Many know this and more do not, that in 1997 I was the first person to windsurf from Los Angeles to Maui on a custom windsurfer that I designed and built. This journey was a ten year quest, took 47 days, and I did the entire trip with no support or escort boat. See more at www.ToursMaui.com
My inspiration to be really focused on this windsurf journey came from many sources. One was the song “Crazy” by Seal, another was the decathalon athletes made famous by Reebok, Dan and Dan, and another was the survivors of the concentration camps of World War II.
Imagine living in forced labor, little or no food or water, and the constant concerns for your life. Many survivors spent 4-5 years in this type of scenario. I have visited Auschitz in Poland and could only try to imagine what they had to go through.
I write this article sitting in MauiSkiBus.com, in an Albertson’s parking lot in Sante Fe, New Mexico. The setting has a few candles, some soft music, an award beer, Carolyn Flaherty cozy playing cards, the dogs outside chewing on elk hooves from Flagstaff, AZ., with a busted leaf spring on MauiSkiBus.com. So another little obstacle to overcome, nothing compared with the explanation above.
I do not desire to be too philosophical here, but obstacles come to us all, and usually they are no big deal. Just a speedbump in the road of human life. My attempt to ski 100 different ski resorts in the western USA/Canada has weather obstacles{very light snowfall} and mechanical obstacles{on MauiSkiBus.com} Minor, I have food, water, a warm place to sleep, and a whole winter to look forward to.