Author: Justin

An Interesting Encounter – Adam Shepard – One Year Lived

Posted on by Justin

Hello, Reader!

I haven’t written in a LONG time, sadly.  For the most part, I simply haven’t been traveling, but that’s not completely the issue.  The new house has left me with loads of yard work.  Many of you know the Wife is pregnant, which brings all its own new and exciting challenges to our Life.  Let’s face it – largely, I’ve just been lazy, too.  

We have had some interesting travel, however.  Among other places, we went to Ireland recently.  We’ll be headed to Europe next month, too.  All very exciting, and we are hoping to blog – so stay tuned!

So why am I writing TODAY?  Well, a couple weeks ago, we received an interesting unsolicited email.  A young man was asking to “partner” with us on the launch of his new book.  Those of you that know me well, know that I can be the world’s biggest skeptic.  Indeed, 10 years ago I said this Bluetooth thing would never live up to the hype – I still contend I’m right on some level – most stereo speakers are still wired.  Nonetheless, I’m an admitted skeptic, and the unsolicited email threw me off.  It was an interesting proposition, however: read his new book about his travel adventures (fundamentally about traveling for the experience, and not the relaxation), post about whatever I (we, I) want, and then give the book away for free (SPOILER – Links below).

Is he serious?  Is this legit?  Who is this guy?

His name is Adam Shepard, and his new book is One Year Lived.

So… decision time – trash bin or more research?

His email was remarkably well-crafted.  I couldn’t help but be drawn in.  So I started my due diligence.

It doesn’t take long to see that Adam Shepard the person is pretty legit.  Published author.  Social instigator.  Public speaker.  Calculated risk-taker.

But I decide it’s just not my bag, but I was impressed by his moxie, and so I wrote him a candid, direct email as only I can, saying, “Thanks, but no thanks – and good luck.”

Clearly Adam’s heard the adage “No publicity is bad publicity.”   His response won me over.

And so, we found ourselves with a kindred spirit wanting to travel, experience, and live – and hoping we can inspire others to do the same.  I sat down with his book, and read a handful of excerpts.  He’s witty and candid, compassionate and compelling – well-written and thought-provoking.

Four continents, more than a dozen countries, under $20k, and a lifetime of experiences.

I can’t wait to finish the book.  In the mean time, he’s asked us to provide his new book, “One Year Lived,”  for download, for a limited time, in a variety of formats.  Download, read, enjoy – and most of all – find some time to see what the world has to offer.  Good luck!

For a limited time only – for FREE:

The PDF version

The epub version

The mobi version

 

A Groupon to the Grand Canyon

Posted on by Justin

We purchased a Groupon for a sunset tour to the Grand Canyon several months ago, and we’ve been waiting for the right time to cash it in.  We bought it with a couple of friends, and between all our busy schedules, it’s been hard to get sync’ed up.  Finally, though, we got it together so we could finally enjoy our trip to the Grand Canyon.

Our morning started at 7:30, when Grand-Adventures.com picked us up at the MGM Grand hotel.  It was early, particularly for a weekend, but that was the deal.

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The tour was out and back in one day, and included breakfast and lunch.  Breakfast was a McDonald’s breakfast.  On our way out, as we pulled off the interstate, we couldn’t help but notice that we were getting off at the exit that we lived at (our house is about a mile from I-215).  It was, unfortunate, that our McDonald’s was right next by the house – some smart planning would have let us sleep in another hour – such is Life.  Breakfast was great, though.

On our way out, we made several stops.  I’m still not completely sure why we stopped quite so many times.  We stopped at the Hoover Dam, which made sense, since the tour mostly targets tourists to Las Vegas.  We just parked and took a peak at the dam, and checked out the overlooks.  Our driver, Julio, had some interesting tidbits about the dam, and then we moved on.

