Burning Man

12 days after having left Black Rock City, I feel that I can finally put some of my experience into words. Burning man was an event unlike any other, and is therefore very difficult to compare or describe based on the day-to-day experiences of normal people. The final conclusions that I have come to about it are these:

1. It falls into the category of things that have expanded my notion of what is possible in this life. Every once in a while, I hear or see or experience something that makes me say, "whoa, I didn't know people could do that!" Burning Man fits that bill nicely. The last time I remember feeling this notion was when my friend Japhy rode his bike from Los Angeles to the tip of Argentina. It expanded my realm of possibility.

2. Unadulterated freedom does not translate into pure chaos. Yes, there were lots of naked people and crazy costumes and giant mutant vehicles roaming around the desert. Yes there were people dancing and partying and drinking and doing drugs and riding bikes covered in fur and neon lights and making themselves available for all kinds of behavior that would not be accepted along the streets of any other city...but it was not at all out of hand. I did not see any fights, no one vomiting, no one being harassed or insulted or belittled. It was incredibly refreshing to see that enormous variety of lifestyle choices being celebrated and supported and interacted with by anyone who passed by. And it was organized. People stayed on the roads (all riding bikes) for the most part, property was respected as well as personal space. There was a program and a schedule that was adhered to for the most part, activities were planned and the Port-a-potties were cleaned every day. Not only that, but the potties were lined with cheeky, original poems about not throwing trash in them and getting a "pee funnel" (which was being given out for free by a camp dedicated to just that purpose) to make it easier for ladies to use the urinals. For the amount of people and STUFF that was packed into that 2 mile diameter beacon of craziness in the desert, it was all quite put-together and pleasant.

3. It feels good to get it all out! I spent at least one full day wearing just a speedo, a red cape with gold stars, and a blue trucker hat with the words "dork" printed on the front, and no one batted an eye. In fact, on that day, I was enthusiastically beckoned into several camps where people immediately offered me drinks, and then I just chilled out with a bunch of strangers and chatted for several hours. At the beginning of Burning Man, there is so much going on that it is shocking. It took me several days to get used to, but by the end, the pure freedom and acceptance was wonderful and normal and I found myself wondering why more of life isn't like that. I danced for hours in front of a car that had been converted into a very modern version of a Rhino equipped with an enormous sound system, set-up in the middle of the desert. I climbed a crazy metal tower, a human ant farm, a temporary 5 story building made entirely out of scaffolding, an art tree with metal cables for branches, a huge wooden honeycomb, and a stack of speakers 20 feet tall. I took a foam bath naked in a trailer with 30 other people, all of whom treated each other with respect and helpfulness. I played on a 50 foot long slip-and-slide for 2 hours wearing only a skirt. I learned how to do a back-flip on a trampoline. And through it all, I met wonderful, interesting, enthusiastic, energetic people with whom I connected and talked for hours and made friendships that have already been maintained outside of Black Rock City.

A fantastic experience. I may yet return.

Heading into the desert

After a super-fun weekend last weekend splashing in the waters of the Little Kern River in Sequoia Nat'l Forest (see pictures above), I am heading to the desert. I will be attending Burning Man for the first time, along with 8 of my co-workers and a few other friends who I hope to run into somewhere during the chaotic awesomeness. Finished my first fall week of work for NAL (Naturalists at Large), and had a great time uniting with old friends as well as making some new ones. Life is really swell!

In Preparation

Still in transit to California from another summer with teenagers outside. This time, I went up to Oregon & Washington, climbed some mountains, paddled some rivers, a lake and the Puget sound, backpacked on a beach and in the mountains, and had a blast. Take a look at the pics!

Here we go!

Friends, family, brothers & sisters of the Earth,

I am planning to embark upon the journey of a lifetime. An adventure into the heart of the United States of America, a country which I do not know well enough to suit my liking, after having been a part of it for my entire life. A journey of spiritual awakening, bonding with my fellow humans, discovering the lands, peoples and artifacts of the country which has shaped world policy and culture for the last century. This will also be a personal journey, connecting it all with my own body in a healthy, sustainably driven message of hope and progress.
In June of 2011, I plan to depart on a self-supported bicycle tour of unknown duration. I will begin at my family’s home in Trinidad, CA, and go North through Oregon and Washington before heading east through the northern states to arrive in Minnesota for the wedding of my good friend, Greg Krajacic in late summer. From there, I plan to spend winters in the south and summers in the north, traversing the country from top to bottom in the spring and fall. I will stay with friends, family, friends of friends and family of friends. I would love to visit each and every one of you along the way. I will also stay with strangers, with new friends, with other travelers and alone. I will blog and take photographs and stop for several weeks, or perhaps months, in several places. I will seek out centers of sustainable living, progressive ideas, intentional communities, and bright hope for the future of our planet. I will seek out ancient wisdom and natural order, and strive to follow the teachings of the wind and that water and the mountains. I will raft rivers and climb mountains and build fires and spend time in the wilderness alone. I will visit as many national parks, states, “cool” cities and places as I can, and I will come back when it feels time. I will live simply, breathe deeply, and keep my mind as well as all of my senses open to the teachings of the world.
I would love and appreciate your support on this journey. Though I am undertaking this journey by myself, I know that I need other people to make it happen. On a new website which I am creating, I will be posting my proposed route, along with photographs and a summary of my previous few days of adventure. If you or someone you know happens to be living or traveling near my proposed route, I’d love to say hi! I will be asking much of my fellow humans. Places to lay my body for the evening, hot meals, showers, internet access, etc. Though I am planning this journey alone, I do not plan on being lonely. I will stay connected to the community of people that I’ve become a part of over the past few years, and connect them to new people who I meet along the way. I am still in the planning phases of this journey, and just now gathering the resources, equipment and information that I will need to succeed. If you have the time and the inclination, I’d love to hear from you. Please read on!

