Good Life Gravel Adventure Recap

About a week ago Rafal and I embarked on our first endurance race of the year by touring some unpaved country roads surrounding Lincoln, NE. It was a perfect day for the race. Cool temps early in the morning that rose to maybe 80 degrees in the afternoon. For those of you who think that riding around Nebraska means riding the great plains with no hills...you are mistaken. This ride was one hilly mutha! the tough part about these hills was their spacing because you lost all momentum from the descent before climbing the next rolling hill. The race started out with 40-some riders at about 615 in the morning and included checkpoints at mile 40, 65, 81, and 106 before finishing back in Lincoln for mile 142. I was doing well the first 60 miles before leg cramps set in and thought, "oh shit, not good" so, i walked the bike for a minute or two, stretched out, and took it easy while increasing the fluid and electrolyte intake. One thing i learned on this race was to push as much fluid and food as possible because you burn tons of calories while spinning and climbing the rollers.

another thing i learned is that i should have brought my ipod or something to pass the time. mile after mile of gravel gets kinda boring and all you have is time to think about all sorts of things. the wedding, work, bikes, where you've been, what you wanna do, getting a house, the fam, friends, all types of stuff. Eventually you run out of things to think about and you just stare at the road and try to find the smoothest line to take your bike through. finding a good line seemed to always be the task at hand. you could be pt-cruising and then run your bike through some soupy gravel which drops your momentum and cadence...then you just hafta work your legs back up to it.

One of the toughest segments of the race was the last 35 mile leg. typically the wind blows out of the south and we would have had a great tailwind to push us home. instead, we had a wall of wind to welcome us back to lincoln. luckily there were some strong riders from kansas to ride with that decreased the workload. these fellas were strong and kept a quick pace, especially their leader, Warren, a 50-year-old former Marine who still looks like one. I hope to have this guy's endurance and biking proficiency when I'm his age. We knew things were gonna be ok when we hit the flat Mo-Pac trail for the final two miles to victory lane. the feeling of completing something that i thought would be a stretch was great. im wondering if i can do another 60 miles on top of that....the Dirty Kanza 200 is next May...we'll see. for the time being, i'll stick with shorter rides out to Platte for some sweet bacon

Summer Time!

Finally! The garden is producing a summer bumper crop of tomatoes! These 'maters will be enjoyed after this Saturday's tri at Manawa. Mmmmm tomato with pesto sandwiches and BLTs. Tasty!

Milwaukee Tour

A few weeks ago Jamie and I took a road trip to visit some friends in Milwaukee. At first, eight or nine hours in a car is not the most fun. However, splitting the drive in half with a quick overnighter visit with my brother in good ol' Waterloo made the drive not too bad. Seeing the Iowa countryside full of windmills was pretty cool to see as well. Perhaps our state representative, Lee Terry, could do some actual work and take a roadtrip to Iowa and see how other states are developing their renewable energy resources.

Jamie and I arrived in Waukesha around noon and meet up with her friends from university, Ashley and Chris. Chris is up in Wisconson doing some work for the National Weather Service and coincidentally my work is developing the software the NWS will use. Chris and his weather collegues are also huge fans of a weather guy I work with daily, Earl Barker. We hung out and chatted up before picking up another university friend, Maggie, on the way to the Lake Front Brewery tour. Mmmmm beer! Cold beer hit the spot after the long car ride. Learning how beer is made was pretty cool too. From what the locals have said, the brewery guides are typically funny and inject humor into their tours. Our tour guide wasn't that entertaining. Since the guides are volunteers, receive beer for their services, and we were towards the tail end of the evening, he had been enjoying the product samples a little too much. So yea, you learn about beer making, sample some beer, and then go eat. We enjoyed the beer and went to a fish fry next door where we saw bunches of tourists taking pictures of their food. It was like these guys had never seen food before. Never wanting to not partake in the action, I grabbed my camera and began taking pictures of other people taking pictures of the food. I dont know, perhaps they have never seen fried fish in their lives because and needed proof for friends back home. Or, perhaps they are the type of folks who document every part of their vacation as a means of torturing their friends or kids with a vacation slideshow replay that mimics stop motion animation. Some of my friends and coworkers have done this to me and i sometimes want to gouge my eyeballs out. I dont need to see you and your kid in 13 different poses as he tries to roll over or while you try to feed him. ugh!

Anyways, the weekend weather was perfect! Sunny, 80 degrees, and no humidity. Days like this are the summer norm in Wisconsin. It's too bad Milwaukee summers last about two months. The rest of the time is spent preparing for the cold and defrosting from the cold. The trip highlight was a visit to watch the Brewers with some tailgating mixed in at the Miller Park parking lot. We arrived early and were on hand to watch a Milwaukee college classic played out at the small ballfield outside the stadium: med students vs. dental students. The med students pulled out a narrow victory and that left Maggie in the dumps a bit.
The closest tailgating experience that matches the scale of what we enjoyed would be an Iowa State football game...Open containers, friendly folks, grillin, lawn games, and some bevs. We enjoyed some grilled veggies purchased from a local farmer's market and headed to the game. Like many things, beer made the event even better.
The ballgame was a great time...I was prepared to be hassled by security for bringing in sunflower seeds when reaching the turnstyle. Nope. Miller Park's liberal security policy allows just about any outside food sans alcohol. Wow! This policy sure beats Rosenblatt's SS-style-security at a CWS or Royal's game. The view from our seats made for great people watching and great baseball watching. Earl is a big Brewers fans, so he provided me a ticket for his seats near the 3rd base line. For about two innings I broke away from our group to see his seats and also took this chance to meet up with a buddy who I meet in Antarctica, Dan. It was fun to catch up while watching the crowd boo Manny Ramirez. Dan's trip was big time...like two or so years traveling out of a backpack, this guy went everywhere you could go in South America. We also got a great view of the sausage races.

The Brewers won and while walking out we noticed all these sweet ballpark themed statues you could take your picture with. Never wanting to bypass a photo opportunity, we snapped some fotos of ourselves with the sausages and in this giant glove you could sit in. For those who dont know me, I can be a bit sarcastic...but when I told this woman that it would be five dollars to take her picture with the giant baseball glove, I received an unexpected "F-You and your F'in five dollars!" We all kind of looked at each other and were like, whoa, tranquilo lady, tranquilo. So after the ballgame we enjoyed some more drinks and headed back to Ashley and Chris' place. Everybody was pretty worn out from the game and I went into my normal late-night veggative state where I fall asleep whenever and whereever.

Awaking on Sunday I felt unexpectedly rested and ready for a long ride home...we passed the time talking about the weekend that was and listening to The Godfather. I'd say Milwaukee is worth another visit and like to head up there again. Cheers!

Where Did Summer Go?

Lots of things going on these days....In the next few days i'll be describing epic tales of

• Milwaukee
• Tri-Tri-Triathlons
• Ragbrai

Some the upcoming events include...

• Branched Oak Lake Triathlon (Maybe)
• Good Life Gravel Adventure
• Black Squirell Triathlon
• Omaha Half Marathon with a twist

back from yosemite!

it's been about two weeks since the yosemite trip...

big news. jamie and i got engaged in front of the beautiful yosemite falls. i asked, she was like, "are you serious?" with a smile and a tear in the corner of her eye...she said yes....phew.

more info to come. also, b-hoff was one of the lucky 31% in california to pass the bar. great job, brian!

back from estes park...

did a quick tour of estes park, colorado this weekend.

Things we saw...

• rocky mountain national park
• the stanley
• elk
  
• inebriated coworkers
• a cool wedding at a beautiful chapel

Back from Paris!

Just got back from Paris last week...so much to see in just one week!

Good times...
Good food
good drinks....

more to come later...

jp

Three Sport Adventure!

Completing and competing a triathlon has been a long term goal of mine. Well, now's the time. This should be a fun and different type of challenge. I'm excited to compete with myself to do my best at this type of event. You never know how good you can be at something until you give it your best shot. With that being said, a few guys and I have started a triathlon-trio and are aiming for a May 31st competition.

Swim, bike, and run. I'm ok at running and pretty good at biking. Swimming...err that's gonna take some work. My cumulative swimming experience has been the swimming merit badge I earned at Boy Scout camp 15 years ago and being able to tread water. I'm attending the Maverick Masters swimming program in order to improve at this sport. The Masters swim program offers organized workouts to adult swimmers with the goal of improving fitness through swimming. The training assistance these coaches provide will help out the triathlon-trio. I attended three times my first week and have realized how much of a workout this swimming thing is. Yaowza!

I arrived on Monday and gave the coach the quick rundown of my limited experience. The warm up began with a 200 meter freestyle, pull, and kick. The workout began with eight-200 meter freestyle with a focus of breathing technique and head placement. Head down and replace your nose with your ear as you breath. The workout was tough for a beginner.

I have to say the whole experience of this Masters program is a bit humbling. Yea, you think you are an ok athlete...until you try a sport that you never have done before and get to watch Nana glides past you while you are trying to catch your breath in the corner of pool.

Short term goals is the name of the game here.

The short term goal that I set on my first day of swimming was to make it down to the end of the pool, while breathing properly, without stopping. By the third day of swimming I'm able to do that. Down and back is the next goal.

More triathlon goals and updates to come.

Happy New Year!

It's a new year that's full of new opportunities!

 

wow, it's been a while since the last entry and so i thought i'd add an entry. there are some big things coming down the line this year and it should be a great time.

Some potential destinations that i've been thinking about include:

• Pacific Northwest to visit some buddies i met a few years ago
• Estes Park  with Jamie for a wedding and a bit of hiking
• Milwaukee with Jamie to visit some of her friends, enjoy a brewery tour, and watch the Brewers play a game or two
• Yosemite to visit Hoffman, climb Half Dome, and see the waterfalls
• NYC to see the US Open
• New Zealand, Austrailia, and Asia...this is a stretch, but it'd be a blast!

