Poke your comfort zone

2014년 봄-여름아들의 고등학교 졸업을 기념해 기획했던  아버지의 “강한아들”프로젝트

-캐나다에서 멕시코까지 미국서부종단 대장정을 무사히 마친뒤 아들이 그 소회를 페북에 올려놨네요. 

지난주 겨울방학을 맞아 우리의 마이애미(에버글레이드) 동계베이스캠프를 찾아온 개똥이-엄마와 새벽 조깅 중. 

 Conclusion

   Traveling is an excellent way of exploring not only places but also exploring yourself. I find that people have a common desire to travel. Of course it is nice to settle down and surround yourself with what is familiar, but I strongly encourage you to do one thing: poke your comfort zone. This phrase was actually a name for a Ted Talk event but I really like it. Poke your comfort zone. This means to go out and try something new. Do something that would surprise others and maybe even surprise yourself a little. The world is full of opportunities and people tend to limit themselves. Of course it is nice to stay in your little comfort zone and being prepared for the next event. But all I am saying is that there are so many things floating around outside that comfort zone waiting to be popped by your untainted finger. And traveling is a great way to reach out your palm in this grand and mystical place called earth. And by doing so, being able to find comfort in an uncomfortable place. 

"Poke your comfort zone."

   My hands got dirty experiencing new things (also since I lost my soap bar somewhere in Oregon). I stood on a pile of oyster shells, biked through meth towns, ate fish burritos, ate expired refried beans, hitch-hiked across town, and met people I'll never forget. Let's get down to the some basic stuff. I slept in a tent for about 35 nights in 35 different places. It was a challenge to settle down and 12 hours later pack up and find a new settlement. I soon got used to it but I lost that feeling of 'home'. Home turned from meaning a place that is safe and permanent, to a place in the near future that will hopefully get me through the night. This added some stress but also lots of excitement. There were several times where I felt extreme pain and exhaustion. Biking up several high elevation hills with an upset stomach for 70 miles broke me down. But this pain was new to me. It was something I don’t feel often and because of this, I valued it. The pain was telling me in every way to stop and discontinue or take a break while something inside me told me I better not stop. This internal battle inside of me was ME. And every battle I won over and endured proved something to myself. It felt great. The moments where I felt I learned the most were time when I was most uncomfortable and in pain. It made me want to act. It invited me to try to understand why I was feeling these honestly quite odd feelings. And finally putting a purpose to my suffering and enduring it in order to add something to who I am as a person. 

Self-Identity (Crisis?)

"I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone."

   I had started this trip solo. After graduating high school, I felt like I needed a break from society. I found that in high school, one can easily be unnoticed. And with the desire to avoid feeling lonely or uncool, we tend to create a superficial image of ourselves in order to be noticed. This included me and I felt I needed some time to be alone. I thought that if I secluded myself from others that I would get closer to seeing what kind of person I really am. But on day four I met my first fellow biker (Oren) and we became good friends. Then we continued and met Guillaume, Boyd, and other bikers that we traveled with on and off. I was always with others and my time alone did not really occur. But after talking this out with my cousin after the trip back in LA, he pointed out that meeting strangers and creating a relationship is a perfect way to see the kind of person you are. With strangers, I don’t have any pressure to create a superficial self. I can be whoever I want to be because they have no prior judgement of me. I am not in any type of role of a person. So however I interacted with strangers kind of portray what kind of person I am with others. Meeting all these new people in a way meant finding new things about myself. 

Dwelling in the Present

  Throughout this trip, I felt I had nothing to lose. I was living day by day and I kept focused on what I was doing which makes everything feel so real. I've experienced living thinking about my past or future and I lose everyday to something that isn't as important as the actual present. Traveling to a new place derived me to focus on my surroundings because it was always changing and I was encouraged to see, feel, taste, touch, and hear everything around me. Every moment sparked new feeling and it was reviving.

