From Sea to Shining Sea

Growing up, I've found that I seem to have traveled noticeably less than many of my peers. By the time I graduated high school, I had only left my home state of Colorado 3 times. The first was for a Taekwondo world championship in Little Rock Arkansas, the second for a Taekwondo weapons training seminar in San Francisco California, and the third was to test for my 4th degree black belt in Las Vegas Nevada. At all three events, I met people not just from across our great nation, but from Europe and South America as well. I couldn't even compare!

Needless it to say, compared to some of the people I went to high school with, who vacation in Puerto Rico, go backpacking in Germany, or take a holiday in Japan, I don't get out much. I suppose it was partially because my family never seemed to have the extra funds to travel. But honestly, I just get the feeling that we don't really want to go anywhere. As a matter of fact, in the past few years, I've noticed a large influx of immigrants from around the world clamoring to live in my home state. Just going about my business growing up in Lakewood, commuting to Denver, and attending university in Boulder, I've met folks from France, Mexico, China, Vietnam, South Korea, and more, not to mention people from at least two dozen different states here in America.

Moving To Boston

Of course, like anyone else, I eventually got sick of being in the same place for so long. And so the second I graduated from college in 2016, I immediately jumped at the first opportunity I had to get the heck out of here, away from my parents, and spread my proverbial wings. As it just so happened, that opportunity came in the form of a quantum chemistry internship at Harvard University, studying with the Origins of Life Initiative. I couldn't have picked a better internship. It allowed me the opportunity to network with people at a prestigious university that (at the time) I wanted to apply to get my PhD from, it was a beautiful environment with the same latitude as Colorado, and I was going to study something aside from my degree in astrophysics that was incredibly inspiring to me.

My year in the Boston area was like a dream. It was the first time ever that I lived completely on my own. I had an apartment all to myself, no roommates, and it was my responsibility to pay the bills, which I did. It was during that year that I published my first book, Majesty in Monotony, had my first great spiritual awakening, and realized what I suppose some people would call, "my life's purpose". I also realized something critical about my financial situation. Namely, paying rent for something that I don't own is stupid, and I don't want to spend my life going to work like a slave just to pay bills, go back to work, pay bills, go back to work, and repeat that cycle for 40+ years.

So, in June of 2017, I decided to move back home to Colorado. I had just gotten connected to a wonderful business coach in Denver who was willing to mentor me so that I didn't have to be stuck in the rat race, and instead live my life pursuing my passions instead of a dollar bill. The thing was, I had moved to Massachusetts with the full intention of living there long term, because I had so desperately wanted to get out of Colorado. As a result, I had brought virtually every single one of my belongings along with me, and so simply flying back wasn't an option. Instead, I had to pack everything into the back of my 2006 Toyota Tundra, and sell everything else that wouldn't fit.

A Journey of 3,000 Miles Begins

I filled my truck to the brim, to the point that you couldn't see out through topper in the back of the vehicle. There were boxes in every corner. I couldn't see out of the passenger window, and I could barely see the side view mirror. But, it was good enough to drive across the country. After leaving behind a (mostly) clean apartment, with a lot of my appliances left on the side of the road, I was on my way back home and on my adventure.

The first main stop I had to make along the way was in New York. My goals were twofold. The first was to finally visit the American Museum of Natural History, specifically the Hayden Planetarium inside. The museum was an absolute delight, although the planetarium was rather lackluster, especially after working at both the Fiske Planetarium in Boulder and the Charles-Hayden Planetarium in Boston. And I didn't even get to see Neil deGrasse Tyson! The show that I did see felt completely robotic, nothing like the creative custom-made shows we did at Fiske. There was no live talk, just an operator pressing a button. I'm sure they have a variety of different shows, but it was still disappointing.

After that I went on to complete my second task, meeting up with my new friend Athena Brensberger, supermodel and CEO of Astroathens. To my surprise, we actually had a gift exchange! I gave her one of my grandmother's handmade space-themed pot holders (which you can see on the openings of her Café Astroathens series, eek!), and she gave me a free pass to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum where she was volunteering. After sleeping the night in the back of my cramped truck and spending way too much on a glass of wine, I did manage to visit the museum—which was amazing—and give Athena a very awkward hug before my parking meter ran out. The only downside to the whole thing was getting a $200 ticket because I parked somewhere for 2 minutes and walked around the block to find a more permanent spot (those "no standing" signs actually mean "no parking", and driving in New York is one of the worst hells a person can go through). While my first experience in the big apple was overall stressful and I never want to go back ever, getting to meet that goddess in person was 100% worth it!

