Grand Adventure and you are invited

Greetings all,

As some of you may know in the summer of 1978 I embarked on a four month motorcycle trip from California to Pennsylvania to Florida and back to California. During that trip I placed the front wheel on my bike on the beach of the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. It was a great adventure including beautiful scenery, great times and the only three day in my life that I spent with me father. As with many things we can become separated from simple pleasures like motorcycles by the demands of life or in my case an extended trip to the Indian Ocean with the Navy. When I returned being a husband, dad and bill payer made riding something that had to be sacrificed along with another piece of my heart that needs adventure. Over the past few years I have come to value my heart and the adventure that it needs to survive, so I few weeks ago after 26 years of being a non rider I participated in a training class and got my motor cycle license. Next year is the 30th anniversary of that trip and I intend to repeat it. I will most likely not cover the same route given that my starting point is now Denver, CO not Hermosa Beach, CA. But an extended trip is going to happen and that is where you come in…

First and most importantly I urge you to consider your heart, not your “risk factors” or “Cholesterol Count” but the part of you that needs adventure. If you have no idea what I am talking about read Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. As men we are created in God’s image – to reflect specific aspects of his character and nature just a women reflect different and equally important aspects of God. Men and Woman are different and in those differences we as men have hearts that need an Adventure to Live, a Battle to Fight and a Beauty to Rescue.

I would love it you were all able to join me on this trip but I know that is not possible. What I do want to invite you into is an adventure, any adventure just become an active participant is a story larger than what in comfortable. Adventure by its very nature is unpredictable and dangerous and that is the point, not that we seek injury but accept that the life we were intended to live is too large for us to manage. It is OK to get messy; it is good for the soul to live so large that if God doesn’t come through you can’t simply fall back on your well worn skills a talents. I know it is frightening, for years I convinced myself that to ride was “too dangerous” while it is true that riding involves higher risk than driving a car it was that fear and the corresponding need to manage everything and never need to take a leap of faith that was truly killing my heart.

I would like a few things from each of you:
Prayer. Not for a safe trip but that I would be courageous and do the right thing.
Ideas for the trip. Last time I spent most of my miles on the interstate, this time I would like to hit the back roads. Experiencing a thunder storm in the Blue Ridge Mountains in more important than covering 600 miles a day.
Join me on the trip. If riding is your thing (or this has inspired you) please consider coming on the trip. The dates and itinerary are not set see item 2 and I would welcome the company.
Send Money. No I am not kidding, just as with missionaries some go and other send. For some of you the thought of this type of trip is outrageous for others it sounds great but more than you can afford. Any gifts will be used to offset the expenses of the trip for those who can not afford it but would like to come. At the end of the trip the remaining money will be donated to a ministry that is dedicated to rising up men and is in the process of getting a 503.C religious non profit status. Because it is not possible to know what percentage of the money will go to the ministry or if they will have the non profit status established in time any donations should not be considered tax deductible.
Find you own adventure. Like the old Milk advertising campaign “It Does a Body Good” Adventure Does a Heart Good. So just do it and when you do please write me to let me know how it was.

Thanks for reading my rants I look forward to hearing from you all. Feel free to forward this to anyone you thing might be interested.

Blessing to you and your Families,