Jan 17 – We all arrived in Los Angeles. I met Dave for the first time at LAX.

Jan 18 – We said our goodbyes to friends and family and boarded the plane to Tokyo, Japan and the start of our trip.

Jan 19 – Arrived in Japan. Realized train tickets to Niseko would be too expensive ($600 per person) so we changed our plan and headed Hakuba, Japan. Spent the night in Tokyo.

Jan 20 – Took train to Hakuba, Japan and checked into Penke Panke Resort in Happo One. Arrived in the morning and spent the afternoon snowboarding. (day 1 of our riding) http://www.penkepanke.com/english/

Jan 21 – Woke up to find our computer was soaked in water. We had to do a day trip to Nagano and find an Apple Store. Bought new computer using hand and arm signals. Tried to see Snow Monkeys but took a wrong turn.

Jan 22 – Cole and I snowboard while Dave visited Snow Monkeys

Jan 23 – Snowboarded Happo One, Japan

Jan 24 – Snowboarded Happo One, Japan; Cole and I jumped off a 55 foot cliff

Jan 25 – Train back to Tokyo. Spent the night in the city.

Jan 26 – Plane flight to Beijing, China

Jan 27 – Snowboarded at Mellow Parks in Nanshan

http://www.nanshanmellowpark.com/

Jan 28 – Hung out with LtCol Taylor, USMC (fantastic home cooked meal). Toured the US Embassy in Beijing.

Jan 29 – Toured the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City

Jan 30 – Plane flight to Delhi, India.

Jan 31 – Plane flight from Delhi to Sringar. Crazy car ride to Gulmarg and the Himalayas.

Feb 1 – Snowboarded Gulmarg, India

http://www.skihimalaya.com/

Feb 2 – Snowboarded Gulmarg, India

Feb 3 – Snowboarded Gulmarg, India

Feb 4 – Snowboarded Gulmarg, India. Dave got lost and I had to save him.

Feb 5 – Snowboarded Gulmarg, India

Feb 6 – Huge snow storm, 5 ft overnight, all flights cancelled in and out of Srinagar. Stuck in Gulmarg

Feb 7 – Snowed in and did nothing

Feb 8 – Plane flight back to Delhi

Feb 9 – Cole saves the day and gets Air India to pay for our flights to London and on to Russia. We miss our connection in London eating Hamburgers. Dave and I spend the day sight-seeing London. Plane flight to Moscow, Russia that night.

Feb 10 – Arrived in Moscow. Can’t get a flight to Sochi. Dave and I get sick with a stomach flu and slept all day.

Feb 11 – Plane flight to Sochi, Russia

http://www.reinfo-sochi.ru/

Feb 12 – Snowboarded Sochi. Literally rained on the mountain. Met Vladimir and Kostia at the café on the mountain. After boarding they treated us to the Russian Bania and dinner. Fantastic evening!!

Feb 13 – Took the day off from riding. Found internet and booked flights to Poland

Feb 14 – Heli-boarding day cancelled due to weather. Lazy day again

Feb 15 – Dave and I snowboard. Dave hits a jump for the first time.

Feb 16 – Plane flight back to Moscow. Toured Moscow, Red Square, and the Kremlin with Vladimir’s secretary and driver. Partied with Vladimir for his birthday with Kostia, Sasha, and Erik…billionaire style.

Feb 17 – Plane flight to Warsaw, Poland. Train to Krakow, Poland. Bus ride to Zakopane, Poland.

Feb 18 – Did laundry

Feb 19 – Day trip to Slovakia. Snowboarded Jasna, Slovakia
www.whitesideholidays.com

Feb 20 – Lazy day

Feb 21 – Snowboarded Zakopane, Poland

Feb 22 – Day trip to Auschwitz. Unreal experience…..Night train to Prague, Czech Rep

Feb 23 – Day trip sight-seeing Prague, Czech Rep. Night train to Budapest, Hungary

Feb 24 – Day trip sight-seeing Budapest, Hungary. Ran from trolley police, HAHAHA. Night train to Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Feb 25 – Hung out with Peter Fettich. Found Cole a new binding. Bus ride to Vogel. Slovenia.