There are some other things going down...more info on those as they develop

In Memoriam of Joeri Gorter

This is dedicated to traveling, the outdoors, cycling and friends. It is never easy and is a shock to learn that someone you met just a few weeks ago no longer is alive. That's what I felt when I read my email this morning and learned Joeri Gorter was hit by a truck while on his rowing bike last Friday.

 

The thing about traveling is that it helps develop a knack for sizing people up and in just a few minutes. It doesn't take too long to tell what type of person someone is. Do I like this person? Can I trust them? Do they want something from me? What type of person is this and do I get a good vibe from them? These impressions come quickly.  

 

The impression that Brian and I got from Joeri when we first saw him rowing his bike up Highway 120 was, "wow, that guy is in pretty good shape. that looks hard, but it also looks like fun." The impression we had when we met him in the Yosemite campground was genuine. He enthusiastically accepted our meal invitation and shared his scotch with us. Right away Brian and I could tell we had met a great character. Joeri told us stores of life in the Netherlands, taught us some Dutch slang, made us laugh with tales of Amsterdam, and his plans to ride all over the US. Brian and I envied his plans. We envied his contagious optimism and attitude.

 

We met as strangers and departed as friends who planned to meet up in Omaha and Amsterdam for a drink.

 

We were looking forward to that drink.

 

Brian and I are saddened about this loss and will miss that reunion.

Yosemite Summary

It's been over a week since the return and now's the time to send out an update on the latest happenings. Work had been pretty busy the last few weeks with all types of stuff, so this was a well-timed break from the action. The trip's purpose was to go out to visit a buddy from undergrad and from the days of working as a clubbie for the omaha royals. It was also a great excuse to quit shaving for a while and see how well the beard look looks. I still have a ways to go on the beard look. The midway point was Sacramento, California, but the destination was Yosemite National Park.

After arriving at Sacramento International Airport late Thursday evening, I grabbed my bag off the luggage belt and walked into the cool California night to meet my buddy Brian and Yoda, his 1980s Toyota pickmup truck. What was odd was that for as old as the truck was, there was not a spot of rust to be seen. Oh those rough California winters, eh? We ride off into the night and talk about current events, how things are going, and where to grab a bite to eat. We made the right choice and grabbed some iconic California Food, In N Out Burger. I ordered the Double Double and went Animal Style on the delicious food. It's getting to be 11pm and we roll into Brian's place where I meet Kona, a friendly Chocolate Lab. Kona likes visitors and we play around a bit before I crash on the couch.

The next day we pack up the grill, the food, our bags, and tent. On the way out of town we stop by In N Out again where I actually meet Brian's girlfriend. What makes this notable is that Brian has been dating his ladytype for about two years, but no one has ever seen actual proof of the girlfriend. We hear good things, but never really saw evidence of existence for quite a while. Well, she does exist and she's a nice girl for Brian. I'm also pretty sure Brian didn't hire an actress to play the part of his girlfriend.

We have our Garmin and our directions. We are on the road like Jack Kerouac and on the road again like Willie Nelson. The population density California is staggering...no matter what time of day or where you go, the place is full. It's a huge cluster and it was great to escape all those people. Along the way there was a disagreement between the Garmin and Google Maps. We chose to use Google Maps and ended up near a prison and a landfill. Blast you, Google Maps! We are back on track after asking for directions from a guy out for a run in an orange jumpsuit. Ha!

The way to Yosemite is a long and winding road. The Sierra's many mountains, sharp curves, and huge RVs keep us alert. One wrong turn and you fall long ways. Go bye bye. The only thing memorable about the drive there, besides passing by the prison, was this guy we saw rowing his bike up the mountain road. My buddy Jesse rode his bike cross country and told me about riding climbs that were miles long, but this guy put a rowing machine on a pair of wheels and was going up the frickin' mountain! Craziness! After stopping in a town a few miles from Yosemite, Brian and I roll into the northwest corner of the park and settle into the Hodgdon Meadow Campground, about 45 minutes northwest of the Yosemite Valley. We put our food in the bear locker, popped up the tent, and played a bit of Stratego before crashing. The moon and night stars were shining bright that night! After being in the city for so long, you forget how nice it is to look up and see the stars.

The next day we pack our sandwiches, make a bit of oatmeal, and head off to hike to the North Dome. We read in the park newspaper about this strenuous 11-mile guided hike that will take around seven hours to complete. Why not, we thought. We meet up with Ranger Andrew Smalldon and a couple from Holland at nine bells. What's strange about hiking is your body freezes while standing, but heats up after your feet start moving. We hiked in our tshirts and pants and threw on our jackets after stopping at the top. Along the way, the ranger told us park information, forest ecosystems, animals, and his experiences in other national parks. His stories like the firefall make the three and a half hour hike to the North Dome easier.

Even for being in reasonable shape for the shape we were in, Brian and I sucked wind at the mile-plus high elevation. Slow and steady is the approach you gotta take while hiking at this altitude. The view at the North Dome was spectacular! To the left was Half Dome and to our right was the Yosemite Valley. We stake out a rock, snap some fotos, and enjoy the view for about 30 or 45 minutes before heading back. The way back took forever. We blamed our poor endurance for our slow feet and sagging heads. Ranger Smalldon scared me when I asked him a question about trees as I pulled the bark off of a dead tree. He was like, "Dude, I'm gonna hafta write you up for doing that to a tree." My eyes widened and I was like, "Oh shoot...but the tree's dead!" And then he was like, "im just givin you a hard time...Gotcha!" He and Brian laughed a bit while my pulse recovered a bit. One thing that I must say is that park rangers are probably the nicest and most optimistic people you can meet. These folks always seem positive and why not. You are out in the middle of nature, you get paid to hike on a trail, and you get to wear a cool uniform.

The last mile and a half took forever. I'm pretty sure the last portion was measured as the crow flies and not how the trail winds. Brian and I get back to Yoda and relax on the tailgate. We snack on the WheatThins and watch the traffic whiz bye. The number of motorcycles we saw in the park that day was large. Tons of Harleys in large groups and a few solo BMW riders whose bikes reminded me of the Long Way Down/Long Way Round riders. That's something my brother and I would like to do...one of these days.

We pick up some firewood at one of the turnouts and head back to our campsite. Why buy firewood when you can grab the stuff from the forest for free? While prepping dinner and enjoying some beverages, we see the rowingbike guy coast into our campsite and we do a double take. "Wanna beer?" we ask him as we prepare the yardbird, rice, and beans. We exchange hellos, offer him a drink, and invite him to dinner. Joeri is a 30-something who is taking a break from Holland and rowing his bike all around the U.S. The rowing bike really is a series of complex levers and pulleys. The setup is just like a recumbent bicycle, but the rider does not propel himself by peddling. Instead, the chain has been replaced by a nylon rope and the rider pushes with the legs while pulling the arms. Talk about a full body workout. Joeri was in shape, but he loved cigarettes During the three hours we ate and drank he prolly smoked at least seven Marlboro Reds...We talked into the night about America, Holland, soccer, the president, and many more topics. I think there was some definite bonding going on between Brian and Joeri when the topic changed to soccer. Both guys talked about the soccer players who they admired and all that…that stuff still is Greek to me. The only soccer players that I know of are Zinedine Zidane and Diego Maradona. The activity from the long hike and the good drinks took their tool. At about 930 I hit the wall and was dozing off. It was lights out after about two minutes into the sleeping bag.

My body was still on Omaha time and I awoke at 530. I wondered around the campgrounds for a while and returned with some water for the breakfast oatmeal. Day two would be nice and easy after the 11-mile hike did a number on us. Our feet were sore, our muscles were stiff, and our clothes were a blend of BO and campfire. But to be in a place like this will always puts you in a good mood. We ate some breaky and said our goodbyes to Joeri.

It was time to hug some trees so Brian and I set our sights on some Giant Sequoias. There are two groves of these massive trees in Yosemite, the first was about 1.5 hours away from our campsite in the Maraposa Grove and the second was along the way to the Valley in the Merced Grove. Brian and I picked the closer grove and hiked in to see these massive trees. These trees were wicked amazing! You don't appreciate how big they are until you get next to them, crane your neck back, and try to see to the top. Amazing what comes from nature. In all we saw about 15 of these behemoth trees and were astounded by how they dwarfed other large trees around them. The only bad part about hiking into the grove was that we went downhill the entire way…this required hiking uphill to get out. We took our time and enjoyed the sites…this made the hike a bit easier. Check out the size of these things!

It was back on the road and into the Valley. Ah Yosemite…a shrine to human foresight, strength of granite, power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. This is one area of the national park that you really can't take a bad picture in. Horizontal trees growing from small cracks in the hard granite, majestic views of waterfalls (when they are turned on), and the pine tree smell affect your senses as you cruise through this place. Brian and I stopped for a quick lunch at the Yosemite lodge where I developed some serious hiccups after putting too much Tabasco into the chili. When hit up the local Yosemite souvenir shop where we quickly took advantage of the $1.50 Yosemite Pale Ale craft brew and found a great spot to admire El Capitan while we relaxed. It was during that time I convinced Brian that El Capitan's English translation was The Lieutenant. Gotcha! We then hike our way to Yosemite Falls to people watch and write some postcards to friends back home. The falls weren't working that day, but nature will prolly turn things back on in the spring. It's gotta be impressive when these falls are flowin during the spring snowmelt. We hung out at the falls for a while and then wandered across a few meadows until we came to Sentinel Bridge where we captured some epic shots of Half Dome reflecting off a calm stream. The foto reminded me of the shot that Rafal took of Fitz Roy when he came down to Patagonia for a while. We hung around the bridge, snapped a few fotos, and visited the small Yosemite Chapel afterwards. Nice little place. Overall, I would say that Yosemite was one heck of an experience and would recommend the national park to anyone interested in seeing some great sites and hiking some of the 800 miles worth of trails

going going back back to cali cali

im off to californian to hike around yosemite national park

yea buddy!!!

