Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Interesting thread with many (wild and cool) ideas for travel. Would be interesting to see what other cultures consider to be an "adventure". I personally like walks in nature, unspoiled nature with preferable not too much humans. Still remember those walks in New Sealand, ending up a beach with sea-lions, it was perfect, walking for hours and only nature. Other adventures are more in the mind, understanding the world, like a beautiful book about Evolution or watching the stars close-up via telescope at night.

Stephen J. Gould wrote some great books, collections of his essays for the magazine Natural History. I subscribed to that until they quit printing it. I found the books at a garage sale. His writing was beautiful. He and another guy came up with the idea of punctuated equilibrium in evolution.

Summer Solstice inspiration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UWnr4nyrxA

Ego wrote:Summer Solstice inspiration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UWnr4nyrxA

supposed to be a strawberry moon tonight because of it and that doesn't happen very often, so look out the window or check online tomorrow; I'm sure it'll be all over the net.

I woke up to find that the TransAm bike race is ending with a bang. Unlike the Race Across America, the TransAm is an unsupported gentleman-style bike race run like an individual time trial following the original bike-centennial route. Lael Wilcox, the first female, just took the lead of the entire race!!! She is leading by a few miles with 56 to go.

Live Tracker. http://trackleaders.com/transam16

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_Am_Bike_Race

I recently read a study that tested whether perceived exertion impacted actual performance. The results strongly indicated that we have a lot more in the tank than we think (Unfortunately, I can't find that study right now). This suggests that suffering is a bigger determining factor in these super long races than pure physical ability. They become much more about who can suffer more than who can run the fastest. Some studies suggest that women might have the advantage in the suffering part. At the very least, it's probably equal.

Another example is Amelia Boone finishing second in the 24 hour Spartan race. When Ferriss interviewed her she basically said that her success is because, "...she likes to suffer."

@Chad--Did you read How Bad Do You Want It?

Chad, what you wrote confirms my bias so I believe it. I've been saying for a long time that speed doesn't kill, it hurts.

The San Diego Highwayman

https://vimeo.com/114542749

EMJ wrote:Living Wild
We aim to "live" in the wilderness, rather than "survive" it to get back to civilization.
http://www.lynxvilden.com/

Hee hee, if they're still around, I could so see myself spending a year or two there and then running around the world adventuring in my cozy loin cloth.

I've mentioned before how much I admired Göran Kropp for his phenomenal human powered adventures. We had the good fortune to attend one of his lectures. What a character!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6ran_Kropp

Kropp died when his protection pulled from a crack during a fall while rock climbing in Washington. He was being belayed by Erden Eruç who was interviewed this morning on the NPR program Only a Game about his own ERE-esque human powered circumnavigation.

http://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2016/06/2 ... navigation

I thought of this thread when I watched these guys on Outrageous Acts of Science (jumps right to segment).

Just once I want to be that fearless.

jennypenny wrote:Short video ... http://www.ducttapethenbeer.com/damn-that-was-awesome/

Because I don’t want to say, “I wish.” I want to say, “Damn, that was awesome.”

Brendan Leonard is doing a speaking tour to promote his new book. Last night I heard him speak.

http://semi-rad.com/books/

He wrote and did the voiceover for the video. Funny, I hadn't put two-and-two together that the guy climbing in the video is not him.

The talk and book are about how he used a technical-writing job with IBM as a springboard to mountain/adventure writing gigs while overcoming addiction and living in his car/van. For those interested in such things, he's done well getting sponsors through his blog. He focuses on the mundane and funny aspects of the dirtbag lifestyle and it seems like he caught the wave as it became more popular.

A violin busking adventure.... Hah!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shQZ6406EQk

ETA: Revisiting akratic's friend who is also a violin busker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LRFdpPJICQ
https://www.facebook.com/AndrewSiess

This one touches on the skills and attitude that put the E in ERE.

For her thirtieth birthday, Katie gave herself a trip on a cruise to Antarctica. In the other, older passengers on the ship, she caught a glimpse of her future if she continued on the path she was on. In the ship’s crew, she saw something else: a superwoman equivalent of herself. Today, we bring you the story of a journey to the far reaches of our planet, and of what it takes to see the person you want to be, and then become that person. It starts with saying ‘yes’.

Dirtbag Diaries, Start Saying Yes.
https://soundcloud.com/thedirtbagdiarie ... saying-yes

The interview begins at 5:50

A video on philosophy of living off the grid with lots of good thoughts. Very inspiring.
I'm Off-Grid and I'm Not a Superhero | Esther Emery

Well, this guy had one hell of a go at it

A career in 'adventure' mode:
Ditch digger
Chairman of the board, Fed. Reserve Bank, Philadephia
Garbage man
President of Haverford College
Short-order cook
Undercover prison inmate
Ford Foundation in India
Dishwasher (fired)
Author
President of Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
Sewage worker
Miner
Prison guard
Brief stint 'homeless', to see what it was like (answer:awful)
Innkeeper
Started a theater guild
Published a weekly newspaper
Justice of the peace

“There’s a restlessness in me,” Mr. Coleman explained in 1987, “a desire to walk in other people’s shoes.”

The 11th issue of the free online magazine Bicycle Traveler was just released.

http://www.bicycletraveler.bicyclingaroundtheworld.nl/

I especially recommend the story, Cycling for Simplicity by Greg Foyster.

Here is a direct link to the ABC Radio documentary about the monk he mentions in the story.

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/ ... 141101.mp3

The simplicity story was well contrasted by the engineer who measured the weight/time ratio for touring, questioning the desire to be an ultra minimalist bike tourer.

I just finished reading that issue! It reminded me that I've put almost 7000 miles on my Fargo without going anywhere.

And Kyrgyzstan has some pretty places. Like parts of Oregon.

"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt." John Muir

Wilderness: https://vimeo.com/190453307

Along those lines, it appears the Baja Divide Ride is coming together. I've mentioned it here before. Last year a couple developed the route and posted the gps coordinates for others for free. This year they've organized a free group ride. It runs the length of Baja and starts January 2.

https://bajadivide.com/

I should probably post this in the Something From Nothing thread because they did exactly that. They took a love of off road bicycle riding and turned it into a movement. I suspect this Baja Divide ride will be one talked about many years from now in the same way boomer dirtbags (the good kind of dirtbag) talk about the first Bikecentennenal in 1976.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikecentennial