Florida Panhandle Time Lapse from Road Rich on Vimeo.

A series of time lapses that I took this week while camping down in the panhandle. Shots from Mexico Beach, St George Island and Alligator Point.

Sounds from http://www.freesound.org/

Time lapse shot with a Canon T2i
Driving shots with a Contour HD

I have a spread of canned food to create a Thanksgiving dinner, Zombie apocalypse style. I’m looking forward to my evening of gorging myself on SPAM and champagne.

If I get a connection down there with my phone I’ll send some live updates, otherwise Sunday I’ll be uploading whatever media I take from this trip.

The book got me thinking a lot about why I hike. I think primarily it’s my place to be alone with my thoughts. I think too it’s a way to get my blood pumping and appreciate being alive. There’s another factor though that I think makes this book so entertaining. It’s the folly that often comes along with the outdoors.

That is why my hellish trip into the North Georgia Mountains got more attention than my other trips. It’s far more entertaining to see someone slip on a banana peel than watch them walk down a street without anything happening.

That’s why I appreciate the “bad” trips as much if not more than the good trips. You walk away with something you can laugh about. …as long as you survive it.

Flying to the keys:

Bi-Plane Flight:

Bull Bar:

Back from The Keys:

Let me know what you think!

If you think it’s a good idea, let me know and I’ll do some research into mass producing these. I think I am going to make several prototypes with different size and strength magnets before I commit, but I am pretty happy with my little project.

I have a few days in-between my old job and my new job so I decided to load up the motorcycle and take a short trip up to the North Georgia Mountains and go on an overnight backpacking trip into the forest.

My bike felt a bit overloaded with the 60 pound backpack strapped to the back so I rode extra cautiously towards my destination. The traffic out of Atlanta was hell as always. The temperature was in the lower 90′s and pretty humid. I was dressed head to toe in motorcycle gear, which does not make for the most pleasant rides when it is this hot out. But once I hit the country roads I got that great feeling of freedom that keeps me hooked on riding. Despite the heat I was truly enjoying the winding backroads to my destination.

After about 2 1/2 hours my GPS indicated that I was getting closer to the park where I was going to backpack into. The only problem was that I didn’t recognize anything and I had been to this park several times before. I rode up to the ranger station, believing it was an alternate entrance to the park, and presented the ranger with my reservations for a back country camp site. He looked at it and then looked at me with a concerned look and said, “You’re about 60 miles in the wrong direction. You want Tallualah Gorge, this is Amicalola Falls.” I suddenly realized that I had programmed a destination into my GPS that I was considering going to but had decided against since they did not offer back country camping. I laughed at my foolish mistake and pulled out of the park. I found an abandoned gas station and pulled over to reprogram my GPS to the correct location. I was pretty tired of riding at this point and was unsure how long it would take me to get to where I needed to be. My GPS told me it was going to be another 2 hours of riding. I turned the key and tried to start my bike and it just made a clicking sound and nothing happened. I tried again and realized my GPS had drained the battery faster than the bike could recharge it and it was completely dead. I decided to push start the motorcycle. I lugged it up a hill and got on. I started down and popped the clutch and the engine turned but would not pop. Then I realized that I had the kill switch engaged. At this point I was drenched in sweat and pretty frustrated. Finally I got the bike push started and went on my way.

I realized that I was not going to make it to the park before the ranger station closed so I stopped for fast food to consider my options. I was thinking about just giving up and getting a motel but somehow talked myself into going and seeing if any rangers were wandering around that might let me in. I got back on the road, sore, hot and tired and finally made it to the correct park. Fortunately there was still a ranger. He seemed surprised that I was going backpacking and said that most people don’t start until later in the season. I was too tired to think of what this meant for me, secured my bike and lugged my 60 pound backpack on my back.

