Note: Scroll down to read this book. At the bottom of 10 posts, click <<Previous to advance to the next 10 posts, or click Forward>> to go back to the last 10 posts. You can also use the links at the bottom of each text block (as shown below) to navigate my book or website.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories
The single, most important journey of my life began the day you were born. Holding you in my arms taught me the pure meaning of unconditional love. Observing how you treated others showed me true kindness and charity. Watching you overcome challenges inspired me. Hearing your incredible wit made me laugh. And seeing you become the caring, patient, loving woman, Mom, wife and friend you are today makes me continually thank God for allowing me to be your father. While you may not have inherited my love of road trips, I want you to know that you are with me wherever I travel. In my heart. In my soul. And every experience is better because you are a part of it. Love, Dad Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories 01. America The Beautiful. Part 1: Trip Chapters (AKA My Road Trip 5/26-10/9, 2016).
02. Dedication: To Jessie. 03. Table Of Contents. 04. Acknowledgments: Thanks For All The Love. 05. Preface: What America The Beautiful Is All About. 06. Section One: This Is What I DREAMED Would Happen. 07. Introduction: This Is Where It All Started. 08. Chapter 1: I Must Be Trippin’. 09. Chapter 2: Its Gonna Get Scary. 10. Chapter 3: Here’s The Real Deal. 11. Chapter 4: It Pays To Travel. 12. Chapter 5: The Student Is Ready. 13. Chapter 6: Driving For A Purpose. 14. Chapter 7: Amazing Faces And Amazing Places. 15. Chapter 8: The Weight Is Over. 16. Chapter 9. Making Accountability Count. 17. Chapter 10: Get Out Of Here! 18. Section Two: This Is What Really Happened. 19. Chapter 11: Wow! What A Trip! 20. Chapter 12. To Be Politically Correct, I Was An Epic Fail. 21. Chapter 13. The Camera (& The Road) Adds 10 Pounds. 22. Chapter 14: There’s No Place Like Home(s). 23. Chapter 15: To Move Forwards I Had To Think Backwards. 24. Chapter 16: Life Les-sons From The Road. 25. Chapter 17: My Three Biggest Discoveries. 26. Chapter 18: Some Of My Favorite Stories. 27. Chapter 19: Answers To Frequently Asked Questions. 28. Chapter 20: Where Do YOU Go From Here? © 2017 Les Maness. All rights reserved Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories I can’t even begin to name all the loving and loveable people who went out of their way to make this trip so wonderful and memorable. So all I can do is thank everyone - again - for their kindness and generosity. And I’d like to give a special thanks to all of you who graciously welcomed me as a guest into your home. I’ve listed your names below in the order in which I was blessed to see you. As always, thank you for putting me up and for putting up with me. Les Maness
01. Katy Kwan 02. Sharron Sharrif 03. Debbie Majerek 04. Jan Marquis and Bert Przybylski 05. David Kwiatkowski 06. Kat Diamond and Danny Shufford 07. Patti Bonnay 08. Stacy Hall 09. My Colorado Family 10. Jennifer Ricci 11. Midi and Jarrod Daddis 12. Michele Barnes 13. Robin and Mark McIntire 14. Michelle Mecham 15. Lori and Tim Mills 16. Norene Maness and Viv Nichols 17. Margo and Rick Wilhelmsen 18. Carmen and Dennis Stange 19. Vicky and Rich Sikes 20. Debbie Sammons 21. Jim and Kathy Wilhelmsen 22. Rene and David Mercer 23. Yolanda and Jerry Davis 24. Carolyn and Dave Mcmurdie 25. Tracey Carter Sloan and Frank Nichols 26. Jessie and Brett Letourneau 27. Liliana Lossif and Beatriz Díez 28. Kimber Anapoell Sax 29. Sarah And Jake Simon 30. Allyson Lickman 31. Dixie Jones 32. Megan Huston and Quinton Larson 33. Laurie and Bob Stein 34. Lisa Pearson Shoemaker and Barry Haughian 35. Shelli Soble and Kal Klass 36. Colleen and Paul McClure 37. JaJa Cardiff 38. Lesley Love and Brett Sitz 39. Jennifer Kate 40. Babs and Jack Fabry 41. Tim Warner 42. Patti and Gerry Congleton 43. Karen Boreyko and Glen Mura 44. Patti and Mickey Vidakovich 45. Joan and Rick McFarland 46. Peggy and Mark Buckley 47. Eileen Mankin 48. Debbie States and Mike Mabey 49. Millie Carter 50. Vanessa Warner 51. Beverly and Lee Metzger 52. Cherie and Tim Flanagan Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories About This Book: This book literally and figuratively goes all over the place, which is one of the reasons I divided it into three parts. America The Beautiful. Part 1: Trip Chapters includes 10 chapters about my trip preparation and 10 chapters reflecting back on my journey. America The Beautiful. Part 2: Trip News contains all the blogs I did prior to and while on the road. America The Beautiful. Part 3: Faces & Places showcases some of the images I was privileged to photograph in preparation for and throughout this trip.
Since all of the pages laid end to end would be almost as long as the trip itself, I suggest you approach reading it like you would taking your own journey. If you are a true road trip warrior who wants to see and do everything from pre-launch to post-finish, start at Part 1 and then read Part 2 and Part 3 in sequence. If you are the kind of adventurer who likes to tell quick anecdotes about your experiences, start with Part 2. If you are more of a scenic driver, just skip ahead to Part 3 to enjoy the views. And lastly, if you are more of a destination driver - you know, the kind that only stops long enough to fill your tank and empty your bladder (also known as “men”) - then just scroll through the various parts to see what peaks your interest. About The Author: When I'm not authoring Encouraging Words or gathering Stories From The Road Les Traveled, I am a Dad, Granddad, writer, photographer, marketer and trainer. To learn more, see my Blog, Books, Gigs and Photos at www.LesManess.com. About The Photos: Unless otherwise indicated, all photographs were taken by and are the exclusive copyrighted property of Les Maness (AKA LesManess.com). To purchase photos or the rights to publish images or content, please contact me at lesmaness at gmail.com. About The Missing Links: I have left out some additional pages that appeared my original blogs. However, to preserve continuity and offer added reference, I have made them available as links on my Archives page. About The Dates: To publish this ebook in a timely manner, I built it using Weebly's remarkable website builder blogging program. That meant I had to manually reorder the blog dates so they would read in proper sequence. So please ignore the dates under each header as they do not pertain to the actual start and end dates which were May 26, 2016 to October 9, 2016. © 2017 Les Maness. All rights reserved. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Original Post: This was my original Introduction page for my website in early 2016.
Welcome To Stories From The Road Les Traveled This website was inspired by my wacky idea to visit every state in the continental USA in two separate routes over the course of five months. It was further motivated by my desire to spotlight some encouraging stories and amazing faces and places I experienced along the way - and along the road of life. To help you navigate your way, here’s some quick links below and some of the ways you can Join me. And if I don’t say it often enough, thanks for coming along for the ride! Les Maness How To Join Me On The Road Les Traveled. What better way to invite you along than with the acronym R.O.A.D.T.R.I.P.? Ride along. When I can, I will physically put some of you in the driver’s (or passenger’s) seat. But most of you will be far more comfortable joining me via my blogs Trip Chapters, Trip News and Faces & Places, and/or on Facebook, Instagram and future social media sites shown at the footer of this page. Offer support. I welcome your supportive comments, encouraging stories, referrals for Faces & Places to photograph, introductions to great people, recommendations for resources and your help to Share The Road. Accountability partners. If you have talking about doing something great in your life and you are finally ready to do it, click on Accountability Partner for help. Divulge secrets. If you are a fellow traveler, I would love to hear your secrets for saving and making life (and money) simpler on the road. If you are a local, I’d welcome your insider’s info on the best kept secrets to wine, dine and recline. And if you personally know any potentially interested media or business sponsors, I will personally send you big air hug. Teach me. If you’ve got patience, a sense of humor and mad skills, I would sure appreciate you mentoring me in the various areas I am lacking. Refer me. I will be earning my keep and travel expenses along the way. So please feel free to connect me with anyone you think might want very affordable photography, copywriting, marketing, training, house sitting, consulting or any of the things I’ve done for these Accounts on my website UltimateImpact.com Inspire me. The best way you can positively inspire me - and so many others who need it in today’s world - is to share your encouragement, adventures, wisdom and success stories. You may make someone’s day and/or positively change their life. Pray for me. If you are a person of faith please pray that I have the strength to live out this simple prayer for my trip and for my life: “Lord, please help me humbly use all my gifts to honor you, serve others, and make a difference in this world. Amen.” Update 2017: As can see by my original Introduction page and by the first 10 Chapters that follow, I had pretty lofty goals for the journey I was preparing to take. And as you will see in the last 10 chapters written after my return, I achieved a quite a few, dropped the ball on many and learned a whole lot in the process. Speaking of the later, it wasn’t until my trip was over that I learned that I should have said I am going to drive to all the "Contiguous" states instead of all the "Continental" states because Alaska is on the North American continent. Oh well. Live, travel and learn, right? :-) Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories This summer I plan to take the biggest road trip of my life. And to say that I am a little intimidated is like saying Kanye West is a little outspoken. My journey will eventually take me to every state in the continental US. And as a former long-haired hippy who hitchhiked, broke-as-a-joke across America back in the ‘60’s , it’s not the length of the trip that frightens me. It’s the things I plan to do along the way - and the fact that I have to figure out how to do the whole thing for free – that really scares me. Before I go into the scary things (in the next chapter), I’ll ask the big question that’s probably on a lot of people’s mind….Why? Why would a semi-retired guy who lives a comfortable life in a great place, surrounded by amazing people want to do such a thing?
Because I can. And because I must. I can because I am blessed with good health, adequate time, a comfortable, gas efficient car, and a few friends and family along the way who I hope will put me up and put up with me. (And if those people are reading this, I promise I won’t break the “Company-Is-A-Lot-Like-Fish-Because-They-Both-Start-To-Stink-Bad-After-3-Days” rule). I must because I need to break out of my comfort zone. In the brief time I have been semi-retired, I’ve spent way too much time binge watching Netflix, surfing the web, and just plain goofing off. It may be great for others, but it makes me feel like I’m not doing enough with the gifts I have been given. I must because I want to honor some dear friends who passed away before they got to do the big dreams that scared them. I know that some of them will be with me in spirit. I must because there are a lot of people who can’t make such a journey right now or ever – for many legitimate reasons – so I want them to live vicariously through me as I share this trip with them. And I must because I believe there are a lot of incredible, life-affirming stories out there that need to be told and shared with others who need encouragement. So for those reasons and those people, I am about to embark on an epic road trip around one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I’m sure there will be times when it won’t be easy, but I’m confident that in the end it will be well worth it. Especially if I have good company along for the ride. And with that said, I hope you will become one of the inspiring stories from the road Les traveled. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories I am both mesmerized and terrorized by technology. I love reading about all the new apps that will make our lives easier or better. I love watching videos about new technologies that can help save our planet, cure disease, empower the less fortunate and make our future brighter. I love learning about how the internet can help us earn money from just about anywhere doing something we enjoy. But I hate the thought of actually trying any of it. Why? Because I’m afraid I will screw something up! Maybe it’s a generational thing. I’m a Baby Boomer and we are called “digital migrants”. That’s because we are migrating from the transistor and analog era. Maybe it’s because I’m so technically challenged I still don’t understand how the toaster knows when to pop up the bread or how a thermos can keep cold things cold and hot things hot. Or maybe it’s just my reasonable fear – okay, terror – that if I press the wrong button or download the wrong thing on my phone or laptop, everything will shut down for good. Note: Been there. Hated that.
And that is why what I am planning to do is so scary for me. I am going to have to swallow my fear and learn to actually use some of the free technology available so I can share my journey with others. I’m going to have to humbly ask for coaching and mentorship from people I know and some I’ve never met. My guess is that they will range in age from 10 (because they are “digital natives” AKA born into the digital era and just “get it”) to 80 (because some people just “get it” at any age). And lastly, I’m going to have to actually do this – rather than just talk, dream or fantasize about it – because now I am publicly committing to it. So that means that I’m going to feel stupid. A lot. And that’s not something anyone wants to feel. At any age. So I’m going to have to ask you for a little help – which as a Boomer male raised to be independent and self-sufficient, is a whole other kind of challenge in its own right. The first way you can help me is to laugh with me and not at me. I promise not to take my fumbling attempts, goofy mistakes and missed opportunities too seriously if you don’t either. The second way you can help is to coach or mentor me in the areas where you are strong and I am weak. Lastly, you can help me by praying that I can pull this thing off, and then join me to make sure I stay on task. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories There’s only one thing better than getting something you want for free. It’s getting paid to get what you want. Let me set the stage for this premise…relative-ly speaking. I was raised in Michigan by two incredible, loving parents who lived through the Great Depression. Consequently my sisters and I were brought up to be thrifty, not wasteful and appreciative for the little things in life. My dear Mom used to joke that she could pinch a penny until it screamed. She taught us the joy of recycling and thrift shopping 50 years before it became so cool that Mackelmore would write a pop hit on it. And she made getting bags of “hand me down” clothes from our older, cooler cousins such a fun occasion it was kinda like a mini-Christmas.
My Dad was a master gardener who raised all of our fresh organic vegetables – before there was even such a term. And he raised free range chickens – or as we called them, “the freakin’ chickens we had to chase down when they literally flew the coop!” Their job was to produce eggs for meals. Or they became the meals themselves. Now don’t even get me started on my sisters! They are a few years older, but much wiser when it comes to saving money. They were extreme couponers long before it became a media sensation. In fact, there are times where they have their carts filled to the brim and the perplexed cashier realizes she has to pay them money just to get the heck out of the store. Now to be fair, they buy a ton of stuff for the church food bank and people going through rough spots, so I’m thinking they get a little help from above. With that family history, it’s probably not a surprise that I have followed their example – and even taken it one step further. Here’s what saving money looks like for me on a point scale of 0 to 5. 0. Buying something at full retail. 1. Buying something on sale. 2. Buying something below cost. 3. Getting something for trade. 4. Getting something for free. 5. Getting paid to get what you want. Now I could spend a lot of time just on this topic alone – and perhaps I will somewhere along the road trip of life. But for now, I’m just going to talk about numbers 3, 4 and 5 in the next chapter and how they relate to the challenges of this trip around the US. It is my sincerest hope that in doing so, I can get you to start thinking about how you can get what you want inexpensively, for free… Or better yet, how you can get paid to get what you want. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories If I am successful in my quest, I will show you that it literally pays to travel. And if I fall short, I hope to prove that some of the best things in life are still free. Getting Something For Trade. I have done hundreds of legal trades throughout my lifetime. Right now I have three trades going simultaneously. I am writing marketing copy for a super organizer's website and she is reciprocating by helping me prep for this trip. And I’m jumpstarting two tech wizards on their fitness program. In return, they have undertaking the daunting task of helping me understand some of the tech I’ll need to know for this trip. Not all trades work out as planned. I once traded for 5000 all-you-can-eat dinners so a 24 Hour fitness chain could use them as incentives to get people to do a free tour. We thought it might guilt all the stuffed people into joining the gym. Turns out, people didn’t bite – so to speak. So we gave the dinners to some bodybuilders who ate so much the smorgasbord owners wanted to greet them with baseball bats.
Getting Something For Free. This is easier to do than ever in today’s world. Two examples come to mind immediately for this trip. 1. I am doing everything possible with free software. For instance, I intend to route some of my trip on Google Maps, process my images in Google Photos, share my experiences on Facebook – and when I learn them – on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc.. 2. I intend to pay for the gas in my car with cash I’ve earned from paying my bills online with several credit cards. Getting Paid To Get What You Want. I have been extremely blessed to be able to turn my passions into businesses. And nowhere have those perks paid off more than in my love of travel. Here are two quick examples. 1. As a writer and photographer for Muscle and Fitness magazine and several international health and nutrition companies, I have been paid to work great events, stay in world class resorts, interview celebrities, travel in limousines and private jets, etc.. And to be very clear, I would have never been able to do any of that on my dime. 2. Just recently a very successful CEO hired me to be his live in trainer and nutritionist in his palatial Del Mar, CA home. In the course of one month, he lost 20 pounds and gained tons of strength, while I was able to chill in Cali instead of baking in the microwave we call summer in Arizona. I will talk about the things and services I need in the next chapter. But more importantly, I will do my best to encourage you to get what you want for trade, free or pay on the road ahead. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories It has been said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Well teachers, this student is ready. So come out, come out wherever you are. Unfortunately for me, I’m not one of those who can learn well by listening (auditory learner) – which is ironic because I’ve taught both speech and listening skills at several colleges. I don’t do well reading manuals (read-write learner) – which is bizarre because I’ve actually written sales manuals and trained on that material at big companies. Nor do I figure things out by watching videos (visual learner) – which is weird because I intend to do videos to illustrate much of this trip. Instead, I am a “monkey see, monkey do” kind of learner (kinesthetic learner) – which means I need to have someone teach me, answer my questions, and watch me do it a couple of times so I can make sure I get it right. So need-Les to say, a large part of what I’ll need to complete this trip successfully is hands on mentoring.
Fortunately, I learned long ago that you don’t have to be an expert to mentor someone. You just need to know a little more than they do and be willing to invest some time to teach them. So I think I will be able to get the mentoring I need from both true experts and from people who know just a little more than me (which at this point, isn’t very much). Since my needs are overwhelming, and because they will grow and morph exponentially as I learn more about what I don’t know yet, I’m keeping a running list of Things I Need For The Road Ahead. If you have a chance to look at it, I’d welcome any coaching, connections or resources that I might be able to acquire in exchange for services I can offer. With that said, I now want to turn my attention back to you. If you are tempted to think you have nothing to teach people, think again. There are areas of your life where you have forgotten more than most people will ever know. If you assume you have nothing that people would trade for or pay you for, stop it! The world is filled with people looking for all kinds of talent for hire. All you need to do is make the connection and set up a fair trade. And if you think you can’t get anything for free, then go to your library (free), use their computers (free), log onto the internet (free) and spend your (free) time learning new things on youtube (also free). All of this is to say, don’t sell yourself short. Take stock of all that you have to offer, then get creative on how you can leverage those things into getting something you really want. And don’t waste any more time doubting yourself in life because this is your journey… And it’s time for you to get on the road. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories What makes this trip so different for me is that I’m not just traveling for pleasure. I’m driving for a purpose. Now don’t get me wrong, I will take great pleasure in seeing many of the amazing faces and places along the way. I will enjoy making new friends and reconnecting with longtime friends. And I will get a kick out of watching the road of life open up before my very eyes. So I definitely don’t want to downplay the shear, abundant and surprising pleasure I will get from taking and sharing this trip with you. But since there is more life in the rear view mirror than there is ahead in the windshield, I now have a greater purpose driving everything I do. With that said, here are some of my main purposes for this trip.
First, as I mentioned in my previous chapters, I want to encourage others to join me – be it physically, emotionally, spiritually or vicariously – along the way. And I also hope my awkward attempts to learn new technologies necessary to properly share this journey will inspire others to do the same. Secondly, I plan to donate some of my time and expertise as a photographer in order to make a difference in people’s lives. That might mean I photograph an event to raise money or awareness for a local charity, worthy cause or family in need. It might mean I get to shoot family photos for someone who has served to protect our country. It might mean I am blessed to photograph a struggling single Mom or Dad needing a professional portrait for work or a personal photo to bolster their self-esteem. But whatever or whoever it is, you can be assured that I will give it my best shot – so to speak – to make their world a little more picture perfect. Lastly, I hope to be like the little boy with the starfish. Here’s the story if you haven’t heard it before. An old man was walking the beach littered with starfish washed up after a storm. He saw a little boy bend down to pick them up, one by one, and toss them gently back into the ocean. The old man saw the futility of the intended acts of mercy and told him sadly, “There are thousands of starfish stranded on this beach. You will never be able to make a difference.” The boy paused a minute, then bent down to get another starfish and placed it back in the water. Then with a smile he replied, “I made a difference for that one.” So it is that I hope to make a positive, encouraging, supportive and life-enriching difference for some of the people I meet – be it face to face or joining me online. And I hope and pray that I am able to bless their lives as much as they are blessing mine. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories America is a land of amazing faces and places.
My goal on this trip is to photograph a few of them. Some of them will be the faces of my personal heroes. They might be people who have had a direct, positive impact on me. They could be people who have wonderfully influenced my life – and the lives of so many others - from afar. Some of them will be the faces of every day heroes. They might be people I’ve just met who look like they have interesting stories. They could be people you tell me about who have encouraged or inspired you. Some of them will just be interesting faces to photograph. The incredible thing about being a lifelong photographer is that I have been given the permission to stop time and create memories. Therefore my goal for every photo shoot is always the same: 1. Take one photo of someone looking their very best (AKA the shot the family frames and puts on the wall) 2. Create one image so unique and flattering that the subject says “Whoa! No way!! That doesn’t even look like me!!” (AKA the shot they put on Facebook). So whenever I get a chance, I’m going to try to do that for someone and share that experience with you. Some of the places in America are so beautiful, bizarre, unique and captivating that two dimensional photos can never really capture all the magic. So the best I can do is the best I can do. But hopefully those images will be just good enough to inspire you to go see the real thing for yourself if you can. Like everything in life, I want to get better at photography. And the best way I can do that is to learn from amazing photographers. So another goal I have for this trip is to gather some of their wisdom to share with you. I am not sure how all that scheduling will work out with my travels and their busy careers, but I’m willing to give it my best shot (obligatory photographer pun). Lastly, at the end of my journey, I intend to put some of these images in a book of some type. And like a lot of things technical – and in the future – I haven’t got that figured out yet. But if you follow along, I will let you know as soon as that happens. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories I can attest to the truth that traveling makes you more “well rounded”. I know because I gained twenty pounds on my last big road trip! At the time, I’m like, “So what! Live a little. You can always go back to the gym and lose it quickly. You’ve been helping people get in shape for over 50 years. So losing 20 pounds for you will be a piece of cake!” Little did I know then how hard it would be to lose the weight - and how ironic it was that I chose to use “piece of cake” in my dietary strategy. In hindsight, maybe the term “humble pie” would have been more apropos because I sure have been eating a lot of that. What this humbling, want-not-waist-not experience has taught me is: 1. Body fat doesn’t just drop off at 65 like it did when I was 25, 35 or even 45. Back then I could just skip a couple of meals and jog around the park and I’d drop a pant size. Now I have to do everything right – cardio, weights, diet, hydrate, rest, etc. – just to get keep my jeans from being so tight I hit high notes only dogs can hear. 2. At this age food tastes better, drinks flow easier, my resolutions are iffier, the couch is softer, my metabolism is slower, and my butt is lazier. So now when Monday rolls around, I hit the gym, start the diet, play the Rocky soundtrack and go all out. Until about Wednesday morning. Then my discipline – like my abs – gets mushy. And the next thing I know its happy hour somewhere until the next bloated Monday morning.
