In their 80s pop hit \u201cOnce in a lifetime\u201d, The Talking Heads compelled us to ask ourselves, \u201cWell, how did I get here?\u201d While I often enjoyed the song as a kid it was not until now I realized I can\u2019t provide a sufficient explanation to the question. One minute I was jumping out of helicopters in the marines and next thing I know I\u2019m here asking this paradigm challenging question.<\/p>\n
And since I can\u2019t remove the water from the bottom of the ocean I\u2019m temporarily hopping off the career treadmill and on to my motorbike bound for Latin America. I have no idea where this trip will lead, both in the literal and metaphysical sense. I may get tired in a month and call it quits or my wife may need to send out a recon team to bring me home, who knows. This trip isn\u2019t about bragging rights or another notch in my belt, it\u2019s about knowing how I got here.<\/p>\n
The general idea is to spend the next year or so on the bike riding throughout Mexico and Central\/South Americas making my way to Tierra del Fuego. My itinerary will be very free form and I will ride when I feel like riding and hang out when I don\u2019t feel like riding. It hasn\u2019t escaped my attention that I\u2019ll be making my way through Central America at the height of summer so we\u2019ll see how that shakes out.<\/p>\n
I do have a few specific goals on this trip, most notable among them, gaining some fluency in the Spanish language. Baja is one of my favorite places to ride in the world and it\u2019s always bothered me I can\u2019t converse with the locals when I visit. I\u2019ll be enrolling in various language schools and possibly immersion as I make my way south. I expect to take a lot of pics and will try to ratchet up my writing skills as well. I\u2019m taking a recently acquired Go Pro HD video camera so I\u2019ll have another arrow in my quiver of storytelling. I\u2019m new to the video format and hope to tap into its potential. A trip of this magnitude comes with some risk so it goes without saying I\u2019d like to return in one piece.<\/p>\n
I fully understand that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I\u2019m thankful for my friends and family who in spite of my quitting a well paying job in the worst economy of our lifetimes have been very supportive and encouraging. And a special thanks goes out to my lovely wife whose understanding and support make this trip possible.<\/p>\n
Those of you who know me know how much I love music so I\u2019ll leave you with this as I get my ducks in a row.<\/p>\n