I foolishly decided to not change into my shorts and was still wearing my heavy riding jeans. Within the first mile of the hike I realized what a challenge I was in for. I was drenched in sweat, guzzling the small supply of water I had and batting gnats away from my face constantly. The trail was all down hill and I realized that the next day I would have to ascend 1000 feet over 4 miles rather than descend it. I nearly decided to turn around and find a hotel, but I thought that my story would at very least be entertaining if I continued on. As usual I chose the potential of a story over air conditioning.

I started to get on a narrower trail and suddenly walked into a spiderweb. A dime sized spider crawled across my web-laden face and I panicked, ripping my glasses off and flicking the beast to the ground. I nearly lost my cool at this point, but instead grabbed a stick and started swinging it back and forth in a semi-circle motion in front of my face, trying to discourage the gnats from going after my sweat covered ears and maybe knock down a spider web or two. I continued on and my legs started collecting more and more spider webs and spiders. Apparently it is spider season. I am not a big fan of spiders and never grew tolerant of them crawling down my legs as I trekked on.

I decided to sit down and cool off at the 2 mile marker, which is exactly half way to the camp site. The gnats were in a swarm of at least 2 dozen around my ears, I was dripping so much sweat that I could hardly see through my glasses and my body was radiating heat. I started to laugh maniacally at how unsuccessful this trip was turning out to be and was very glad that none of my friends were on this trip with me because they would not have been my friends after.

I continued on, nearly blind and continuing to have spiders collect on my legs. Twice more I ran directly into huge webs and had panic moments trying to bat the spiders off of my glasses. Finally I made it to mile marker 4 and my beautiful camp.

I dropped my pack, stripped down to my underwear and hung up all of my sweat soaked clothes. It was so humid out that I was covered in a sheen of sweat almost the entire evening. I looked at my water supply and realized I was going to have to trudge my way down to the lake and refill. Supposedly there was a trail from the camp site directly to the lake but after about a half hour of following a deer trail down the steepest part of the mountain I gave up and hiked back up to camp. I studied the map and realized I could access the lake at a dock about a mile away. So I grabbed all my water supplies and filter and started to walk. It was getting pretty dark at this point and I had forgotten to grab my flashlight. I made it to the lake at sunset and filled my water bottles, emptying one down my throat immediately after filling it. I filled it back up and blindly made my way back to camp. Fortunately there was only one trail, so I knew that getting lost in the dark was going to be nearly impossible.

Being in the North Georgia Mountains, miles away from civilization, by yourself, at night, is a true test of your nerves. The sounds I heard in the dark kept me alert. I started a blazing fire, even though it was still at least 90 out. I wanted lots of light and sound so I could keep the creatures in my mind at bay. I made my dinner, drank as much water as I could and laid down. For some reason I thought it would be a good reason to continue an audio book about someone’s experience in a Japanese POW camp during WWII. Listening to this while laying in the hot shelter made me empathize a little too much. The book finally ended and I was unable to sleep. Between me pondering the hell of POW camps and the humidity there was no way I was sleeping anytime soon. I also knew that I had to get up early if I wanted to hike out in relatively cool weather. I kept dozing in and out of consciousness having nightmares about being interned in a POW camp when the weather finally cooled down enough to fall into a deep sleep. I was suddenly woken up by some strange animals mating call right next to the shelter. Spooked, I sat up and flashed the light around. Nothing. I laid back down and then heard the beating of wings over my head. I turned the flash light back on to see a dozen bats flying inches above my head. They were eating the gnats that were swarming around me. I laid perfectly still for a few hours and watched the bats click past my nose. Finally they went away and I fell asleep.

I woke up more sore than I have been in years. It took about an hour of packing and drinking coffee to get myself in a place where I could put my pack back on and continue on. I started to hike as soon as the sun started rising. The temperature immediately went up 10 degrees and I was again drenched in sweat. At least this time I was only wearing my shorts so I was a little cooler. I also put on my bandana to keep the sweat out of my eyes, which immediately solved the problem of my glasses getting soaked. I battled the gnats and spiders again, but this time with expert technique. I started to feel so exhausted that I was giddy. I began singing “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore, Hallelujah!”, a song I haven’t thought of since I sang it in vacation bible study decades ago. I had become a sleep deprived, sweat drenched, atheist singing a religious song while stumbling up a rocky path.

