"YOU DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE HOME TO HAVE FUN..."

Every town has events, festivals, celebrations, charity races, bicycle trails and campgrounds. And even if you town doesn't, what's stopping you from starting one? Your enthusiasm is contagious!

I realize there are a lot of people out there who have lots of disposable income, free time, and looking for the Next Big Thing. This web site is not for them. This website is for real people on a real budget. Who have to struggle with making the mortgage payment, maybe have an older car, and worry about getting their kids into a good college.

I also realize there are also people out there who have done the Boston Marathon and the Ironman Triathlon. Adventure racing surfaced in the mid 1990's, something new for endurance athletes to sink their Type-A teeth into. While the number of people who actually participated in these grueling, time-consuming, expensive, and gear-intensive races was relatively small, the telecasts reached millions at a time when the marketing of Mother Nature was becoming big business. Today, adventure racing is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.

Unlike the marathon or triathlon, an adventure race cannot be defined, only described. Imagine coed teams of three, fouir, or five atheletes competing in a multi-sport race in the wilderness, covering hundreds of miles kayaking, mountaineering, mountain biking, orienteering, rafting, horseback riding---or using whatever form of self-propelled locomotion a fiendish race director has devised---and you get the idea.

Let's consider the Eco-Challenge, a grisly affair, held in stunning locales including British Columbia, New Zealand, and Fiji. Personally, my idea of fun doesn't include a continuous 6- to 11-day race featuring blistered, emotionally overwrought competitors who had slept less than a mother with twins. The basic formula being push-till-you-puke, with a healthy dose of tears, delirium, and bickering thrown in, then add so many abrasions and scratches from the coral and thorns on the race course that you look like a nearsighted lion tamer. It's a logistically demanding sport that requires pushing the pace far more than enjoying your surroundings.

I don't make much money, I lead a simple life, have simple tastes, and no major debts. I don't dream of accumulating a lot more trophies or stuff before I go to Heaven. I'm from the old school of "we've got to make do, use it up, and wear it out" before we get a new one. But, I do like to have fun.

I have had my share of adventures, been the conquering hero, and even saved the day a couple of times in my life. And I can honestly say I've done everything I've ever wanted to do, and been everywhere I've ever wanted to go. But at this stage of my life, I know I will never:

* climb solo to the top of Mt. Everest,
* wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France,
* swim the English Channel in record-breaking time,
* fly solo around the world in a hot air balloon,
* be hunted by bear or water buffalo in the wilderness, or
* swim with a great white shark.

But that's just me. Why live someone else's dream when less than 20 miles from my front door I can:

* walk the last five miles of the Trail of Tears, then go to the play of the same name in an outdoor amphitheater,
* fish for trout or bass, or bowfish, while I watch bald eagles fly overhead,
* rent a canoe or kayak and float a peaceful, crystal-clear river, and try noodling,
* walk thru a small, unknown town which had the first telephone, newspaper, and college, west of the Mississippi, founded just 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
* ride a mountain bicycle to a rented airplane, and go skydiving,
* rent a ski boat and go para-sailing, or a sail boat and scuba dive to 1000 feet.
* break a bucking bronco in an arena, or ride a brahma bull at a rodeo, or just let a trail horse take me back to my warm, cozy rented cabin at a guest ranch.
* go kite surfing, on a 12,000 acre lake, and
* hunt wild squirrel or rabbit with a BB gun for survival.

No, my home town doesn't have the reward of the big, famous races, or the allure of the exotic locales ... but that doesn't mean I can't still have the same kind of adventures. On a smaller scale, close to my house, I can always afford to go on an adventure.. It's not something I have to save up for, or charge to my credit card, and take a year to pay off. I don't have to plan much, train hard for, or take a week off from my job. I can pack everything I need on my bike, ride a couple of miles, and enjoy myself without the pressure of a race clock or compulsive-obsessive teammates. I'm not trying to convince you, I'm just trying to share.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE HOME TO HAVE FUN."