Humanism

   With all these new feels and rhythms, I learned new things and confirmed others. Along the road I met nomads, construction workers, chocolate shop owners, hobos, and even pot farmers. Before this journey I expected to see a huge difference in people of the West Coast. I remember feeling isolated in a small city in Minnesota and not knowing anyone from outside my territory. I thought that maybe Washington people or Californians had some major differences and acted and portrayed themselves in unfamiliar ways. But I learned that all the people I met had a common ground. I felt a strong connection that all people are in search of similar values and goals in this confusing and mysterious life. I found a recurrent sense of 'goodness' in people. My faith in humanity jumped up a few levels especially when somebody would go out of his or her way to help us or simply strike up a nice greeting of encouragement. It was the small things that really portrayed this good. For example, while enter the city of San Diego, a local biker offered to lead Guillaume and I through the confusing city. He said that while he was touring once a man had done the same thing for him and he was returning the favor to us. This brought sense to me to return his goodness to someone else. Doing good deeds and small acts of kindness causes a domino effect that can travel from person to person. But this doesn’t require to receive kindness first; you can spread it on your own. Everyone struggles in this life so why not help ease these sufferings? 

   While traveling with the group of bikers, we relied on a book on the Pacific Coast Route. It had maps and it told the plan of the whole day. In the beginning, our next stop was a place called Twin Harbors. This was when I was just with Oren. We were both hungry and tired and really looking forward to this town and thought of maybe even spending a rest day there. Besides eating the food, I was really let down. Twin Harbors turned out to be a ghost town type of place and while we were doing our laundry, two guys in a truck had attempted to steal our bikes. After this, I learned to drop my expectations for the next town.  Finding a balance between expecting reality and expecting what you want can apply to anything you are about to do. This opened my mind by not narrowing down on what I want something to be and instead let whatever happen happen. From the words of Tyler Durdin, "Let the chips fall where they may". By applying this, I was not let down and instead I fulfilled my experience without bias. 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★  Experience

Such thrill.

 Much learned. 

So enlightened.

Wow.

   There were many moments and aspects of this trip that made things more clear to me. Many of these things I already feel like I knew, but forgot even the simple concepts. This trip was by far a craziest things I’ve ever done in my life. It was out of my comfort zone and I experienced things I normally would not do. But I would do it all again. My route from Canada to Mexico was just one route. One skinny line down the earth. There are much more places to explore and so many things out there that can really open the mind. This trip is not only something I can look back and remember for the rest of my life, but it is now a part of me and I will bring it along everywhere I go. I can tell you only so much on the beauty of venturing out of your comfort zone. It really is a concept that can only be understood if you actually pursue it. Follow your calling inside. The only thing stopping you is you. Happy travels and thank you for reading.

Concluding Details

For the future I plan on continuing to blog either on this blog or I'll put a link here for a new one. I've found a great value in blogging because not only is it to look back at in the future, but you learn more about your experiences when you think back and write openly about it. It cements the memory into your brain better even if you write a brief paragraph. I encourage you to open a blog personal or public even if you think your day was boring. Writing is great way to learn more about yourself and it opens a whole new realm of life.

I am currently working on a conclusion of what I learned and experienced from this vigorous journey so stay tuned!

Again, I want to thank you reader for keeping in touch with this journey. It was a big support seeing every view count and it gave a bigger purpose to keep on writing.

Conclusion of Bike Adventure From Canada to Mexico

Details:

Approximately: 2019.3 Miles

May 24, 2014- June 30, 2014

38 Days

6 Flat Tires

1 night in a hostel

3 Rest Days in San Francisco

34 Nights in a Tent

2,164 Pictures

Biked Around 60 miles Daily

Stayed at around 30 state parks

Favorite State Park: Nahalem State Park, Oregon

Washington:

Mostly inland

Decent Amount of Traffic

State Parks Hiker/Biker Rate: $12 per site max. campers: 4

Showers Cost Money

High Density of Forest

Marijuana Recreational Usage is Legal

Significant Places:

Pike Place Market: 1st Starbucks, huge 4 story market on the Pacific Ocean

Astoria Bridge: 4.1 Miles bridge to Oregon

Oregon:

Beautiful Scenery without the crowds

Oregon Coast Trail: Very bike friendly

Awesome State Park facilities with Hiking Trails

Hiker/Biker Rate: $5 per person 

Free Showers!

Many small towns with local businesses along the coast

Significant Places:

Oregon Coast Trail 

Astoria- Small City with a big vibe

Tillamook Cheese Factory

Yaquina Lighthouse 

California:

Beautiful Beaches

Interchanges between big cities and forests

Heavy Traffic near Big Cities

State Parks are busy with small sites

Hiker/Biker Rate: $5-6/Person

Showers Cost Money

Significant Places:

Big Sur

Redwood Forests

City of Arcata

San Francisco (The whole city is cool)

Santa Barbara Downtown

San Diego Balboa Park