I almost stepped on a baby king snake while singing and stopped to have a closer look. He was coiled up, striking at my boot and twitching his tail like a rattlesnake. I started to baby talk to the snake saying something like, “Aw aren’t you a fierce little thing, taking on an animal the size of a sky scraper!”

Me after finally making it back to my bike:

Somehow I made it back to my motorcycle. My feet were full of blisters from being trapped in hot boots. I was drenched and exhausted. It was about 95 degrees out and I had a two hour ride back. But at least the hell of hiking was over. I flew along the highway at 70 mph, letting the hot air dry me. The sweat dried and then I was just hot, tired and ready to be home. After many miles of unfamiliar roads I realized my GPS had taken me the extra scenic route and added about an hour onto my trip. My giddy tiredness transformed into rage. I stopped for a soft drink and cooled down a bit. The smallest things were making me murderously angry. A little bit of traffic, people talking on their cell phones in their air conditioned cars, and people using cross walks improperly made me want to explode. It took everything in me to control my temper and ride sanely. Ok, I did lose it twice and cut through traffic and past two cop cars that either didn’t notice me or were too stuck in traffic to do anything about it.

I finally pulled into my driveway, quickly dumped my gear inside and ran up to my bedroom and took a cold shower. I nearly started weeping with joy. Everything from that point forward, from laying under air conditioning to gorging myself on pizza was taken with extreme appreciation.

Lessons learned? Don’t bother camping in the south when it is this hot and humid. Don’t go motorcycle riding when it is this hot and humid. Don’t put on a 60 pound backpack and hike when it is this hot and humid. Never never never ever trust a GPS. Experiences like this make you temporarily appreciate luxury. But the biggest lesson is when you are half way into a trip like this and a voice inside says, “Get a hotel room” fucking listen to it.

A year ago I set out to embrace one of my strongest desires. Travel. I knew from the beginning that this wasn’t just about taking road trips for the sake of road trips. I knew that my journeys were something a bit deeper. As far back as I can remember, my internal dialogues have flowed more smoothly while speeding along the road or sitting next to a quiet campfire. Since I had been out of a long term relationship for about a year at that point, I realized it was just going to be me and me alone for awhile. When I was in that relationship I remember the monster within demanding more time to ourselves. It became furiously loud towards the end and it took me awhile after the breakup for me to start listening.

I used to write that voice off as dangerous and nihilistic. I have found that only one of those two characteristics is true about it. It is not dangerous. And its nihilistic nature has taught me to relax a bit and not assign so much meaning to things that I do not have control over. When I start to get “too serious” it is sure to speak up and put some perspective into my lofty spiraling thoughts. If anything it is one of the most humble parts of me and I am glad that I have had a chance to get to know it over the past year. Since I have given over more control to this side of me, I have found that I feel much more comfortable in my own skin. There are even a few external expressions of this side of my personality. I have grown a goatee, painted my car black, drive a motorcycle most of the time and dress a little darker to suit this side of me. I have to say, I like the change. I have not turned into the monster I feared that it was. I have just integrated this part of my personality in a much more natural way.

So what about these seemingly hard goals to quit my 9 to 6 job and hit the road for a year? I still want to do something similar to that eventually, but my desire is not as urgent now that I have treated myself to some sort of adventure almost every weekend since a year ago. I’ve been to Nicaragua, all over Georgia, North/South Carolinas, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio, Key West, Middle Florida and back to Cali. I have a hard time recalling all of my trips due to their number. I was planning on listing them all out here, but I realize what a monumental task that would be and decided that a quick summary was more appropriate.

