Anniversaries

Hello, Friends!

It's been too long, my apologies once again. My three year anniversary came and went with little fanfare. Normally I would have shouted from the rooftops about my progress, but my surgical anniversary also coincides with the 1 year anniversary of my mother's passing, which happened one day prior. It's difficult for me to celebrate much on that day concerning my current state, so I chose to simply spend the day alone and think about my mom and the wonderful life she gave me.

So every year on February 27th I'll mark another year without my mom, and February 28th I'll quietly mark another year since surgery. There will be no celebrating, but rather quiet reflection.

However, for those of you curious about how I'm doing three years out, I'd have to say a little bit of alright. I just returned from a 4 day mountain biking trip in Sedona, AZ where I shredded some red dirt with a crew of friends from the Bay Area. Now, my friends and I are all highly experienced riders, but we were humbled by some of the truly gnarly, double black diamond trails. Sedona doesn't play when it comes to the gnar, and we were on high alert while traversing Sedona's finest.

The views were ok, I guess...

The Honzo feasted on red dirt

We were there for the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival, complete with fleets of demo's, beer, tacos and music. It felt like home being surrounded by hundreds of other dirties coated in a fine layer of Sedona's red dust, cactus scratches and bloody forearms. Sadly, one of our crew didn't go home quite intact after a failed, but brave attempt down a massive rock face. He's currently scheduled for surgery to repair the puzzle of broken bones in his left wrist. But after some plates and screws he should be good as new.

I logged some serious miles on this trip. I left Portland for Santa Cruz, then bounced to Sedona, then Prescott, and eventually back to Portland. Around 2800 miles in The Biscuit over an 8 day stretch, and while my back was cranky sitting through endless miles of high desert through Arizona and Nevada, I managed to make it back in one piece. One of the benefits of towing a bed around is you can always stop and take a nap no matter where you are. And after popping a Tempurpedic in The Biscuit, any time is nap time!

I even started an Instagram account for The Biscuit. If you'd like to follow along in my adventures you can tag along here.

I'm currently planning to hit the road in early April for an extended journey throughout the western (and maybe some central) states, living full time out of The Biscuit. I'll be visiting friends along the way, but plan to just let the road take The Biscuit wherever the winds allow. As always, I'm happy to talk with anyone who is considering, or has completed surgery. So if our paths intersect, feel free to reach out and let's grab a beer in person.

Until then, The Biscuit and I suggest you get out there and enjoy the view!

High Plains Drifter

Peace out, Friends!