Introduction

Follow your heart.

A common utterance but what does it really mean to you?

Have you let the dust settle well enough to hear it beat?

August 2008, I received a BA in communications at SUNY Plattsburgh. I packed up my belongings said a few goodbyes and an hour later arrived home in Wilton, NY. Greeted my family, unpacked, settled in, ate a sandwich, and eventually had a good nights rest. Afternoon arrived the next day and I awoke physically refreshed and emotionally confused. Washed myself under the "soft" water that came out of our shower, clothed myself and walked downstairs. I was greeted lovingly by my mother who asked me if I wanted something to eat. I didn't bother her with my appetite and I fashioned a personalized amalgamation to feed my malnourished collegiate workings. As I laid the plate in front of me I was instantly jarred with a classic comment from my adoring mother, "so what now". In awe for lack of surprise I tossed it off with a forcibly trite remark about the lottery. The conversation went on about possibilities in the communications industry regarding work at a television or radio station when my words and my thoughts sauntered down different roads. The conversation turned to prattle as I was soon struck with the true utterance of my heart. Over the course of the next week dabbling in the possibilities that were no closer to me than before my degree I finally deconstructed my hearts utterance and imagined my true calling. Proud to have a distinctive answer for my family I casually slid downstairs and opened the floor for debate.

"I want to travel the world with no money and no specialized knowledge. I want to call the adventure 'one way tickets'. The adventure will consist of me, a seemingly average American citizen, purchasing a one way ticket to a far away land. I will then go out into the new world I have arrived in penniless and make things happen. Make my living and my eventual departure from this foreign land with another one way ticket to another random land."

This premise iced fear in the hearts of my folks. My dad, reluctantly donned the 'worst case scenario king', could not comprehend it as anything but foolish with intent to get a rise out of ol' mom. My mother on the other hand weathered the icy fear with positivity and a bit of soft spoken 'reality'. "How do you think you are going to eat? The idea of this doesn't scare you at all? (at the time it was a distance from my reality and did scare me a little). Wont you get lonely?"

Little did I know that this hearts notion was going to HAUNT me for five years.

June 2013, I now lay my head in Denver, CO. I arrived here in 2010 with my ex-girlfriend via Amtrak. Albany to Denver with a layover in Chicago. The years passed from August 2008 to 2010 in Albany, and 2010 until now in Denver with a variety of BORING menial jobs and various moments of excitement and satisfaction that you could probably guess. I have in the past two years attempted to start a business and test the waters for where I fit in best. Nothing seems to be working. Battles with self worth, my love life, friends, debts and legal issues forced me to step back and get a perspective on what the hell is going on in my life. I was introduced to the fact that my saturn return is on its way and I immediately quit drinking. As of two weeks ago it has been three months since my last drop of alcohol. Don't worry this isn't an anti drug/alcohol campaign drink up, get high. With my sobriety I have afforded myself the possibility for a more focused perspective. My hearts message still haunts me regularly and the focus afforded with sobriety turned the message into a regular companion. The trip started to form subconsciously. More and more focused every day.

I knew at this point that I wanted to go west. Hit California, then Hawaii, then New Zealand or Australia and continue eventually to south France (which has been subconsciously calling me for a while). The journey has no intended time limit and of course the landmarks along the way are plentiful, including different parts of India, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Greece, Italy and who knows where else. The plan at this point was to not only adopt the five year old "one way tickets" idea but to take it a step further and take only non-"commercial air" travel such as busses, horse, automobiles, boats, trains, albatross, bicycle, hang glider, etc... I felt rejecting the use of commercial flights would bring more substance to the whole adventure.

Now to discuss my current ties to Denver.

Owing friends isn't the best but ill be honest paying them back feels exponentially better than paying a bank back. I have debt reaching around $3000, and I owe the state of Colorado around $700 (not to say Colorado is my good buddy but hey she's way cooler than Sallie Mae). I also have a bit of an emotional connection with Denver and I wanted to give myself enough time to conquer all of this. I started telling people about my interest in taking an adventure and the simple act of talking about it began to solidify a time frame. I dabbled with the idea of the new year, March or April. Then it came to me, May. May sounds perfect. Gives me enough time to prepare my mind as well as take care of my financial responsibilities, and spring will be springing around then so traveling will be a bit easier.

The pieces started coming together quite naturally. Things arranging and making more and more sense each day forward. On a seemingly unrelated note I have desired the ownership of a scooter or moped for the past year or so. I enjoy the responsibility free, careless air that surrounds them in terms of motor vehicle ownership. So respectively, two months ago, it was off to Craigslist! A diligent daily browse of the mopeds on the list eventually led me to the beauty that I currently own. It is a 1978 Peugeot 103. It must have sat in the sun for a large portion of its life because its patina is a lovely faded mint green, couldn't ask for more. The moped was a bit out of shape, a couple extra meaningless parts, a few extra nuts and bolts, as to be expected. It needed a bit of engine work and a little TLC. The past month my ambition regarding this miniature 2-stroke engine setup had skyrocketed and become surprisingly rewarding. Down the road from my house there is a small shop that specializes in old pedal start mopeds called Moto Ocho. I approached them in need of a throttle cable and a bit of simple guidance regarding my carburetor. Their warm hearts and passion for mopeds quickly shifted into action. My curiosity initiated a bit of a "guru - disciple" situation and I became a regular.

The moped grew on me and quickly became a part of my perspective travel plans.

If you want to follow a thread about the workings of my Peugeot and the build I will be using on the trip it's here (http://www.mopedarmy.com/forums/read.php?7,3515086,3515086#msg-3515086)

So here it is, a little summary of where i'm at now:

Working as bicycle delivery at Jimmy Johns, downtown Denver, keeping in good physical condition. Organizing freelance graphic design and marketing gigs to bring in a little extra to chip away at the debt. Constantly tuning my Peugeot.

I am leaving in May, selling or giving away most of what I own from now until then. I am heading south west on my violent little two-stroke dream machine prepared to circumnavigate the globe. I intend to bring an extra moped engine dismantled in a saddle bag as well as all of the tools needed to fix and reassemble it. I am also bringing a folded up large capacity messenger bag, a change of clothes, a jacket, a hoodie, a pair of pants, a bunch of socks, a two gallon container of water, and a two gallon container of fuel reserves.

First stops include friends in California. I intend through word of mouth to acquire a position on a barge or a cruise ship that would allow for me to reach Hawaii with my moped in toe, and eventually do the same to New Zealand or Australia.

This blog will continue until my day of departure when I plan to write journal entries in a more personalized format, printed, with pictures in a periodical style booklet with whatever capabilities I have in my current location. This periodical journal will be mailed to a select group of people who voice interest and I feel will actually be worth the trouble of its subsequent materialization and delivery.