Feb 26 – Snowboarded Vogel, Slovenia

Feb 27 – Snowboarded Vogel, Slovenia

Feb 28 – Bus ride back to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Night train to Munich, Germany

Mar 1 – Beer Garden in Munich. Train ride to Garmisch, Germany

Mar 2 – Happy 27th Birthday Dave! Snowboarded Garmisch, Germany

Mar 3 – Cole snowboarded Zugspiste. I did laundry

Mar 4 – Train back to Munich, Germany. Night train to Rome, Italy

Mar 5 – Day trip sight-seeing Rome, Italy. Night train back to Munich, Germany

Mar 6 – Train to St. Anton, Austria

Mar 7 – Snowboarded St. Anton, Austria

http://www.stantonamarlberg.com

Mar 8 – Snowboarded St. Anton, Austria

Mar 9 – Snowboarded St. Anton, Austria

Mar 10 – Train to Zurich, Switzerland. Hung out with Dave’s friend Immanuel

Mar 11 – Train to Verbier, Switzerland

Mar 12 – Snowboarded Verbier, Switzerland

http://www.verbier.ch/

Mar 13 – Snowboarded Verbier, Swtizerland

Mar 14 – Snowboarded Verbier, Switzerland

Mar 15 – Train to Chamonix, France

Mar 16 – Chill day

Mar 17 – Snowboarded Valle Blanche Glacier in Chamonix, France

Mar 18 – Rented a car and took a day trip to Courmayuer, Italy. Snowboarded Courmayuer, Italy. Train to Geneva, Switzerland. No night trains to Spain so we spent the night in Geneva.

Mar 19 – Laundry day in Geneva. Night train to Barcelona, Spain

Mar 20 – Bus ride to Baquiera – Beret, Spain

Mar 21 – Snowboarded Baquiera-Beret, Spain. Cole lands a backflip and I eat shit on an attempt which resulted in a pulled hamstring and crutches.

Mar 22 – Rest day for me and Cole snowboards

Mar 23 – Last day of snowboarding for Cole and Dave. Rest for me

Mar 24 – Bus ride back to Barcelona, Spain

Mar 25 – Barcelona, Spain

Mar 26 – Vanessa arrived in Spain!! Nessi Time Spanish Style ☺

Mar 27 – Toured Barcelona, Spain on mopeds

Mar 28 – Train ride to Madrid, Spain

Mar 29 – Sight-seeing in Madrid, Spain

Mar 30 – Chill day in Madrid, Spain. Night train to Paris, France

Mar 31 – Checked out the Mona Lisa and the Louvre in Paris, France

Apr 1 – Visited Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and had some Onion Soup in France….French style

Apr 2 – Flew home to the best place on Earth…..the United States of America

I guess the question you are probably asking yourself is, “What exactly do you think is ordinary?” At that time, I could only think of one thing….a white picket fence. This particular fence is actually the perfect metaphor for the life I was running from. Think about exactly what the “White Pickett Fence” symbolizes. First, you have the obvious middle-class suburban life, with a family, kids, house, and even a garden. Then, you have the underlying theme which is too profound to miss; the fence is a symbol of complacency, congruency, and namely, conformity. The idea that my life was headed down the road to my own white picket fence scared the Hell out of me! So, I found a solution and fast….TRAVELING!

I read somewhere that to live a life without traveling is like picking up an enthralling novel, reading only one page and stopping. If that were true, then my traveling sabbatical would be sure to answer all the questions I had. The QUEST began. During my numerous pitches to potential Ride Our World sponsors, I was always asked,”What is the trip really about?” My scripted answer was the same. “This trip is about self-exploration and self-definition.” My journey was not only across the globe, but it was also an inward search in hope of answering that age old question, “Who am I?” The trip was to be a DEFINING moment in the life of Cole Patterson.

As the global assault comes to an end, I must admit that I am no closer to answering that question today than I was when I left. Truth be told, I am more confused now than ever. What initially started as a quest inward has erupted into an a outward explosion of the ideals I was running from. My journey has SHOWN me that mediocrity and complacency are ALL in the eye of the beholder. The only person that can tell YOU your life is ordinary is yourself. You can have everything in the world and not be satisfied. After all, its not about getting what you want its ALL about wanting what you already have.

Now that I think about it, its far too easy just to say that an ordinary life is in the eye of the beholder. Truthfully, we must break from the clutches of what WE think society dictates as mediocre, normal, and middle-class. Is it not WE, as members of society, who CAN dictate our own ideologies? Is it not OUR own choice to NOT conform but REFORM an institution of thought previously instilled inside each of us? I firmly believe it is our duty to do so.

So as I sit here in Madrid enroute to our final destination–Paris, I find myself RUNNING once again. However, this time, I am running in a different direction. I realize exactly what it is I have at home. I am running towards my extraordinary friends, towards my extraordinary family, but REALLY I am running TOWARDS my EXTRA-ordinary life!

One such moment I can recall was on the mountain in Verbier, Switzerland. I had gotten separated from Cole and Dave and was on the prowl in search of them. There came a time where I thought I saw them hiking a ridge to get a sick line. I immediately sat down hoping to see Cole bomb down the type of epic line that we all dream about, when it hit me like a bolt of lightning….this entire trip, this simple idea, this lifestyle that we are preaching is the same life that we are living. There I was looking out at the grandeur of the Swiss Alps, the peaks of each mountain top poking its way through the fog that covered the valley below. The sheer beauty and greatness that planet Earth created over millions of years was right in front of me and in that moment my mind drifted away to the last 14 or so countries we have visited, the hundreds of people we met, and the incredible sights that until now I had only seen in photos or video. Sitting there in the snow only one word could describe the emotions seeping through every pore of my body…..WOW!

This round the world trip was the one dream of mine that I always craved but it was also the one dream that seemed so impossible to actually achieve. We all have these extraordinary ideas that appear to be impossible, but somehow deep down in our hearts and minds we know that if we actually take that leap of faith and set out to attain them, then we would never ever regret. And to live a life without regret might just be the best way to live.

I guess I am one of the privileged few who can say that their ultimate dream was accomplished. Right now as I sit on a bus heading from Barcelona, Spain to Bacquiera, Spain and another resort, I honestly feel blessed and honored to say that. As I gaze out the window of this bus at the Spanish wineries, the fresh springtime air, and the ripe smell of manure, an overwhelming feeling of inspiration has taken hold of me. With one week until my wife meets me in Barcelona and two weeks until I return home I feel as though I am on top of the world. No amount of debt, heartache, sickness, or pain can ever take away what I accomplished over the past year and specifically the past 3 months. These memories I will cherish forever and no matter what the future holds, the year 2010 and the adventure that Cole, Dave, and I took will be one for the ages. It’s amazing how uplifting it truly is to simply chase a dream.

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” – The Alchemist

Being an adult sucks! I actually hate being called an adult or grown up, not because it means anything bad or degrading but because it means that I have to “act like a grown up.” And we all know what that really means, I have to conform to society…blah. Jobs, bills, and responsibility all come with the territory, but honestly they bring nothing but stress, heartache, and problems. In fact, I am convinced that the world has all the problems it has today because we are all ‘grown ups’. Kids solve all their dilemmas with simplicity. There is not a single problem that could not be solved by arm wrestling, dodgeball, foot races, video games, or maybe even some rock, paper, scissors. I mean seriously……why didn’t we see any of those problem solving solutions on the table for the recent problems in the Middle East?

We all know the phrase, “If I knew then what I know now….” but I say who cares. When I was a kid I was free; my personal fantasy world was alive and kicking, and at no point was I ever concerned with stock quotes or how to even wipe my own ass. If ever we ‘adults’ figure out this time travel thing and I get the chance to do it, rest assured I know exactly where I am going…..Is it the days of the Dinosaur? NO! Is it during the time of Jesus Christ? NO! Is it back when our Founding Fathers were establishing the great nation of America? NO. Honestly, I would go back to when I was 8 years old.

