“Let’s go on an adventure!”  This remains one of my earliest, most-impactful memories from childhood.  I remember my mom exclaiming this to me back in 1977.  

We had just moved to the rural mountains of southern Virginia from inner city Philadelphia.   Even as a six-year-old, the culture shock was real especially coming out of the concrete to the woods. 

Of course, mom was referring to the shallow mountain creek flowing behind the backyard.  Smooth, round rocks dotted the surface of the freezing cold, ankle-deep water.  Crawdads (what’s that!?!) under most.  Our adventure was to get in the water, turn over the stones and make a little dam.  Try a little trout fishing.  It was the essence of early childhood exploration.  Everything was right in front of me, hands-on, new and exciting!

As I’ve written in previous pieces, the idea of adventure travel started early in my life.   Perhaps an unconventional, off the beaten path sort of way, but we adventured!  I can trace some of the roots back to these great afternoons in the water.  The world started as my little piece of the creek.

Fast forward several years to when my parents decided to split.   It was hard on many different levels.  Money was tight and there wasn’t a whole lot of adventure.  It was more about survival during those first couple of years.  Hell, just having a meal for dinner was sometimes a challenge back then.   Sometimes we went without – that was life.  

Nevertheless, as a single mother and as her career started to gain solid footing, we were able to get out a little more…to explore…go on those adventures again.  It was something always on our mind.

We dipped our toes in the water a few times with regional trips around Western Pennsylvania, where were living at the time.   Yet the true fire was ignited during a massive road trip to California during one of my summer vacations.   The endgame was to visit extended family in San Francisco and the Bay Area, but there were way too many things to see along the way.

We stopped in places such as the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon – “just another hole in the ground,” according to one of my aunts.  I have vivid memories of the colors, textures and landscapes.  No need for the non-existent IG filters; these places were magical in their extraordinary beauty.   Like nothing I had ever seen in my entire teenage life.  I was hooked even before we got to the Golden Gate and Lombardi Street.

A couple years later we were able to travel to the Pacific Northwest.  A conference being the catalyst, mom made sure we worked in time for exploring the region.  We visited Mount Rainer and Mount St. Helens. 

I had never seen mountains like this, let alone a recently erupted volcano.  The two landscapes were in such stark contrast.  Throw the Olympic peninsula in the equation and it was hard to believe everything was in such close proximity.  The story of locking our keys in the car in Vancouver is just icing on the cake and great memory.

Finally, for one of my summer breaks from college, mom asked me where I wanted to go on vacation.  “The Badlands,” without hesitation was my answer.  I considered this the ultimate in adventure.  I had seen pictures in books and was fascinated by the idea of such an area. We ended up visiting The Badlands, The Black Hills, Devil’s Tower, Wind Cave and Fort Laramie. Even took a crazy, 40-mile detour just to cross the Montana state line to say we had been there.   I mean…who does that!?!  It was never about one destination or sitting in a hotel room; it was always about the journey, spending time together and having the shared adventure.

Mom gave me the courage to step out and join the Peace Corps, the ultimate in adventure!  It was a great unknown for a kid coming out of college with a seemingly lack of direction.  She pushed and encouraged me.  In the end, she came to visit me in The Gambia, West Africa.  I was able to share village life with her.  Laugh, as she received marriage proposals. Eat a chicken that was prepared in honor of her visit.  Be the adventure guide this time around.

Ultimately, mom has always been the reason I NEED to see and experience new things.  It hasn’t always been easy, and there were circumstances when we couldn’t, but the sense of exploration and adventure was and is ALWAYS omnipresent.  Mom made sure this sense of adventure became a part of me.

Conventional wisdom is not to look back and focus on the present and the future.  I agree to a point.   When I look back, I’m proud of the 5-year-old boy who wasn’t afraid to jump in the creek and explore.  I’m proud of the teenager who was ready to travel cross-country.  I’m proud of the college graduate who, despite being so unsure of himself, was ready to go anywhere in the world the Peace Corps decided to send him.  So yeah, I have to look into my past to understand my present.  And when I do, there have been many influences over the years, but nothing greater than my mom.  Thank you for introducing me to so much of this beautiful world.

Thank you for being my guide and inspiration for so many years.  Thank you for teaching your grandson the same lessons about adventure.  You are my hero, and there is no greater thing.  I love you.

Jason M