RoadTraveledLess.com

I now feel as if my blog is official....the new address for the blog is RoadTraveledLess.com! Less letters and easier to remember. Keep an eye out in the future, as this blog will serve as my outlet for writing about my adventures as I travel around.

Some other places to find me on the web:

My photo collection on Flickr

My CouchSurfing profile

MySpace

Traveling footwear...

So I am trying to decide on what kind of shoes I am going to bring with me for traveling. I was really hoping that I would only need two pairs total, but now I am thinking I will most definitely need three. Without a doubt, I will need a pair of boots for hiking and work. And a pair of sandals without question...I will be in Latin America, surrounded by two oceans for God's sake. But I think I will also need a pair of normal shoes for going out to clubs/bars, or doing sports, or things around town. I don't want to be trodding around in huge boots all the time, and there are some occasions where sandals just do not cut it.

I have always been attracted to a wide variety of activities, and my gear needs to accommodate for that. So along with hiking boots, I will probably end up getting a pair of shoes, but something that is light and doesn't take up much room. Does anybody have any advice or tips concerning this?

Skating my way through life

It's about 10am and my phone rings. I pick it up and my buddy is on the other end. "Dude, we are going to drop LSD and go longboarding. Come over." "For real?", I ask. "Alright, let me grab some breakfast and I'll be right over." I throw some bacon on the stove and eat a banana while I'm waiting because it's all I have to eat. Then I grab my skateboard and head out the door.

This is how I live my life. Always living in the present moment and taking things as they come. I always feel like I am sort of stumbling through life, but it has worked out for me thus far.

Little did we know, that day was to be one of the hottest days of the year so far. But let me tell you, there are few things more liberating than flying down a hill at 30MPH with nothing but a plank of wood under your feet and the hot asphalt rushing by, and experiencing a feeling of oneness with the world around you. It has been about a year since I last did acid, or any other psychedelic drug for that matter. And it was exactly what I needed. During that hot, sun and acid-drenched day, I once again was able to get in touch with my true nature. There is something about psychedelics and adrenaline that mix very well.

Now it is often very difficult to convey ideas that emerge during a trip to other people. Sometimes those ideas or realizations will stay with you after the trip, and sometimes they fade away along with the dose. I had a couple self-realizations that stuck with me after this trip. I realized that my dreadlocks are not just hair, but a symbol of my resistance towards society, or Babylon. And likewise, a symbol signifying the acceptance of my alternative lifestyle.

During my trip, I was also able to sort of step back and look at my life as if viewed from a different perspective. It was almost as if I was seeing my life as a story. I was the main character and this was yet another chapter in the book. Because that's all that life really is, right? It's one big story, and it's up to you to write the story. I ask you this....when the story is over, is it a story that you or other people would be interested in reading?

Time Well Spent

There I lay, wide awake in bed at about 2 o'clock in the morning. I tried to drown out the thoughts that kept bubbling up to the surface in my head so that I could get some rest, but my brain would not let me. Memories of the last nine or so months and future ambitions were swirling around in my head.

As well as getting all my belongings prepared for the move North, I am also getting prepared mentally. It is astounding to think I only have a few weeks left in Santa Cruz. I have grown a fond connection to this place, and I have done a lot of self-reflecting and self-improvement whilst here. But I have been starting to feel myself trapped in a routine once again. It seems as though six months is maybe the longest I can stay in a place. Six months seems a good amount of time to spend in one place....long enough to get acquainted with the area and make some friends, and yet not long enough to become too attached.

So it is set. I will migrate North to Washington in mid-June. I've had some amazing times here and I have met some awesome people and I will miss it greatly, but I have a feeling I will be back someday...

To go or no to go....

The question that has been occupying my mind recently, is whether I should move up to Washington state or stay in Santa Cruz for the summer. I would really love to stay in Santa Cruz for the summer, but my gut instinct is telling me that I should go North. If I stayed here, I would have to find a job and I would continue paying rent, all the while trying to save up for my travels. If I moved up there, I would have a free room, and a very good chance of having work already lined up for me. It just seems like I would be an idiot to not take this opportunity.

I will be able to pay this month's rent, but after that, I would have to find alternative sources of income. I am waiting on my $600 tax rebate check, which should be arriving sometime this month or early June. I am first going to use $200-300 of the check to purchase a ticket to Burning Man. The rest I will just save. My one college class finishes up around the first week of June, so I have until then to decide what I am going to do. But as of now, it looks like the winds are pushing me North...