Chad Thoughts

Changing the Chad Narrative, One Chad at a time.

Recent Posts

  • Possessions/Things

    What’s the point of things? Few “things” make me happy. Things as in possessions. What’s the point of collecting “things”? Young adulthood feels like a race to collect “things”. And then you keep going on and on and collecting more “things” as you get older. Next thing you know “The things that you own end up owning you” (Fight Club).

    This brings me to Frightened Rabbit.

    A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a bar, slightly annoyed with the live music behind me, making it difficult to hear my own voice. I didn’t realize it but the man playing the guitar now behind me was actually the same man that greeted me when I walked in and sat down, so I shouldn’t have been so judgmental (we ended up having a conversation about Frightened Rabbit later, between songs). But he was strumming fuzzy song after fuzzy song that I didn’t recognize. Until some familiar lyrics and strumming pattern came around his 6th song.

    I’m working on my backwards walk
    Walking with no shoes or socks
    And when the time rewinds to the end of May
    I wish we’d never met, then met today

    – My Backwards Walk – Frightened Rabbit –

    It had been years since I last listened to Frightened Rabbit. About a decade ago, I would have considered them my favorite band. And then the lead singer, the frontman of the band, killed himself (2018). No “celebrity” death has ever moved me to sadness as much as this one. Not even Kurt Cobain. And the worst part is that we could all see it coming. His lyric are filled with sadness / depression / suicide. It feels like nearly every song makes a reference to death in some form. But his lyrics are so deep and beautiful and the music so catchy, it couldn’t be resisted.

    The first song I ever heard by Frightened Rabbit was “Modern Leper”. The title track of my favorite album of theirs (Midnight Organ Fight -2008). They released two more iconic albums over the coming years, The Winter of Mixed Drinks (2010) and Pedestrian Verse (2013) that would become a backbone of their best tracks. I would often revisit them over the years and discover new lyrics that would hit in different ways during different times in my life (I wrote this about The Twist – 2014). Hearing this man busking “My Backwards Walk” in this wine bar put me back down a (frightened) rabbit hole that I had trouble climbing down into since Scott’s death.

    While this rabbit hole, I rediscovered “Things” and it struck a chord. To me, it seems like a goal of American culture, a very important goal, is to acquire as many things as you can and make sure you talk about it; make sure everyone knows about it. A boat, a car, a larger house, the latest coffee maker, the latest apple watch. Things. To me, they never make a person. They don’t define a person. I don’t think more highly of someone with a lot of things. Or fancy things. I think less when they talk about their things. And often the most fascinating people are those without many things.
    My things don’t bring me much joy. Except maybe my bikes. Earlier this year, I was staying with my sister in California for two weeks, just working and living life. Not really a “vacation” but just to be somewhere different. I wasn’t excited to return home except to see my daughter and ride my bikes. But none of my things brought me any excitement. A fancy coffee maker is a coffee maker. A fancy car is a car. Every apple watch is ultimately just a watch. Just things.

    And the dust, it settles on these things
    Displays my age again
    Like a new skin made from old skin
    That had barely been lifted

    With that on my mind, the lyrics of “Things” by Frightened Rabbit connected with me. Every single life on this planet will end. And dust will settle on their things. The more you have, the more it displays your age. And what does it give you? Do you feel lifted? Intentional double entendre?

    Pointless artifacts
    of a mediocre past

    And ultimately this is nearly every one of us. Your VP title may impress some but you’re just a person, full of failures, accomplishments, experiences, like everyone else, like me, like your neighbor. Your past is mediocre. Your things are pointless artifacts of your mediocre life.

    I didn’t need these things
    I didn’t need them, oh
    Took them all to bits, turned ’em outside in
    And I left them on the floor and ran for dear life through the door, oh

    Here’s where it connected for me. I don’t need these things. No one does. I want to burn them all down and run through the door of a new life with the bare minimums, less stress, less weight of things. Give me a new life on the other side of that door. Collect experiences, memories, friendships, human heat.