Part 4 & 5 annoy your friends with anonymous postcards from abroad

While in Madrid, my friend Greg forwarded me some good information about a couple he and his wife know. Here are the details about them

 

Names: Joe and Michelle
Address: Omaha NE
Professions: Joe is a Physical Therapist / Michelle is a Physician's Assistant
Children: Joey (1 going on 2)
Current Events: They are having a baby today. They were induced this morning and are still waiting to see the new baby. Some specifics are: It will be a girl, they haven't landed on a name yet, they are at Methodist hospital.
Other Details: Both went to John Brown University, Both play sports (Joe played Basketball, Michelle played Volleyball), Both sing in the church choir, Joe loves to BBQ and watch basketball/sports, Michelle loves fruity candy, Joey can't quite talk yet in full words but you can kind of understand him, Both come from large families, Joe is the oldest of 5 brothers, They live in Omaha NE but weren't born here, Joe used to sing in a Gospel Quintet, Joe is the #1 fan of singer David Phelps, They love American Idol, They have friends from all over and Joe has a brother who is a missionary in the Philippines.

Hopefully that is enough for you to do your thang. I would raz them a little about not having decided on the baby's name as that seems to be something people talk about. I'm assuming I'll pay you when you get back?!? That gives us an excuse to get some people together for lunch sometime and hear your traveling stories.

Aight, catch you lata, enjoy the rest of your trip. 

 

And here are the postcards...

 

Hey Gang!
Congrate on the new addition to the fam. What are you going to name the new baby? You know that you cant leave the hospital w/o naming that kid! My suggestion is to name the kid after some Spanish soccer or war hero.
I've been all over Spain and have visited some amazing churches. I think both of you should tryout for the La Sagrada Familia church choir. That church would be amazing to be a part of. Hope your brother is safe in the Phillipines and little Joey is talking up a storm.
See you guys soon!
jp

Jamie wrote...
Joe & Michelle
Congrate on the new addition to your family! Joes is going to love being a BIG brother! Methodist was great when I had my two kids there. We'll have to BBQ when we get back and share stories about all our travels - - - this week we are in Madrid & Loving it! Tonight we will see a bullfight at Las Ventas 0 0 0 the ring on the front - - - Should be fun to see you soon!
J

for the record...jamie does not have two kids.

Part 3a: annoy your friends with anonymous postcards from abroad

i dont know if the goal was to annoy or just to confuse. but i think it worked.

here's an email i received from my friend Paul. Paul is the guy who set me up with Joe's address.

I ran into Joe last night so I asked him if he had been getting any strange mail. He looked kind of surprised and said that he had. I didn't want to let him in on the secret, but I couldn't come up with a good reason for why I would know about it otherwise. He enjoyed it and said that it has been the topic of conversation with just about everyone he has talked to for the past three weeks. He was convinced that it was his aunt somehow trying to convince him to become a missionary in Morocco or Spain. Anyway, I'm glad your trip went well and thanks for the fun.

Part 3: annoy your friends with anonymous postcards from abroad

This is my third and final postcard to my friend-that-I-never-know named Joe. The postcard says
Papa Joe
I know a guy like you would appreciate a postcard like this. Nothing but love coming from Madrid, baby! You gotta see this place. It's a Spanish version of New York or Chichage, except people speak a different language and dress sharper. Ive seen some excellent street performances that you would appreciate from your RoadShow days. Nothing like a good street performance to get the say started off right, ya know.
Take Care, see you on Ragbrai.

Why Can't Omaha Be Biker Friendly Like Barcelona

This entry is dedicated to biker awareness on the road. So I'm returning from the grocery story about an hour ago and have one of my panniers full of goods. I'm at the stoplight behind a car...Stationary. Unclipped from my pedals. Waiting to go northbound on 50th and Dodge. I'm not going slow...I'm stopped when this wife-beater-wearin-jerkstore tried to run me off the rode while waiting at the stoplight. This idiot leaves the road, drives onto the sidewalk and pulls up beside me. Ok, he's driving on the sidewalk now and yells at me, "Get the f-off the f-in road." Being tired, hungry, hot and sweaty did not help my patience. My blood began to boil, I took a look at the guy and I'm like..hmm, "Well, D-A, looks like your the one who is off the road...why dont you respect the riders." Now, I'm never really one to start anything...but I'm not the type who is going to back down if i get pushed. We exchange a few more niceties and he drives off...driving on the sidewalk between the stoplight pole and the building. Curse you Teal BMW with Nebraska plates PYP 754

It's time for Omaha to grow up. Mayor Fahey, buy some paint and mark those streets to make the city more biker friendly...I do have to give Omaha credit...Omaha has made some progress in recent years, but those streets are not entirely biker friendly. There needs to be a shift in thinking. My roommate Andrea said it best that Omaha is at the point where we are like some tweeners are between high school and college. "do i wanna grow up and do the mature stuff...or do i wanna sit in the basement of my parents home, play xbox all day, and never grow up. O-town is at this point and needs to get out of Ma' and Pa's basement and into the real world.

Omaha needs to be a bit more like Barcelona. I have never seen a more biker friendly town than Barcelona, Spain. I'm pretty sure if I travel to more spots in Europe, I'll realize that there are many more biker friendly communities out there. Here's why I think Barcelona's biking community. Many of the biking lanes have a median that separates bikers from traffic and pedestrians. Biking lanes have their own cross walk signs. Bike racks are organized and the ADT-swipe card system lets you lock up your bike without carrying a heavy lock. Drivers respect bikers and bikers respect drivers and pedestrians. It's time for Omaha to grow up and become biker friendly. Plus, the useful thing about taking a bike to a bar is that you can use the bike to lean on when you return home. My friend Geoff from California (originally from biker friendly Ireland told me that one)

im workin on the fotos n stuff...but this weather makes me just want to head outside.

Man Vs. Beast...Plaza de Los Toros...Bullfighting Time!

Ole!

Bullfighting in Spain goes wayback and whether or not you are a fan of it or not, it's an impressive spectacle. The sight of an angry 600kg-horned beast barreling down full-speed at guy dressed in a sparkling singlet and matching jacket will grab your attention. "Ole," the crowd shouts as the beast sends his horns through the matador's outstretched pink cape.

Below is a tale of our time at a Madrid bullfighting match.
So we hopped off the subway at the Las Ventas stop and climbed the metro stairs to a brown-bricked circular plaza with people buying/selling food and fans preparing for the match. The quantity of people outside the stadium matches the sight similar to ESPN gameday, except there are no drunk frat boys with letters painted on their chest and no Lee Corso wearing a mascott on his head. Just a calm buzz about the match and people lining up to get in.

Jamie and I picked up a few bocadillo sandwiches and thought about eating them prior to entrance. I asked around and everybody said bringing food into the arena is common practice. Now, being from the States, Jamie and I are accustomed to over-zealous insecurity guards at events like the College World Series where they actually hire Douglas County Sheriffs, Omaha Police Officers, and Delta Security (cop wannabes) to pat down little kids and ensure they dont bring in their own bag of sunflower seeds. Forget about the 31 shootings Omaha had in 31 days last year, our priorities are geared more towards searching fans who want to bring in a 99-cent bag of Cornnuts rather than preventing/solving crimes. but that's my point of view.

Getting back to the story, the Las Ventas event, folks let you bring in anything...I mean anything! 2 liter bottles, cans of beer, hard liquor, full meals...a guy even brought in a whole pig's leg! Why can't we do that in America. Let's focus on the event, instead of profit. So we ate our dinner and drank a Coke inside the stadium where we watch the stands fill up from our 14th row seats. Typically, the cheaper seats in a bullfighting event are situated in the sunny section. We were in those seats and the sun warmed us in the Spring weather.

The stadium is full and it is game time. The drums pound, the horns sound, the gates to the ring open to begin the opening ceremonies. Four bullfighters walk into the stadium on their steeds followed by the junior toreros. To me, the junior toreros are the rodeo clown equivalent that protect the main bullfighter by distracting the bull and maintaining its level of anger while the main bullfighter changes horses. Instead of barrels, these toreros duck for cover behind recessed panels that allow them to duck and cover when the bull gets a little too close. The participants do their song and dance and everybody saw how well-trained these horses were. According to rider command, the animals marched forwards, backwards, and sideways in a variety of cadences and trots. Pretty cool, actually. When that finished, the real fun began. Man vs. Beast. The fight begins with a single horse mounted bullfighter waiting in the ring. The main door opens and a horned beast charges at full speed. It's looking for something to take out its aggression on. The bullfighter sees the 600kg animal coming and starts to move. Because of it's ability to quickly turn and easily accelerate, the horse has the advantage in the fight. It's all about angles in this fight. The bull gets close enough to feel the horse's tail, but the bullfighter steers the horse enough to be a safe distance.

For a long time I always thought bullfights were just a guy in spandex and a bull plowing through a red cape. Well, that's not exactly how things happen. Bulls die in the match. The bull's death takes about 15 or 20 minutes and it's pretty bloody. The end of the bull begins with the bull chasing the horse for a bit. The bullfighter is then handed a long barbed shaft. With shaft, the bullfighter charges the bull and jabs it into the bull's neck, staining the black coat deep red. The bullfighter jams two more long barbs into the bull's neck and is then handed three smaller, dagger-sized barbs. With the smaller daggers, the bullfighter gets almost parallel with the bull and crosses over his body to jab the barb into the animal's neck. This is a pretty complicated move considering all the moving parts going on. The bull is tired. It's not as quick as it once was and from our seats you witness how heavily the animal is breathing. At that time, the bullfighter gets off of his horse, grabs a pink cape, another barb, and approaches the bull. The bull aims its horns at the cape but only plows through the air. This goes on for a few more minutes and the bullfighter successfully plants a few more barbs into the beast's neck. The bull is near the end when the red cape appears. The junior bullfighters appear from their recessed doors and begin to waive their pink capes on the sides of the beast to ensure the bull is sufficiently exhausted and blinded. You too would prolly go blind if someone stabbed you in the neck a dozen times. The fights ends when the bullfighter takes a long sword known as a muleta and thrusts it between the shoulder blades and into the heart of the beast. The bull stiffens for an instance and then goes limp. Maintenance then comes in to drag the bull out of the ring. A harness is fastened around the bull's head and horns for three mules to drag the animal away.

steak anyone?