Something unexpected that has come from this literal and figurative journey has been the discovery of a new passion. More accurately, a re-discovery. I purchased a DSLR camera to help document my journeys. At first I was unsure how comfortable I was with lugging this expensive piece of equipment around with me, but soon enough it became a natural extension of my body. I even took it to Nicaragua with me, even though the threat of theft was pretty high there. I have since upgraded my camera and have begun shooting high-definition videos and editing them together to give little glimpses into my experiences. I am extremely happy about this discovery and am glad I continue to be passionate about it months after I began. Usually a hobby such as this will fade away quickly, but my romance with my camera has yet to end.

Videos: http://vimeo.com/roadrich

Speaking of romance, that is something that I was pretty worried about early on. One of my more popular posts on this blog is about that subject and I highly recommend reading it. I have to say it still rings true mostly. I had one romantic interest earlier this year and put as much honesty and integrity into it that I could muster, but unfortunately the fates said, “not now”. I am glad I had that experience because it helped me prove to myself that I could be honest early on and get that honesty in return. It also reminded me that I have a lot to work through before I am going to be ready for a serious relationship again. My trust levels are still pretty low after my last relationship and I find myself spending many bitter moments in self reflection. I am okay with that bitterness, because it is best to experience it now, rather than it show up in my next relationship. Also being alone isn’t a bad thing. Being able to do what I want, when I want, without worrying about someone elses feelings is a freeing feeling. The amount of creativity that has been available to me grows by the day. I am not saying you can’t have that in a relationship, but I have had some form of a relationship with someone else since I was 19 and have not had this much alone time since I was a teen. Almost an entire decade without being able to experience my adult life alone has left me disoriented and disconnected with many parts of my personality and my time alone has been extremely valuable.

I have certainly not spent all of my time alone. The friendships that have grown over this past year have been great and more plentiful than any other time in my life. I am creating some great memories with my new friends and no one can lift me out of my misanthropic slumps like they can. Close and remote, I have been fortunate to forge these new connections. I have finally allowed myself to be challenged by others worldviews and as a result no longer only have friends who are perfectly aligned with my philosophical values. In fact, my favorite aspect of my friends is how varied their perspectives are on life. They have helped me question my own values and stop being so exclusive with who I allow in my life. I have proved to myself that there are great people in the world, and not only those who agree with me. It was difficult for me to open up as I had just come from a social group that was pretty locked down philosophically and socially. I was also distrusting of most people due to the disillusionment suffered from the breakup. Thank you so much to those of you who have been along this journey with me, either in person or remotely. You have all made it so much more worth while. The conversations I have had this year will stick with me for a life time.

Is it all good? No. It’s better though. A year ago I felt much more like I was walking around in a haze. Now I feel much more comfortable with who I am. I still suffer from social anxiety and am having trouble coping with a 9 to 6 and weekend warrior lifestyle. But I am recognizing what I can change and what I can not. I am doing what I can to move forward with my passions. Without therapy I do not think I would have made this much progress and I throw that in because I think it is important to have a third party to open up to completely on a weekly basis to keep yourself honest.

Looking back helps me to put my progress in perspective. What I predicted (privately to myself) a year ago was far less than what has happened thus far, so I think I am on the right path.

What’s next? More. I like travel. A lot. And I plan on figuring out ways of making more room for travel in my life and letting it continue to flow without too many rules. If you would like me to visit you, just ask! I am sure I will figure out some way at some time. What’s really next? Yosemite with friends. I have never been and am really looking forward to this natural beauty and spending time around the campfire talking.

What about saving the world? The world can wait. I can’t do anything about it until I feel like I have saved myself first.

I started off with 6″ L brackets with 7/16″ bolts.  I drilled holes in the aluminum runner on the sides, being careful not to hit anything critical.

I then drilled some holes in the ammo can and installed it.  As you can see I drilled large holes to allow the head of the lower bolts to stick through, ensuring a tight fit.  Eventually I will waterproof all these holes.