    When all you need’s a coffin and your Sunday best
    To smarten up the end

    The reminder that all those things will remain when you’re just in your last thing, your coffin, in your Sunday best.

    An eternity of suffering in the company of all those Christian men

    And to twist the danger even more. Suffering in the company of all those Christian men… heaven or hell? Religious skepticism, religious influence is another frequent theme of their writing that has resonated with me.

    This is you and me, you’re my human heat
    And the things are only things
    And the nothing brings me like you bring me oh

    To close, the only things that really matter. Relationships, friendships and experiences with those relationships.

    One of the many lovely songs of Frightened Rabbit. I want to thank this guitar strumming man at the bar for bringing them back into my life this year.

    “Things” – Frightened Rabbit

    Well here’s the evidence of human existence
    Displaying men magnets, in two damn boxes
    And I cannot find the name for them
    They hardly show that I have lived

    And the dust, it settles on these things
    Displays my age again
    Like a new skin made from old skin
    That had barely been lifted

    I didn’t need these things
    I didn’t need them, oh
    Pointless artifacts
    A mediocre past
    So I shed my clothes, I shed my flesh
    Down to the bone and burned the rest
    I didn’t need these things
    I didn’t need them, oh
    Took them all to bits, turned ’em outside in
    And I left them on the floor and ran for dear life through the door, oh

    Useless objects, a gathered a storm of shit
    Put them in a silent shed, threw out your life’s supplies
    When all you need’s a coffin and your Sunday best
    To smarten up the end

    And at the front gate, what a reward awaits
    One pint of love from the holy ghost
    An eternity of suffering in the company of all those Christian men

    I didn’t need these things
    I didn’t need them, oh
    Pointless artifacts
    Of a mediocre past
    So I shed my clothes, I shed my flesh
    Down to the bone and burned the rest
    I didn’t need these things
    I didn’t need them, oh
    Took them all to bits, turned ’em outside in
    And I left them on the floor and ran for dear life through the door, oh

    Never need these things
    I’ll never need them, oh
    This is you and me, you’re my human heat
    And the things are only things
    And the nothing brings me like you bring me oh
    Never need these things
    I’ll never need them, oh
    Never going back, so we can drop the past
    And we’ll leave it on the floor and run for dear life through the door, oh

  • Past Post – The Twist, Frightened Rabbit

    I used to post to an older website “Uber Thoughts”. I’d like over time to bring those over to this site in some form. But for now, this is an old post where I wrote about one of my favorite songs of all time, from one of my favorite bands of all times. I was out and about last weekend and a man was busking in the bar I was at. I didn’t recognize a single song this man was playing until he played “My Backwards Walk” by Frightened Rabbit. I don’t normally speak to strangers but I approached him between songs and we talked FR.

    It’s so difficult to listen to their music now. It’s beautiful, it’s upbeat, it’s relatable and it feels fun but when you listen to lyrics, when you read them, you realize how broken Scott Hutchinson was. The writing was on the wall, or the songs. We all saw it all coming and we couldn’t do anything about it.

    But I spent the last week, listening to those three albums (Midnight Organ Fight, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, Pedestrian Verse) that meant so much to me during those years (2010-2020). I discovered more lyrics I could relate to some 15 years later. Lyrics I didn’t understand years ago. I feel in love again. And I remembered I wrote about my love of the song “The Twist”. Today I found the entry. Here it is:

    Thursday, April 10, 2014

    Uber Thoughts on “The Twist” by Frightened Rabbit

    The Twist is a track off one of the album Midnight Organ Fight recorded by the artists Frightened Rabbit. The album was released in April 15th of 2008. The Twist is not the most popular song on the album. I’d give that title to Heads Roll Off. And it’s not the first song I ever heard by the band – The Modern Leper; and it wasn’t even named as one of the top ten Frightened Rabbit songs by Stereo Gum (The 10 Best Frightened Rabbit Songs). However, The Twist is a song that has stuck on me every since I first heard it and it’s one of those songs I can keep going back to but never feels dated. It’s been there so many times in my life:  when I struggled being an adult, when I struggled being a young parent, when I struggled being a husband, and then it was there when I lost the girl I love. It’s not a complicated song, so let’s break it down.

    As with most songs that you never tire of, The Twist, is has a catchy musical arrangement and contains relate-able lyrics. Let’s start with the musical arrangement. The song begins with a simple repeated piano chord that only changes for a single note and then repeats again. No drums. No guitar. About 10 seconds in, Scott Hutchinson begins to sing the first verse, however, that piano rhythm continues over Scott’s shaky, rattled voice. At the 25 second mark, backing vocals couldn’t come at a better time, while Scott goes silent. When he starts singing the second verse, the sparse piano continues with no other instrument and the backing vocals disappear. This musical simplicity amplifies the insecurity and confusion in his voice.  Around the 50 second mark, after his second verse is complete, a cymbal is tossed in and the backing vocals return, which contribute to the anticipation that something bigger is coming. The piano, backing humming vocals and cymbal are all present as he sings the chorus: “So twist and whisper the wrong name… “. Immediately following the end of the chorus, drums finally comes in; about 90 seconds into the song. It’s not a typical backing drum beat, it’s more of a patter on and a patter off between the backing vocal hums. About the 1:35 mark, Scott begins the third and final verse of the song. Now we have the piano, cymbal, backing vocals and drums all backing him. And you can feel that something is going to break soon. And we get that when the verse finishes; at the 2:16 mark, right when he says “I need human heat” for the second time. At this point in the song, the beat speeds up and it almost feels like it cuts to entirely different song. The piano beat changes to a fast keyboard sequence of chords and a rhythmic snare drum beat, that we have not heard at all. The backing vocals also change to something I can’t understand, but it’s different than before. The pace of the song quickens as we get closer to the end. Scott squeals a few times about his need for “human heat” and then the song abruptly cuts off for the end after 3.31 minutes. Thus, the song itself only has about a minute of a rhythmic drum beat and a more upbeat keyboard progression of chords. But the musical arrangement isn’t the only element of this makes it a classic, the lyrics and signing complete it.

    Scott begins, simply enough, expressing his lust for this person whom he’s watching dance

    Do the twist in the twisting outfit
    The loose tie with, the loose limp wrists
    Lift your dress enough to show me those shins
    Let your hair stick to your forehead

    His desperation, which becomes more defined later, begins here, as he is a sucker for just a little skin, even her shins. “Let your hair stick to your forehead” tells us that she’s sweaty and disheveled, but he’s perfectly fine with that.

    Did you blush then when our hips touched?
    I can’t tell, you’re already red
    Am i right? you give me the signs
    Is that pink mist or just lit dry ice

    He’s fragile and fears rejection, so he’s desperate for any sign of mutual attraction. He questions his own instincts but the fragility in his waving voice when he sings the word “signs” indicates that he’s worried that these lustful feelings aren’t mutual.

    Then we’re treated to the chorus for the first time

    So twist and whisper the wrong name
    I don’t care nor do my ears
    Twist yourself around me
    I need company i need human heat
    I need human heat 
    This is where it becomes how clear his desperation is. You can call him anything you want, he just needs someone right now. He needs human heat. A clever way to explain that he is desperate for companionship, and my favorite line.

    The third and final verse.

    Lets pretend I’m attractive and then
    You won’t mind, you can twist for a while
    It’s the night, I can be who you like
    And I’ll quietly leave before it gets light

    His self doubt apparent, he begs her to stay and dance with him. He’ll betray himself, he whomever she needs through the evening. And he signs the chorus again.