Without a doubt, bullfighting is cruelty to animals, especially when the bullfighter misses with the muleta and has to retry a few times. the crowd was not pleased when that happened.

Jamie and I saw around eight matches that evening and the scariest event occurred on the second fight. You know how I mentioned man vs. beast and how the bull usually dies? Well, in this match the bull at least got a few good shots in and really hurt the bullfighter. While the bullfighter is putting barbs into the bull's neck, he will perform some elaborate tricks on the horse while the bull is chasing it. One of those tricks included a pirouette where the bull slowly follows the horse and then the horse does a 360 degree turn right in front of the horned-beast. This trick worked well when the bullfighter would turn into the ring, or the open area. Well, we witnessed the horse turning into the wall and towards the bull. The bull was waiting for him and dug its horns into the horse and knocking the rider down. It only lasted a few seconds, but the crowd went silent, the white horse we bloodied, and the bullfighter's head was injured. They got him out of there, but talk about bloody. yaowza

more fotos coming up!

here are a few fotos from Spain
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078637&l=b318f&id=63201386

more to come...

more photos coming!

There's something about sitting in front of a PC for nine or 10 hours a day...it makes you wanna get out of the office and do something else as a stress release.

Here are a few fotos from Morocco. I was kinda hesitant to pull out my Nikon, so I used my Fuji because it was small. Losing the Fuji wouldn't have been as bad as the Nikon.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078316&l=03cc7&id=63201386

more photos will be coming

cheers

more fotos are comin up!

There's something about sitting in front of a PC for nine or 10 hours a day...it makes you wanna get out of the office and do something else as a stress release.

Here are a few fotos from Morocco. I was kinda hesitant to pull out my Nikon, so I used my Fuji because it was small. Losing the Fuji wouldn't have been as bad as the Nikon.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078316&l=03cc7&id=63201386

more photos will be coming

cheers

pics are coming

I’m still in the process of catching up on work, sleep, and this home buying thing. All this gets in the way of putting up the fotos…they should be up before the end of the week.

Cheers!

curse you, jet lag...adventures in coming home

it's 4am. I'm wide awake.

returning to Omaha was a quest. Traveling was a chore with the timezone changes, three flights, waiting, whining kids in front of us, a grumpy guy behind us, and low blood-sugar levels the last two flights. From the door of our hostel to the front door of my place, we made it in around 27 hours. Because traveling solo or with another person is stressful enough, I have to empathize with people traveling with kids through these terminals. Talk about a challenge to navigate through insecurity, to find something to eat, to keep the kids occupied, and to not lose any of the kids. I gotta hand it to the folks who travel with kids.

Jamie and I returned from the bullfight and a short trip to eat at around midnight where we packed up all our stuff and grabbed about five or six hours of rest before we checked out. The hostel we stayed at was quite in the sense that you never ran into any of the other guests, but noisy for the fact that a bar and restaurant were located directly below us. Because Madrid is famous for it's nightlife, people will stay up well past sunrise. This meant that earplugs were a necessity. But because we didn't want to miss our flight, we got the chance to hear everything happening in the streets. That night an intense game of drunken soccer with a crushed beer can occurred. Soccer is fun, but not at 3am and not along a street that echoes quite well. Sleeping didnt happen well. We awoke, showered, paid our rent, and made our way to the subway. As a sidebar, it's funny how you dont see the people we saw during regular business hours. I suppose junkies, winos, pimps, and prostitutes sleep in...and we were in a good part of town, too. With our backpacks draped around us we navigate our way past some nefarious and questionable activities happening in plain daylight to the metro. It's six am and the people on the train are zombies. Jamie and I are the only ones without bloodshot eyes, slow shuffling, and droopy heads. Across the platform was a guy in a group of three that couldn't stay awake. So, his friends did what intoxicated guys would do...flick him in the ear with their fingers and joke around with their buddy who falling to sleep while standing up. Some things dont change, no matter where you go. The hour-long train ride gets us to the terminal where we check in and make our way past the insecurity checkpoints. No 3-1-1. No "please remove your footwear, sir." Just pass your belongings through the xray and get on with your life. I always sigh in exasperation when passing through TSA insecurity. They do their routine because they are told to, right?
Because we got to the terminal early enough, Jamie and I were able to secure seats next to the bulkhead. The good news was the extra legroom. The not-so-good-news was the positioning right behind first class. Their food, wine, champagne, movie selection, Bose noise-canceling headphones, and comfortable seats were just feet away. sigh...maybe next time if I work a bit harder, I can enjoy that luxury. On this flight is where I meet a grumpy guy who I will call Lex Luther. I dont think that Lex liked my presence in front of him because we were the same height, but he didnt have the leg room that I enjoyed. So Lex gave me a few dirty glances whenever i got up from my seat to use the restroom, stretch, or grab something from my bag. Getting to the terminal early paid off. Lex should have learned from Richard Nixon who said you gotta make hay while the sun shines.
So...anyway you look at it, these flights from Europe are long. "Excuse me, ma'am...How many hours will this flight be?" "Long." That should be the only response. The flight was nine hours from Madrid to Miami. With the prebording and safety briefings, we were in our seats for a little over 10 hours. We arrive in Miami and pass through immigration where we stand and wait for our bags before passing through customs. While we wait for our bags, Lex makes another appearance and tries to squeeze Jamie out of her waiting spot by the baggage carousel. His maneuvering and strategy to be the first person to grab the bags off the carousel was all for naught when the the carousel rotated clockwise away from him, instead of counterclockwise like the carousels beside us. People go nuts when they want their baggage right as it comes off of the carousel. They will crowd right beside the entrance to be the first to grab the stuff and must not realize this mechanism does rotate in a circle. Lex was not happy about the bags moving away from him and Jamie was a bit miffed because this guy tried to box her out like a bball player. He's lucky Jamie didnt throw an 'bow to the gut. We get our stuff after a 20-minute wait, pass through customs, and drop our backpacks off at the luggage connection. But because the international and domestic terminals are separate, we get to pass through insecurity again and do the ol' 3-1-1 and please-remove-your-shoes routine. Arg. We get through that and make it to our gate for the 2-hour layover and watch the same 30-minute CNN news broadcasts a few times. We are both pretty tired and our blood sugar levels are pretty low. We grab a bit to eat and make it onto Dallas where our next flight to Omaha had a Nanny 911 potential. The family of five was spread between two rows where the two young sons (think the twin boys from Desperate Housewives but not as mischievous) were in their own row with the Mom, five-year old daughter, and Dad behind the boys. The dad plugs his iPod in and tunes out while mom leans her chair back onto my knees, removes her sandals, and puts her feet between the seats ahead of her and tells the boys to behave. We thought, "oh boy, here we go." The kids were pretty rowdy until take off where the dim light puts them to sleep. Jamie and I were thankful things quieted down because we were getting to the end of our patience after being up for over 24 hours. When we landed in O-town we were in a much better mood because we were home. The two boys on the plane awoke and the first thing you hear was, "Daaaad, Jake slobbered on me!" to which the dad replies, "That's not slobber. Honey, can you grab me some napkins?" During the course of the flight, Jake had thrown up onto his brother! And to think that the sour smell was my unwashed sandals!  Jamie and I empathized with the family and were glad to see they hung around to clean up the mess. You gotta hand it to families who travel with kids...You people are a brave bunch.
The airport pickup is always the next daunting task at the end of a journey. Anyone who has flown knows the frustration that occurs when your ride is not on time to pick you up. Long ago my folks would say, "just call us when you land and then we will leave for the airport." This policy has lead to days where the noses of family members get bent out of shape for the fact that waiting outside the Omaha airport for your dad is frustrating...especially when your dad is a guy who will get stopped for slowing before he gets stopped for speeding. Especially when he never travels and gets to experience the waiting! This did not happen on this trip. Ma and Pa were right there for the pickup and waited a minute or two for our bags to arrive and we were off. We were exhausted and my parents wanted to talk about the trip. It was nice to see my folks after a long trip and we are very thankful for the timely airport pickup. Thanks guys!
So we are back and we are still getting used to the seven hour timezone difference. My boss said yesterday that the adjustment period takes about one day for each hour of timezone you pass through. Jamie and I are looking at around seven days before our bodies are caught up. Sounds about right since I woke up at 330 and 430 yesterday and today. It feels great to get some rest, enjoy prices that are in dollars, and drive my own car again. Europe was a learning experience and I'm glad Jamie and I went for the two weeks. More stories to come. In future postings you will get to learn about: Missing remote controls. The Dolce Vita hostel (three roach rating by Lonely Planet), and some out and about stories that you may find entertaining. It's time to get ready for work. 

Cheers!

and were back...

It's nice to be back in the lower 48. Everything seems to be on sale after experiencing the Euro for two weeks.

I brought back a gift for everyone. High gas prices. You can thank me later.

More stuff to come as I backfill many of these stories. Pics should be up later this week.
Cheers!

jp

Fight Night...No Bull!

This should be an exciting and interesting event.

 

Jamie and I are going to see a bullfight tonight.

 

now how many times do you get to see man vs. beast? not too many times.

 

more details to come.

 

jp&jw

 

 

back in madrid

lots of things to see here in madrid

today its raining...but we are planning to see a bullfight, tour real madrids stadium, and enjoy some great food

yesterday, jamie suggested some patatas bravas with beer...mmmmm they hit the spot

anyways, back to seeing the sites

cheers!

jp and jw

Part 2: annoy your friends with anonymous postcards from abroad

Time for a new postcard to my new buddy, Joe!

GI Joe!

What´s up, buddy! The Sagrada Familia is a piece of work! Amazing! I wish you could see this, but wait...you are busy studying physics and prepping to become a teacher. Perhaps you can mold the minds of tomorrows leaders the same way that Gaudi molded this church together. See a lot of street performers here. What a great way to earn a living, juggling for dollars...err...make that Euros. See you soon, buddy!

