Know what I like to do?  I like to walk.  I’ve known this ever since I was a young kid growing up in the hills of Fairfield, Oklahoma (Google it).  At the time, living in a small community 6 miles outside of the nearest town was just life.  If you wanted to go grocery shopping, you hopped in the car while Mom drove you in.  If you wanted to go see a friend, you either waited until someone had a birthday party, waited until the school year started, or waited until you were able to semi-legally drive.  Because of this, the best way to keep yourself busy was to go outside and play.  

At this point, I had a really long ass story planned out including how that love of going for walks in the woods turned to bike rides to town (6 miles to the edge of town, before shoe clips and helmets were common), which turned to a desire to explore outside of my comfort zone, which led to moving to Florida for a little while, which eventually led to moving to Colorado, which led to meeting friends of friends, which led to meeting more friends, which led to a bit of travel, which led me right here to my ridiculously huge leather desk chair writing about how every morning I wake up happy and excited about what the next day will bring, but at this point in the evening, I don’t have the energy to write that, and I’m sure you don’t have the desire to read it.

The main point was that I am so grateful for this amazing life and the friends I have met along the way, and it all started with something incredibly small, such as enjoying going for walks.  If you feel that things aren’t “going to plan” or just aren’t what you expected, look to the little things.  It’s really cliché, but so true.  Those little things lead to bigger things, whether you realize it or not, I promise.

With that, I’m going to bed.  See you tomorrow on the next adventure.

- C

Speed Flying Video

Before I really get into anything about Cairns, I first need to say how awesome Qantas is as an airline.  During the international flight, we of course had a few meals, snacks, and drinks.  This seems to be pretty standard for everything now, but now that I am on a domestic flight (yes, on the plane as I’m writing this section), I realize how incredible Qantas really is.  On a 3 hours flight, which isn’t at all uncommon in the U.S., they have your standard drinks available, plus an in-flight movie.  In addition, we had a full meal, followed by…ice cream.  I was completely floored and wished that they had regular flights in the U.S.  Ok, now that I said that, on to Cairns!

At a glance, Cairns seems to be very similar to any other beach town, only there really isn’t a beach.  You can easily find your way from the marina to the esplanade or from the ocean to the mountains.  If you want, you can go whitewater rafting, kayaking, or even take a dive trip to “find Nemo.”  No matter the case, you barely have to search for adventure, as it seems to find you.

My trip was a bit more planned as I began by booking a liveaboard dive trip.  What this means is that I take a small boat to the outer reef where a larger boat is waiting.  Next, I spend 3 days and two nights on the water, going on a total of 10 different dives.  At first, I was a bit nervous, but after having done it now, I would recommend it to anyone interested (and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again myself).

The dives really were incredible.  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but the reef was just as beautiful and full of life as I had imagined.  On top of that, the crew of the Kangaroo Explorer continued to prove time and again that it is very possible to be professional while still keeping a level of fun.

Last, and most certainly not least, is the rain forest.  Cairns is one of the most Northernmost cities in Australia, making it a sub-tropical climate.  This allows for a very beautiful and lush rain forest to thrive in the area.  I unfortunately was only able to see a very small part of it, but even on my smaller hike (around 7 km), I saw quite a bit of wild life, including a giant lizard, possibly a komodo dragon or gila monster.  The incredibly dense forest made this experience really fun, and a bit scary.  You always hear about how many deadly creatures there are in Australia, and I’m pretty sure most of them lived near Cairns (don’t let that scare you from visiting though!).

As I said, Cairns was easily one of the highlights of the trip.  I only wish I had more time to explore this fascinating and beautiful area.  There is so much adventure, one simply cannot fit it into just a few days.  Hell, I would even go so far as to say that it would be difficult to fit everything into an entire month.  I truly believe that this was an experience of a lifetime, and would like to thank those who made it so.

Sydney Opera House

Well by now, you probably know that I am no longer stateside.  In fact, I am no longer in the U.S.  On top of that, I’m not even in the Northern Hemisphere.  In the effort to keep the adventure going, this year I decided to scratch off one of my bucket list items and head down under for some real adventure.  So far, Australia does not disappoint.

