Adventures
This page was originally designed to showcase upcoming events, that may or may not be for hire. However, after much encouragement we have decided to make it a two-part page of upcoming events as well as excursions from my past. Hopefully, over the course of time this page will showcase adventures in the making and eventually a bit of autobiography.
Belize x 3
New Years Eve, 1994 my brother and I loaded the truck with two motorcycles headed for Brownsville, TX. There, we unloaded the bikes and removed windshields to enjoy the warm weather south to Guatemala, Belize, and Yucatan of Mexico. Said warm weather never occured. After three days of rain, the weather deteriorated to the first recorded snow fall in Mexico City-where are the windsheilds? Luckily, the weather improved and we continued south to the jungles of Guatemala, the emerald green waters of Aqua Azul, east into Belize, then up the coast, eventually spending three warm days snorkeling in Akumal, Mexico. We enjoyed several days uncovering hidden pyramids from the days of the Mayan culture. Then it was time to head north. We spent two days traveling west on the northern coast of the Yucatan peninsula, seeing no one. The road was full of sink holes, bridges were washed out or missing all together, and we came to find out that the road had been deemed impassable. But, we had missed the detour sign. We eventually made our way back to Brownsville, loaded the bikes back on the trailer, returning to Charlotte through yet another snow and ice storm.
Fast forward to 2008, and my brother and I embark on the same trip, only this time in a Land Rover Defender 130. Needless to say, the weather was completely opposite and the air conditioning, which we all know barely works, actually kept us quite comfortable through the jungles of Guatemala and Belize. This time, we hung out in Belize City for a few days enjoying the local festivals and scuba diving and then returning, this time diagonal, across the Yucatan. Little had changed, except for being stopped 13 times at gunpoint upon our return home. There was much publicity about the deaths and wars created by the drug lords in Mexico during our travels. While on our first trip on the motorcyles we were only stopped a few times, and the police were more interested in the motorcycles, this time not so much interest in the vehicle but there was a definite air of fear and concern on the part of the police. Luckily, we had no encounters with the drug lords.
Fast forward to 2008, and my brother and I embark on the same trip, only this time in a Land Rover Defender 130. Needless to say, the weather was completely opposite and the air conditioning, which we all know barely works, actually kept us quite comfortable through the jungles of Guatemala and Belize. This time, we hung out in Belize City for a few days enjoying the local festivals and scuba diving and then returning, this time diagonal, across the Yucatan. Little had changed, except for being stopped 13 times at gunpoint upon our return home. There was much publicity about the deaths and wars created by the drug lords in Mexico during our travels. While on our first trip on the motorcyles we were only stopped a few times, and the police were more interested in the motorcycles, this time not so much interest in the vehicle but there was a definite air of fear and concern on the part of the police. Luckily, we had no encounters with the drug lords.
Well, how about a third trip - this time with the wife and kids?!!!!! In 2014, we all flew to Belize City with the primary purpose of volunteering at at malnutrition center for children in central Guatemala. Our kids were 8 & 10, and we drove another D-130 from Belize City west to the malnutrition center. In route, we camped in the jungle in platform tents with howler monkeys overhead in the jungle. Then on to a jungle retreat, horseback riding in the mountains. While at the malnutrition center the kids were amazing!!! Eli typically had two toddlers in his lap and EvaGrace was feeding and nursing on many others!!!! It was Easter week and the local customs/celebrations were incredible!!! Sadly, the time quickly came to depart the center. We then drove westward passing Lake Atitlán and then on to Mexico, north to Texas and finally home to NC. Not a bad family vacation - 7,000 miles in 2 weeks, and not a complaint from the kids except to ask "when do we return" - a thousand times - what a great problem!!!
First 100 Miles of the AT
The Summer of 1972 I spent working at Camp Koiania for eight continuous weeks. This was our local church camp, where I had participated as a camper for the previous eight years. I was 16 years old and upon returning home, Dad asked if I would like to accompany him and my brother on a planned fishing trip to Maine. They were going to rent a cabin on Moosehead Lake and spend the week fishing. I asked, "Could I bring a friend and hike the first 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail?" Having grown up hunting, fishing, camping, and an avid Boyscout, Dad said "Sure" with no concern of our abilities. So we headed to Maine, packing all of our own provisions, prepared for the trip and were dropped off at the trail head. No sooner does Dad reach the cabin than he meets the local ranger who tells him that they've had a wounded moose chasing hikers on the same trail. After 4 days of concern that he'd made the wrong decision by letting us go, we arrived safely at the cabin. An uneventful trip concerning the moose, but a tremendous leap for a boy becoming a man starting a lifetime of independent adventure.