Next Big Adventure

The Adventure has begun. I'm on vacation with my family. We're up in western Massachusetts, enjoying both the natural and human-engineered wonders of the Northeast Kingdom. The mountains are green with the beauty of spring. The air is clear, and visibility is good. During one recent hike, we were actually able to see mountains that were thirty-some miles away.

I am happy here, looking into the distance and daydreaming about the future. The long hard Days of Writing are transitioning into something different, The Days of Travel.

Earlier this month, I was in Colorado with my brother Chris and our friends Heather and Ilyse. I took the Greyhound out, enjoyed Colorado, and then drove back to Maryland with Chris. Now we're in Massachusetts. After that I'll be back in Maryland for a couple weeks, working, packing, organizing, friending, and attending bachelor parties and a wedding. There will be lots of bike work. Chris will be setting out on a cross-country bicycle tour with his friend Kyle. And a week after that, I'll be driving back to Denver so I can begin my Summer Bike Tour with my friend Jake Belvin.

These past travels, as well as the ones that are to come, are all part of something larger. They are part of my Next Big Adventure: The 2009 Full-Time Friend Mission. In the next couple months, I will do my best to strengthen the bonds of friendship. I take to the road, using a variety of transportation tools, and visit the people that I don't get to see as much as I'd like too. I will visit people, call people, send cards, and bellard people with emails. Time and money will be spent. Late nights, early mornings, and lots of selfless giving (at least that's the idea). There will be sweat and stress and unforeseen challenges, but it's all in day's work for a Full-Time Friend.