That´s all i got.

Out and About in Barcelona part 2

More fun out and about in Barcelona...

Today we went to another art museum, went to see Olympic Stadium, and went back up to Park Guell...

Will back fill this blog entry when i return.

jp

Out and About in Barcelona

Thank goodness for comfy sandals because Jamie and I did quite a bit of walkin...

More details to follow about:

La Sagrada Familia

St. Joseph's Market

Gaudi Gaudi and some more Gaudi

Enjoying Vegemite!

will prolly have more time to fill in the details when I return.

Cheers!

And Now...Barcelona

just got here and the hostel is pretty cool. more to come after a bit of rest

Just a few quick tidbits as internet time is a bit costly.

Below are some pictures from Park Guell and the Gaudi Gardens. Very impressive mosaic tiles. Also, is a picture of our tiny hostel room. Very little breathing room, but clean and cozy...right?





















Some quick things I´ll write about when I get some more time is the visit to the Garden, my first Vegemite experience, and whatever else i feel about. also, more to come when i find a better keyboard...this one is a bear to type on. arg!

We are in Spain!

We arrived back in Spain yesterday and did a bit of walking around.

We also saw El Museo de Jamon or the Ham Museum. Good eats here!

More to come when we have a bit more time.

Here are just a few pics of what we saw...

Cheers!

JP and JW

Part 1: annoy your friends with anonymous postcards from abroad

The lucky guy to receive my anonymous postcards from abroad is Joe Kohlhaas. Joe just graduated with a degree in physics and wants to be a teacher. He is pursuing his masters degree in physics and used to sell gelatos on RAGBRAI. His girlfriend's name is Shiney.

I wrote a little postcard to Joe and it said something like this...

Dear Joe, we could sure use some of your physics handiwork here in Morocco. its just chaos here. chaos

if physics doesnt workout, you can alway sell gelatos. it gets pretty hot in the desert...mmm gelatos!

Two or three more postcards to go and he will be thoroughly confused.

Out and About in Morocco

The past few days in Morocco have been an adventure and we have successfully blended in with the local population. We have assimilated with the culture and customs...just like Dr. Marcus Brody did from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. we are enjoying many of the local foods such as McDonald's, Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Dunkin Donuts. Ahhhhh...only in Morocco can you get culture like this.

Actually the past few days have been fun, but we still stick out for a few reasons like: 1. we are tall. 2. we are pale. 3. our clothing is much different. 4. we walk around and look up at all the different buildings. 5. beggars bother us. Oh well, it happens i guess. We have been wandering around the different streets for the past day and have tried some of the local food. The mint tea is excellent and may be our new choice drink for the next few months. The street markets have lots of brightly colored fruits and veggies and you are encouraged to haggle for price. One thing that has made me consider becoming vegetarian is seeing the chickens couped up in tiny cages. Think about five or six chickens penned up in a crate smaller than the size of a apple box. Turns you off to yardbird pretty quickly ya know...

Jamie and I would like to share a fun experience or two with you. The internet cafes here are a bit expensive, so a full story will be provided after the return. The first story is about my first experience with a barber. I'd been growing a beard for the past three weeks before traveling and saw a barber giving a guy a shave with a straight blade while strolling through the streets of the Petite Socco. A straight blade cut has been something I've always wanted to try, so i thought...why not? what's the worst that could happen, right? Pushing those thoughts aside, I get the barber's attention, rub my hairy chin, and raise my eyebrows. He understood and was like, "you bet, take a seat." I spent a few minutes waiting until Mohammad finished with his existing customer. After that guy left, I was leaned back in the barber's chair in a position where I could see all of the diplomas Mr. Mohammad Chomrikh had earned. I felt a bit safer knowing he had some training. He readied his chair and began prepping my beard. The warm later relaxed my face and soon after Mohammad was cutting away. I gotta hand it to him. This guy knew his trade and I have never had a shave so close. After getting all the hair and stubble off, he would run his fingers across my upper lip and face to feel for any rough spots, then he touch them up with his blade. This guy was a pro and my face was incredibly smooth. I paid the 30 Durhams (~ 4 bucks) and thanked him for a great shave. If you ever get a chance for a shave with a straight blade, do it...it's well worth the feeling.

the second story has to do with an experience we had with a man named Rahdish. Jamie and I had finished up lunch at the Medina and were making our way up towards the Kasbah when a gentleman told us we were headed in the wrong direction. He graciously offered to take us and give us a small "tour". The nickle and dime tour consisted of a little bit about Moroccan history, the Kasbah, the port, some of the famous figures who had visited cafes around the museum. We were kinda skeptical of the guy when he talked about Mick Jagger dined at this one restaurant, but the foto we saw at the place was of Kieth Richards. Close...sort of. Rahdish was a friendly guy and Jamie and I were about to pay him for his time, when he was like, "come mai friend, I show you great view of Tangier."

We felt obligated to the guy, so we followed him into this rug store and went up five floors of decorative rugs and swag to the top of the building. Yea, the views of Tangier were great, but this is where he hit us with the guilt trip. We took our fotos, said thanks, and handed him the 20 or so Durhams that we had. For 15 minutes of his time, we thought it was a pretty good deal. Right? Well, he says, "for me to bring you up here, my friend charges me 50 Durhams." Jamie and I look at each other and were like, "we knew this was too good to be true." I did have an additional 50 Durhams in my pocket, so the guy started to shake his head and say things like, "i do this for you, mai friend, and this is all you give?" We told him we were sorry and that is all that we had. He leads us down the stairs to a room that now had three guys in it. "Oh, boy, we thought..this is where we get robbed" The shop keeper wanted us to stay around and hear his sales pitch about all the things we could buy. "No pressure" was repeated a few times. Jamie and I looked at each other and were like, "get me the heck outta here." We left the building in haste and Rahdish was still pressuring us for payment. Any gift will do is what he said. I opened my bag and pulled out some wetnips, a straw, and a my camera bag. We really had nothing else. He suggested a pen as a gift, but we didnt have one of those. We felt guilty, departed ways, and then walked double time back to the Medina where there were plenty of people.

The experience was a bit scary for what could have happened. Looking back on the incident, it could have been a lot worse and we quickly learned that nothing is for free. Turns out, the nickle and dime tour ended up costing us about 10 bucks and a bit of stress.

Hope all is well!

jp and jw

Greetings from Abroad

Spain and Morocco are here! Wish you were beautiful

...wait..i always get those mixed up.

anyways. We have recovered from the long flights and are expecting lots of fun from these two countries. Today we are in Morocco and the sweet smell of diesel fuel exhaust smacks you in the face when you step on the streets.

Tangier is a departure from life in the US. Definitely different.

More to come a bit later.

And We're Off!

After a two-year one-month and nine-day wait, things are packed up and ready to go.

It's time to travel again!

The Big Day is Here!

 

I've been running around the last few days tying up loose ends, working, seeing some friends, putting in the garden, hitting the taco ride, and finishing up the last bit of schoolwork. Finally it's time to enjoy this trip. Jamie and I are excited to travel together and see a new part of the world. Hopefully the airlines will have their act together and we won't be seeing the insides of the airport too much. Not sure if the whole rewiring thing effects our planes or our schedule much. Sitting in an airport during your PTO is never fun, we purchased travel insurance for a few dollars to at least assuage the pain of sitting in an airport or having something stolen.

 

We leave for Chicago late this morning and will arrive in Spain early tomorrow morning. Because Sunday is a day of rest in most parts of the world, things in Madrid will be shut down and not nearly as hellish to navigate through. This should give us time to recuperate and plan our week a little better. I emailed the hostel to double check the reservation and inquired about the possibility of a futbol game. They responded and said there is a game Sunday night at 9 bells. Perfect! Jamie has never been and she will definitely enjoy it. I gotta say that soccer is the world's game. The sport carries more weight than the Olympics for the fact that a country will shut down while their team plays. Friends I met in Argentina say that the city becomes a ghost town and the 9 de Julio will empty, kids stay home from school, and parents head to friends homes during World Cup to observe the match. The passion for soccer puts any college or pro football fan base to shame. Hopefully Jamie and I will catch a good match. 

 

We will be gone for ~two weeks and will be backpacking. The whole backpacking thing reminds me of a person I knew who was going to Europe and preferred a suitcase to carry their belongings. They insisted they didn't need a backpack. But my question was, have you ever heard of someone suitcasing through Europe? Never! It's always backpacking somewhere, never suitcasing. Do you hear stories that start out like, "Yea, remember the summer time after college I spent suitcasing through Europe...best time of my life, man." Suitcasing sounds so inflexible and informal that I bet Bill Bryson would make fun of you in his next book if he saw you traveling with this huge box on wheels. Anyways, take it for what it's worth. I like backpacks because they are easier to handle, your hands are freed up and you can easily move through a crowd without taking out too many people.

Here's a little description of what we've packed inside of our two packs. 

I learned a great trick from my friend Dean Jacobs who recommended to group related items into sweaterbags. I tried this on my last trip and it makes packing/unpacking simple. Instead of unpacking five pairs of socks, you unpack the sweaterbag of socks. I have about five things to unpack now. Here's a quick break down of what im bringing and fitting into my Arcteryx Bora 80

• Five shirts: two long sleeve, short sleeve, formal (sort of) and a sweater.
• Two pairs of pants: one pair jeans the other are my North Face convertible pants/shorts
• Belt
• One pair of Chacos
  
• One pair of nicer shoes
• Two pair of socks
• Four pairs undies
• Two jackets: one rainjacket, one fleece
• Shaving kit with various toiletries
• Journal
• Something to read
• headlamp
  
• Nikon D40x pretty excited to take some cool shots with my new D-SLR.
  

Jamie packed along the same lines, but maybe a little more stuff. Here's the thing though...She's lucky because she's much smaller than I am and can fit more into her bag than I can. She's a packing machine.

