Preparations: August

"I'm traveling from coast to coast

My theory isn't perfect but it's close."

~Red Hot Chili Peppers

Actually my theory is not all that close, and I am coming to realize that every day as 1/1/2020 approaches. As you all may know, this endeavor is pretty wild, and the planning process ain't straightforward. Needless to say I have never had to promote myself to any significant extent. Applying for college and jobs has pretty much been telling it like it is. But in order to get some support for this project, I kind of have to push it to the next level.

Just hopping on my uni and traversing states sounds way too easy when put in that manner. Although I want to be as self-reliant as possible, the reality of the situation is that I need some real support, and people are supportive! So aside from snowballing ideas in my head and casually mentioning the idea to people here and there, I have taken some concrete steps in the months of July and August.

In late July, I had the pleasure of talking with the famed Dorian Anderson on the phone for a bit. I emailed him, and he reached out to me very quickly. I guess he took an interest to the idea and was happy to share some thoughts. I don't think that it's a stretch to say that it was the most influential call of my life. In addition to offering encouragement and personal perspectives, Dorian suggested that I look into some of the biggest challenges of the project, like incline and gradation, lodging, surface roads vs. interstates, and the timing of my planned birding stops. I was comforted to know that my designed route will take advantage of northern and western tradewinds but harrowed by his emphasis on gears as a key to his success in 2014. Recall that the unicycle has no gears but instead has a fixed hub.

More recently, I was interviewed by Ed Pullen on The Bird Banter Podcast. Ed was one of the first people to reach out to me following my post to Washington's ABA page, Washington Tweeters. He advised me on some Washington-specific questions, and extended the invitation to be featured on his podcast. What an honor and an experience! Thanks for believing in me, Ed! Check out the podcast below.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-6d7rs-be1033?utm_campaign=w_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=w_share

Also note that Ed has posted a link to his and Dorian's podcast earlier this year. It is 100% worth a listen.

Mental Prep (Photo courtesy Traci Moss)

As mentioned in my first post, I am trying hard to reinforce Dorian's open-minded mentality. Although I have this framework and some concrete goals over the course of the year, I need to be open to possibility. So if my year does not go as planned, it will not be a complete failure!!!

One silver lining to living in this digital age is the power of the electronic record. If you're inclined to getting tweaked up on blow in front of camera-wielding partygoers, this may not bode well for you. But if you publicize your intents and plans online, it creates a sort of track-record and holds you accountable for your statements. A big component of this blog is anchoring me to the idea. I have made a point of spreading the word, slowly but surely. The process has advanced from casual mentions to listserv posts, phone calls, and RFI's. Little by little, I'm locking this plan down so that it actually comes to fruition.

P.S. Here's an old promo video from college:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSeRiNwESKk&t=7s

We'll see what action September brings...

Taking a Deeper Dive

In the words of my logistical star of a sister, "Let's take a deeper dive."

Why on Earth am I doing this trip?

Because I don't have the means to do it on another planet.

Without a doubt this trip is motivated by some selfish pursuits. Among them are the following:

1. I need a chance to process, reflect, reckon, and come to terms with things. 
2. I want my decisions (at least for the course of a year) to be meditated. College has converted my certainties to conundrums. But not in a bad way.
3. I want to slow down to a pace that actually involves thought. That's the only way to be. 
4. I am growing tired of my hand on that synthetic syphon and obsessed about the wonder of birds.
5. I want those things that I take for granted: a cold drink, a good meal, shade, to feel like the luxuries that they really are. 

Besides, I never make good New Year's Resolutions.

So yeah, there are many I's involved in my thinking. But I do hope that some lessons can be shared from my adventures. Among these projected ideas are:

• The potential of the human body
• The beauty of birds
• A decently paced life

To expound upon these points: Is it not amazing how changeable and capable our bodies are? I want to accomplish something amazing by simply relying upon the work of art that is the human body. I'm not saying that we shouldn't indulge in the creations of our race (like our transportation innovations), I'm just saying that relying on those mechanisms blinds us to our potential and imparts a false sense of need. 

Birds. Birds are freaking amazing. We've been obsessed with them forever because there's so much to learn from them. Our winged friends offer lessons in love, struggle, strength, humility, and pride. They also please visually and auditorily. And the best part about it? Appreciating them is free and accessible to all. I mean, birds are freaking everywhere! You can't say that about a lot of things that occupy the time of the human race, like WiFi, electricity, and Starbucks. But birds always have your back. When you're not gelling with people, birds don't care. While they won't listen to your troubles and look for solutions with you, their bliss and their detached behavior may remind you to reflect on the importance of your concerns. 

Why rush, humanity? What's the big rush for progress? What clock is humanity racing against? In our frenzy to live a fulfilled life with no wasted time, we are speeding up and degrading our decision-making. As our decision-making degrades, the place that we call home degrades. All in the name of progress. But a more thoughtful examination of these so-called achievements reveals that we are compromising the existence of our fellow inhabitants of the Earth and our collective future generations in an effort to quickly check all of our boxes.

In this year I will be checking many boxes. Hopefully they are the ones that are next to names like Hook-billed Kite, Emperor Goose, and Sprague's Pipit. But these aren't the kind of boxes that have the tip-of-the-iceberg effect that I was describing above. They're not boxes that promise success and contentment at the surface and impart destruction and negative side effects outside of the practitioner's view. The boxes that I will be checking are ones that offer a lifelong sense of love and satisfaction and offer absolutely no harm to third parties.

Is this reading as vague as I pictured that it would? Good deal.

Now onto my reading list...

The Titles

A big part of the preparation for the year is cashing in on my cultural education. I have to stay in the zone and stay focused in the face of doubts and concerns. What follow are some titles that are keeping me on heels in chasing this dream.

Desert Solitaire. This is a good one because there is a bird name in the title.

To Shake the Sleeping Self. A chronicle of independence and adventure that is a must for those undertaking self-propelled long-distance pilgrimages. 

Diarios de Motocicleta. Okay, I didn't actually read this one. But I watched the movie! It was one of those reassuring moments leading up to this undertaking, like a blessing from the enigmatic Ché. I watched during my semester in Perú. Speaking of, I blogged about that to get in a little practice in writing and to muster up an even littler following. But hey, it's quality, not quantity that counts.

Kingbird Highway. I mean reading this book is inspiration to shoot for the stars. I am no Kenn Kaufman, but you've got to have role models.

A Season on the Wind. I have yet to dig into this one, but the idea is to unlock the qualities of great birders.

The Big Year. A killer movie that could easily serve as the best introduction of birding to a layperson ever. I also gotta read this.

There are and will be others, but this represents a great motivational starter-pack for me.

The Charities

I've gotta get this in place. That's kind of the idea with this blog anyway. I must have something to point at when I ask the American Birding Association and the Nature Conservancy if I can have donation links to their organizations on my site.

The next few posts leading up to the big year will follow the planning process. It may be dry reading, but it will help me think out loud and may be valuable to another fanatical person like me that feels very strongly about doing something like this.