Days Three & Four: April 23/24 - The Trip Down South

It has been an eventful two days of travel after a mid-morning departure, a brief border incident involving documentation approval for the resident Aussie Brett, and out sights set on Pittsburgh as our first rest stop. We encountered rains off and one which slowed our journey down somewhat but an hour or so into New York state the van I was traveling in broke down. The belt slipped resulting in the loss of power steering, alternator, etc. Thankfully, an hour after breaking down CAA came through with a tow truck ride to a local Pep Boys mechanic shop and the time to make the necessary repairs. By 8 pm we were back on the road with our sights set on Pittsburgh but the weather soon turned cold and resulted in snow! We managed to find a good hotel and booked two rooms for 11 weary travelers.

What's A Fan Belt Do Anyways?

Mr. Tow To The Rescue

We awoke to three inches of snow but thankfully the snow did not stick to the roads much. Interestingly, we encountered snow in some form either airborne or on the ground through all of the remaining states down south: PA, VA, TN and we saw some snow in the NC mountains. We arrived in Asheville around 8 pm but we faced a number of challenges finding an open campground in the area - by 10 pm we managed to set up camp at North Mills River Campground. A cold night but we finally had arrived!

G

Day Two: April 22, 2005 Medeba, Ontario

It's been good to back at camp and get acquainted with this year's LDP and to reconnect with staff & friends. I took a tour of the site to see the changes since my last visit including the ice-climbing tower, new climbing wall, & addition of an amazing dual zip-line as part of their high ropes course. It was good to spend some time with my good friend Mandy who has joined the LDP leadership team. I managed to repack my gear, including some supplies courtesy of Medeba and pick out a kayak & bike for my time down south with the LDP. My role will be one of guest instructor/mentor/fellow explorer and I'm looking forward to repaddling some of the classic whitewater rivers I last paddled six years ago. I'm also excited about biking at Tsali and other great mountain bike trail areas. Tomorrow we leave!

G

Day One: April 21, 2005 Toronto-West Guilford, Ontario

Written in the Dunning Loft

"Life has been non-stop busyness and I am looking forward to relaxing, traveling, & to the tales of adventure to be had paddling the rivers & biking the mountains of North Carolina. Clearly, family will be missed but it will be good to breathe in exploration & play once again. For the moment, I am back at Medeba in West G - my & Wendy's home from 98-99 while we participated in a Leadership Development Program. My conversations with my friends Michael & Bruce once again are self-reflective narratives that always lead to introspection & dreaming about the future. We speak the same language and I feel blessed to once again interact with two key mentors in my life."

Here's a joke: "How many emo-boys does it take to change a light bulb? None - they like to sit in the dark alone and cry."

"On my flight over from Winnipeg I managed to read my way through Douglas Coupland's Life After God. It's a first-person ramble that reveals a post-Christian generation which struggles to find meaning in life. Interestingly, near the end of the story the main character shares, "My secret is that I need God - that I am sick and can no longer make it alone. I need God to help me give, because I no longer seem to be capable of giving; to help me be kind, as I no longer seem capable of kindness, to help me love, as I seem beyond being able to love." It echoes my sentiments well after a spent teaching year. I have once again realized that to be a good teacher requires a dependence beyond myself."

G

explore play in north carolina

I will be leaving this Thursday for Toronto and then traveling down to North Carolina this coming Saturday. I will be a guest instructor for Medeba Adventure Learning Centre and hope to enjoy teaching some whitewater kayaking on some pretty sweet rivers. I will be exploring play down south and most likely will be unable to post before arriving back in Canada.

Update to follow sometime when I get back - May 1st!

blog escape

I will most likely not post till May due to a trip to North Carolina - details to follow! Graduation of college students took up most my time this past weekend...

Till May...

G

Experts?

We are only truly an expert in one area - our story! No one else on earth knows you better than you. No one else has made the mistakes you have in your given context and learned from them. Nor has anyone experienced your triumphs, your memories, your emotions, your thoughts, your perspective on life!

G

mtn bike season!

Well - I hit the trails once again with my trusty mtn bike! Together with my wife Wendy & our friends Pat & Dar - we managed to escape for a good hour and 1/2 ride in the Sandilands. It felt good again to wind through the treed singletrack but unfortunately my lungs haven't caught up to my legs when it came to some of the climbs. Oh to be back in shape like last fall!

I managed to come up with a kayaking paddle exercise with my bowflex that hopefully will assist in getting my in shape for my North Carolina escape in less than two weeks. My theory is that with added resistance - it will take less time for my arms, chest, back and abs to get ready for ninja strokes on the surf waves.

G

U2 tickets?

Anyone have tickets for (or leads to getting some) U2 in Minneapolis or Toronto or Calgary that they would like to sell me? I'm expecting silence but hey it doesn't hurt to ask - and I need a blog post for this week...

G

I've managed to listen to the first three shows of the tour and they definitely are still putting on an amazing show!!!

musings on weather, travel, escape...

Weather plays such a huge factor in attitude and perhaps even our overall health! Finally, the majority of snow has disappeared meaning that I will shortly be able to enjoy mtn biking in hills of the Sandilands (about 20 minutes away). Two weeks left of teaching here at the college and I get to escape to North Carolina for a week & a bit where I imagine it will be considerably warmer!

What is it about travel that get's me so stoked? I think the opportunity for escape, for play are key factors in that. Escape from the norm and to once again engage in something natural & away from the confines of my office or classroom! It is amazing how closed in I feel when weather is dreary or cold. When it warms up - I just want to jump out my office window and ride off to some adventure.

Thanks much to those who have contributed to my discussion on defining play. I hope to better develop a philosophy of play for my outdoor education class that I will be teaching next fall, so any gleanings I gain from interactions here will definitely be of use! I encourage any visitor to exploreplay to post whatever thoughts you have - even if you think play is all bunk.

G

My 3 year old daughter recently announced that she wants to go to Africa. I asked her when we should leave - her reply? After supper but first she needed to pack her toys in her backpack. My sister & bro-in-law currently are living in Ethiopia working with Sudanese refugees and so part of the reason for Chelsea's comments reflect her desire to visit her cousins but also so she can go on a plane ride.