Seeing the great days of the past or the great figures in history is pretty low on my ‘list of things to do’. I would go back to my childhood because that was my life. At age 8 I had nothing, absolutely nothing to worry about. Sure I had school, I had to eat my veggies, and I drove my parents nuts…but man did I have it good. My days consisted of action figures, video games, snacks, nap time, fantasy worlds, cartoons, and sports. Is that not the life or what?

Looking back at all the stories throughout history it is perfectly clear that Peter Pan and the Lost Boys had it best. They got to stay young forever as long as they never left Never Never Land. They may have lost all sense of reality and had no idea what was happening in the real world but really, does any of that matter? We are all only really concerned with our own lives anyway and to live as a child in a world that never grows old sounds too good to be true. Maybe that is why Peter Pan has always been my favorite Disney Movie and maybe that is why I still feel as though I have not and will never grow up. The dream worlds that I lived in as a child are gone but it’s ok because still to this day I find ways to create new realities for myself. The days of pretending to be Wolverine and saving the X-Men from Magneto and Sabertooth are long gone, but now I get to pretend to be a crazy explorer like Magellan and circle the globe. I just don’t think that I will ever really grew up.

Here’s a thought…..maybe the next trip I take is to the Arabian Desert…..I will find that one special lamp (you know the one) and rub it and rub it and rub it until Genie pops out and grants me those three magical wishes. O and by the way, Aladdin got it all wrong…forget the Princess, he should have wished for a huge playground, a giant trampoline, and endless amounts of gummy bears. O wait if I tell you my wishes does that mean they wont come true?

“You know, if your nine-year olds saw you guys the way you are, you’d get your butts kicked right now! I mean, look what’s happened to us!” – Longfellow Deeds

The more I travel the more I see how much of a sham the American Dream CAN really be. This idea that we can be anything if we aspire to it has been embedded in our psyche since birth. However, we are not told that during the pursuit of our dreams we will surely miss out on the simpler things in life.

I read a story that I will paraphrase for you that is quite germane to this topic. It goes as such:

An American businessman was vacationing on a beach somewhere in Mexico when he came across a fisherman. He started chatting up the fisherman about life and such when the businessman asked, “What does your normal day look like?” The fisherman responded, “I wake up early and head out to fish for a couple of hours. I catch enough fish in 3 hours to feed my entire family, and I often even have enough to give some to my friends. After fishing, I play with my grandkids, take a nap, make love to my wife, read, and sometimes drink with my friends. Its a pretty good life.”

The businessman responds, “Sounds great but you are doing it all wrong. If you catch enough fish in 3 hours to feed your family and friends, then if you worked 8 hours you would have more than enough fish to sell and make a profit. After you sell enough, you can one day buy a fleet of boats to work for you. Once you get the fleet of boats, you will probably need move to Mexico City so that you can sell to more customers. If you sell enough in Mexico City, then you will probably need to take your company public so that you can make some REAL money. In doing so, you will need to move to New York City to keep a good eye on this multi-billion dollar business you just built.”

Confused, the fisherman asked, “That sounds fantastic, but once I do all that, then what do I do?” The businessman replied avidly, “You simply retire and play with your grandkids, take a nap, make love to your wife, read, and sometimes even go drink with your friends.”

Life is truly this easy….we just need to see it!

If I were still in my early twenties, I would laugh at the mere thought that a 3-month snowboarding trip around the world would wear me down. After all, I WAS INVINCIBLE! It wasn’t until Austria (13 countries into my 17 country trip) that I really felt my body wearing thin. It all started when I woke up that morning and scurried over to the window throwing open the blinds to stare at the snowcapped Alps. The potential for that day was endless.

As I got my gear together and began the 30 minute trek to the mountain, my body uttered the words I thought I would never hear, “Hey moron! I’m BEAT! You haven’t fed me properly; you haven’t rested me well enough; Now, I will NOT perform.” Of course, I heard everything that was told to me, but I didn’t listen. After all, its mind of matter…ISNT IT? Haha Boy was I wrong!