Does any of this sound slightly familiar to you? Or do you have your own version of discipline avoidance and dietary kryptonite that is keeping you from being in great shape? Well the good news is that I have a one word answer for that. And the bad news is that you are probably going to hate me for it. Look. We all know that if we have the right motivation we can do just about anything, right? A man will run into a burning building to save his dog. A woman will lift a car off her child pinned underneath. A contestant on the Biggest Loser will drop a hundred pounds if the cameras are on and the fame and money are worth it. And Oprah will buy Weight Watchers and immediately lose weight if the whole world is watching. Please note that I respect Oprah immensely! But I’m convinced she did this for that very reason. Because she understands the life-changing power of the following word better than anyone else… Accountability. And in the next chapter, I am going to tell you this powerful word can radically and positively impact my life – and far more importantly, your life – on the road ahead. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories The single biggest blessing of being semi-retired is that I am not accountable to anyone for anything. It is also my single biggest curse. I am grateful for my “non-accountability” blessings every day. I am single so I can do whatever I want without having to worry about the appropriate concerns of others. My daughter has grown up to be an amazing woman and Mom, so I don’t have to be an on duty 24/7 parent anymore. I can go to the gym if I want. Or not. And I can eat whatever I want whenever I want, and there’s no one to tell me I can’t. And that latter part is where the curse of “non-accountability” comes in for me. Simply put, if I don’t have someone holding me accountable for making smart choices and staying committed to them then even my rock solid resolutions break apart. My excuses range from “this isn’t a good time to start dieting because company is coming” to “I hate doing paperwork, so I’ll put it off until next week” to “someday I will learn how to dance, but today just isn’t the day for these two left feet.”
My guess is that if you have read this far, you can relate on some level. There’s probably some goal you’ve always had – being in better shape, traveling more, learning a language, writing a book, playing an instrument, getting a degree, mending a relationship, etc. – that you have put off for so long that it secretly embarrasses and frustrates you. Well, that all ends today if you truly want to achieve your dreams. Because today I’m inviting you to join me in finding and becoming Accountability Partners. Simply put, we are going to clearly define a very important goal, outline the steps we need to take to achieve it, then find someone who will hold us verifiably accountable for achieving it - with significant consequences attached - and then share our results. See, I told you in the last chapter that you would probably hate me for it. :-) Since this is my big idea, I will go first. If you click on Things I Need For The Road Ahead, you will see an ever growing list of the things I must do for this trip – including getting and staying in better shape. I am actively looking for Accountability Partners to hold me accountable to do them. Since I am a very private person by nature, the mere fact that I’m allowing you to watch my progress – or heaven forbid, lack thereof – adds even more accountability for me. So since I’ve gone entirely out of my comfort zone to achieve things I’ve only dreamed or talked about, what about you? Is there something you are willing to tackle in your life? If so, please see the guidelines to becoming Accountability Partners. And if you join with me, we will do our very best to support each other. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories This is the last chapter I will write about what I’m going to be doing in the future. From here on out I will be reporting on what I’m actually doing. These first 10 chapters were a good exercise for me. It got me writing on a daily basis. It helped me flesh out some ideas. It made me think about what I wanted to accomplish. It forced me to set some scary goals. But most importantly, it helped me focus on what is in this for you. You see, as much as I would love you to physically join me on my trip to every state in the continental USA, they don’t make a clown car big enough for all of us to squeeze in. So the best I can do is let you come along for the ride via the internet. And I hope that’s enough to get you excited about traveling, if that is one of your dreams. If accompanying me on my journey isn’t enough to inspire you to do your own thing, consider this. In a very recent survey in which 2000 Baby Boomers were questioned, one fifth of them said not traveling enough was their biggest regret in life. And over a quarter of them said losing contact with friends was their biggest regret. So if these sentiments resonate with you at all, and you are physically and financial able, I urge you to get…out…of…town! It doesn’t have to be somewhere distant or extravagant, it could be just somewhere pretty, exciting, unique or just somewhere you can reconnect with a loved one.
I would be remiss in closing this last pre-travel chapter if I didn’t give proper credit to someone who helped plant the seed for this trip. In a U&Improved Personal Development class I took from my longtime friend and gym training partner, Jodi Low, we all went through a visualization process. We were told to dream of something great in our very near future and then paint a picture of it. So I painted this picture of my book called The Road Les Traveled (which is a pun because of a truly famous book with the exact same name minus one “s”) set against a blue sky. Now granted, I know that Michelangelo would have me flogged for saying that it is art, but the point is that it did what art is supposed to do – it spoke to me. Every time I looked at it, it said, “Hey, Loser! This book ain’t gonna write itself!” Okay, so my subconscious can be a little rough at times. But the point is, it got me moving. And now the rest of it is up to me. And you. Because we’re on this trip together, remember? Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories John Lennon once wrote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
And what’s true for life is true for road trips. For those of you who followed my trip online at www.StoriesFromTheRoadLesTraveled.com or on social media you already know that things didn’t always go as planned. Some of that was a good thing, others not so much. But the mere fact that I was able to do it – and live to tell about it – made it soooo well worth it. In the following chapters I will get in to greater detail, but for now I’ll just give you a few highlights.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Before I talk about all the wonderful things that happened, I need to own up to the things that I didn’t make happen. So with that said, and me standing here with all the President's men, it’s time for me to be politically correct.
