling and lush green - to flat and lush green - to really flat and parched.
Right after we crossed into South Dakota, we headed into Sioux Falls for lunch. We were able to find a place with tons of vegetarian options, and they made me a great vegan sandwich as well. We also checked out the falls which bear the city’s name. It was a nice spot….but the falls were not nearly big as they were in previous years; with the river having been dammed up to make way for city development.
We crossed the Missouri River halfway across South Dakota….and it was quite a spectical. After hour after hour of flatness (we could have put the car in cruise and taken a nap if we wanted to), the road took a big dive down a very large hill, and the river wass right ahead.
Our first real “destination” for the day was Badlands National Park, about 4 hours drive due west from Sioux Falls. Along the way, there were a half-dozen little attractions along the highway. We stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell (where the ice cream place actually had soy ice cream!) but passed by the Reptile Museum, the 1800’s touirist town, Car Museum (with the Dukes of Hazrd’s General Lee on display) and several other little sights. Time was short and we wanted to see the Badlands before it got dark.
Badlands National Park was totally different from what I expected (in a good way). We arrived in the evening, and were able to see the park at sunset. We droke through the park, taking the 30 mile scenic route off of I90. The rock formations are insane. If you have ever been to Red Rocks (near Vegas)…image that times 100. The place is huge and there is a lot of wildlife in the park. During out drive, we saw about 12 deer within 20 feet of our car, over three different sightings (several Bucks as well).
As we were cruising around the park, the sun began to set (and we saw a really cool lighting storm on the horizon). Instead of driving the 140 miles to Rapid City, we decided to just get a room in Wall, South Dakota; which is where we are now.
Tomorrow, we will head to Mt. Rushmore, and then to Cody, WY; about an hour east of Yellowstone.
—some pics—
The Sioux Falls, in Sioux Falls!
A vegan meal in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Crossing the Missouri River, in South Dakota. The river really suprises you, after hours of complete flatness.
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Stretching out
Sunset in The Badlands
Day 2 featured a trip from South Bend, Indiana to Des Moines, Iowa…via Fairfield, Iowa and Vedic City, Iowa (yes, a real place). Just 600 miles or so today. About 1300 total miles so far.
In other news….we cross the Mississippi today!
We sped right through Illinois, and I was pleasantly surprised with Iowa. It was really bright green, with lots of lush trees and rolling hills. I was expecting parched barren land, outside of the irrigated cornfields, but this was not at all the case. South Central Iowa was particularly pristine and lush, like a much less populated version of Pennsylvania, with smaller hills.
We made a detour in Iowa, to visit Fairfiel, Iowa, home of Mararishi Mahesh Yogi’s “Maharishi School of Management.” I was intrigues with the fact of such a school (there are high school and elementary schools run by the same organize) that teaches yoga and meditation as an important part of the curriculum.
The campus was pretty empty, since school wasn’t yet in session. There were two massive gold domes on the campus, where 2,000 students gather twice a day for meditation. Unforunately, they do not let people who are not practitioners of Maharishi’s “TM” technique (Transcendental Meditation) into the domes.
We headed north to the Vedic City, which is supposed to be an ideal model city and home to many TM practioners and a large Ayurvedic clinic.
Due to the Univeristy and the nearby Vedic City, Fairfield is home to several vegetarian and healthy food stores and restaurants. It was a pleasant surprise to see such vegan choices available in a small midwestern town!
After having our fill of Fairfield, we drove a very scenic rode for a few hours to Des Moines. Tomorrow, we head to Rapid City and Badlands National Park. Depending on time, we will either see Mt. Rushmore tomorrow or Wednesday on our way to Cody, Wyoming.
—-Some Pics —–
Indiana Soybeans (I think).
Crossing the Mississippi.
World’s largest truckstop. Off I-80 in Iowa.
One of the dozen or so vegetarian friendly restaurants in Fairfield, Iowa.
The main square in Fairfield.
Who says you can’t find good vegan food in the midwest?
One of the golden domes, where thousands of Siddhas come to meditate every day.
Some houses in the Vedic City.
The Observatory at Vedic City. This is one of the dozen different instruments.
Capital of the Global Country of World Peace (aka Vedic City).
this is the home of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s School of Management, and adjacent to his organization’s Vedic City. This place is supposedly entirely vegetarian, the whole town stops to meditate twice daily and practice yogic flying (really) and the streets are laid out according to Vastu (ancient Indian principles….akin to fueng shui in Oriental traditions).
We are making good time driving….and will probably stay in Fairfield for the night…depending on how interesting this place is.
Finished day 1. 780 miles to South Bend, Indiana via Saylorsburg (PA), Cleveland (OH) and Toledo (OH). No sightseeing….just driving.
I fogot how green the rolling hills of PA are in the summer. A start contrast to utter flatness of Ohio and Indiana.
Tommorow we’ll head to Fairfield, Iowa.
At Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Saylorsburg, PA.
Technicolor green from I80 in Western PA.
Utter flatness of Indiana at 80mph.
Vegan meal in Toledo, Ohio…..Thai to the rescue!
Makes the long and boring trek across ohio that much more tolerable. 516 miles in…..3100 to go.
Drove to Saylorsburg (2.5 hrs) to receive blessings from Swamiji and say bye to our parents before starting the drive west. Now we are driving on I80 Through central PA on our way to Toledo, OH. no plans to see maor sights today.
So it begins! 8 days, 3600 miles, 2 people, 1 car, 12 <or so> national parks!
I fly home tomorrow and the adventure will begin from Sayre, PA. My brother is going to grad school in Riverside, CA and this will be a round-about way of getting his stuff there.
If all goes as planned, we’ll arrive in LA by next Sunday. I’m really looking forward to Yellowstone National Park, but we’ll be hitting up several other great ones along the way (Big Horn, Zion, Grand Canyon, Rushmore, etc.).
I’ll be updating this blog from the road. If you know something incredibly cool to see along our route….let me know! Outside of the general route, nothing else has been planned. I’m expecting to make a bunch of detours as we go.
Just got back down to Portland this evening. Traffic was aweful today. The usual <3hr drive took almost 6 hours!
Looking forward to meeting up with my friends that are here for the Vegan Vacation. I spent last weekend at the Oregon Coast with them (27 of us in a giant beach house!) and it was a blast. We are meeting up tomorrow for a hike to some waterful and a hot spring.
Pics from last weekend are here.
Just arrived home from The Big Apple. A few observations:
