The Time Jesus Came to Rugby, North Dakota

He wasn't exactly the walks on water, savior of mankind version from the bible but I had to do a double take at the man in shepherd's clothing walking down Main Street. As a kid growing up in Rugby, this was exactly why I spent hours of my week dragging main: the hope of seeing something different.  On this particular summer evening the man we kids would take to calling "Jesus" would be that something different. Very different.

I miss the summer nights in Rugby, because the sun is up until bedtime. I loved those summer nights in the sunlight. On this night we gathered under the sun at the Merchant's Bank parking lot to talk to this mysterious stranger. Of course since we were teenagers, we were there to make fun of him for being "strange". We made fun of his clothes and his shepherd's staff. We ridiculed him for his preaching. He told us he wasn't Jesus and wasn't trying to be, only trying to spread his message. We ridiculed him more. Looking back, I don't feel bad about this even though I joined in. We were kids. Kids are jerks.

I wish I could remember his name but I don't. I can't say that I took to his message about the gospel and the word of the Lord, but I did take something away. It was one of the deadly sins he might have told us about, given the time. I envied him. He told about quitting his job to walk the U.S. and spread his message. The job and life he had left behind were hundreds of miles away in Missouri. He had been walking for years leading this new life. He had visited small towns like ours and big cities I had only dreamed of seeing.

I knew the path that was laid out before me. I was intelligent, so there was no way I wasn't going to college. I knew I'd likely go into a business program because that's what people who still aren't sure what they want to do choose in college. Admit it, my fellow business majors, unless you picked one of the numbers based skills like finance or accounting, you basically just picked business because it was a step above liberal arts. I think every marketing, management, international business, retail management, hospitality management, organizational behavior, human resource management, and small business management major out there has a little wanderer in them. Why else would we pick a program we know does not have a definitive career waiting at the end? This was the route I was headed.

I revolted a little against the plan. I decided at the last minute I wanted to go to North Dakota State (Go Bison!) instead of the private Catholic school I had received a scholarship to attend. I did this without ever having toured the campus. Years later, when I wrapped up my degree for wanderers, I took my brother up on his offer to rent a room from him in Phoenix. As I made both these decisions, I thought about the man who gave up everything to walk the countryside. I have strayed from the planned path just enough to indulge my wandering spirit while still being a functioning and contributing member of society.

Fifteen years or so later, I'm sure that man (if he is still out there) would be a little disappointed that his message of salvation was not the one that resonated with me. A few days after the initial meeting, I was headed to the nearby big "city", Minot, to go shopping at the mall. We passed the man about 30 miles down the road dripping with sweat on a muggy North Dakota afternoon. As we passed him walking alongside the highway, part of me thought "that poor man", but mostly I just thought "that lucky son of a...."

I was going to wrap things up there (and it would have been a good Hollywood style finish) but I decided to do a little research. In the era of the Internet, I figured I might be able to come up with something if I dug for a while. It literally took me until the second item on Google to come across this



I have no clue if it's the same guy, but the story sounds familiar...

Free Bumper Stickers in Support of the Repping Rogue Wanderer Page

In support of the new section to this new section of the site I've got an extremely limited number (4 to be exact) of these bumper stickers to give away. All I ask as that you take a picture of where you posted the sticker to be added to the section. The first 4 people with U.S. addresses to comment on this article will get one mailed out for FREE!

A $5.50 value in the Shop

This Ain't My First Rodeo, Probably Because it was a Powwow

.....and it was my first Powwow.

My concept of wandering is not always about traveling somewhere different or doing something spontaneous or crazy. Unfortunately, my limited budget and other commitments do not always make that possible. Sometimes that means having the spend a weekend close to home. However, my goal for every weekend is to do or try something new. This website is the catalyst for me continuing to push myself outside of my comfort zone to experience the wide variety of things life has to offer.

Having grown up in the Dakotas where county fairs, rodeos, and dirt track racing are still major forms of entertainment, I have to admit that I'm a little embarrassed I had never been to a Powwow before. Now that I have been to one, I'm disappointed in myself for having missed out on so many opportunities to attend in the past. It would be insulting for me to even attempt to say I grasp the depth of the rituals and ceremonies of the weekend, but there were so many beautiful things I witnessed and heard that transcend culture. 

This past weekend, I knew Jenn's son had basketball games all weekend. We both really enjoy going to these games to see how much he keeps improving. He's getting really good! So with three days of games on tap, there was no way we would be headed out of town. On Friday morning, I found myself driving around near ASU wandering (procrastinating) before I went to my school to work on stuff for the site. One of the banner's for the ASU Powwow caught my eye and I knew that was the perfect activity for the weekend. When I mentioned it to Jenn that night, she said she had wanted to go too. I was excited for her to get to share part of her culture with me because it meant even though I would be stepping out of my comfort zone, I'd have her to help me feel comfortable.

We arrived late Saturday morning to witness the opening gourd dance ceremonies. Here are the things that really stood out to me during the day:

• The Comradery: The men in the gourd dance seemed very close with each other. Although they were representing different tribes and clans they often stopped to talk and share a laugh with other men in the circle, all while keeping perfect rhythm to the drum beat.
• The Amount of Effort in the Outfits: We were there early enough to see some of the participants putting together their regalia. One mother spent what seemed like an hour helping her daughter put in her braids with interwoven fox tails and putting together various parts of the ensemble using kit of tools that took up an entire suitcase. And that was for a child's outfit. I can't even begin to imagine how much time goes into some of the ones worn by the men and women.
• The Knowledge of Culture: Considering the only tradition I know anything about from my culture is that we drink and wear lederhosen at Oktoberfest, I was amazed by how much old and young people understand about the traditions of the powwow. There were certain times when photography was completely forbidden and crowd members were quick to call out anyone who did not abide. 
• The Sense of Community: Powwow dancers from all over North America were in attendance but they all seemed to know each other or at least felt like they knew each other. I'm sure sharing a passion for traditional dance is what binds them together, just like athletes of any sport are united by love of the game.
• The Energy of the Participants: This was especially true for the elders. I can only hope that I will be able to move with that much energy when I am their age. Heck, with some of them I wish I had as much energy as they have now. Despite the head to toe regalia, which had to be extremely hot in the Arizona sun, they were constantly moving. After 5 hours in the crowd, I needed shade, frozen yogurt, and about 2 hours laying around my apartment in my boxers with the AC blasting. These men and women would be dancing late into the night after I left. 
• The Colors and Movement: The only thing I can think to compare a powwow to is an amazing laser light show, but even more enjoyable because it is created by humans instead of electronics. I made the mistake of waiting until the next day to ask Jenn what I should have been watching for in the dances. I was mesmerized by the dancers feet, probably because that is what the types of dance I typically watch focus on foot movement. She told me I should have been watching for the flow of the outfits, their bodies, the colors, and yes, their feet. I guess I have something to watch for next time.

• Words with Tears: This is the part that most stood out to me. One of the dancers had recently lost a loved one. She was being honored in the powwow circle. So many people came up to make an offering to her, hug her, and give her words of condolences. This is when the announcer said something that really hit home for me. He said a word in his language and explained that it roughly translated to "words with tears". Sadly, I cannot remember the word and even if I could I would butcher it. I'm sure Jenn would love to tell you how much entertainment she gets from watching me try to pronounce the Navajo words she tries to teach me. I'm convinced there are syllables white tongues are incapable of replicating. The reason this hit home with me is that it was a bit of a revelation. Words with tears can hit with any emotion. Whether you're happy, sad, angry, or annoyed, words with tears come from a deeper place. They are the ultimate form of truth.

And this is where it comes back to how most of these stories have ended on my website so far. Unfortunately, there was a point in the weekend that included some words with tears that did not come from a happy place. Yes, Jenn and I do have fights on occasion, but she is still the only person I have ever wanted to keep working with to overcome these. When we had a chance to cool down I started to look back and remembered the concept of "words with tears". I thought about how many times in the last 8 months I have been so happy talking with her that I could feel the tears starting to well up. Although all "words with tears" come from a place of deeper emotion, these are the ones that matter most to me. The ones out of anger, sorrow, or annoyance will usually be forgotten. If you are lucky they will be forgotten quickly. It is the moments where the tears are out of pure, unadulterated happiness that I hope I never forget.

But of course I'm a guy and this is a public writing, so I'll let you make your own assumptions about whether or not I actually cried any of those times. 

  

Rogue Wanderer: A Child Labor Law Repeal Lobbying Firm?

Before I even attempt to explain the title of this one, I have to say I hope some day I run for political office and this is taken completely out of context in a nasty campaign ad. I can see it now.

(Queue the ominous music)

(Scary voice-over guy's voice chimes in): "Randy Miller says children are a precious resource who deserve access to top-notch education and healthcare, but in 2016 he wrote an article supporting the repeal of child labor laws. Do you want your baby working in a factory? Paid for by the committee to re-elect Trump."

Of course the Trump I'm referring to in that is a gentleman named Steve Trump in a hotly contested HOA Treasurer campaign. I don't get political on this site. Now to explain the title...

This past Thursday, I got to participate in one of my favorite activities each year, volunteering for an organization called Junior Achievement. Each year our company volunteer's to teach the organization's business focused curriculum to elementary school students. It is such a great time, but leaves me more exhausted than any 10+ hour day I put in at my real job. If you think teachers don't work hard, I dare you to try it for just one day.

Last names redacted because I figured it's probably not a good idea to put children's full names on a public website.

I taught 4th grade for the 3rd year in a row. I think that's a good grade for me. They're still too young to be cynical and not old enough to argue with an authority figure. I guess that also makes them young enough to actually consider me an "authority figure".

Obviously, I chose the title of this article to be attention-grabbing, but the more I think about it, the more it actually makes some sense. Child labor laws were created to protect children from dangerous working conditions during the Industrial Revolution. Since the U.S. has shifted to a knowledge based economy working conditions wouldn't be that dangerous for children to be employed in creative fields. Looking at it it from that prospective, I might have to support (insert the name of whichever politician you hate most, told you I don't get political here) when he/she comes out in support of repealing these outdated laws. Of course there is the whole ethical dilemma of little Timmy's creative spirit being shaped by Coca-Cola's marketing department from age 6 on up. So I guess I'll stick to the title just being a ludicrous attention-grabbing move....for now. But in case anyone is wondering here's why they would make great workers in the knowledge economy. 