Oh What A Tangled Web. As I stated many times in my Pre Trip Chapters, I wanted to leverage new and interesting technology to share my journey and to inspire others to do likewise. That sorta happened when I realized I had to learn how to build a website and blog from scratch on my own. Since I am so technically challenged I have to ask my three year old Grandson how to work the TV remote, the process was a grueling time sucker. Fortunately though, I chose to build it on Weebly.com, which is a Netflix-like subscription website builder with really good customer service. I must have called them 25 times with questions, but I’m glad to say they always had answers and were very patient with me. Despite the relative ease of posting on Weebly, I found I was often way behind in my trip updates. Part of that was due to lack of wifi, all day drives that left me brain dead, and not having the tech savvy to be able to post directly from my phone like every Millennial in the world can do with their eyes closed. The other thing was that I didn’t want to be rude to my hosts and disappear for hours to work on my website. So I decided to make my actual life a priority over my virtual life and just post updates when time and circumstances permitted. And while I’m doing a mea culpa on my website, here’s one more confession. I was supposed to do a bunch of Search Engine Optimization so it could be seen and perhaps generate some income. But the instructions might as well have been in Klingon, so I just spaced it out. (See whut I did there? “Klingons?” “Spaced out?”) Social Me-Duh. I had such high hopes for being able to post my trip on social media. But other than my home Facebook page it was a total bust on my part. I had my buddy Trystan Trenberth – who is a literal rock star photographer and IT ninja – set me up on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, etc.. But to be honest, I struggled to understand how to do it the right way, so I didn’t do any of it. And I made a big deal about how I was going to shoot videos and post them on my Youtube channel. HA! What a joke. I shot one video and couldn’t even figure out how to get it off my phone. In retrospect, I should have just talked a teenager into riding shotgun with me so they could work their techno voodoo magic and explain it in a way this old school brain would comprehend. Laptop Craptop! Okay, one last rant about my technology fails and then I’ll stop whining. Half way through my trip my Dell laptop went sideways on me and I had to buy another brand new Dell laptop from Best Buy mid-trip to replace it. During that process, Google discontinued the photo software Picasa that I knew so well so I couldn’t use it on the new one. So while I searched for a suitable photo editing replacement, all the photo galleries I planned to post came to a dead stop. And it wasn't until many months later that I finally got things working again. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Writing this chapter weighs heavily on me. Literally.
Since I road trip every year – and I always gain weight – I really tried to set myself up for success on this trip. I posted about getting Accountability Partners and actually conned…I mean “persuaded’ a few people to join me. I signed up for a FREE Silver Sneakers membership which provides FREE gym privileges for senior citizens all around the US, so I’d never have an excuse to miss a workout. I got my buddy and hiking guru from Taylor Made Hiking, John Taylor to help me get the right hiking shoes so I could hike comfortably anywhere. I got my America The Beautiful Pass so I could walk, hike and jog at some of the most gorgeous places on earth. And lastly, I made a plan to eat only healthy stuff like apples and protein bars while I was driving long distances. Despite my best laid plans, they all went out the car window the minute I hit the road. I ate like there was a meteor heading toward earth. I avoided exercise like it was a red headed step child wanting to borrow money. I made excuses to my Accountability Partners like “the dog ate my homework(out)” and “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday if I can eat a hamburger today”, etc. And every time someone offered me a glass of wine, a cold beer, a happy hour meal, a home baked pie, or my own personal dietary kryptonite - a “chip salad” (several different flavors of chips in a big bowl with a garnish of red Twizzlers) I said “Yessss!!!” so loud it rattled the windows. So as a consequence, I gained so much weight I started flashing cleavage with my man boobs in some of my photos. And trust me when I say, that wasn’t a good look for me. Fortunately, I was able to get back on track when I got home thanks to the awesome fitness coach Robin McIntire from Training With Passion. We each set some individual goals and then held each other’s feet to the fire with cash bets as incentives. Between the mutual support, the good natured ribbing about who would “win” the bet, and the fear of losing up to $100 a day, we finally found a combination that works. Today Robin is abs-olutely killing it on her goals, and I’m just glad to say that I no longer need a bra that lifts and separates. Closing thoughts: For me, the biggest single challenge I face when I travel is staying in shape. And I really can’t blame anyone or anything other than the fact that I simply go into “vacation mode”. So I need to come up with a real strategy before my next big trip. I know its possible because I interviewed and photographed the best built people in the world for many years at Muscle and Fitness and FLEX magazines and most of them traveled a lot. Now I just gotta figure out how to do what they do and make it stick. Update 2017: I am happy to report that I finally found a heavy weight solution and lost about 30 pounds prior to going On The Road Again. And thanks to my Accountability Partners, Eleni Tucker, Jarrod Daddis, Colin Shreffler, Sammy Glassman, Jodi Low, Lorrie Lievsay, Lonnie LoGreco, Tom Schirr, Bruce Stirling and Robin McIntire, I gained very little on my four month road trip and I am now back to my high school body weight. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories I know a lot of women who absolutely love the movie Under The Tuscan Sun.
