Can You See Me N.O.W.?

"Memories are made when you’re traveling – not when you’re chained to your desk." - Sir Richard Branson

The path to Adventure

A relatively short entry this week. We're in the midst of putting the final touches on a  couple of planned trips for the rest of the year, and beginning some basic planning for 2014 if you can believe it. We seem to be falling into an accidental pattern of "near home" and "far abroad" on alternating years.

This year's two trips promise some grand new experiences. In less than four weeks we'll be in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with our friends Jim and Glenda. (Jim is the guy seen leaning against my bright red car in the middle of the Mojave Desert in this blog entry.)

On each trip we try for some sort of activity, visit or experience which is both challenging and new. In this case, taking a note from my most recent N.O.W. list, we're going to go hot air ballooning.

As a person with severe acrophobia, this is sure to test my limits, but I'm committed to follow through. (My wife and I had scheduled such a trip years ago in Sedona, but were rained out. I'm feeling lucky this time.)




This in mind, here is a revised copy of my N.O.W. list, showing the things we've recently accomplished on it, and replacing them with something new.

1 - Small ship trip up the Amazon (or down, if coming from Peru).

2 - Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef

3 - Sleep under the stars in Wadi Rum (Get Lost)

4 - Cruise to Antarctica, walk amongst penguins (Break New Ground)

5 - Lose 75 lbs by December 2013 (Test Your Limits) This is in progress. You can follow my progress at LOSING MY WEIGH

6 - Photograph both sunrise and sunset in Yosemite NP

7 - Take a hot air balloon ride (Face Your Fear, Leap of Faith) Scheduled for early May

8 - Get a book of my photography and travels published (Shed/Express Yourself)

9 - Drive the length of Route 66, end to end

10 - Take an African Safari

11 - Cruise Loch Ness In planning for August

12 - Ride a boat through the islands of Phang Nga Bay

13 - Visit Stonehenge

Pack 'em up, move 'em out!