And that’s it!  50 cal wide ammo cans (available on ebay), 4 L brackets and bolts.  It all feels pretty sturdy.  We’ll see how they hold up when I go camping.  Let me know what you think.

I am taking this Saturday to slow down a bit and reflect on the past 10 months. I recognize that I still generally feel dissatisfied with the amount that I travel. But with that recognition I began to look back and realize that I have packed more travel into these months than I had in the previous five years of my life. Seeing it from that perspective helped me to appreciate what I have accomplished. Although I still would rather be spending most of my time exploring this world than working a 9 to 6 job, I do realize that I am on the right trajectory to fulfill my desires.

I am actually going to recount this journey a little earlier than this blog began. It was actually one year ago when my desire to travel was re-stoked. One of my coworkers was talking about fishing and I was sharing stories with him about my experiences with fishing. He told me that fishing in south Florida would blow away all of my experiences. So I took him up on that challenge and said I wanted to go down there with him and go fishing. At first I wasn’t sure if he was just humoring me or what but he began to plan a trip down to the Everglades and Miami. Another friend of mine told me he was thinking of going down to Florida to see the shuttle launch. Once I added that into the equation it was just a matter of time until we had a full fledged road trip plan and were hitting the road to Titusville to see the shuttle launch and then onto Miami, The Everglades and then The Keys. I had one of the best times of my life on that trip. From the awesome sights and sounds of the shuttle launch to the perfectly clear waters of The Keys, it was one of the first trips that was completely of my making and of my whim. Thanks to the co-workers that joined me, I was given the room to explore my desire to travel and experience a vacation without all of the rules and restrictions that I was used to.

Ok. I just realized that my desire began earlier than that. However, I will recognize the South Florida trip the catalyst. Before that I took a trip down to the Panhandle of Florida on Thanksgiving. I was feeling particularly lonely as this was my first Thanksgiving with pretty much no one in my life. So instead of sitting around my apartment feeling sorry for myself I borrowed my roommate’s car and drove down to Florida for the first time and went camping. It was the first time I had gone on such an extended trip completely by myself and by my own rules. It’s a trip I will always remember vividly because of all of the emotions involved with doing something completely outside of the norm. The big difference for me on that trip was letting those emotions flow rather than holding back. If I felt sad and lonely, I let myself feel sad and lonely. If I felt inspired, I let myself feel inspired. If I felt peaceful, I didn’t question it and let myself feel peaceful.

Ok. ok. ok. Again, as I write this I realize that there were signs that this desire in me were there before the South Florida trip. But again, my momentum didn’t pick up until that trip. Before my Panhandle trip I went camping in The Smokeys. That trip was a bit of a disaster as I drank too much whiskey, fell in an ice cold river at night, almost got lost, was confronted by some angry deer, spent the night watching the stars spin out of control and vomited out of my car every few minutes. I think that trip was a reminder to me not to do things unconsciously. So the next trip (before the South Florida trip) to The Smokeys was with my roommate. We hiked up to the Appalachian trail and spent the night in a group camp shelter with a bunch of hard core campers and realized we were not as young as we used to be.

From there it all took off. I prepared my vehicle for my journeys and began making weekend trips. Pictures tell the story better, so below is one picture from each of my trips since June 2010.

I feel like I missed something, but these were at least the trips I took pictures of. If you are interested in seeing the full sets of any of these trips, most of them can be found on my Flickr. Looking at this list really amazes me. How did I fit this many trips into 10 months? I’m glad I was able to and I am happy to see that I am achieving what I wanted when I set out on this goal.

Next week it all comes full circle because I am going to fly down to The Keys in a private plane with the same friends I went on the trip with a year ago. This time we’re renting a place down there and staying an entire week. A fitting celebration for the past year of travel and making such great friends. And on that note, I have to say that the friendships I have developed have meant more to me than any of these trips. It brings me so much more joy to be able to share these experiences with others and grow deeper connections as a result. I look forward to more trips and deeper friendships.