Several hours later I found myself ripping down the Alpine Mountain with powdered snow under my feet and the warm sun on my face when disaster struck. I was headed for some trees and QUICKLY. Normally, this would not set off any internal alarms, but on that day mutiny struck within my body. I leaned hard into the turn… NOTHING! I tried to jump into a harder turn…NOTHING! My brain’s commands fell on deaf ears. Whelp! The last resort was upon me; slam on the breaks and hope for the best. Well, I did and fortunately my back was there to break my fall. Trees aren’t nearly as forgiving as I remembered. Ugh! NOT GOOD!

My day seemed to go downhill after that as I’m sure you can imagine. Needless to say, the following day both my back and ego were quite bruised. I guess it was finally time for that much needed day of rest. Oh never mind, I forgot it dumped snow all night that night. Sorry body, maybe tomorrow. A couple of Aspirin should do the trick..right?

In my 27 years of life no pair of shoes has ever come close to the comfort of my Classic White Nikes with the black swoosh. Those Nikes and I went through a lot together…..we traveled together, went shopping, took the dogs for walks, and even went partying from time to time. There was not a street we couldn’t conquer, no trail we couldn’t trek, and no blemish that could keep those kicks off my feet. Who cares if they looked like Forrest Gump shoes, we were the perfect match and to think I would leave them home for this trip was just ridiculous. And then my wife knocked some sense into me…

The day before I left for Los Angeles was a big day for me. I had to pack, finalize some logistical planning, leave emergency contact numbers, etc etc etc..the last thing on my mind was my shoes. In fact, my shoes were the least of my concerns but Vanessa had other plans. Like a lion waiting patiently for the slowest zebra in the herd to stroll by, she waited and waited and waited for the perfect time to strike. Once I declared success and finished all my ‘to-dos’ she made her move…”There is no way I am letting you get on the plane with those shoes.”

After countless hours of arguing (who am I kidding, it took about 6 min before I caved) I reluctantly agreed to let her buy some trekking shoes so my feet wouldn’t hurt. So into my life came the Merrell Interceptors. They may not have been the prettiest pair of sneakers but after having worn them for two months I can only describe them with one word; WOW!! Talk about comfort and durability, those shoes have been out of this world comfortable and have undoubtedly saved me from divorcing my favorite pair of Nikes. Even with the absurd amount of walking, climbing and sprinting, the numerous airports, trains, and day trips, and the constant lugging of my massively oversized snowboard bag, my feet have not complained once. Not a single little piggy made the slightest wimper when we sprinted up a snow covered hill to see the snow monkeys in Japan. Not an inkling of discomfort was felt walking up the Great Wall of China and in no way have my feet even made their presence known over the past 50 plus days. In fact I am almost positive my feet have been thanking me this winter season for listening to my wife…which is weird because you’d think happy feet would try to smell just a little better; I don’t know, maybe that’s just me.

So what is the lesson here? Every now and then our women get it right. No matter how sad Nessi was to see me go, there was no way she would allow me to travel the globe in a pair of worn down, beat up, old Nike sneakers. I may not have a pair of magic shoes……but thanks to the Misses my shoes can definitely take me anywhere.

At home in America our down time is loaded with endless options. We have mindless entertainment on TV, endless video games, BS sessions with our friends, shopping, eating, and exercise. At times we complain that there is nothing to do but isn’t that ironic because if we wanted to do something we easily could. The down time abroad is something completely different than at home. Take television for example. As monotonous and mindless as it may be, at least it is in English. Its tough when your stuck in a hotel in Slovenia with 10 channels and only one of them is in English. Unfortunately that station happens to be CNN and who in their right mind would ever want to watch that for hours on end? Or what about Russia? In Russia, the understanding is, “we speak Russian, our official language is Russian, if you want to watch TV, then learn Russian.” I cannot believe I am saying this but I kinda miss TV a little. I mean watching American Idol three times a week is a bit excessive, but screw it, Simon always has some good comments. It’s also possible that I might even miss Paula.…ok maybe just a little. And what I wouldn’t give for an episode of Seinfeld right now. That is some real good old fashioned American entertainment.