    So twist and whisper the wrong name
    I don’t care nor do my ears
    Twist yourself around me
    I need company i need human heat need human heat 

    Thinking of needing heat, means he’s cold. He needs warmth to live again. And the image of heat radiating off someone and permeating into him is what I see when I hear this line. And fortunately, he repeats this line several times with his wobbly vocals and different pacing.

    He then repeats the chorus but alters the lyrics a bit.

    Twist and whisper the right name
    I’m David, please
    The twist is that you’re just like me
    You need company, you need human heat
    You need human heat

    He drops some great lines here, as the song ends. He reveals that, as desperate for companionship as he is, what he really wants is someone who knows him. “Whisper the right name. I’m David, please“. And then, he reveals the twist. She’s just like him. Everyone there is just like him. Everyone wants companionship in their life. Everyone needs human heat.

  • Taxco, Mexico

    Over Memorial Day weekend this year, I had the opportunity to visit Mexico for a third time in the past 2 years. This time, we choose to go to Taxco, a town just a few hours West of Mexico City. Known for the white buildings and silver mines, it proved to be another excellent and fun trip south of the boarder.

    This was the first trip to Mexico where I really felt like I was deep inside of Mexico. The entire trip, I did not see another “gingro” tourist. The only tourists appeared to be other Mexicans. English speakers were very difficult to come by. My Spanish preparation came up frustratingly short.

    But that did not distract from the fun, the beautiful sites and the delicious food. We were also fortunate to have an incredible short term rental with an nearly private pool

    Highlights of the trip were climbing up steep roads and stairs to the top of the city to see the Cristo Monumental. Seeing an actual Silver Mine during an all Spanish speaking tour. Walking through the street markets and buying fruits and sweets. Cooling off in the pool after a day of walking in the heat.

    Food highlights included the best mango I’ve ever consumed. Discovering Cafe de Olla. Lime micheladas. Delicious pozoles. And the legendary Berta cocktail which I’ve been unable to replicate back home despite the simplicity of the ingredients.

    But the true highlight of the trip was our last day. A visit to Mil Cascadas. About an hour to the East, along some narrow rows, it was a national park of sorts that contained an extensive cave system and a large waterfall with dozens of pools going down the mountainside. And we got to explore all of these. Wading and swimming deep inside the cave with only our tour guide. Jumping off cliffs into pitch blackness within the cave from 10 -20 feet above the water; jumping, sliding and swinging from cliffs 10-40 feet above the pools outside, we spent over 4 hours there. It’s an experience of a lifetime. One I’ll never forget and likely never do again.

  • Possession

    Something I’m struggling with right now is possession of objects. There are only a few things in my life that really make me happy. There are obvious things I need for living in today’s society. Necessities. That’s a given. Those things are shelter to keep my warm or cool and safe, a bed and accessories to sleep well at night, items to keep me clean, items to prepare food, items for comfort, items for working, clothing, shoes, items for health and cleanliness and tools to get things done (kitchen item, garage items, etc). When you’re young and move from your parents, you need to establish these items and then, typically, you keep buying and adding. A bigger home, more furniture, more comfort. A nicer car with heated seats. An air fryer because the oven and microwave don’t cook items exactly how or as fast you want them. A larger yard for your dog or future kids to run around in. A swimming pool because it’s relaxing and cools you off.  A boat, for something to do on the weekends. A fire pit for Saturday night relaxing. And so on and so on. 

    At what point are these things just too much? Is there ever an end to it? It seems we keep striving to buy stuff we don’t need, buying upgraded replacements for it when something breaks, and then we keep striving to buy more stuff and then what? You die with all your possessions? Do you win at that point? 

    I think about all the stuff I have and it feels heavy. I don’t even own a car. But I have a closet full of things I barely use. A garage full of things that I barely use and when I do, it’s because I have to keep up my home from time to time. All this stuff weighs me down. Even thinking about my couch, which seats three but 95% of the time, it’s just me sitting on it, feels excessive. My set of plates and coffee cups feels excessive. If I ever have people over, I it’s never more than 3 other people yet I have about 10+ large plates, 10+ bowls, etc. I have at least 10 butter knives and I use one maybe once a week? Don’t get me started on all the towels, quilts and blankets I have stored in my house. 