Then we stopped at Arizona’s Last Stop – a biker bar on the way into Arizona on Rt. 93 – for a pit stop.  Then we stopped in Kingman, AZ for gas.  Then, we came to Seligman, AZ, which Julio told us was the inspiration for Radiator Springs in the Disney/Pixar movie “Cars.”  It was a sleepy little town, which mostly met all the expectations of a town which might be alleged to be the inspiration for Radiator Springs.

Check out the eyes on the cars.

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Even the bathroom was quirky!

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The last stop on the way to the Grand Canyon was a gift shop about 30 minutes outside the National Park.  It had all sorts of interesting things inside…

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We thought these carved, wooden bears were cute.

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However, when grouped into a huge army, the carved, wooden bears were just creepy.

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Finally, about 3 pm (note that’s 7.5 hours from when we were picked up), we arrived at the Grand Canyon.  As we pulled into the park, I saw a small cart being drawn by a dog… how very curious.  I had to snap a shot.

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We had a nice packed lunch of Arby’s Harvest sandwiches (provided by Grand Adventures), before heading out on a hike around part of the South Rim.  The Grand Canyon is pretty impressive.

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As you begin to hike, you really begin to get a feeling for how big things are.  Not that it ever looks small, but it does feel like no matter how far you hike, you’re never going to make any progress on getting anywhere.  It’s big.

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Can you see the guy standing out on the rock formation?  White shirt, and about the size of an ant?  No?  Try this picture – I zoomed in as much as I could…

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It’s huge.  Like HUGE.

We hiked along for probably something like a mile before we came to an overlook.  It really wasn’t strenuous or rough hiking, which was just a touch disappointing, but since you’re at 7,000 feet elevation, you’re definitely getting winded at this point.

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The Wife was, as always, patient while I shot all sorts of pictures.

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After the overlook, we jumped on the bus, which was hauled us up to another overlook.  We were pretty impressed with the amenities available at the park.  The cabins were nice.  The buses were handy.  Everything was well-maintained.

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It was right about now that we were lamenting that we didn’t have the opportunity to go down onto the canyon floor.  I would think that feeling of size would only be exacerbated being down on the floor of the canyon, looking up at everything and the sheer size of the canyon.  It was a pretty nice view, though, from the rim of the canyon.

After another couple stops and some intermediate hiking, we jumped on the bus to head back to parking lot, before the sun started to set.

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We found a great overlook to hang out on and watch the sunset.  The weather had been perfect all day, but it was starting to get just a bit cool.  There were maybe a couple of hundred folks hanging out on the ledge watching the sunset.  It certainly wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty cool.

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Once the sun was gone, we jumped on the bus and headed back to Vegas.  It was about 7:30, and I was doing the math on how long it would take to get back… 7.5 hours would bring us in around 4 am.  I was not looking forward to it.  Fortunately, we made only one stop back in Kingman for gas.  We made it home in about 4.5 hours, rolling into Vegas about midnight.  We had to drop off some folks at one of the other hotels, first, before heading back to the MGM Grand, and then making our way home.

We finally got home around 1 am.  It was a LONG day.  In many ways, it wasn’t worth it – it was SUCH a whirlwind tour of the Grand Canyon, that we feel we left a lot of experiences behind.  On the other hand, it Grand Canyon is SO remote, that if you don’t think you’ll have an opportunity to see it sometime, and you have limited time in Vegas, a day-tour would be a great way to check it off your list.  The price was great with a coupon, but it would probably be worth it to pay full price, if marking one of the Natural Wonders off your list was a big deal to you.

Speaking of the Seven Natural Wonders, since we saw the Great Barrier Reef last year, and then the Grand Canyon this year, we’ve decided to try to get to one a year until all of them are done (although, we’ve agreed that we probably will have to settle for something less than climbing Mount Everest).

Vortex

Posted on by Justin

After watching an episode of Man v. Food, I was intrigued about an Atlanta haunt called “The Vortex.”  I decided that while I was in Atlanta, I HAD to get there.  As it turns out, there are two locations.  The Wife came to visit one weekend while we were there, and we popped out to the original location in Little Five Points.  It was, eclectic to say the least – just our kind of place!