Anyways...I'm off to run some more errands before Ma and Pa drives us to the airport. We asked them to pick us up a little earlier for the simple fact that my dad drives ~10-15 mph under the speed limit. Seriously, he will get stopped for slowing before he gets stopped for speeding. We appreciate them taking the time to drop us off.

Drop me an email if you want a postcard!

Cheers!

James

annoy your friends with anonymous postcards from abroad

After a two year break, it's time to break out and travel again. This trip will be Spain and Morocco!

The trip will be a blast and I'm looking forward to marking two more continents off my list. There is a ton to do over in Madrid and I'm looking forward to eating some tapas and seeing some bullfighting.

I'm also looking forward to writing a few postcards. Here's a little background information about me and my postcards. During the last trip, I sent 170-some postcards to friends and family describing various sights and experiences. It's fun to send a postcard and it's exciting to receive mail that's not a bill, right? You bet!

Well, how about this...have you every wanted to antagonize your friend from afar? Well then, listen up. I have established an eBay auction that will allow you the opportunity to anonymously bid on me sending your friend postcards from the middle of Spain and Morocco. You provide me intimate details about your friend and I will write them asking them about information only their close friends would know.

hope all is well and your friend wonders why someone is sending them postcards from abroad.

Cheers!

James



Here's the link if the embedded link doesnt work.
http://cgi.ebay.com/annoy-your-friends-with-anonymous-postcards-from-abroad_W0QQitemZ200221954665QQihZ010QQcategoryZ919QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Spain/Africa Update

curse you, weak dollar. you make this trip a 1.5820 times more expensive.

anyways, the hostels are booked. the tickets are booked. and the travel plans are shaping up. stopped by the library and picked up a few travel guides to get an idea of what to do and where to go. because jamie has already been to madrid and barcelona, traveling there should be a bit easier. being able to speak spanish also helps out. traveling to morocco should be fun, since neither of us speak the language...oh boy!

spain and africa this summer!

friday - received vacation approval from management.

saturday - purchased the tickets to spain and started planning trip details

sunday - gonna search for some easter eggs and figure out where we are gonna stay.

pretty exciting!!!

Seven Continents

Here's the plan...

Seven Continents before turning the big three-oh!

North America --- done
South America --- done - 2005-6
Antarctica --- done - 2005-6
Europe --- this summer
Africa --- this summer
Asia --- ~2009
Australia --- ~2009

These are gonna be some great trips and I am thrilled to do this!

drop me an email if you would like a postcard!

cheers!

jp

A trip in the works?

breaking news...

there may be a trip in the works in things at work work out. 

who knows where in the world i may go.

i hear some mountains calling my name.

oh boy

jp

Defeating the Sploggers!!!!

This blog has been returned to its rightful author!

About a month ago I noticed spam was somehow someway making its way onto my blog. So I changed the email address I use to post my entries...but i haven't used that feature in a while and i accidentally change the address of my blog. drats! spammers took control of it about a day after it happened. it's pretty upsetting to see my blog address that i owned for two years change to an ad for german airlines.

The folks at Blogger really helped out. It was surprising to see something really done when you contact tech support! There really is someone who reads those emails you send to tech support.

Thank you Blogger for your help!

It took a little time but they returned the hijacked blog back to its rightful owner. Now all the folks who check the blog for travel updates will not need to fret because jp's address changed.

So I guess i should make a travel announcement. Well, the next trip may be a brief one. South Africa hosts the World Cup in 2010 and that would be a great trip! The World Cup would be premium! After experiencing games at River Plate and Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, and then visiting the largest soccer stadium in the world, Maracana in Rio, I am in love with futbol. This is the only sport where they search you before you come in...but allow smoke bombs, flares, fireworks and anything that makes loud noise. World Cup fever!

After the soccer, Rafal and I have been tossing around the idea of putting together a little trek up north to Tanzania to hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro...or maybe go gorilla trekking in Bwindi, Uganda in the Impenetrable Forest. These are just ideas...we will see what happens

hope all is well and check back for more updates and design changes to the site.

jp

Birthday Week - - - Pretty Much the Best Birthday this Year!

Back in the States now means that I can celebrate my bday with friends and family instead of backpackers from a hostel in Argentina.

Birthday Week began on Monday with the new job at Offutt. Pretty excited to put all that education to use and get back to work! That month long gap between jobs was ok, but it was making me go bonkers. This job should be a great challenge and a great opportunity to learn lots from a group of talented and motivated IT professionals. This will be a great chance to excel!

Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty quiet. Kinda laid low and read a little bit.

Thursday night was great! A top Thursday if you ask me. Jamie, Rafal, and I drove out to East Lincoln aka Village Pointe for the Rocky Balboa sneak preview. Security was pretty intense: metal detectors, night vision monoculars and Confidential Security waiting to examine people as they came through the queue. Oh boy, the badge they had looked pretty official...it had an eagle on it and a logo in a bold font. The movie was great and I feel satisfied that the Rocky story has come to an end. Especially since Rocky dies at the end of the movie. I hope they do not use the scene at the end where his son puts Rocky's gloves on his grave but then picks them up as a symbol that he is going to pick up boxing and step into the ring. Oh, Kevin Cougler from the local sports radio station here in Omaha gave us the tickets after I showed him the foto of Linus with a Rocky tattoo. We called the kid Linus because he was walkin the 26mile Inca Trail with his sleeping bad untied, he was carrying it like the Peanuts character. Im sure this dude is pretty excited about Rocky Balboa...you gotta be if you ink the protagonist onto your shoulder!

Thursday finished with some Couchsurfers from Portland. Jenn and Robert were two cool hipsters who had a knack for thrift store shopping, tattoos, saying the word, "man", going to village inn, and smoking cigarettes. They were ok...just a little strange.

Friday was the big day...Bday! Number 21, the seventh time around. Jamie was the first to call me. Man, she beat out the entire family! This girl's a keeper! My parents and my sisters were all like, "I can remember when you were this big, Jimmy." I had dinner with Ma and will have cake and ice cream with both Ma and Pa when he gets back from the farm. Friday evening we all went to Bright Eyes and listened to some great music by Conner Oberst. This concert was great, much better than the cold and rainy concert last May.

Saturday was another stellar night. Two words are all I hafta say. Turtleneck Party. My friend Ian suggested a Turtleneck and Mustache party, but I sent out the invitations too late for anyone to grow a decent stache. Lots of great stories and good times to go with all the ridiculous turtlenecks and whatnot. Jamie and I got some pretty weird stares when we entered the Underwood Bar with matching sweaters. People thought we must have robbed a 4th grade teacher to get these premium sweaters.

Birthday Week 2006 was a success. Much better than BW 2005 where I shared it with two Dutch girls, an Aussie, and a Brit at a crowded hostel with no fans to circulate the hot Argentine summer air. Fotos to come soon.

Cheers!

What a Travel Website Should Be

Quick entry about what a website dedicated to traveling should be.

My buddy Rafal and I have been throwing around the idea of hiking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. This is a 22 day, 180 mile trek that leads to Mt. Everest base camp through some of the most beautiful and unspoiled parts of the world. While researching the idea we ran into some pretty sweet websites, this one stands out as the best that I have ever seen.

This guy is big time. I really enjoyed his entries, how he described his entries, how he made you feel like you were right there.

It makes you want to buy a ticket to Kathmandu and start hiking.

http://www.vagabonding.com

For Rafal, this trip is a priority and he is planning on doing it next September. I however, am on the other side of the coin because I need to establish myself - getting a job, doing well at what I do, and doing it for a coupla years.

life's all about trade offs...traveling gives you lots of freedom and exposes you to things you never imagined. But right now, i am trading travel experience for work experience that will help me reach my future goals.

Vamos a ver, no?

fix my feed!

dear blogger

please fix my feed

james

note...new feed settings out. http://theunicycleguy.blogspot.com/?alt=rss is what you can put into your reader

can't stay out of the paper...

i was readin in the Omaha World-Herald, Omaha's finest news source, about the six-degrees of separation. The six-degrees of separation is the idea that we are all connected in this world through six people or less. It may or may not be true, who knows...but it does seem like a small world when you run into people that know you or knows someone that you know from a past experience. When the OWH ran an article about the Six-Degrees of Kevin Bacon and asked for reader submissions, I jumped at it - I shared some of the stories of the folks I ran into while traveling. In all, I ran into two people that I knew from past experiences and ran into three people who knew people I knew.

This was a pretty good story that ran last week...Sharing it with my massive blog audience is the least I can do, eh? Pretty much the best story ever, if i do say so myself.

Published Sunday
October 29, 2006

Strangers sometimes shockingly familiar

BY CHRISTINE LAUE
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Whether in Omaha, Mexico or Walt Disney World, it's a small world.

Readers shared their small-world tales after our Tuesday story explaining the six degrees of separation theory - that we're all linked by no more than six other people.

Read on to see how things like Disney World name tags and the Homy Inn, an Omaha bar, played a key role in linking people.

***

I thought I would tell you a little story of how I have bumped into people while traveling.

About a year ago I took a seven-month trip to Central America, South America and Antarctica. On each continent, I ran into someone that I knew, or knew someone that I knew.

For example, I was walking on the streets of Cuernavaca, Mexico, when a car passed me, it stopped and backed up. I thought that was pretty strange . . . When the driver said, "Hey, are you from Omaha?" I did a double take and realized it was a friend of a friend of mine who now lives in Cuernavaca. Pretty strange, eh?

A couple months after that, I was in a bar in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, with a group of international travelers when the performer at the bar asked us where we were from.

I mentioned the U.S., and she said she knew one American, from Nebraska. I told her I was from Nebraska. She said she knew someone from Omaha. I said I was from O-town.

She mentioned the guy's name and I was like "Holy Smokers! I know Tim, too!" She happened to be my friend's roommate when they were both living in Spain about five years ago.