    I have a few items in my life that actually get me excited when I see them. I have about 3 framed Shepard Fairey prints that make happy when I see them (but I have several more adorning my walls that don’t). My snowboard (which is packed away in my closet) brings me happiness when I bring it down every season. My bikes (both my cruiser and my road bike) make me very happy nearly every time I open my garage. My Sonos speakers throughout the house.

    I’ve been away from home for about 2 weeks now. I’m actively trying to envision what physical items I’m excited to see when I walk back into my house. I’m looking forward to being around my daughter but not necessarily around the things I possess. I’m looking forward to eating my own food. I’m looking forward to playing volleyball with my friends. I’m excited to bike around town again when traffic is low. I’m excited to see what fruit has grown on my various fruit trees. But otherwise, I can’t think of much else. Shouldn’t stuff give me joy? What’s the point otherwise?

  • Odessa to Crystal River

    This past weekend, my brother and I completed another 100 mile bike day. This time we rode the Suncoast Trail, a paved path that begins in Odessa and ends near Crystal River, running next to Highway 589.

    Three stops in all. One for breakfast, one for some Gatorade and the last a brewery stop.

    There wasn’t much along the way besides Spring Hill. Plus it was a pretty warm day, hitting up in the mid to high 80s. Thanks to Florida for paving a path!

  • 2025

    This year wasn’t the best nor the worst. With rising costs, I would say this is the first year in my life where I cut back my spending to keep with my savings rate. I missed out on eating out and more travel. The modest amount of more income I received in 2025 vs 2024 did not cover inflation. I don’t remember that ever happening in my professional life. Both my kids this year thrived in their own ways, which, beyond making me proud, allowed me more freedom in my life.

    I read about 33 books this year. I watched around 30 movies and 25 TV Series. I biked nearly 2,000 miles, walked over 630 miles and played sports (primarily beach volleyball, basketball, snowboarding) about 95 times. I played golf about 40 times (course or went to the range) – for sure my highest amount in my lifetime, meaning, I’m getting old! I went on about eight vacations, ranging from 4 days to two weeks. And according to Spotify, I listened to about 35,000 mins of music this year.

    Here’s what I considered the best of what I consumed this year.

    2025
    ———————————————————————————————————————–

    Music

    • Deadbeat – Tame Impala
    • Bonnet of Pins – Matt Berninger
    • Cherry Pie – Fazerdaze
    • Backseat – Balu Brigada
    • Memory of a Day – Phantogram

    Movies

    • Sinners
    • Queen of Everest
    • One Battle after Another
    • Challengers

    TV

    • Adolescence
    • Andor
    • Pluribus
    • The Rehearsal Season 2
    • Narcos

    Stand Up

    • Love you (Netflix) – Ronny Chieng
    • Ridiculous (Atlanta, GA) – Louis CK
    • Alive and Unwell (June 13th, St Pete, Fl) – Nikki Glaser
    • Mister Whatever (Dec 9th, St Pete, Fl) – John Mulaney

    Books

    • Why We Sleep – Walker
    • Night of the Grizzlies – Olsen
    • Paved Paradise – Grabar
    • Emerald Mile – Fedarko
    • Wide Wide Sea – Sides

    Events

    • Phantogram – Janus Live, St Pete – Oct 16th
    • 100 Mile Bike Ride – Jan 18th
    • Day 5 of Aquarius Hut Trail, Utah – Sept 30th
    • Florida Gators Men’s Basketball – Team SEC, NCAA Tournaments – March/April
    • Panda Eating Bamboo – San Diego Zoo – July 2nd