And after watching it, I could see why they would fall in love with the place. So of course I was very excited to take my first ever trip overseas to the Tuscany area of Italy in 2015. I was blessed to go with an incredible fellow traveler, Daphne Horvath who had been there before, so she knew where to go and how to get to many of its great sites. And as anyone who has ever been there will tell you, it is hard to adequately explain all the enchanting beauty, epic history, charming people, stunning art and tremendous flavors that are there to enjoy. So need-Les to say, the two week trip there was something I will never forget and will always cherish. However, it wasn’t until I returned that I realized something about that trip. I missed being welcomed by friendly faces. You see, I have road tripped most of my life. I started hitchhiking around the US when I was a teenager and the main highway across the US was Route 66 – AKA the “Main Street of America”. When I got older and got a car that would actually make it across country, I made it a point of heading out as often as I could. Because for me there is nothing more thrilling to me than setting out on that open road at O Dark 30 to go see friends and family. And I always hoped and prayed that they were just as happy to see me as I was to see them. When people learn that I was a guest in over 50 homes all across America, they typically ask me how I have come to know so many gracious hosts. The answer has three parts. First, I have always thought that relationships were the real riches in life. So long before the internet made it relatively easy to connect, I would search out old friends and call them up to remind them of how much I valued them. To stay connected I would go out of my way to visit them while on the road or invite them to visit me wherever I was living. (I moved around so much that when someone asked my then-young daughter where our new place was and she said, “I’m not sure, but I think it’s called 'Now Leasing' ”.) I liked hosting people so much I often did my homework and had their favorite treats waiting for them on their guestroom bed. It was such a blast to watch their eyes light up and see their inner child on Christmas morning come out. And all of that was usually followed by guided tours of the cool places I thought they’d love experiencing, which was a bonus for me because they only time I seemed to get to them was when company came in town. Secondly, when social media exploded on the scene, it made it easier to find old friends and make new ones. Since I’ve already talked about reconnecting with old friends above, here’s a couple of stories from this trip that illustrate how things happened with new friends. I had just arrived at Eileen Mankin's home in Wilmington, North Carolina (link here). It was raining cats and dogs and we were sitting at her kitchen table eating the home baked pie she had made for my arrival. After a few minutes I worked up the nerve to ask her, “I am embarrassed to ask you this, but have we ever met before?” She laughed and said, “No. We have only met through Facebook.” Then she added, “And that’s the same way you met my daughter, Amy Shelton.” (That story here.) When I realized that she was right, that I met both of them online without so much as a phone call introduction, I realized that social media can actually be used to bring like minded people together. I met Debbie Majerik on Facebook through some mutual friends. When I was looking for some advice, she was kind enough to pick up the phone and offer me some much appreciated wisdom. Since many people only call when they want something from you, her rare kindness stuck with me. So when I realized I would be driving past her town, I told her I’d like to buy her lunch. That conversation led to me staying with her and her son for two days and having a blast seeing amazing places (link here) and comparing life’s journeys. Thirdly, I discovered there are a lot of people who are fellow travelers or those who appreciate travelers who will open their hearts and homes to make sojourners feel welcome. I learned this as soon as I published my blog and got invites to come visit from everywhere. And I did my best to say “Yes” to all those who were kind enough to invite me. In closing, I realize that not everyone can – or would want to – travel this way for many reasons. However, I will tell you that there are a lot who do. In fact there are entire websites like Airbnb (for air mattress bed and breakfast) and Couch Surfing dedicated to helping people stay in people’s homes. I haven’t used these services yet, but I probably will when I travel outside the US. Why?... Because nothing is more welcoming than being greeted by friendly faces. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories As I explained in the pre-trip chapters in Section One, I decided to travel the entire “lower 48” because I needed a project. I had recently semi-retired and found myself bored. Since past experience showed me that I frequently got in trouble I wasn’t creating or contributing, I knew I had to get busy. And when I realized I had three wedding related events coming up in Michigan and Florida, it dawned on me I could make them all if I took the really long way around.
I should tell you here that due to a massive hurricane in Florida that sent me running for my life, I had to miss Justin and Betza Wilhelmsen’s wedding in Miami. Fortunately though, I was able to attend and shoot photos at their engagement party in Michigan a few weeks earlier. (See their photo above and here and here.) And yes, I too tell myself we were all that good looking when we were their age, but I really doubt it. Once I made my decision to do the trip, I laid out the route on MyScenicDrives.com. I then had the monumental task of contacting my friends and families along the way to see if there was room in their inn. What made that task even more daunting was that in order to move forward, I had to think backwards. Now that statement probably makes me sound like I’ve been drinking heavily, but if you bear with me for a minute I think I can explain it so it makes sense. The aforementioned engagement party for Justin and Betza was on July 2, 2016 in Brighton, Michigan at the home of my lifelong friends, Rick and Margo Wilhelmsen. So with that set in stone, I contacted my friends who might potentially host me prior to landing on Rick and Margo’s doorstep. Once they assured me they were okay with the timing of my visit, I then contacted the potential hosts who would come before them. And so on and so on in reverse order all across the middle of the country back to my starting point of Arizona. (See estimated Route 1 map.) The same process happened when I left Arizona for the second time to travel the perimeter of the US. I knew I had to be back in Traverse City, Michigan for the “Best. Wedding. Ever.” of the adorable Malory and Dustin Shea on September 4, 2016. So after I booked a free two day hotel stay with credit card points in Traverse City, I started working backwards to connect with my potential hosts across the top of America, then down the West Coast, etc. And lastly, I did it all of that all over again when I left Traverse City, working my way backwards stop by stop until I reached Maine and then down the east coast to Florida, then back to Arizona. (See estimated Route 2 map.) Was all of that a logistical nightmare? At times it was. Especially when things came up - like when I received that required me to cancel planned visits and drive across eight states for a family emergency. But was all of it worth it? Well thanks to all my wonderful hosts, I can best answer that with the words of one of my favorite songs…(Cue music!).... Now I had the time of my life. And I owe it all to you. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories When you spend over 3000 hours on the road, you pick up a few things about traveling.
