The route from the Mexican border to the Pacific Northwest took us straight up I5.  The drive was filled with trucks, diners, orchards and the occasional swarm of bees impaling themselves on our windshield trying to cross the highway.  There was a slight detour through Oakland when left to my own directional choices and I apparently made a wrong choice…  That’s what Brad gets for slacking off on the navigation duties.

We were closing in on the end of our adventure but continued to enjoy every minute as if it was the best part of the adventure, even the ones in Oakland.  We started the adventure searching for solitude, friendship and answers to some of the questions that haunt a man’s soul.

Friends and family ask me why I do these adventures.  Hula Betty would tell you it’s my mid-life crisis.  Some say I’m lucky. Others say I’m just crazy.

I’ve spent a lot of time on this Baja adventure trying to answer that question for myself.  Why do I go out and explore?  Why do I  challenge convention?  Why do I push the limits and chase these adventures.

I’ve stood in the Arctic Ocean, completed Rubicon, explored the corners of Baja, lived in India, worked in Hong Kong and circled the globe three times.  These off-road adventures have filled my life with unbelievable memories. My life has been dragged across blacktop, dirt and boulders.  I’ve seen countless sun rises and loved deeply.  I’ve driven to places I shouldn’t have and met people who surprised me in so many wonderful ways. My life stories are spread across the Internet and tattooed in flesh. So why is it not enough?

Late at night there’s demons in my head, whispering in my ear.  In the light, Hula Betty’s hand is on my shoulder telling me there is nothing to fear.  I feel a darkness deep in my my soul serving some purpose that is still unknown.  The road shines a light on that darkness, illuminating the empty space that can only be filled by moving past the asphalt, past the ordinary, beyond the usual.  God don’t let me lose my nerve to explore.  Don’t let me stop.  Keep me on the road of exploration wrestling with my demons and making new friends.

This off-road adventure brought me closer to a friend, exposed a side of me I’d forgotten and fed my lust for adventure.  Although I’m closer to the answers it seams each adventure brings up new questions.  It is this craving for the questions, more than the answers that will continue to drive my adventures and search out the next last great road trip.