1. Creativity: When I told the kids I was starting my own business and tried to explain that it was going to be based around my passion for spontaneous travel and creative thought, they suggested some names. Randy's Restaurant and Randy's Rock Band were two of my favorites. I have to say I love the idea of a name having nothing to do with the business. I think it would really work well for nightclubs. I can already imagine the hot new Scottsdale club spot Jim's Heating and Air Conditioning. Genius!
2. Attention to Detail: Even though every volunteer, teacher, and I failed to notice it my name tag said "4th Grade" followed by a clip art design that said "Third Grade Rocks!" At least half a dozen kids noticed without hearing another kid mention it first.
3. Too Young to Be Cynical: I touched on this a little bit, but watching them brainstorm in groups is amazing. Brainstorming is one of the things I think adult groups struggle with the most. You can always tell there are some people who are afraid to speak their minds in adult groups for fear of being embarrassed. For 4th graders, if one kid thinks they should start a hoverboard company knowing their only natural resources are twine and precious metals, the rest are ready to hear this plan out. 
4. Smart Enough to Know if Something Doesn't Make Sense: They may not be cynical, but they know when something doesn't add up and are not afraid to ask questions about it. I made the mistake of trying to explain my idea to start a company without knowing what kind of product or service I wanted to get into. Those kids were quick to light into me with questions that I think would have impressed any analyst for an investment bank. I was reminded of the episode of Seinfeld where Jerry and George pitch their show about nothing. I was trying to pitch the kids on my "company about nothing" while they asked me what my plan was for making money. 

All joking aside, I did start to get some ideas for possible business strategies based on the things the kids were saying. To put everyone's mind at ease lobbying to repeal child labor laws is not a possible direction....I swear it isn't! I prefer a better option: 

Encourage more adults to embrace child-like creativity.

How Does Sedona Differ from the Mayweather/Pacquiao Fight?

Other than the obvious answer - One is a geographic location and the other was a professional boxing match (astute observation for those who came up with it) - the answer to the question from the article title is: Sedona actually lives up to the hype! Oh sure, some boxing purists will argue Mayweather-Pacquiao was an excellent technical fight. But that's the same as a geography "purist" arguing Orrin, North Dakota is technically as nice as Sedona. I've seen great fights, Mayweather-Pacquiao was not one. I've been to both cities Orrin doesn't come close.

Since I moved to Arizona in the summer of 2007, I've heard the phrase "Sedona is gorgeous. You have to go!" at least 100 times. With all this hype, I was worried I was in for disappointment due to overly high expectations. Was I in for the Star Wars Episode I of scenic destinations? Thankfully, that was not anywhere near the situation...

Jenn and I rolled into Sedona from Cottonwood around 9:30 AM on Sunday morning. We headed straight to Old Towne Sedona to grab Sunday brunch. I have to say for a city that would seem to attract a brunch crowd, there really weren't many options in the Old Towne area. We settled at HP Cafe, one of the few cafes we could find. Breakfast was alright, nothing to spectacular. The ambiance was very nice, which made me feel a little awkward in my dusty hiking shoes and NDSU sweatshirt. I'm glad I didn't have any other clean clothes at the time because the couple seated next to us was from North Dakota.

I kind of take offense when I tell people I grew up in North Dakota and they follow with, "Oh! Do you know (insert name)?" Would you say that to someone from New York? The only problem is that usually within one or two degrees of separation I know someone who does know that person. In the case of the couple at brunch, their niece was my next door neighbor and her husband coached me in high school football. It really is a small world, especially when you're from a small state!

As for the actual hiking, we set out for Coffee Pot Rock via Teacup Trail. I knew Jenn wouldn't be able to resist a geologic feature with coffee in the name. The hike was nice and not too strenuous. The view is the one featured in the picture above. As an added bonus the trail is barely used, so even on a Sunday we had a pretty peaceful hike. It was a great warm-up hike. The mixture of colors in the views is amazing! It was much nicer to look at than the different shades of brown of most of the AZ desert scenery.

Our final stop for the day and for the trip was Devil's Bridge. I think what drew us to this out of all the landmarks in the area was that Devil's Bridge sounds dangerous and exciting. In reality, it's not all that dangerous but it is pretty exciting. We did the "strenuous" version of the hike. The only thing more strenuous was an extra few miles. The difficult portion was the part that was included in the easy hike too.

Devil's Bridge is an interesting landmark. The narrowness of the bridge makes you much more aware that there is nothing below you than Tonto Natural Bridge. While standing on the bridge, I know my palms were sweaty and my heart rate increased a little bit. I'm not sure what it is about suddenly losing your bearings just because you know there is no safety net. Any person standing on a 10 foot sidewalk wouldn't be afraid of falling off (draw your own life metaphor from that). Obviously, if you trip and fall you're going to land on the ground below your feet, not roll off to the side against all laws of physics.

But then again, something about Sedona seems to make things in the area immune to the laws of physics....

How?!

Drawbacks of Wandering: The Missed Train, the Hippie District, and the Tricky Museum

Tuzigoot National Monument

Jenn and I arrived at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, near Cottonwood, AZ at about 5 PM, Friday evening. The second we stepped out of the car, we realized it was going to be a windy, cold night. After fighting to set up the tent and the rest of the site, I realized I needed to get some batteries for the new LED lantern I had bought. We headed back to Cottonwood and stopped off at the local Safeway. After getting batteries and some much needed hot coffee from the Starbucks inside, we were back on the road. Because it was so cold out, we decided to keep driving rather than going back to the site.

We drove through Old Town Cottonwood, which was beautiful and lined with bars for those who enjoy a few drinks. We kept following the road until we hit Clarkdale. Faced with a fork in the road, we took it (R.I.P. Yogi). Actually, we went right, for those who don't know the reference. There we would find something we both thought was really cool. The Verde Canyon Railroad is made up of classic rail cars and launches out of the Clarkdale train depot. Neither of us could recall ever having been on a train before so we were excited to take a ride. However, we would quickly find out that it was completely booked for the only departure leaving that weekend. Out of desperation we showed up the next day to see if maybe someone had cancelled, only to watch as the train took off and we waived "bon voyage" to those who booked tickets in advance. We will be back, Verde Canyon Railroad! Next time with tickets in hand.

When you miss out on something, don't sulk. Move on quickly to the next adventure.

Backtracking a little to the rest of Friday night, after discovering the depot and hatching our plan to return the next day to see if we could get lucky, we continued our drive through Clarkdale. The sun had just set when we entered a pretty rundown looking neighborhood. I began rapidly searching for the fastest way out. Living in Phoenix has taught me to fear rough looking neighborhoods with old dilapidated houses after dark. Looking closer, I realized these were intentionally rustic looking buildings and it dawned on me that we had entered a Hippie District. I'm sure that's not the official name for it, but there was nothing to fear other than the possibility of someone offering to show us their artwork. After exiting Clarkdale, we continued on toward Jerome. Although it was night time, it was obvious how beautiful the views would be from the town. We knew this would be on the top of our agenda for Saturday.

We must be getting accustomed to sleeping in cold weather, because we slept fine that night despite 40 degree temps and strong winds. Saturday morning, we surprised to see runners heading through the campgrounds as part of the city's marathon weekend races. The 10k headed right through our camping loop. We had looked into doing a race on Friday night when we found out it was marathon weekend. Although that would have been a great story to tell, the race day prices were a little higher than I wanted to pay just to tell the story of how we ran a race on a whim.

After completing a nice nature hike around the campgrounds and taking the trip to the train depot I mentioned earlier, we visited Tuzigoot National Monument. The size of the adobe built at Tuzigoot is amazing to see. You find yourself imagining what daily life was like 800 years ago living in this ancient apartment complex on a hill. The view of the Verde River Valley is stunning from the location.

Our final stop for the day was returning to Jerome to see how amazing it looked in daylight. The night before I noticed the sign for "Jerome Historic State Park". Considering the views from town were great, I spent the next day dreaming about how great the hiking would be at the "Jerome Historic State Park". State parks and national monuments have been the fallback on these trips for great hiking. However, "Jerome Historic State Park" was not a "state park" in the way I have come to know them. We paid our $7 apiece and I hoped the ranger would hand us our park map with all the hiking trails on it. Apparently, throwing the word "historic" in the title is the Arizona State Parks Department's way of duping nature lovers into going to a "museum". Tricky, tricky move AZ State Parks! I'll be more careful in the future.

Despite the trickery, "Jerome Historic Museum" was alright. One particular piece stood out to me. I was reading one of the displays about the former owner of the mansion that houses the museum, James Douglas, Jr. I realized he kind of fit the ever evolving definition of a wanderer I've been working on in these posts. He went to medical school, but never finished. He started to become a minister, but never finished. Finally he found himself working for Phelps Dodge mining company, creating innovative mining techniques, and eventually becoming the president of the company. If I had to guess, I don't think this was the type of man who worked off 5 year plans. During those early years, I'm sure he was not lost, just wandering. So I guess I'm not totally upset with AZ State Parks for tricking me into learning something.

Our last stop that day was a walk through the town. If there were to be a Holy City of the concept of wandering, Jerome, Arizona would be it. From what I can tell the town is comprised of three things: art studios, bars, and bed and breakfasts. An average Saturday afternoon in Jerome feels like a festival. The streets are filled with people, the bars are packed, and the restaurants are full. Other than the view we had at dinner, the highlight for me was the musician who set up shop in the middle of town. We saw him walking when we first got into town. I know my initial thought was "what an oddball". But when we passed by him signing later in the afternoon, I was blown away. For all I know he could have been the lead singer of a great rock band. On that day he was the best street musician I've ever heard.

Speaking of that view from dinner....

Alright, I realize that this weekend was way too much to pack into one post, so I'll write about Sedona later this week. But let me wrap up with my favorite memory from this week's trip. Like the rest, it had nothing to do with the beautiful scenery, the amazing hiking, or the learning moments I was tricked into having (I will not forget, AZ State Parks!) It was sitting at the campsite Saturday night talking with Jenn. I started asking random questions about her favorite things.

The "game" continued back and forth for a while and eventually moved into the tent. She told me about one of her favorite childhood memories, which led me down the path of thinking about my childhood. I thought about crab apple picking at my grandpa's house and the drives he would take his grandchildren on every Sunday night in the country. I remembered at his funeral how they said he loved to hunt and trap, but this was a side of him I never knew. The only thing I remember was the appreciation he had for the deer we would see on these trips. Even though my love of nature is somewhat new found, those country drives were the early seeds. I wish I could go on one of those drives with him today.