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It was 2 pm on a Sunday, and we had a 40-minute wait.  To be fair, it was the weekend of daylight savings, so it was like it was really 1 pm, but still, we were surprised by the wait!

Once we got inside, the inside was very stylishly decorated.

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Anyplace that has a motorcycle hanging from the ceiling has to have some good stuff going on.

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With décor like this, is it any wonder that they had a remarkably-entertaining menu?

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So… ambiance… light-hearted menu… how ‘bout the menu?  Well, I don’t think there was anything that was “heart healthy” available. 

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Notice that the double bypass burger is served between grilled cheese sandwiches instead of a bun.  Wow.  I was impressed at even attempting it – let alone institutionalizing it as a mainstay of the menu. 

So, we finally ordered our meal.  Everything was fried, believe it or not.  We started with fried pickles (unavailable in Vegas), and cheese curds.

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The fried pickles were good, but not great.  The cheese curds were good, too, but not great.  I was beginning to think this place be big hat, no cattle (all show and no substance).  I was ready for the main course, and it showed up shortly.

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The Wife ordered the pimento burger.  Notice the big glob of pimento cheese on top.  We also appreciated the hefty helping of tater tots. 

My burger was equally impressive (if not a little more impressive).  I ordered the coronary burger (see above).

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I do love myself a nice Red Robin Royal burger – but THIS put it to shame!  Extra bacon, tasty American cheese, and a fried egg!  Awesome.  And the taste lived up to the hype!  The tater tots were excellent – perfectly crisped and hot, without being [too] greasy or scalding hot. 

Big hat, no cattle?  Shame on me for even thinking it.

We had so much extra food, it left us quite a set of leftovers.

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I wanted to make my way back before I left time, but I didn’t have time.  Definitely I’ll make it a point to get back there sometime, though.

 Vortex Bar & Grill (Little 5 Points) on Urbanspoon

It’s not Taco. It’s not Mac. But it’s good.

Posted on by Justin

While in Atlanta, one of my coworkers recommended going to a local chain with a large beer selection – Taco Mac.  One evening, a couple of us popped out to enjoy a brew from their extensive beer selection, and give the food a try, too.

After arriving, I was shocked at how extensive the draught beer selection was. 

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I was impressed with the beer menu.

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What was even better, there was a great selection of Georgia beers.  I’m a big fan of both Terrapin and Sweetwater breweries, so I was excited to try some beers that are generally unavailable in Las Vegas.

They didn’t just have beer, though.  As our reader is probably aware, Coca-Cola is housed in Atlanta.  Evidently, Coca-Cola is trying out a new drink dispensing system – basically a new kind of soda fountain.  Taco Mac, being a local Atlanta merchant, had this new system.  The beverage selection was, just as much as the beer selection, extensive.

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After surveying the beverage selection, I did, in fact, decide on a beer.  One of my all-time favorites – Terrapin Rye.

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I also ordered a bite to eat.  Boneless chicken fingers (known as chicken nuggets or chicken fingers when I was in elementary school) and French fries.

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As it turns out, the food was actually really, really good.  The fries were perfect and the tenders were juicy with great sauce.  It was all top-notch, which I didn’t really expect.  I generally expected the beer selection to compensate for what was otherwise mediocre/lackluster food.  Not the case, though!  The beer was everything I hoped for, while the food exceeded my expectations. 

I topped it all off with a second beer – Sweetwater IPA.  Georgians definitely know how to do craft beer.

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It was “just a bar,” but everything about it was a step above everything I expected.  I made my way back again (to a different location – it’s a local chain) while I was in Atlanta, and found it to be just as tasty.  I was even more excited when I heard that Taco Mac had opened a shop in our very own, Charlotte (South Park)! 

Taco Mac on Urbanspoon