    Best Food

    • “Tampa Girl” Empenadas – Armateur Works, Tampa
    • Cafe Con Leche – La Segunda, St Pete
    • Egg, Cheese, Prosciutto breakfast Sandwich – The Crumb Factory, St Pete
    • Mole appetizer at Los Danzantes – Oaxaca Mexico
    • Burger – Congac, St Pete
    • Pork Nachos – Urban Brew & BBQ, St Pete

  • Building to December 31st

    December 31 is an arbitrary date. It’s equal to any other day of the year in reality. But our culture is built around endings and beginnings. Thus, Dec 31 indicates the last day of a year and the next day a new one starts. To me, it’s always felt as if Jan 1 starts a journey that builds until Dec 31.  I try to list out my goals for the year, I start with hope and gusto, but the year grinds on and on. There are distractions along the way, and I look back at the list of goals from Jan 1 and most of the time only half of them are completed and most are completed in the beginning of the year. It makes me feel like I’ve failed despite everything else I accomplished along the way during the year that wasn’t planned. All the accomplishments that were inspired by a thought or a need mid-year somehow go by the wayside because of this list of goals I thought about around Jan 1. Some of the items on that list are even outdated yet I feel deflated them I didn’t accomplish them.  How silly is that? Circumstances change within months. I shouldn’t be down on myself because I didn’t accomplish something I randomly thought of at the beginning of the year. 

    A year is a long time. I’m writing this struggling to even remember everything that happened this year, 2025. Thankfully I have Spotify to remind me of all the music I listened to. YouTube to recap, unnecessarily, all the videos I watched. But airlines don’t remind me of the trips I took. Friends don’t call and remind me of the fun we had. Banks don’t send me a “2025 Wrapped” of my spending. Fortunately, I can look back as I write everything down. But off the top of my head, here’s some significant 2025 memories

    • Spring Break skiing in Colorado with my kids. Near perfect conditions, low crowds. Felt strong on my snowboard
    • After the kids left, I drove to Western Colorado and witnessed the stunning beauty of snowcapped mountains and snowy riverbanks. Hiking up the Manitou Incline
    • A memorable trip to Oaxaca, learning about Mezcal, eating some of the best food I consumed this year
    • A trip to San Diego with my kids. La Jolla. The beach on the 4th of July. Being within feet of a Panda eating bamboo in front of us at the San Diego Zoo. A very fun Padres game. A day of wineries with my kids with a once in a lifetime cave tour.
    • My partner was moving away and the slow separation of our lives
    • A 6 day, 200-mile mountain bike trip in Southern Utah with my brother. The memories of those days on the trail are seared into my brain. The extreme highs and extreme lows (literally, 2000 ft climbs and 8 miles drops). The pride I felt of myself and my brother as we coasted those last 5 miles into Escalante
    • A week in Missouri with my son, moving him into a new place
    • Spending about $14,000 on home repairs and the barrage of contractors in and out of the house
    • Morning beach volleyball with my friends this year, getting through this year without a major injury
    • Live comedy shows of Louis CK, Nikki Glaser and John Mulaney
    • The Florida Gators Basketball team’s run to the final four and winning the championship

    Looking at this list, it’s interesting that nearly all of the memories I’ll take from this year revolve around travel. And ironically, every year I look at my spending and think how I need to cut down my vacation spending. But what’s the point of living if we’re not creating memories? And if my memories are mostly about travel, why am I spending money on anything else?

  • Aquarius Hut Trail

    I’ve recently returned from my unintentional “misogi” for 2025. A few years ago, I stumbled upon an article about the Aquarius Hut Trail in Utah. I was recently off a very fun trip with my brother and my sisters on Catalina Island, CA where we hiked a trail with pre-defined stops and little towns and restaurants along the way (Trans-Catalina trail). The stops along the way allowed a lighter load on our backs (less food/water) and provided some entertainment along the way (the stop at the Two Harbors bar was pretty memorable). Reading about the Aquarius Trail excited me because I love biking and it seemed like that would be a great way to connect with nature again but not have to carry a heavy load. 200 miles, 6 days and 5 stocked huts. What could go wrong?

