Adventure

Growth and renewal through adventure and the call of the wild.

An Urban Oasis: The John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park

April 19, 2021 Adventure

We made a brief visit to the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines, Iowa during our cross-country drive this past week. The impressive collection includes works by Willem de Kooning, Yayoi Kusama, Keith Haring, Mark di Suvero, Richard Serra, Olafur Eliasson, and many more internationally acclaimed artists. The 4.4 acre sculpture park, which is free and accessible to the public, is an extension of the Des Moines Art Center. It opened with an initial donation ofRead More

2020 Virtual Indianapolis Monumental Marathon

November 28, 2020 Adventure

I just completed the 2020 Virtual Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. It was my first self-supported marathon and my sixth overall. I ran a slow and steady pace. Running hard was out of the question (it’s a pandemic!). My only goal was to finish. And, I did. Not bad given I didn’t follow a training plan for this run. I basically relied on a very strong base of miles logged over the summer completing the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee and myRead More

Project “Run Every Street” in Ann Arbor

September 20, 2020 Adventure

This summer, I set out to run every street in Ann Arbor. The idea was inspired by two factors. First, given the travel restrictions due to the pandemic, I’d begun seeking new adventures close to home. And, second, my participation in the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee required changing up my normal running routes to beat the tedium of hours and hours of running. And, with that, an idea was born. Having lived in Ann Arbor for almost twenty years,Read More

Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice

August 31, 2020 Adventure

The COVID-19 pandemic’s disruptions on life have been immeasurable. And, with each new challenge brought on by the coronavirus, we seek to find new adaptions and innovations to carry on with some semblance of normality. This has certainly brought on a range of emotions, from hope to stress. In the past, I sought travel and adventure as a means to find growth and renewal. However, given the current travel restrictions, we’ve had to refocus and look nearby for those similarRead More

Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee 1000K

August 24, 2020 Adventure

This has been a summer like no other. Stay-at-home orders, physical distancing, and social and economic hardships brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic have left an indelible impact. However, despite the disruptions and challenges caused by the coronavirus, there have been some silver-linings to embrace. For me, the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee 1000K was one of them. Similar to many other runners, I had spent the earlier months of the year training for a spring marathon. Those plans wereRead More

This Pandemic Life

April 3, 2020 Adventure

Life has been turned upside down over the last four weeks. Our nation, and the rest of the world, is trying to navigate the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic. So much has changed in such a short amount of time. One month ago I was planning a robust amount of travel during my last few weeks of work as a consultant. Some travel was for business and some for pleasure. This included trips to Boston, St. Louis, and Louisville.Read More

Cycling the Erie Canal Trail

October 20, 2019 Adventure

Several years back, in 2008 to be precise, we traveled to New England for a vacation filled with exploration in the outdoors. Our journey took us to both the Adirondacks in New York and the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We climbed Mount Marcy in the ADK and Mount Washington in the White’s Presidential Range; both the high points in their respective state. However, one of the highlights of this trip was an early stop early in Rochester, NY toRead More

Hiking The Waterloo-Pinckney Trail

July 7, 2019 Adventure

On Thursday, the Fourth of July, Dharma and I set out to hike the 36-mile Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. We’ve been meaning to hike this route for some time and the long weekend finally provided an opportunity to give it a go. On Thursday, we hiked from Portage Lake (starting point in Chelsea) to Horseman’s Camp, which was approximately 14 miles of hiking. It was a tough day. The temperatures were hot and humid. We found ourselves caught in a thunderstorm mid-wayRead More

Sydney, Australia | May 2019

June 30, 2019 Adventure

It was a real treat to visit Sydney, Australia this past May. We had the pleasure of attending multiple programs and events hosted in conjunction with Vivid Sydney. For the uninitiated, Vivid Sydney is an annual festival of light, music, and ideas. In addition to enjoying some amazing light installations and projections along Circular Quay, The Rocks, Royal Botanic Garden, Darling Harbour, there was also an impressive music program. We had the pleasure of catching the Cure’s 30th anniversary performanceRead More

Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon

April 28, 2019 Adventure

Yesterday I completed my second marathon of the year and fifth overall. The Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon here in Louisville was a nice event. The weather was sunny and warm and the course was scenic. I had previously run the miniMarathon (a half marathon) and found the course to be flat, fast, and fun. I was expecting the same for the full marathon. The truth be told, the course was fast and fun. However, it certainly was not flat. TheRead More