The trips Jenn and I take continue to remind me I'm still learning about her. The more I learn about her the more I remember about myself. This is why I love those moments more than anything I can capture on my camera.

Wish You (All) Were Here

As we were driving to our weekend destination near Cottonwood, AZ, I made a remark to Jenn I had to take a moment to reflect upon. We were talking about how boring her younger sons would think these trips are. We figured they would say "why do you guys do this?" I know this is what I would have said to my parents. In fact, I used to hate our weekends at Lake Metigoshe growing up. Only in my "old" age do I realize what I missed out on.

Returning to the statement I made, I told Jenn "I would gladly just take two days to stare at a tree". This had me wondering if it was really true and why my younger self couldn't stop moving or occupying myself with some distraction at all times. As a kid those distractions were tv, video games, movies, or watching sports. As an adult, bar hopping and clubbing took the place of those distractions. Of course I still like all of those things, but in a lot more moderation. Now as I move toward middle age the distractions are no longer needed. Some would probably say these trips are just another form of distraction and I guess in some ways they are. But staring at the sky on a beautiful Saturday afternoon with a mountain backdrop or strolling by a river is a much more peaceful distraction than screaming at a video game, vegging out to tv, or drinking until you blackout. As I sit here I wish everyone could enjoy this moment and take in a deep breath of fresh spring air.

Origin Story: The Slogan

This one started as BABB (that's what I'm calling it these days) post, but after getting into it I quickly realized it had more of a Wanderer vibe to it. So here goes...

Like most of the things that have taken place for this "company" so far, the slogan development strategy was pretty spontaneous. I had this grand vision once I had my subscribers I could outsource the slogan to them or do a "sort-of market test" by polling my readers about potential slogans. Sounds like a good well thought out strategy, right? But that's not really how things work with this project/business/pipe dream of mine. Instead....I chose mine because it looked awesome on a bumper sticker.

"Not Lost, Just Wandering"

Despite the haphazard way this came about, the slogan does have a lot of personal significance to me. When I think about the concept of a person being "lost" in life, it brings me back to a conversation I had with one of my college roommates at a pivotal point in our lives. 

He had just learned that his life was about to be going through some major changes. The end result of these changes was that he would be moving out and the rest of the roommates would be going our separate ways when the lease ended. The circumstances led to one of the last meals we would all have together. We were at our favorite Chinese buffet scarfing down kung pao and sweet and sour chicken, engaged in a much deeper conversation than our usual sports, girls, or booze talk. Although much of the conversation focused on his nerves about his changing circumstances, there is a moment that has stuck with me to this day. He looked at me and said:

"My friend, I think you're lost, but when you find yourself you'll do great things."

Okay, that's not really exactly what he said, so let's dispense with the Hollywood treatment for a second. It was actually something more like, "Miller, I think you're kind of lost, but when you find yourself it'll be cool. I don't know if you'll be good in business or whatever...maybe you'll be a porn star. But when it happens..."(and then I think he just kind of trailed off). If there is ever a book or movie about my life after I'm gone, make sure they go with the first version. It's much more inspirational. 

Regardless of the actual words in the conversation, the first version is what I took out of it. For years, I have to say I considered myself "lost". I've never been quite sure what direction my life should head. This also might be why I was single as long as I was before I met Jenn. You know that standard first or second date question "where do you see yourself in five years?", well 5 year planning is not my strong suit. This might be the reason I was so dumbfounded when the VP of Marketing asked where I see myself in 2 years. I had learned to make up stories for 5 years and 10 years to get people off my back. Two years had me stumped. Two years took the concept from abstract to concrete. Two years forced a crisis of thought. 

No matter how I looked at it, I thought to be a "normal" person, I had to be able to come up with an answer to that question. I racked my brain for two weeks trying to answer the question to no avail. Then came the first trip that sparked this idea and since then it's all been based around "What's wrong with wandering?" Great things can happen when a well-equipped wanderer finds him or herself in the right position. Here we come to an important distinction. Bad things can happen to wanderers who are not well-equipped. Homelessness, addiction, and other generally terrible life conditions may await those wanderers. But if a well-equipped wanderer hadn't found himself in a calligraphy class our computer fonts might be boring, the innovative spirit that led to PCs might not have been fueled, and cell phones would be just.....well phones, not a world of information in our hands. I think most people who don't know the story probably figured out who that wanderer was. Just like that man, I don't think I've ever been lost....

Just Wandering

Waterlogged Wandering: Education, Art, and the Feminine Hygiene Aisle

I may not be an extreme athlete, crazy thrill seeker, or adrenaline junkie but I wouldn't exactly consider myself boring either. Just since I started this site, I've braved below freezing temps with only a thin sleeping bag, slept in a forest known to have bears and mountain lions, and chosen to complete a difficult hike with little water after mistakenly going 3 miles out of the way (with a huge tear in the crotch of my shorts I should add). However, this weekend I took my wandering to a place many men fear.....THE FEMININE HYGIENE AISLE! But first....