    I was in for much more of an adventure than I expected. On the surface, 200 miles seems very doable. From my home in Florida, I often take off for 1 to 2 hour bikes around my city on a single speed, covering 15-25 miles easily. 100 miles in one day? No problem. I have 6 days to cover 200 miles? Shouldn’t be an issue. Little did I know how different biking in the mountains of Utah was from my normal.

    For starters, the weather was drastically different. I’m used to sunny, humid, warm days. Southern Utah in late September does not have those. We encountered little sun, rain, hail and sub freezing temps over the course of 6 days. The few times the sun did peak out, I cherished it. The temp felt like a 30 degree swing. Late afternoons around the hut could be short sleeves or jackets within minutes of each other.

    Dramatic elevation gains proved another serious challenge. Day 2 had a 2,700 foot climb. Day 5 had climbs of 2,000 feet and 1,000 feet. I was surprised how physically and mentally challenging that could be. Climbing for hours, hoping for a downhill after every bend in the road was tough. We estimated we were averaging a mere 4 mph on most of the uphills. Often we would walk our bikes on uphills when we were exhausted and we really didn’t get too far behind the bikers that were still riding. I’m still unsure how I could have trained better to prepare for these extreme uphill climbs from Florida. Sit on a stationary bike for 2 hours on the highest resistance? That wasn’t happening.

    Single track trails on Day 5 proved incredibly challenging too. Steep uphills, many slick rocks, large trees blocking the path caused us to be more off our bikes than on our bikes. My brother, would yell in frustration “I JUST WANT TO BIKE!” while we were traversing through the woods for 4-5 hours that day.

    We had challenges with rain and mud too. We didn’t see too much sun and Day 3 we had a downpour / power issues at the hut we started the morning at. The mud was so bad at points that we had issues keeping our chains on and had to resort to pushing our bikes through it at points.

    But it seemed often, when we were at our lowest, we were rewarded with jaw-dropping views and scenery. All the pain, exhaustion and discomfort would be immediately wiped away after turning a bend to see for uninterrupted nature for miles. Even on the infamous Day 5, we were stunned to start a downhill and immediately find a small single road bridging with an awe inspiring canyon, Hell’s Backbone. I was freezing and it was pouring down hail on us at that moment (I was happy it wasn’t rain) but I couldn’t help but feel gratitude, peace and pride looking over the railings and the canyon below. These landscapes and views made me immediately forget all the suffering we endured earlier that day.

    I’m not sure if it was intentionally planned this way but Day 6, our last day, ended up being the best of the trip. The clouds had finally moved on and we had sun consistently the entire day. Besides a few minor uphills on easy roads, we had mostly downhills as we coasted above the Grand Staircase National Monument and blasted down the road at speeds near 40 mph into the valley. High speed turns, wind in your face, steep drops to your right and left: it felt like a long amusement park roller-coaster.

    It was an incredible journey. A lifetime event. I’m proud to say I accomplished it. I’m warmed that my brother was along side of me nearly the entire time. I’ll forever remember the forests of aspens, the endless vistas we earned after hours of climbing, the taste of those first sips of cold beer in the well stocked hut each evening, the cold mornings reading and drinking coffee in the dark surrounded by space heaters, the extreme frustration of a non functioning muddy bicycle, the three deer blasting out of the woods 20 feet in front of us on the trail, my brother laughing as he crashed into a creek. I’m not sure I’d do it again but I’ll never forget it.

  • Oaxaca

    For years, Oaxaca City, Mexico has been on my radar. Initially for it’s link to Mezcal and subsequently because it’s a world class food destination. Last year, the desire to go to Oaxaca City was amplified by a very enjoyable trip to Mexico City. Plans were made, Español studied, research was done and excitement built.