Not being able to watch television is one thing but there are times when its even worse. With all the plane flights, train rides, and bus transfers there are countless hours of nothing but waiting and waiting and waiting. How about sitting in the train station in Ljubljana, Slovenia for 8 hours with only a McDonalds. Think about….it only takes so long before the aroma of Big Macs and fries become so overwhelming that you cannot help but to sprint inside for the delicious taste of a clogged artery sandwich. I got so bored that I was eating a Big Mac every other hour and counting down the minutes until my next one just so I had something to look forward too.

In the USA, it is said that we all take for granted everything that we have and we should be thankful for the endless options of stuff to do. I say “so what?”, we all definitely should take advantage and be happy that we have the choice to do something or nothing at any given moment. I love to travel but are there times when I would chose to watch a Nat Geo program about the Mountains in Sochi, Russia rather than play Rock, Paper, Scissors with Cole while we stare at the rain pouring down on those same mountains….you bet I would.

The travel bug is embedded in me and it is said that once you have it you will never shake it. I will say that I agree 100%. Sitting around India with no heat, no hot water, and no internet comes with the territory and paying to use the public bathrooms in Europe is an inconvenience that everyone has to deal with. I guess not knowing what to do on our down time is not really a problem but part of the adventure. It forces us to get out of our comfort zone and try something new, which is good for all of us. As much as I enjoy the mindless entertainment at home and the unlimited options of stuff, would I trade this adventure for having those comforts? Not a chance! ha

In my life, I have always been taught to NEVER give up; however, I wish I was taught the contrary. Life would be so much easier if we were taught when the right time to push away from the table really was. Take for example my last relationship, if I knew then what I know now I would have walked away long before it was forced upon me. Now don’t get me wrong, this does NOT mean I have regrets. This does mean that the relationship had run its course long before either of us wanted to accept it. If we could have just walked away before it tanked, then we could have saved the heartache I am sure we’ve all been through.

Of course we can talk about love lost or even poor business investments, but what about a fallen country? I thought that my travels throughout Budapest would have been filled with beautiful visage and majestic architecture. Contrarily, I saw a beaten and complacent country. What was once a marvel of modern civilization is now struggling for any individuality. Again, at what point did you just give up? I know they lost their Arch Duke which helped set off WWI, but that isn’t enough to just quit building and quit trying. We humans are truly resilient creatures.

WOW! Now that I think about it, the Trolley Car Police didn’t even chase us when we ran for not having a ticket. Come on guys, we had bags and everything. You didn’t even make an attempt to follow us. THERE IS NO NEED TO EVER GIVE UP. That actually reminds me of a famous quote by Winston Churchill. England was on the brink of destruction when he walked out on stage and said….oh I forget the line….Whatever, I QUIT!

Seeing in person the magnificent snow capped peaks, the endless powder fields, and the picturesque towns in the valley below is something that no photograph or image can match. I used to think that the photos of places like Mt. Everest or Mt. Kilamanjaro were incredible but after seeing the endless mountain ranges of the Himalayas and the bright blue skies over the mountains in Japan, the amazement that I once had for those photos has dwindled away. No photograph can compare to seeing with your own eyes and the peripheral sights that accompany snowboarding have far surpassed any baseball field I might have played on. In all honesty I love the fact that at any given moment on a chair lift you might catch a snow white rabbit running through the trees or a hawk hovering over the snow waiting for a meal to pop its head out. That definitely beats watching the Hot Dog Vendors run up and down the steps at the ballpark.

Winter is and has always been a time of gloomy days and chilly nights. But as I have been able to get past that and see that our world is full of beauty in all its seasons, I can now say that the activities we enjoy can and will open our eyes to the magnificence of Planet Earth. As much fun as we have playing baseball or snowboarding, it is always important to take a moment and just enjoy nature. I still love baseball and spring time but I think its safe to say that winter no longer takes a back seat to the mini skirts and sunshine of spring. Its just a shame that it took me so long to notice.