A girl I chatted up during a Zodiac (boat) ride began talking about Omaha and how she was dating a guy from there. She mentioned his name was Todd and how he always went to a bar with champagne on tap and went to school in Omaha with the funny district name.

"Oh, District 66," I said.

She was dating a guy that I had been an outdoor education counselor with back at Westside High School.

James Peters, Omaha

Although, they didnt include the story about the ballplayer that I ran into in Panama that I knew from my time at Rosenblatt. I had a special connection with that guy, he bounced a 100 USD check.

Now, if the OWH could just have a decent travel section. When I say decent, I mean I would like to see story contributions from local travelers.

The Omaha area is full of travleres and a portion of the travel section could focus on that very large demographic of students and 20 somethings here in Omaha.

But the OWH has the proclivity to focus 100% of the travel coverage at high class hotels and expensive cruises which insulate you from any real cultural experience.

Where is the portion dedicated to the backpacker on a shoestring budget? I would like the OWH to write an article about homestay programs in not just Europe, but all the other opportunities in Asia, Africa, South America etc...Who wouldnt, besides the editors, want to know about experieces Omahans have had living in foreign countires! Write about returning Peace Corps volunteers or the experiences they have had returning from one culture to another. Omaha is bursting with travelers!!! So c'mon, OWH...it's time to step up and reexamine your audience. There IS an interest in traveling in Omaha and there is a very wide audience that wants to read more.

im gonna write my letter to the editor. it's time for a change!

a taste of Bolivia in Omaha...

this story is about the little mishap that happened to me and my friends the other day. What happened reminded me of this time in Bolivia where you think things are going great until the wheels fall off...It goes a little something like this .

My friend Ian is on a road trip for a couple of months in the US before he settles down and gets a "real" job. Ian is a cool guy that had a delicious mullet. The mullet may be gone but the attitude is still there. Ian was a mountain biking guide for Gravity Bolivia in La Paz where we met and got to talkin while riding the World's Most Dangerous Road. Now the WMDR is freakin sweet! It is a one-lane road with two-way traffic, no guard rails, hairpin turns, blind hairpin turns, human stop lights, waterfalls on the road, very uneven terrain and just about every climate. You gotta be a little wacky to ride this 40mile road that's 98% downhill and a little more crazy to actually guide people down it a 100 plus times a year. The ride was a blast and we got to have a pretty good conversation on the way up. I invited him to Omaha to partake in madness of the Thursday Night Ride and he actually came and crashed a few nights in Rafal's and my house. Ian is also the guy that introduced me to Douglas Copeland's Microsurfs, a book that is very similar to Office Space and really helps you keep what is important in focus.


Before this story gets any longer I think I need to point out the coincidental portion of the story, and that is all that the story really is. To get to the WMDR you need to get out of La Paz. La Paz is a bowl shaped city that rests on the Bolivian altiplano at just around 12,500ft. It's so high that you lose your breath walking up the stairs. Well, as our tour group was driving up the steep mountain roads out of La Paz when we had a little bit of a breakdown. No, it really wasn't a little breakdown...but more of a major breakdown where the ride was not gonna continue unless another van came and picked us up. And it did. "Welcome to Bolivia," said Ian. He advised us that vans breaking down in Bolivia is pretty standard procedure and that we would only be delayed by an hour or so. And yea, we waited for an hour while another jeep picked us up and took us to the start of the WMDR.
So Ian gets into Omaha on Wednesday night and Rafal and I are going to introduce him to the Homy Inn. The Homy Inn is the only place in Nebraska where you can get champagne on tap. The true dive bar that. Sad to say it, is sometimes overrun by too many trendy west-O foolios that have popped collars and too much gel in their hair. But most of the time the people in there are pretty relaxed and cool to talk to.
Back to the story. Since my car was makin a little bit of a sound that night I decided to have Rafal and Ian follow me to Exclusive Acura to fix my little Integra. I am traveling on Grover and turning north on 42nd when I hear a deep thud and then there is no power to the wheels. No amount of shifting or on the spot handy work was gonna smooth this one over. There I am on 42nd and Grover at around 10pm with Rafal and Ian pushing me up the street. "Welcome to Omaha, Ian." I said after they pushed me into the Bucky's Express parking lot and I advised them that this is normal. "Wow...it's like we are back in Boliva" we both said. I thought it was a pretty funny coincidence that each time Ian and I have been in a car that we have had pretty major car problems. As it turns out, I had a broken axel! no wonder things would go snap-crackle-pop every time I turned the wheel.
Not too sure if this story was even that funny, but it sure was funny at the time. It was also really nice of Ian and Rafal to push my car 60 or 70 meters into the gas station parking lot. thanks guys! It was also very nice of my Dad to help me out and pull my car two miles to Exclusive. thanks dad, love ya!
Anyways, I am now a little bit poorer after replacing an axel. laters!

the top bestest blog entries of all time!

so ive been thinkin about my top entries into my travel blog and thought i would share some with you. Just click on the link and read on to the best travel stories known to myself.

• This is a little summary over my experiences with soccer down in South America
• The Patagonia Summary way down in the southern tip of Argentina and Chile
• Buenos Aires Mullet Epidemic
• A side trip to Tepotzotlan
• Peru Adventures
• Lake Titicaca and Around Bolivia
• Subway Pickpockets
• Hangin out with a Homeless Man
• Hangin with J.C. in Rio
• The Buenos Aires Report

There really is no order to them nor is there any rhyme or reason. I just liked these entries. Still debating whether or not to start adding more stories since lots of folks already know im back and have prolly discontinued reading the blog...vamos a ver

outta control...

holy smokes!
never really thought i would get this much pub from a trip. Check it out! The UNOmaha Home Page! Well, it really was on the homepage...now it's tucked somewhere into the UNOmaha domain.
Anywho, my buddy Ryan Shank says that I am the only UNOmaha graduate praised for being a slacker and not getting a real job (whatever a real job actually is).
i gotta go on more of these trips!
Africa, here i come! India, Asia and Australia - you're next!

Trip Fast Facts!

Well, it has been quite some time since my last journal entry. I have been busy with lots of things that have kept me from my little blog. So, I've been going through my travel guide and journals the past few weeks and have decided organize a little list of trip fast facts and superlatives...

Here are some of the trip fast facts:

• # of Days on the Road - 203
• # of Folks from Omaha that Ran Into - 2
• # of Folks I Met That Knew Someone I Knew - 3
• # of Journals I Filled Up - 2.5
• # of Blog Posts - 75
• # of Post Cards Sent - 179
• # of Pictures Taken - 6000
• # of Pictures Ill Print - prolly half of them
• # of Buses Taken – 30-35
• Miles Traveled Via Bus - lots
• Miles Traveled Via Plane – 20,248 Miles
• Miles Traveled Via Boat – 3192 Nautical Miles
• Miles Traveled Via Train – 412 Miles
• Total # of Hours in Transportation – 408.5 hours That's 17 days!!!
• Longest Bus Ride - 58 Hours from Santiago, Chile to Rio de Janiero
• # of Different Hostels I Stayed at - 38
• Best Hostel - America del Sur in El Calafate, Argentina - it was like a ski lodge
• Worst Hostel - Hostel Nunez in Santiago, Chile...It was similar to the St James hotel from the movie Big
• Worst Hostel Experience – Cordoba Backbacker's Hostel. Sharing a 10'x10' hostel room with three others. It was about 90 degrees and there was no ceiling fan in the hostel. You would sweat like Michael Jackson at a playground. And to make things worse, there was a hippie learning to play guitar at 330 am. I now dislike the Beatles even more!
• Cheapest Hostel - 2 bucks at the Templo Del Sol on Lake Titicaca…and then The Raj tried to talk him down to 1.75 per night..c'mon!
• Most Expensive Hostel - Hostel Copa Charlet in Rio - 12 bucks
• Least Helpful Hostel - Hostel Copa Charlet in Rio - 12 bucks a night
• Hostel with Best Kitchen - Freestyle Hostel, Ushuaia, Argentina
• Hostel with Worst Kitchen - Copa Charloet, Rio, Brazil (they had like 50 plates, no silverware and like two cups that they never really ever washed out)
• Hostel with Best Beds - Freestyle Hostel, Ushuaia, Argentina - very long and good for tall people
• Hostel with Worst Beds - Copa Charloet, Rio, Brazil (they were upholstered with a plastic material that should be used to upholster car seats)
• Weirdest Hostel Owner - La Paz, Bolivia - You would hafta pound on the door for 15 or 20 minutes, wake up everybody else in the hostel before he awoke and let you in. Meanwhile, you are looking up and down the empty street at 4am and hoping that you are not the target for a mugging.
• Embarrassing Moment at a Hostel - Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, realizing that it was me that was causing the unpleasant odor. My shoes were a little smelly that week.
• # of dance clubs visited - like 8.
• # of soccer games attended - 5
• # of Peace Corps Volunteers met - 8
• # of Jugglers met - 20
• # of Unicycles rode - 3
• A Very Frustrating Moment - Hearing my buddy Dan from Seattle call home for Thanksgiving when we were in La Paz, Bolivia. Hearing the joy and excitement in his voice really got me excited to call home. After he was done, I used his phone booth to call home and reached everyones voice mail! Nobody was picking up the phone. Drats! Away for Thanksgiving and the six numbers of people I want to talk with are not there. Man, that was a bummer.
• Funny Moment - Meeting a kid on the Inca Trail who we nicknamed Linus because he carried his sleeping bag just like the Peanuts character. This guy was in love with Rocky Balboa and let everybody know about it. His Rocky Balboa tattoo looked more like Johnny Depp than Sly Stallone. Allison from California put it best when she described the tattoo as a process of "wad up a picture of Rocky and put it in your pocket for a coupla days, then goto the tattoo shop with that image" That is how bad the tat was.
• Most Comfortable Time - Having my own room for two weeks on the way to Antarctica. You didnt hafta worry about a thing.
• Luckiest Moment – Scoring a plane ticket at the last moment in Chile when all the buses were sold out for almost a week. A little kid noticed our dilemma and hooked us up with a pass that moved us to the front of the queue.
• Strangest Moment – Sitting at a bar in Rio and noticing that the guys I'm with and I are the youngest guys in the bar by 15 years…but not the youngest people in the bar. Then it clicks that all these beautiful girls are hanging onto these ugly anglo bar. I got out of there.
• THAT GUY! The Raj from England and Lee from England are tied, both on the Antarctica Cruise. But I would hafta say Lee's attempt to dance drunk with every girl, drink everybody's drink, and then end up with his underwear pulled down walkin around really earned him the rite to be THAT GUY!
• Best Food Ate
• Argentina's Bife de Lomo or Bife de Chorizo
• My host mother's Mexican cooking.
• Worst Food Ate - Cow Stomach & My host mother's liver she prepared
• # of Times Sick - 4
• # of Times Drunk - 0
• # of Times Buzzed - Plenty..
• # of Magnets Purchased - 35 or 40
• # of Books Read – 8
• # of Times Solicited for something – lots
• Cheapest Beer – Argentina – 66 cents for a liter of Heineken
• Nicest Stranger I met - Meeting an 80 year old great-grandmother named Olympia in Cusco, Peru who gave me a great Peruvian history lesson about the former Peruvian President Fujimore
• Nicest Hosts – My host family in Mexico was so nice. Their family unity was very strong and reminded me of mine. Eating dinner with all of them the last night I was there made me miss my family.
• Funniest Two Ladies I met – Jackie from Florida and Janice from Boston
• Nicest Group of Folks I met – Gotta be the locals that I met…then the Aussies I met.
• Annoying Person – That's Nothing Sid from Chicago
  Biggest Jerk – Freestyle Hostel owner's son who was all about being a one up.
• Strangest Person I met – A sailboat captain with a scary 'stache who really wanted to tell me all the fun times you could have swinging in Buenos Aires. Yikes…
• Group I Always Wondered About but Could Never Have a Real Conversation – The Israelis
• Items Taken on the Trip
• Pairs of Pants - 2
• Shirts - 3
• Pairs of Socks - 5
• Pairs of Undies - 5
• Rain Jacket -1
• Fleece Jacket - 1
• Big Backpack - 1
• Day Pack - 1
• Most Useful Items
• Pocket Knife
• Battery Charger for Digital Camera
• Ear Plugs
• Eye Cover
• Alcohol Gel
• Least Useful Items
• Large Sleeping Bag
• Super Bubble Bubble Gum
• Emergn-C fluid replenishing stuff
• Things Stolen or Lost
• Ipod Shuffle