Rainy weekends in Phoenix are few and far between, so when these weekends hit the wandering spirit takes a bit of a backseat. The original plan called for an afternoon watching Jenn's sons play youth basketball on Saturday, then hitting the road again for another day trip similar to last weekend's Tucson plan. But it's time to add another Principle to the list:

Just because something is planned, doesn't mean you need to do it.

This should probably be pretty obvious since I mentioned before that planning is the thing I hate most about travel. I guess the weekend trips are were starting to get a little routine, so maybe this is a good reminder that we can always shake it up a little.

The weekend began by trying out a new pho restaurant. We had been pretty loyal to our normal spot, but Jenn and I happened to be close to Scottsdale so we decided to try Pho Cao. I'll keep it short here since I'll talk about this place in the Places Wandered section later in the week, but the direct quote from Jenn was "best pho I've ever had." This is coming from a woman who would eat pho for every meal if possible. After pho we decided to take it easy and just go to a movie, but first we had to stop by Target to get some supplies. This is when things got pretty interesting.

Our Target wandering led us down the aforementioned aisle. The trip started on a funny note when Jenn spotted a young couple in the aisle purchasing condoms. Unable to control her response to the sight of teenagers acting responsibly, she let out an "Awwww....cute!" when she saw them. I'm still not sure if they heard it or if they were just embarrassed by the two "adults" joining them in the aisle, but they scattered quickly after.

Now that we were alone, I was able to take in the vastness of the product selection laid out before my eyes. There are more pads, liners, and applicators than I think any man is capable of comprehending a need. Of all of these products one box caught me eye more than any. I won't plug a brand here (unless a certain two letter brand wants to throw some ad money my way) but the product was labeled "Pro Comfort". I made the jokes I think any man in my position is obligated to make:

"I had no clue women could go pro in menstruation"
and,
"What constitutes an amateur period?"
and of course,
"Does that mean they can't make the Olympic Menses team?"

For some reason I don't think Jenn found this nearly as humorous as I did.

As for the "art" portion of this post, after the basketball games we decided to scrap the travel plans for the weekend and stay close to home. This was mostly my call since I felt like sleeping in my own bed after a long week. Our Saturday stop was at the Tempe Festival of the Arts. My goal was to find one painting or picture to put up in my apartment. One of the first places we stopped was an artist who painted a lot of galactic art using only drumsticks. So many of his paintings would have went well with my science and nature theme for artwork in my apartment. Realizing that the oil canvas works were well out of my price range, I considered buying one of his reprints but balked in hopes of finding "something better". Although we would see many gorgeous works of art that day, no oil canvas would come close to my "price range". I won't even say what that range was since I don't want to draw the ire of the art aficionados. By the time we made our way back to his tent he had already closed up shop and I was left longing to have one of his reprints. Lesson learned!

Education is probably the area I have wandered the most in my life. Here are the stats:

Total college credits (all levels): 237
Undergrad credits: 144
Psychology minor: 18
Marketing minor: 18
Human Resources minor (didn't complete): 15
Graduate credits: 93
MBA credits: 36
MA credits: 54
Human Dynamics concentration credits: 15
Innovative Leadership concentration credits: 15
Master of Public Administration credits: 3

And that last number is where I'm at today, when I decided to wander a different direction. I had chosen the MPA program because I was interested in getting into a position where I could contract with the government or maybe going into politics at some point in my life. This all changed last Friday afternoon. I sat in my study room at campus trying to focus on reading about "Law and the Public Administrator", a subject I had specifically requested as my second class of the program. Despite having loved every law class I've taken in my life, I just could not focus. Every time I tried, I hopped back onto this site and had to tinker with something else of the site or the new site I'm working on (Build A Biz Backward). I knew that I wasn't as passionate about "education for the sake of education" for the first time in a long time.

I'm not sure what it is that draws me to this: storytelling, writing, marketing, website design, entrepreneurship, or maybe just creative control. But at this point in my life, I LOVE this! I have to stress, I don't recommend wandering in education to anyone. In fact, my job pretty much entails trying to keep students pointed in the right direction. This is where I can count one of the great blessings of my life, the right job at the right time. People take shots at for-profit education companies and some of it is might be deserved. However, I will always believe that education is what a person makes out of it. I have worked hard. I have expanded my horizons. Most importantly, I have gone into every course open minded with a desire to grow professionally and personally.

And with that I wandered my way into the pursuit of becoming a:

Master of Science in Information Systems

***Check out more of my favorite items in the Rogue Recommendations section***

Wandering is Better with a Companion

Just as I have Jenn as my wandering companion, Rogue Wanderer needs a companion too. For that reason I'm excited to announce the launch of the new companion site (drum roll......)

Build A Biz Backward!!!!!!!!

The new companion site, will go more in-depth into the business successes and struggles as I try to develop the passions that led to writing the Rogue Wanderer blog into some sort of business enterprise. The saying goes if you love what you do, you'll never work a day of your life. Well I love doing this, so now I just need to figure out the never working a day of my life part. That's what BABB will be all about. Check out the first post, where I discuss my "what's-the-worst-that-could happen strategy".

Fargo City Bus Tour: You Probably Won't Find it on Yelp

Yes, I have in fact verified you will not find a review of the Fargo, North Dakota city bus on Yelp. I guess it's not really your typical tourist destination. Which is why my Fargo City Bus Tour 2013 kind of defines what I mean with the term "wandering".

