Back stateside

Beach Bum

There was something manic flying back to the US.  In less than 24 hours I had gone from the easy-breezy beaches of western New Zealand to the harried pace of holiday travelers zigzagging around LAX like a beehive on fire.  Welcome back.

It’s been a pretty amazing past couple of days.  While I was away from the blog, I spent my time surfing around 90 Mile Beach on New Zealand’s northern peninsula.  The weather, for the most part, was great; the waves, for the most part, were great; the company, for the most part, was great too.  Joining me on my little escapade were nine other people from all over the world – the US, England, Germany, Switzerland, even Ottawa.  While I may not be the greatest surfer to ever hit the waves, it was one of those experiences that I’m sure I will never forget; and to make sure of that, they even gave me a dvd of my time (that’ll never see the light of day).  Photos, however, are up on the photo site.

With that, my trip to New Zealand draws to a close.  I’m coming home with a few first-time experiences, a couple of Christmas gifts, and a ton of memories.  I had a great time and a lot of fun, but I’m looking forward to spending some time with friends and family over the course of the holidays.  One of the best things about traveling is re-appreciating just how great you have it back at home.

Again, I want to thank everyone for your support and your generosity.  We raised over $3,200 for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for spinal cord injury research – which, for me, has been the most noteworthy experience of this journey.  A small token of my appreciation will be heading to those that made a donation in the mail shortly after the new year.

But the fight isn’t over, we have yet to find a treatment, and I pledge to continue my campaign until we do so.  I’ve already got a couple of races in mind for my next fundraiser…so look for me in about 18 months from now!  The truth is though, that you don’t need me to run a race to help out the spinal injury cause.  You can make a difference today, right now.  The Reeve Foundation is always open for donations; you can vonlunteer at your local paraplegic association; or, just help out be holding the door open when you see someone in a wheelchair.  It’s amazing how these simple day-to-day things can add up into something much bigger.  I hope that you’ve come to realize this over the course of this blog.  Individually, you may have donated $20, or $50, but together it added up to so much more.  This is all of our accomplishment.

Till next time!

Update about an update

I’m out.  I won’t have internet connectivity until Friday.  I’ll be back then with a wrap up post and some final pics.  Enjoy your week in the snow!

In Auckland

Bright Lights. Big City.

It was 3am Saturday morning and I was laying in bed listening to the thumping bass of a local night club, the racing traffic down Queen St, and the singing Kiwi drunkards making their way to the nearest kebab shop. Yes, I was in Auckland. Hilton had hooked me up with this “boutique” hotel on Auckland’s main drag; while a great location, it was clearly a noisy one.  Those who have hung out with me recently know that I turned in my late night disco card long ago, now I’m lucky if I can make it past 11, even when I’m drinking full-test Coca-Cola.  So while this hotel would have been my ideal location 5 years ago, on Saturday morning it was a curse.

Actually, the moment I landed in Auckland I got a little pain; my gut was telling me that this wasn’t what this trip was supposed to be about. I had some how gone from the lapping waves of Porpoise Bay for the shipping harbour of Auckland (second only to Toronto for ugliest waterfront ever).  I wasn’t ready for the big city just yet.  So I got out of dodge on Saturday and spent most of the day wandering around the island of Devonport, a short ferry trip across the harbour from Auckland.  I checked out some volcanos (there are 48 surrounding the Auckland area), the beaches, and a some of the local cafes.  It turned out to be a nice transition from the quiet, laidback South Island to the hustle and bustle of the North Island.

Sunday I was mentally prepared to tackle more of the Auckland scene.  Still no midnight dance parties, but I managed to take in the Auckland museum and learned a bit more about the Maori ancestory across the Pacific, including New Zealand, I wandered around High St and Vulcan Lanes, home of Auckland’s more hip shops, and even picked up a few Christmas gifts.  What started out as a potentially dreadful weekend turned out to be ok, even somewhat educational.  Pics are up.

Fundraiser Update

Way to run it in, buddy

I don’t know where to start this post, I truly don’t. I’m so blown away by everyone’s support, their generosity, their endorsement of this whole project, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed right now. To see you all pull together and be a champion for this cause is so remarkable, it is by far a more meaningful accomplishment to me than any race or personal milestone.

First some basic numbers:

• There were over 220 unique hits on the blog during race day.  That’s 220 unique IP addresses (computers, kind of) that visited this site.  I certainly don’t know 220 different people, so that was all you guys.
• The blog was averaging about 80 unique hits a day.  Again, I don’t think I know 80 people, so that’s all you.
• We had 32 people make a donation – that’s definitely all you.
• The average donation was around $100 per person – WTF!

What does that all add up to?  How about $3,280 in total donations!  Holy crap, right?  I mean, I can’t be the only one around here that’s stunned by that figure, can I?  That’s awesome.  That’s so totally awesome.  I haven’t stopped smiling since I read that figure.

When I first started this someone said to me, “What difference is $3,000 going to make?  It’s a drop in the bucket.”  But you know what, that’s $3, 000 more than what they raised.  That’s $3,000 more that can go towards scientific research.   That’s $3,000 more towards the larger goal of treating people with spinal cord injury.  I believe our efforts are making a difference; our efforts are pushing this cause forward; our efforts will lead to a treatment.

This fundraiser is an accomplishment we can all take pride in.  I hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on that and congratualte yourself on a job well done.  Whether you donated $10, $100, or $1000; wether you linked the site on your Facebook, or on your blog; or whether you just told people about in a casual conversation, we all did our part that led to hitting this remarkable fundraising goal.  This is a moment for all of us, enjoy.

Thank you.

(Back) In Christchurch

Oh IAC, you could never live up to the expectations

The drive from Dunedin up to Christchurch was uneventful and, frankly, quite boring, though there was a sense of homecoming, returning to the city from which this adventure all started. I had seen so much since I left this city, had so many new experiences; it was hard not to feel a little changed from it all since venturing off into the New Zealand backcountry.

It’s been 10 days and over 1,350 km, so who can blame me for being a little saddened after turning over the keys to my camper van. Maybe it’s the way I personify my vehicles, but that thing seemed like my partner on this trip, and I was certainly grateful for how reliably it showed me the country. It’s hard to believe I won’t be converting my bed tonight, or sleeping somewhere with a view of a Southland mountain range from out my bedroom window.

Of course, as much as I enjoy roughing it, there’s something to be said for checking-in some place where you have membership privileges; some place where they hold the door open for you, greet you by your name, and offer to take your bags – even if you do look like a vagabond. And while I enjoyed my times at the various hostels and holiday parks, there’s certainly a level of comfort that comes with not having to plunk quarters into the shower for hot water, or being able to drop your laundry at your front door and having it come back clean.

Of course, before I could satisfactorily leave Christchurch, there was one last item on my itinerary that needed to be checked-off – that’s right – the International Antarctic Center. Yeeeeeahhhhh! After so much anticipation, I was ready for this to be the climax of my South Island visit. But like anything you hype-up in your mind beforehand – New Year’s eve, 30th birthdays, Cadbury World – this could never live up to the expectations. I was hoping to be enthralled by adventure stories of the great southern explorers like Cook, Shackelton, and Scott. I was hoping to find the Storm Room with crazy, never-before-felt cold and winds. Instead what I got was a – yaaawn – display on the plants and rocks of the antarctic and a Storm Room that had better conditions than Madison, WI yesterday.

Off to Auckland tomorrow. The big city.