Here is a list of a few superlatives that I gleaned out of my guidebook and visited .

Superlatives like,

Highest Mountain in the Americas - Mount Aconcaugua, Mendoza, Argentina
World's Southernmost City - Ushuaia, Argentina
World's Highest Navigable Lake - Lake Titicaca, Bolivia
World's Most Dangerous Road - La Paz to Coroico, Bolivia
World's Richest Silver Mine - Mount Cerro Rico, Potosi, Bolivia
World's Largest Salt Flat - Salar de Uyuni, Uyuni, Bolivia
World's Highest Capital City - La Paz, Bolivia
World's Deepest Canyon - Colca Canyon - Arequipa, Peru
World's Longest Country - Chile
World's Largest Capital City, Mexico City, Mexico
World's Coldest Continent – Antarctica

A Little Bit of Pub!

Alrighty! - - Back for another blog entry and this one is one that I didn't even write!
A few weeks ago I sat down with a writer for the UNOmaha Alumni Magazine and chatted about my South American experience. I think the article turned out pretty well. You can check it out at the UNO Alumni Website

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Finding his way By Sonja Carberry

Back in Omaha after a seven-month trek through South America, UNO grad James Peters has cut the hair he let grow into an unruly mop and trimmed his bushy beard to a midnight shadow. In a yellow button-down shirt and crisp jeans, he looks very 20-something Omaha.

But part of Peters is still south of the border.

Though three weeks back in the states, for example, Peters still has to stop himself from putting extra restaurant napkins in his back pocket.

"Toilet paper is hard to come by there," he explains.

Experience and perspective, however, are not. Peters backpacked through a handful of countries on around $8,000, staying in hostels and riding cramped "steel box" buses. He sums up his travel style as "part planning, part improvisation," and "what you do when you have more time than money."

Along the way he filled two journals and a blog with his experiences at soccer games, historical sites, festivals and much more.

High points included mountain biking from La Paz to Corico, Bolivia, on the "world's most dangerous road," spending some surreal days in the desert-like salt flats of Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, and watching the Perito Moreno Glacier calve near Patagonia, Argentina.

In an unexpected side trip, Peters joined an expedition to Antarctica, where penguins waddled by as he shivered in "every layer of clothing I had."

Some experiences weren't exactly guidebook material. Sitting on a park bench with a homeless man in Santiago, Chile, Peters gave up a page of his journal so the man could write a somewhat confused thanks for what was left of Peters' dinner. And on his last day abroad, on the subway in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Peters found out what he'd do if someone tried to pickpocket him.

"I shoved him against a wall, hard," the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Peters says. "I was yelling at him in Spanish, 'What is your hand doing in my bag?'"

Peters' goal, by all accounts realized, was to get outside his comfort zone. "I didn't go to a lot of clubs. I tried to do the things you can't do at home," he says.

Leaving Omaha
Peters, 26, had been living reasonably comfortably, putting himself through college by driving rusty cars and living with "Ma and Pa."

He played baseball for the Mavs as a pitcher, walking on and eventually earning the No. 2 starting post. "The coaches were great," he says. "They challenge you and will not settle for mediocrity, and every year they have improved. UNO is very lucky to have the coaches they have."

After graduating in May 2005 with a bachelor's degree in management information systems, he found himself dodging the inevitable question: "So what's next?"

Peters didn't have a ready answer.

After church one Sunday, a friend of his mother's gave Peters an Omaha World-Herald article about Dean Jacobs, a Fremont, Neb., resident who spent two years backpacking the world. Jacobs had lowered his expenses by staying with host families through an organization called Servas International.

Peters was inspired and called Jacobs to find out more.

"I realized this is something I could do now or when I'm 75," Peters says.

His parents were less than enthusiastic, primarily for safety reasons. "We tried talking him out of it," says Daniel Peters, a 1979 UNO grad (BS, real estate). "But that was almost futile. It was his life and his money."

Peters had saved money through various odd jobs. "All of my friends saved for cars, I saved for a trip," Peters says. He worked as an intern at Union Pacific and did some video editing for a project collaboration between UNO's Peter Kiewit Institute and the National Park Service's Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail. He mowed yards in the summer and shoveled driveways in the winter. And he worked in the clubhouse for the Omaha Royals baseball team. "Being a clubbie is like being the minion or babysitter for 30 pro ballplayers," he says. "It's a great job, if you like baseball."

By August last year he was on his way, attending a language school in Cuernavaca, Mexico, to bolster his college Spanish. On Sept. 10, 2005, he took a one-way flight from Mexico City to Lima, Peru, and officially began his winding journey through Peru, Panama, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay and Antarctica.

It was in Mendoza, Argentina, that Peters used his new membership with Servas, which encourages cultural exchange by connecting travelers with host families. Peters was the 401st guest of Francisco Morón, a well-traveled chain smoker with a guest house and a scratch-happy kitten named Chopin. Morón regaled Peters with stories of his own travels over steak and pasta. They also talked about their families and their countries.

"It really gave me a chance to work on my Spanish," Peters says. "And it just shows you that people are people, no matter where you are. Everyone has at least one good joke."

In Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, Peters stumbled onto an opportunity to join an expedition to Antarctica. "I thought, 'I'm not going to be any closer to Antarctica than I am right now,'" he says.

Peters boarded the Marco Polo with 500 other passengers, some backpackers, but most retirees. After riding a zodiac boat from ship to shore, Peters stood on Half Moon Island to observe chinstrap penguins, seals and albatrosses in what amounted to a real-life zoo.

"You can feel like Ernest Shackelton until you realize you've got three bars on the ship," he says.

Back Home
Today in Omaha, Peters recently mulled over a job offer, trying to reconcile a full-time position and its two weeks' vacation time with his desire to continue traveling. He turned down the offer. "I'd like to see Asia, India, Africa. I'll hit Europe last," he says.

His parents notified him that he has two weeks to move out, and Peters jokes that they'll donate his belongings to Goodwill to give him a push. But he's not too concerned. In fact, he's pretty relaxed.

"I think a lot of people in the states don't realize how good they have it. They're so caught up in materialism and ostentation," Peters says. "In Argentina, they have no money, but they go out with friends two to three times a week."

Peters is still organizing his impressions of South America and the people he met in his third journal and on his blog. It's something he doesn't want to slip away. To anyone considering extended travel, Peters says it's worth every penny.

"You can get more out of that $8,000 traveling than you would out of, say, a car."
Bikes and Blogs
James Peters, who also rides a unicycle for fun, kept a blog of his travels at

theunicycleguy.blogspot.com. A few observations:

• "Bolivian Time can mean anything. Ten minutes in Bolivian Time can mean two hours in American Time."

• "South American cabbies must think that gringos are thee laziest people in the world and honk at us all the time. They honk at you when you least need them and are never around when you do."
• "Women spectators at soccer games have some of the most vulgar mouths . . . You cannot believe what comes out of their mouths."

• "Are South American carnival workers looked at as differently as they are in the USA[?]"
• "Be nice to people you meet along the way because I guarantee that you will see them again."

Email author Sonja Carberry at sonjacar@aol.com

Joining the real world...

well, we all knew this day was coming

On Monday, June 12, 2006, I will officially begin my working career...

I'm a little excited and a little nervous about this job.

i will be selling doors, door-to-door.

nah, actually ill be a IT contractor for an election software firm in Otown. I'm pretty sure I will be working with a guy named Michael Bolton and Samir naga-naga-notgonnaworkhereanymore

now it's time to get some rest.