I had flown back to Fargo attend a good friend's wedding. I regularly fly Allegiant Air for these trips because it is the only airline with direct flights into ND from Arizona. The drawback is flights go in Friday and don't go out until Monday night. This meant I was stuck in town after my friends had all taken off to return to the cities they now call home. Here's a simple equation to describe the predicament I found myself in:

Hotel Checkout = 11:00 AM,

Flight Leaving = 7:50 PM, 

Flight Leaving - Hotel Checkout = A Whole Lot of Time to Kill

I assume most people would probably pack it in for the weekend, head to the airport, and wait for the flight. As a proud North Dakota State Alumni, I had spend 5 years of my life in Fargo, but I honestly had no clue what to do with my free time in the city. Truthfully along with a formal education, my college years had given me a vast knowledge of the cities college-age bars, pubs, and clubs. Something about being an adult with a career told me that getting drunk on a Monday afternoon, by myself, and then boarding a plane wasn't a great idea. 

The only choice I saw was to wanderer. I walked out of the Howard Johnson - Downtown (I know, I'm a balla, haha) with the one bag I had packed for the trip and started walking. Within a few blocks I hit the city's bus depot. What better way to get to know the city, then by using the public transportation I never used while I lived there.

A dreary, rainy, cold Monday afternoon on a bus in Fargo made me feel like I was in a really depressing movie. That really seems like something that would kick off Sundance. But I got to see the city in a way I never had before which is way better than sitting at a boring airport. At the end of the line, I realized the bus doesn't get any closer than about 2 miles from the airport. I started walking toward the airport.

(Two days earlier, but the weather was the same)

Almost instantly the rain and wind picked up, but I can be a little stubborn when I set my mind to something. Rather than calling a cab I was determined to make the walk to the airport. I can only imagine what drivers were thinking as they saw me walking down a completely empty stretch of road toward the airport, soaking wet. 

By the time I got there my clothes were drenched! I went to the bathroom to discover the only things I had that weren't wet were the dress pants I wore to the wedding, the NDSU t-shirt I bought, and my flip-flops. I spent the next 30 minutes or so trying to dry my sweatshirt under the hand dryer in the bathroom. Even with the sweatshirt on, the dirty look from the TSA agent was a pretty strong reminder this was not standard apparel in Fargo in mid-October. 

Despite wearing dirty clothes and a wet sweatshirt and generally feeling miserable, the person I felt the worst for was the unlucky woman sitting next to me on the plane. For having to put up with my stench- which I assume was a combo of a dirty clothes hamper and a wet dog - she truly was a victim of my wandering ways. 

Welcoming Guest Wanderers!

Do you have an interesting or funny story about a spontaneous trip? Have you met someone interesting while traveling and you want to tell their story? Maybe you're like me and love to travel on a whim and just want to share your reflections on your experiences.

Rogue Wanderer is welcoming Guest Wanderers!

If you're interested in writing a piece for the website let me know. You can comment at the bottom of this article, message me at the Facebook page, or contact me by any method of communication if you know me personally. There is no compensation at this time, but guest blogging is a great way to get exposure for your writing to a new audience. I'm also open to writing guest blogs for your site in return. 

If selected guests are welcome (and encouraged) to share links to their articles and republish articles and pictures to personal sites. Once accepted and published Guest Wanderers relinquish the right to request to have their work removed from the site (but I'm open to removal if the situation warrants). I reserve the right to remove the work at a later date. Posts may also be included in featured posts sections of the site or on a separate page for guest posts and may be republished by Rogue Wanderer at a later date. Any submitted work may be edited for style, grammar, or length. If edits are made, you will be allowed final approval of the work. Basically, don't worry I won't be a jerk :)

Exit 219: A Place for Rock-Climbing, Ostrich-Feeding, Porn Enthusiasts

Sure I could have gone with an obvious title for this weekend's recap post, but something like Exploring Southern Arizona or Seven Falls Trail: Tough Hike but Worth It just didn't seem as attention grabbing. Even though, it was my attention grabber I'll come back to the title later. Stay tuned.

As for the weekend, my original plan as I stated in the last post was to do a little local wandering. This is exactly what we did on Friday. Before Jenn got off work, I decided to use my to try to find a new trail to hike. My strategy was to go south of my place and just drive straight until, I hit Estrella Mountain. Unfortunately, there is this stuff called private land, that prevents that from happening. Anyway, I did find a new trail but it was on South Mountain (the system I hike all the time). Just when it looked like it would be a complete flop for new discoveries, I found a road side pinon stand in Laveen that had roasted and salted bags. I wanted to surprise Jenn because she had never been able to find roasted and salted pinons in the area, so I drove home and drove her all the way back. $40 worth of pinons later we were off for the next adventure.

After some delicious Korean Fried Chicken at Crazy Chicken Crazy Crab in Chandler, we laid around the apartment attempting to digest and figure out something for the night. The final plan would be us showing up too late to buy tickets to a comedy show, starting out over Tempe Town Lake, and watching The Struts in concert. The funniest part about this was that we sat and ate frozen yogurt on a bench while the rest of the crowd rocked out.

