For a long time I've thought I was born in the wrong decade, if not the wrong century.  I think I mentioned this to my dad once and his comments were basically about how I didn't want modern conveniences, or crap in a flush toilet...  My reason for thinking this really has nothing to do with creature comforts. I love creature comforts! I love air conditioning! I love flush toilets!  Not that I can't live for a time without these things but if they are available I shall avail myself of them...

I thoughts on this topic have more to do with living in an age of discovery, adventure, enlightenment, and perhaps most importantly freedom.  It just doesn't feel like many of these things can be had in our modern rule obsessed society with a pre-disposition for litigation and and lock-step conformity.

Obviously discoveries can be made in our time, and are made daily, but i'm talking more about self-discovery or perhaps discovery for the sake of one's self.  In other words, sometimes I just want to see things for my self.  Sure I know that if you keep going across the Pacific you will eventually run into some land. I know Tonga, for example, is down there but I want to see it for myself. I want to follow the course, pioneered so long ago, that leads to these exotic lands. I know it's already been done but I don't care. I had no interest in making an exceptional ascent of Mt Rainier. I just wanted to climb it myself.  Touch the top myself.

I have always been one for adventure.  Often more adventure than most around me.  I've never been sure why I have had this compunction to do hard things.  But its a part of me and those who know me just nod their heads...  When I would plan backpacking trips my hiking partners invariably would scale back my grand schemes.  They learned this after I set up an epic trip through Yosemite that we were unable to complete. I don't apologize for this, its who I am.  And what an adventure it would be to cross oceans in a 45 foot sail boat!

Our society, here in the USA, has become somewhat staid.  Non-conformists are pressed to the fringes of our society.  Never really one to push conformity I've followed along for 42 years as I thought a good citizen should.  For some time now I've begun to feel that perhaps a homogenized society isn't so healthy for it's members.  The USA is called the great melting pot.  And truly we still are.  But we've become a melting pot more in color and less in measurable variety.  By that I mean that if you move here you're expected to assimilate. I know I've been one to remark on those who are different.  I've started to believe there's value in those differences, strength in that variety. I can not think of a better environment to attempt enlightenment then the planet itself.  I think exposing my son and daughter to the varied cultures and societies of the world, their languages, their foods, their social mores would be as powerful a lesson as I could provide them.  And lets face it, I'm not the most enlightened or open minded guy around.  I'm sure these experiences would be affect me and Mandi deeply and in a lasting way as well. I think it would strengthen some convictions and shatter others. I think it would strengthen our relationship and alter our global views. I truly cannot envision the myriad ways it would affect us, and that is as it should be!

Understand that I write this with true love for my country in my heart. I am a patriot and a proud veteran.  The US loves to state that it is the land of the free. While few places in the world have freedoms comparable to what we have here, I have begun to feel that certain freedoms are being squeezed for the greater good.  I am not above asking someone to curb salty language within earshot of my wife and children, so I suppose I have infringed on freedoms myself.  I suppose it's always a fine line that we walk when it comes to freedom.  Too little and you've got oppression.  Too much and you've got anarchy and chaos.  So I suppose I'm more talking about some esoteric freedoms.  For example in Southern California you can not go the beach by yourself unless basically it's freezing out or it's raining.  There are simply too many people here.  You can not go to Yosemite without sitting in traffic or standing in line unless it's the dead of winter.  Most days on just about any freeway in the southland you can not drive anywhere without hitting traffic at some point. Usually you will have deal with some fool who's in so much of a hurry that he affects everyone else on the road.  

You cannot go camping most anywhere in the country without a hundred other people bearing down on same locale.  I have gone backpacking in some of the most remote locations in the western US.  I have never gone more than a day or a dozen miles without coming across another party.  There are tide pools at Point Loma.  You cannot go enjoy their beauty before paying $20 to enter the State Park.  You cannot drink a beer on any beach in San Diego.  You cannot go to any beach in La Jolla or Del Mar without paying a metered fee for parking.

Over the years I have done less and less on holidays.  Not because I didn't want to celebrate them but because it became too much effort to try.  The 4th of July is a good example. I decided I wanted to spend the day near the beach last year.  We have an RV and I thought it would be nice to have it, if nothing else then for our own private bathroom.  We picked Mission Bay as there is actually a place to park an RV. I got up at 3AM and was in the RV driving down to the bay by 3:45. I was at Mission Bay by 4:15 and parked in the last available spot I could fit my 24' motor home in.  There were a good dozen other RV's already there.  I won't describe the day but when the fireworks were over we then sat in traffic for another two hours until we could get out of the parking lot and drive home.  After parking the RV around midnight I carefully drove home to complete my 21 hour day.  All for the sake of watching fireworks near the ocean.