Now, before I get moving on the rest of the post, I need to first clear something up.  Starting this blog has been both a blessing and a curse.  As you may know, I started this blog in an attempt to enable some self-motivation and add some adventure in my life, then write about it.  The adventure began with good intentions, but the more I experienced, the more I wanted to experience.  Eventually, irony caught up with me and I was not allowing myself enough time to post about the adventures.  For that, I am sorry.  That in mind, I will continue to write about these things, but I realize they may be more spaced out than I originally intended.  Anyway…

Where to even start in regards to Sydney?  At this point, I have only been in town for a day and a half, but already feel like I know my way around the downtown area more than some locals.  Those of you who know me know that I love to walk, which gives me a leg up (no pun intended) on everyone who constantly takes public transportation.  All the walking can be a bit exhausting, but being able to know exactly where I’m going every time I take a step is worth it.

Things I’ve noticed about Sydney:

• There are more coffee shops here than in all of Colorado.
• While most coffee shops boast having WiFi, it is more often than not broken.  This has caused some frustration, but has also helped me explore the city a bit more.
• Public transportation is really popular.  I think a good sign for any city is the amount of, and popularity of their public transportation.

Another interesting aspect is that there are quite a few healthy people here.  Yesterday, I went for a jog for about an hour or so around town.  Of course, I went by the Sydney Opera House again (couldn’t resist), along with taking a detour around the Royal Botanic Gardens.  Both spots are pretty incredible, and I ran into several others doing the same thing while out and about.

All in all, I think Sydney is a pretty cool place.  In the end, it is basically just another city with tons of diversity, lots of different types of food, and a few great tourist spots.  I would definitely recommend a visit, and would like to come back some day to learn to surf at Bondai or Manly beach.  Next…the Great Barrier Reef!

- C

You know that edgy, what the fuck am I doing with my life feeling. It’s like you know there are endless possibilities and your current, lacking condition is the only thing holding you back. For some unknown reason you still feel tied to or responsible for some occupation you know will never give you the rush and satisfaction you need but you just keep doing it. “I want to do” is what you hear coming out of your mouth and others, it resonates in the ears and hearts of those around you, “what if…”

This is the state of mind that, for some makes them crawl back into their shell chanting “If I just hold out a little longer then I will attain my dreams”.  For others it is the waking of the beast, the freedom call of the wild, I can!

Over the last few years this has been the common beer soaked thread that has stitched together the conversations of my peers, friends or comrades at arms if you will; those of us that are on the cusp of greatness. The beast was wakened again on another sketchy section of Colfax at the Cheeky Monk, over a fine imported Triple Karmeliet. As the warm aromatics wafted into my nostrils and full bodied texture painted pure happiness on my tongue, visions of grandeur once crept into our conversation.

This time things are different. I have been plotting and dabbling too long. It is time to take the bull by the horns and stand behind these convictions born at high krausen. I have built a brewery, I love brewing and running the business where my success is its success. It has taken blood, sweat, tears, a dash of insanity and my entire wallet. There is no turning back, there is no holding out, beer has got me into this mess and by god beer will get me out!

Whether its brewing, writing, real estate, music or anything else you will never get there sitting on your couch. Get your ass to the bar and get beer inspired.

-Citizen Cismontane

Riding in Colorado

Certain situations in life leave nothing to chance, nothing to the imagination.  These situations are often comfortable, easy, and well, just plain boring.  If you ever find yourself in one of these situations, it is easy to feel that breaking free is really difficult.  The hard truth is that typically, it’s easier than you (or I) think.

Those of you who know me also know that I’ve always had a particular taste for motorcycles.  I grew up dreaming of one day owning my very own fleet of bikes.  Like most boys with similar aspirations, I was simply told “when you’re old enough, you can buy it yourself.”  In other words, if I wanted to live life on the edge, my mother wasn’t going to pay for it.  In a way, this was exactly what I needed to hear (love you Mom).  Growing up in rural Oklahoma left little options in the way of an extravagant lifestyle, and this was just another good example of “if you want it, work for it.”