These are a few things that I could use help with at this early stage:

1. If you’d like a visit and happen to be on my route in the first 3 months (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota), please send me your most up-to-date address and contact info. Also, if you know people in the area who you think would be happy to host me, please let me know.
2. If you’d like to ride with me, I’d love to have your company for any length of my trip. I expect to do most of the riding alone, so I won’t mind if you want to join me for an hour or a month!
3. Representation: I am actively seeking organizations and individuals which would be interested in being represented by, sending a message with or asking a specific task to be taken on during my journey.
4. Suggestions of the best places to see and things to do! Think low-budget, low tourist traffic, and ideally accessible by bicycle. Where have you traveled that shouldn’t be missed? Nationwide. Please check the website for a list of places that I am already planning on visiting.
5. Equipment: I’d love to give a new life to any of these things you may have laying around:
a. Front bicycle rack & panniers
b. Semi-pro digital SLR camera (not too fancy)
c. Cold-weather bicycling gear. I wear a men’s large in most things.
i. Skull cap
ii. Gloves
iii. Leggings
iv. Wind-resistant, form-fitting layers
d. Lightweight, waterproof bicycle cover
e. Keychain-sized USB flash drive, 4 GB capacity or higher – for backup!


I would like to take a moment to thank those few dozen of you who followed my journey in Southeast Asia. The comments and kind words that you gave me boosted my morale and stimulated my motivation to take on something even more fantastic and meaningful. Thank you.

The Plan

Bike Trip across the US:

Mission: Make relationships and find opportunities for a fulfilling, sustainable, passionate and joyful life of hard work, celebration, education and compassion. Inspire others to do so. Learn about the country and people that I am a part of. Spread “FourYears. GO.”

• Guiding principles:

1. Listen and learn.
2. Everything is connected; gently help people to see what they are a part of, and cherish it, if they are so inclined.
3. Everything is constantly changing. Trying to keep things the same only promotes unplanned, often undesirable, change. Be the change you want to see in the world.
4. Find wisdom & let it speak to me.
5. Celebrate! Joy is essential to a good life.
6. Let the trip determine where and for how long I stay. Take opportunities as they arise.
7. Health is necessary for joy, awareness & survival.

• Primary Goals:

1. Listen to the problems, concerns, needs and desires of my countrymen. Strive to see things from their perspective.
2. Help people to see their connections. Bring a message and a physical example of sustainable travel, sustainable lifestyle, and urgent sustainable change wherever I go.
3. Meet up with, stay with, visit with and take an interest in the lives of friends and family, wherever they may be.
4. See the country and the people that I am a part of, that I am able to influence, that I represent to the world.
5. Visit towns and cities recommended by friends as outdoorsy, progressive, or just plain cool.
a. Visit sustainable communities, intentional communities, centers of progress and change.
6. Visit as many national parks as feasible, stay the night in the wilderness when possible.
7. Visit Indian Reservations and seek ancient wisdom from native elders.
8. Hit all of the states I have not yet seen.
9. Couch surf as much as possible to save money and spread the love and the message.
10. Blog the trip


• Secondary Goals

1. Support myself by finding employment in sustainable endeavors wherever I may be. (sponsors? Bike shops?)
2. Spend time in the wilderness to recharge.
3. Support myself by other means.
4. Travel by the seasons, summers in the mountains/north, winters in the desert/south
5. Visit all national tourist sites (Mt. Rushmore) that are reasonably priced.
6. Hike a piece of each of the big trails (Appalachian, PCT, Ozark, Continnental Divide)


Cities to Visit, in no particular order:

Oregon: Ashland, Eugene, Bend, Portland
Washington: Olympia,
Arizona: Flagstaff
Texas: Austin
Michigan: Ann Arbor
Colorado: Boulder, Nederland, Durango
Indiana: Bloomington (Charles Deam Wilderness)
North Carolina: Ashville, The Outer Banks, Turtle Island!
Kansas: Lawrence
Utah: Salt Lake City, Logan
Minnesota: Duluth, Minneapolis
Vermont: Burlington
Washington DC
Louisiana: New Orleans
New York: New York
Maine


If it is on the way:

Kentucky: Red River Gorge
Jon Young – inspired wilderness awareness programs