After seeing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in New Jersey, my next stop was Pennsylvania. This was because they have a lovely little place there called Spitz Inc, where planetarium parts are designed and shipped all around the world. I'm very thankful for the kindness and hospitality they showed me. All I had to do was walk in and they gave me a free tour of the facility. I got to meet some influential people in the industry I'm most passionate about, and it really built my dream for designing my own custom planetarium!

Following Chadds Ford, my next destination was Louisville Kentucky, where I attended my first ever business conference. It was here that I got to finally meet my coach and mentor Tim Murphy in the flesh, along with his amazing team. It was a thrilling event, and it was absolutely a refreshing and inspiring experience. I've been to seven other conferences across the country with Tim since then, and each one has been better than the last. I've been able to meet tremendous business leaders in all sorts of different fields, and they all provide a unique and valuable perspective that has helped me develop my own personal business. That was without a doubt the best single weekend of my entire trip across America.

On The Road Again

Following the conference, I headed straight home, finally emptying my truck out and relieving my belongings back home at my mom's house where I grew up. I spent a few weeks in Colorado after that, visiting old friends and family. However, this was not the end of my cross-continent drive. Within a few weeks, I was back on the road and headed off to California, this time with my two good friends Nick and Alex. They drove with me all the way to Vegas, where we spent the weekend. We arrived on Friday, opened our boxes of wine and bottles of rum...and then it was Sunday! Looking back, I think I'm most frustrated that I didn't stay longer to visit the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In any case, at the end of the weekend I dropped off my friends at the airport, gave them big hugs, and was back on my way to California.

Stranded in the Golden State

Never chase a woman who has already said that she doesn't want to date you. Her intuition is correct, and you'll only wind up getting yourself into trouble. This was my sole reason for traveling back to San Francisco, and it was a fiasco. I actually spent the majority of my time crashing on the couches of two old friends of mine from high school, Michael and Katya, for which I am eternally grateful for. During the few weeks I spent in California, I oscillated back and forth between their respective apartments, spending time researching business, dreaming about planetariums, and walking Katya's Bernese mountain dog while they were out working their day jobs.

It was at this time of year that the main highlight of my time west occurred: the Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017. I drove up to Salem Oregon with my best friend Michael, for the best single day of my entire cross-continent drive. It's no wonder these celestial events were so revered by civilizations throughout human history. They are events that are really beyond words, the way the air grows cold, the landscape darkens, and the way Pink Floyd's Eclipse sounds as our moon aligns with the Sun. That's one experience every human should have at least once in their lifetime. After that, it was back to California to get what I came for; some quality time with a brilliant girl that I had fallen for just before I graduated college.

I actually managed to see the girl I was chasing on two separate occasions, and all things considered both experiences were overall worthwhile. The first was a visit to the NASA Ames Research center, where she was doing research for the summer. She was kind enough to give me a tour of the facility, and introduce me to some of her fellow interns and supervisors, and she even took a nice photo of me in front of the NASA logo. The second occasion was a sushi dinner near San Jose, which ended with a final rejection, leaving me stranded and heartbroken, alone and without gas, by myself in California a thousand miles from home.

My credit card was maxed out, and my bank account had a balance of negative $3. I didn't even have enough gas to get back to San Francisco to see my friends. So what did I do? I drove to the nearest library, set up shop in my car, and got to work. I probably spent a full week raising enough money to get back to Colorado, with nothing to fill my belly but peanut butter, cereal, and brandy. But surprisingly, I never once felt destitute, discouraged, or dismayed. I may have been homeless, but the weather was nice, and I had a mattress to sleep on with a roof over my head. I spent my days at the Mountain View Public Library—even getting to meet Astrobiologist Dr. Heather Smith when she gave a talk there—using what little business knowledge I had to sell books and health products, until I had enough money to get back home.

Reflecting In 2019

It's hard to believe that it has been nearly two years since those short few months when I trekked across our great nation. Never in my life had I experienced such freedom, as well as felt the negative consequences of my testosterone so mightily. It was an enlightening, if somewhat harrowing, time in my life that I am grateful for everyday. I learned about my resilience, my tenacity, and my ability to stay calm even under dire circumstances, even when I'm alone.

But perhaps the greatest lesson that I learned was that my burning desire for freedom runs deep. The main reason I'm still in Colorado today is so that I can build a big enough business that I can have enough passive income to go out again and travel across the country again, with nobody to answer to, but this time with money coming in. I want to be able to work as I travel, and not be tied down to an office or desk. I want to visit every planetarium in the United States, and stay at my leisure without being stressed about when I need to return, because everywhere is home. But most of all, I think what I want most is a loving wife to share it with.

It will come, it's only a matter of time. I only have to remain steadfast in the relentless pursuit of my dreams.