    First stop was Monte Albán. This UNESCO World Heritage site felt like smaller scale Teotihuacan ruins (near Mexico City) that you can walk on. A very short drive from the city and well worth it. Views for miles.

    We also did a half day Mezcal tour of a the Mal de Amor palenque. Endless fields of agave, cooking large Espadin piñas, artesanal distilling and tastings. The tour of the agave fields was easily the best part as we enjoyed ice cold cervasas, drank mezcal (off the leaf!) and listened to Mexican pop songs while slowly traversing the bumpy roads.

    The food scene in Oaxaca City over-delivered. We enjoyed several meals at Michelin star or recognized restaurants. Our best meal by far was the mole appetizer dish at Los Danzantes (pictured below). We also enjoyed several stops for chocolate de aquas at various cafes.

    Overall though, I likely will not visit again in my lifetime. The city has so much potential to be a great vacation spot. I enjoyed walking around and seeing the street art and the one to two story vibrant homes. The beauty of the central area should be a model for the rest of the city.

    However, Centro consists of only a handful of blocks. It’s very peaceful there, with tree line streets, walk-able streets and lush parks. When you see videos online of the city, those are the few blocks they’re showing. Just blocks outside of that area though, there are many one way cobble roads that motorcycles and cars race from intersection to intersection at. It’s peaceful early in the morning and in the evenings but walking those streets during the day was stressful. I’d frequently cross a street thinking it was safe and a motorcyclist would come roaring up seemingly out of nowhere. The noise of the street and the fear of my partner getting run over didn’t make walking around very enjoyable. If the city was to make some small investments to calm streets around Centro, add some trees for shade and make it more pedestrian friendly, I do believe the city would be a very welcoming spot for tourists and locals. It would for sure encourage more bike riding which would be an excellent way to get around town. I’ll end with some street art seen around the city.

  • Hiking the Manitou Incline

    In March of this year, I hiked the 2,768 steps of the Manitou Incline in Colorado. I had near zero expectations going in. My only thought was “That looks cool, I’m going to do it”. And that was probably the correct attitude to have.

    However, as I ascended the steps, as my heart rate increased, I did wonder why I was doing this. Questions crept in as my leg muscles were burning. The difficulty increased the higher I got. It’s not just the fatigue, it’s the final hundreds or so steps are very steep and it takes a toll on seemingly every joint and muscle in your legs.

    I cruised through the first 1,500 steps or so. Those steps aren’t very steep and obviously my energy level was higher. I didn’t take any breaks through this initial section other than for taking pictures and to figure out why my phone seemed to have died around the 1,000th step (another story and I figured it out at the top).

    The last 1,000 steps or so are relentless. I had to take several breaks while goal setting in my mind (100 more then rest). The last gasp of motivation I had was noticing I was closing in on an hour. Other people had mentioned their times to the top and staying under an hour seemed a number I would be proud of. So I put my head down, slowly raised each foot up to each step, finally saw the crest just a few steps away and made it to the top.

    My Fitbit results for the climb.

    Why I was laboring for most of that 56 minutes, what was most fascinating were the people I encountered on this short journey. The higher I got, the more I began to bond with my follow climbers. Lots of unspoken communication as you pass each other, taking uneven breaks. We had eye rolls, head shaking, lazy waves, chuckles, it was all there.

    (that’s not a design on my shirt, that’s the only dry spot)

    The people themselves felt fully representative of America in 2025. I saw very old people, very young people, people of different nationalities, ruckers, barefooters, influencers, families, older single men who talked to everyone and even a dog. Many people were frequent visitors, saying “hi” to each other on their trip up or down or their second or third trip up or down. I was most impressed with the number of solo younger people. Maybe they were “doing it for the ‘gram” but they were out there doing it. It’s a challenge and they weren’t backing down, proving to themselves they can accomplish something difficult.

    All in all, I figured out why I was there. I loved the challenge. I loved pushing myself. I loved the experience. And I can’t wait to do it again.