So Friday was okay, but Saturday was the start of the weekend adventure. I already posted about Destination Roulette so I won't get into that, but it's a fun game. If you're interested in wandering, I highly suggest playing. Tucson turned out pretty good. Our luck streak continued with us landing a campsite in the first place we stopped, Molino Basin. The campsite was gorgeous, with great views of the nearby mountains.

Sunday we woke up early to attempt our chosen trail, Seven Falls in the Sabino Canyon rec area. The hike was a moderate 8.2 mile out and back path. Jenn and I decided (subconsciously, I guess) that 8.2 just wasn't hard enough, so we decided to add an extra 3 miles of trail in the completely wrong canyon system. Tip to anyone who hikes the trail, when you get to the sign that's difficult to tell which path it's pointing to, stay on the paved path. The hike is long, I'd recommend bringing a lot of water if you hike in the afternoon. The creek crosses on the path are really nice and there's a great spot to dip your sore feet about 3 miles in. The falls are gorgeous, with some nice wading pools.

Unfortunately - here comes the embarrassing but honest portion of my blogging - right as we begun our final assent into the falls I stretched my leg a little further than my shorts wanted to allow. Anyone who has ever experienced the shear terror of the sound of ripping cloth, can probably put themselves in my shoes. There it was the same tear I experienced in my most embarrassing first date story (long story, different blog), a tear right by my "special area". I would spend the rest of my time observing the falls knowing that my boxers were in full view. That put a little damper on such an amazing sight. Out of fear that I'd end up getting arrested for indecent exposure, I skipped out climbing to the top of the falls. Being a good girlfriend, Jenn stuck by my side. I'm sad my embarrassment cost her a chance to enjoy the falls in all their glory.

Before I wrap this whole thing up in a nice little bow, I guess I should address my attention grabbing headline. On the drive back, I notice something that I didn't catch on the drive down: Exit 219. I remembered catching each individual element: the really cool peak, the ostrich farm, and the porn store billboards. What hadn't dawned on me is that all 3 were at the same exit in the middle of nowhere between Phoenix and Tucson. This is one of those interesting things I've come to appreciate about traveling by car and something people who only travel by plane miss out on. Somehow, in the middle of nowhere a state park, an ostrich farm, and a porn store have defied all business related demographic research by managing to coexist and somehow stay operational over the years. Queue the Lee Greenwood God Bless the USA to add some extra patriotism to that thought.

And now the bow, I admit I let the clothing tear ruin what should have been amazing time in nature. My self-conscious side took over and took me out of the moment. Luckily, I have pictures to remind me of the Falls. The part of the hike that I remember and will probably always remember is a moment when we were nearly done with the hike. I was exhausted, hot, and a little dehydrated. I looked out and saw a beautiful view of the valley below and then I looked behind us and saw something that made it worthwhile. It was the shadow of Jenn and I holding hands.

Take pictures of the sights so you can remember. Soak up the important moments so you never forget. 

Destination Roulette

Origibally I thought this post would be about local wandering in the Phoenix area. Since Jenn's sons had basketball games Saturday afternoon, it didn't seem like we would be able to get too far away from the area. But just when all hope seemed lost, we stopped by a mall food court loaded with Arizzona tourist info. We grabbed all the pamphlets for stuff that we wanted to see at some point.

After we loaded up on travel literature, the lightbulb moment hit! We decided to play a game of destination roulette. We narrowed it down to locations we could get to before sunset, tossed a quarter at them and where it landed we were headed. Tucson was the winner. 15 minutes to pack a bag, load the tent and sleeping bags and we are off! Let's see what southern AZ has to offer....

The World Is My Rat Park

I promise I don't plan on doing too many of these types of posts, so bare with me.

The other day there was a Facebook share from a friend that caught my eye because it really does apply to this project I'm calling Rogue Wanderer. The post by Michelle Lewis discussed a study by Bruce K. Alexander he called Rat Park. I promise you I have not checked the validity of the study and I don't know if it is peer-reviewed. I speak from a purely anecdotal point of view.

To sum up the study:

• Rat group 1 is in a cage with nothing to do. They are exposed to two bottles of water. One is pure drinking water and the other is laced with cocaine. The rats can't get enough of the cocaine water and barely touch the regular water. This group either finishes all the cocaine water or OD's in the process.
• Rat group 2 gets a rat utopia. These rats are given space to roam, plenty of exercise equipment, exposure to other rats, and other fun activities. These rats stick mostly to the regular water and stay off the cocaine water. The live happy, healthy rat lives. 

So...how does this apply to this blog, or company, or website, or foolhardy dream I've decided to start? Before we began going on these weekend adventures, I lived in the boring cage. This is a cage I referred to as the "Ahwatukee Bubble". The bubble consisted of my apartment, the complex pool, 2 sports bars, and local dance club all within a 2 mile area. While occupying the bubble most weekend nights included having drinks at one of these five locations. I wouldn't say I was on my way to becoming a "friend of Bill W" but I wasn't really living life.

A girlfriend to push me, a tent to sleep in, a sleeping bag and blankets to stay warm, and a smartphone to guide the way and just like that the world became my rat park. The cage was opened. The "bubble" had burst.

Since we started wandering I can count the number of nights I've gone drinking on one hand. More importantly, I can't say this bothers me. I don't look forward to the weekends so that I can pull up a bar stool to unwind from a stressful week anymore. I look forward to the weekends so I can wander around in the rat park.