Here are just a few of the ones I feel are worth sharing that might make my – or your – next trip even better. It Is Better To Give AND Receive. I’ve always liked giving little gifts and/or doing small things for others. I’ve found that a tiny kindness can go a long way toward making a big difference in someone’s life – especially if it is Divinely timed. But a couple of years ago I realized that while I was good at giving I absolutely sucked at receiving. I was the guy who got something and kept repeating, “Oh no, you shouldn’t have.” And I was the guy who got invited to lunch or dinner and made a fuss about wanting to help pay the check. Then it dawned on me that I was absolutely stealing the joy from the giver. I was denying them the same pleasure of giving that I so thoroughly enjoyed. So I made a commitment to myself to be better and reinforced that with a mantra, “I am a generous receiver.” I can tell you that it made a big difference to the kind people who wanted to take me site seeing, go hike at their special places, buy me dinner in one of their favorite spots, cook me a favorite meal, bake me a pie, invite me to family events, etc. They got the joy of giving and I got the joy of receiving. And when the time was right, I was able to return their kindness and treat them to something – which made me very happy. Being A Good Guest Is As Easy As 1, 2, 3. Since I was invited to be a guest in over 50 homes, I eventually learned a simple formula for timing the length of visits so it was both comfortable and rewarding. 1. If it was someone I had never physically met or seldom – if ever – spoken to on the phone, I limited my stay to one night. This allowed both of us to get to know each other. And if it worked out, we could always plan another visit. 2. If I was visiting someone I knew pretty well and/or had previously talked to about visiting, I would typically stay two nights. That gave us enough time to catch up and explore their world. 3. If I was visiting family, former roommates or lifelong friends, I would stay as many as three nights. This gave us plenty of time to reminisce, create new memories, etc., and time to do the things we both had to – like laundry – without the pressure of having to be in that constant “entertaining” mode. Now of course there are exceptions to this rule, but not many. People typically have very busy lives that they put on hold in order to host guests, so it is better to leaving them “wanting more” than “totally exhausted”. Listen For An Opportunity To Be A Blessing. When someone invites you into their home they are also inviting you into their life. And since we never really know what people are going through, we won’t know how or why we can bless them unless we truly listen. Side note: I taught college level communication classes for many years. I have come to believe that average people listen to respond, sneaky people listen to retaliate, and wise, compassionate people listen to understand. If you want to learn how to be a terrific listener, check out the ground breaking book Just Listen. On this trip I had the opportunity to listen, comfort, support and encourage some people who were going through some really, really tough times. Here are a few examples. I just sat down to lunch with a friend when he received a call from his Doctor telling him he had cancer. I consoled two very strong women who broke into sobs over their at-risk children. I received a call from a grieving widow that a buddy I was planning to visit had just passed away that day. One friend told me she was living with a severely debilitating disease. Another friend was going through a divorce so devastating she was inconsolable. Yet another woman was preparing to put the love of her life into hospice where he would spend his brief remaining time on earth. One couple was scrambling to change their entire lives so they could parent teenage boys. One woman spoke how she was abused as a child, and another spoke about how she had been in a physically abusive marriage. One last thing: If you have ever suffered tragedy, profound loss, depression, injustice, heartbreak, etc. and have asked yourself, “Why me?” then this may be one of the answers. Once you have finally healed and gotten stronger and wiser, you may find you have an entirely new skill set of compassion, wisdom and empathy that you can used to truly help someone. And when and if that person just happens to be one of your hosts, you will understand that you may have been placed there to use your experience to comfort someone. Important Note: If you are not a trained therapist, you shouldn’t try to diagnose or cure anyone as it could become more harmful than helpful. If you feel someone needs outside resources, here’s a list that you might want to offer them as a starting place. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Since I have road tripped around the USA from the Sixties (the decade) to the Sixties (my age), I have discovered a lot of amazing places.
And it seems like for every trip, there’s been a few discoveries that have really stood out. For instance, I was once hired to do writing, photography, marketing, etc. for a nutraceutical company based out of Iowa City, Iowa. Since I had never been there before, I just assumed I’d be working in some remote farm house surrounded by gigantic corn stalks. However, much to my delight, I was given a high rise guest suite right on the famed University of Iowa Ped Mall. And I was surrounded by great places to eat, drink, socialize, walk, etc.. so I was constantly intrigued and entertained. Another example is when I finally said yes to my longtime friend, Jennifer Ricci who kept asking me to visit her in her little mountain town of Salida, Colorado. I think I fell in love with it long before I even got there because the drive over from Colorado Springs was just breathtaking – as in beauty, not my high altitude-induced wheezing. And once I got there I was blown away by the people, shops, restaurants, parks, downtown area, international kayaking championships, amphitheater concerts, and awesome river that runs right through it. On this trip there were so many great new places, I can’t really name them all, so I’ll just pick three to discuss here. Experiencing The Great In The Great Northwest. There’s a reason the word “Great” appears before “Northwest” on maps and in literature. It is because it is both grand in size and spectacular in beauty. I had been to Seattle, Washington before to shoot weddings and events, but I had never driven it so I wasn’t prepared for the incredible grandeur. There are towns like Ashland, Oregon that are so charming you don’t want to leave! Then there’s the drive up near Mount Ranier where you can ride for hours in awe of the natural beauty around you. And just when you think you can’t possibly see anything that impressive, one tour through Coeur d'Alene, Idaho reminds you that there’s still a lot more to come. I’ve Got Georgia On My Mind. I have been to Atlanta, Georgia several times. The first time I was hitchhiking from Florida to Michigan and got picked up by a couple of thugs who wanted to roll me, but decided not to. (Thanks guys!) As we drove through Georgia on siphoned gas, I just prayed we wouldn’t get arrested. Another time was when I went to cover the Olympia Contest for Muscle and Fitness and FLEX magazines. Need-Les to say I was…wait for it…really pumped up about that trip. But this trip was the first time I spent a full week there getting to know the city. And I have to tell you, I was impressed. Atlanta has figured it out. They have this terrific mix of historic and contemporary, casual and sophisticated, practical and artsy, and big city and intimate neighborhoods. And the food? Well let’s just say that there’s a reason that Southern cooking is legendary. I Was Glad I Traversed To Traverse. Last, but not least, was Traverse City, Michigan. I have to say that this lakeside resort city was probably the biggest surprise on my trip. You see, the last – and only other – time I was in Traverse City was over 45 years ago when I went there to earn money picking cherries and driving tractor. But since there was absolutely nothing to do on the farm other than work and no women for miles, I said a quick good riddance and headed back home to the Detroit area. Well obviously a lot can happen in that span of time, and Traverse City stands to prove that sometimes that can be all good. The town absolutely crackles with energy. There’s great pubs, restaurants, shops beaches and parks that looks out on the magnificent body of water known as Grand Traverse Bay. So it is some place I definitely will come back to on a future trip to my home state. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories |
|