Anyway, the story jumps to the summer of my 19th birthday.  I was able to snag a job as a pizza delivery driver, and had very few bills to pay.  The extra cash I earned driving pies allowed me to purchase my first two wheeled bolt of lightning, a 1992 Honda CBR F2.  What this bike lacked in youth, it made up for in style.  The paint and plastic was mostly gray, with black tones and red pinstriping.  Even though 8 years old at the time, I still got compliments on a weekly basis.  At first, this was very flattering, but it wasn’t long before I found that what I had been dreaming about all these years was absolutely true, and the compliments were about as important to me as a hole in my head.  Everything else at the time had been pushed aside in favor of going riding.

For me, there are few things that excite me as much as hitting the open road.  Among them are the excitement of traveling to a new place, easily figuring something out that has had others stumped, and of course, a good glass of scotch (there are more, trust me).  Still, each of these things are what I would consider to be little, rather than simple pleasures.  Simple pleasures can now be defined as the hair on your arms reacting to subtle changes in air temperature, experiencing each and every smell (both good and bad), and looking down to see that the speeding highway is no more than a few inches from your boots.  Each of these are pure joy, and are all thanks to that never ending desire to just get out and cruise.

- C

Team Alteryx

This past weekend was something that will forever be one of the best experiences of my life.  Even as a spectator to the Adventure TEAM Challenge, I quickly realized (once again) that teamwork continues to be a critical life skill no matter the setting.  As this was the first time team Alteryx ever participated in an event like this, our goal was simply to finish the race in one piece.  At the end of the two day race, we realized that what we had accomplished was so much more.

Not long ago, my employer Alteryx had their annual conference.  As usual, we had quite a few major speakers from large companies all over the globe.  Like most conferences, we also had a keynote speaker that really helps to tie everything together.  This year, we had Erik Weihenmayer.  Erik is an expert climber, motivational speaker, and one of the few people in the world that has climbed the Seven Summits (oh, and he’s blind).

One of the many things that Erik is involved in is an organization called World Team Sports.  WTS is a “nonprofit organization dedicated to creating soul-stirring opportunities for individuals of all abilities through the power of sports.”  In short, they provide amazing opportunities for amazing people, among the opportunities was the Adventure TEAM Challenge.

The Adventure TEAM Challenge 2010 consisted of several different physical challenges ranging from white water rafting to single-track bike racing through the Rocky Mountains. The days were long, the terrain rugged, but our spirits soared.  With all of the extremely talented athletes surrounding us, we seemed to go the extra mile for each other, motivating ourselves to push onward and upward (and downward in some cases).  As one of the fantastic support crew members, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of major accomplishment each time we cheered our team through another checkpoint.  Tired and somewhat broken, our team pushed on.  Difficult terrain was no match for us as we persevered through land, sea, and air.  In the end, even with all of the amazing and inspirational athletes competing against us, we placed third.

There are few times in my life where I can remember being part of a team that has worked as hard as we did and accomplished so much over the course of this race.  Even our newest member Matt mentioned how it was obvious that we worked well together (Matt is a war veteran, is tough as nails, and just a cool guy to hang out with).  One of our other members, Clarissa, was new to the adventure race scene but was the talk of the town by the end of the weekend thanks to her spirit of competition and killer smile.  She found out that in the end, others were inspired by her just as much as she was inspired by them.  Funny how that works sometimes, isn’t it?

This is mainly just a quick note to let you know that there are several different reasons to take the bus.  I have listed a few of them below:

• Save the planet.
• Check out the freaky deaky.
• Wait in line for the express bus, only to find out that the normal one is only a few minutes slower.
• Catch up on reading.
• You get to deal with traffic (not).

And that’s about it at this point.  I actually do love riding the bus.  It’s always an adventure and is almost always a positive experience.  If you have public transportation where you live, get off your ass and give it a shot.  It’s not as lame or dirty as you think.

- C

As a quick preview, this weekend I will be helping out with the Adventure Team Challenge, started and managed by World Team Sports.  This is an incredible opportunity to not only have our own adventure, but to also help those less fortunate to have what will no doubt be an amazing and life changing experience.  In addition, you can also expect to see posts for camping, fishing, and a national park or two in the next few weeks.

Stay tuned, see you all soon!

- C