The Cone Heard Around the World

IT STARTED OUT AS INNOCENT FUN.

In the fall of 2013 my dad convinced my mom to join us on a cross country road trip from New Jersey to Los Angeles in a C3 camper. I was stoked to be able to explore so much of the country that I have never seen. We were going to go to all of the big state parks in the north west like Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, the Redwood national forest, and more. I could not wait to get out and see everything I had read about in social studies classes all through elementary school.

My dreams were crushed when two days into our trip. I was staying with my sorority sister from Ohio State on my parent’s anniversary and I got a news alert that the government had shut down. I was devastated. Not only were we not allowed in the parks now, but what was the point of driving all this way for nothing? We had only made it to Ohio so far and we were at least a day or two out from South Dakota depending on where we would stop to sleep. My parents picked me up the next morning, I was hung over, wearing the same clothes as the night before, and I probably smelled.

I went into the camper bathroom and tried to puke but couldn’t so I put my head phones in, sat in the passenger seat next to my dad and giggled to myself as I listened to “Iowa Stubborn” from the Music Man while we drove across Iowa (Don’t worry you can click the link to see what song I am talking about so you can laugh too). As beautiful as fly over states are, there is a reason when you are trying to get from point A to point B you fly. Highways in flyover states are seriously a drag. Although the first hour and a half was pretty entertaining, that shit gets old quick and you can only make so many “corny” jokes.

THINGS STARTED TO GET WEIRD.

We stopped briefly at the Corn Palace just to say that we did it and then made our way to the Badlands National Park… even though it was closed. Here is where things got a bit interesting. My dad slowed down when we came up to the entrance and realized there was not a single person around. With the rangers all off work we decided to take our chances and my dad drove over the cones and into the park. We hadn’t come all this way for nothing.

We pulled off at a parking lot that was coned off and my dad and I started snapping a few pictures. I snapped a photo of myself giving a thumbs up next to the “this national park service is closed” sign and said it would be funny if my dad threw a cone and mom took a photograph. My dad started laughing and we took a few action shots of him throwing the cone until we got the perfect picture with the cone in the air above his head.

MY DAD THINKS HE IS A CELEBRITY.

My mom and I posted a photo on Facebook and I captioned it “‘This national park service is closed. Oh yeah? You and what government workers are going to stop me?'”. A family joke meant to be shared between us and friends would soon be plastered all over Facebook and we had no idea.

First, someone made a meme out of my caption and the photograph. Then, the meme was posted on twitter and Fox News was tagged in the photo. By the time we reached California someone from Fox News had tweeted it, put it on Facebook, and wrote a blog post about it. Over 100,000 likes and shares later, my mom’s phone had imploded from constant messages, likes, and shares. The entire time we were in Los Angeles my dad kept talking about ‘getting an agent’ and saying he was being ‘recognized’ everywhere to make my mom and I laugh.

I am not even joking with you when I say how serious it is that you pay attention to what you put on the internet because one embarrassing photograph could very well be EVERYWHERE within 24 hours. One thing most people don’t even consider when they think about people in the spot light, is that you receive a massive amount of hate mail. People who have never met you have serious personal opinions about you. If this should ever happen to you, the best thing to do is to not read any of it. The negativity seriously isn’t worth any of your time at all. Don’t waste your energy and give in to angry people sitting behind a computer.

If you think I was joking about any or all of this story I am not because here is a direct link to the twitchy site written by a Fox News journalist who shared everything on her Facebook page.

Suck It Up And Bike Your Volcano.

 step out of your comfort zone.

I could feel the adrenaline pulsing through my veins as I stood at the entrance to the Haleakala national park and tried not to think about the descent down the side of the volcano. The ascent was easy mainly because it was before the sunrise and I couldn’t see just how high we really were. Post sunrise, you could tell we were at least 8,000 feet above sea level. My knees buckled as they called my number and handed me my old rickety bike with worn out brakes. “I’m suppose to ride this all the way down!? You have got to be joking,” I thought to myself. 

Up until the last 3 years of my life I didn’t do anything outside of my comfort zone. I have severe and crippling anxiety at times and my whole life I played it “safe”. Something changed when I turned twenty four years old. I did everything my parents had told me to do my entire life. I never paved the way for myself and I didn’t really have to fight for anything on my own ever. On my 24th birthday I realized I felt kind of cheated out of that experience in life. How can you truly be successful if you didn’t fight for what you want? When my now husband asked me to move one thousand miles away I instantly knew I had to say yes. So I did.

Just give in.

“LET’S GO!” Our guide screamed.  I wanted to cry and scream and laugh all at the same time. I was all the way in the back, that meant I would have to keep up with everyone else. Part of me wanted to throw my hand up and jump in the van for the ride down. The other part of me was screaming to just let go and enjoy the ride. One by one the bikes started to move and I had to make a decision, give up or give in. So I thought of my spin instructor’s favorite tag line “Don’t give up, give in”. I strapped on my helmet, took my feet off the ground and gave in.

Deciding to move a thousand miles away from my family and friends was hard. I had already committed to going, but I was still silently looking for an out. Instead of letting myself be upset, I thought about my life. I was trying to figure out who I really was, and in order to do that you need to push yourself. I had Brandon as an amazing support system and my family would still be just a phone call away. This would be my chance to make it on my own. I had to let go of my fear and push my boundaries.

there is nothing more satisfying than facing your fears.

Once we got going, I realized all the anxiety and fear of biking Haleakala was in my head. The scariest part of the entire ride, was everything I was telling myself leading up to it. The ride itself was relaxing, beautiful, AMAZING, and awe-inspiring. We rode through a lavender farm, a pine forest, sugar cane fields, and towns. Ending the route with an awesome view of the beach and pacific ocean. In a total of 6 hours I had froze my butt off at over 10,000 feet, watched the sun rise from above a volcanic crater, biked down about 24 miles of volcano, and stood on the beach. If you want to talk about exhilarating, THAT is exhilarating. 

Moving to Wisconsin and away from everything I knew and loved was one of the best things I have ever done. I still am searching to find out who I truly am. I’m constantly growing as a person and I believe travel is one of the best ways to do that. There were 3 major turning points in my life that have made me who I am today. The first, was a cross country road trip with my parents in 2013. The second, was the day I met my husband (ultimately  leading to the day I chose to marry him and move 1,000 miles away). The third, was the day I chose to face my fears and bike down a volcano on a bike that was about 25 years old and falling apart.

do not let your fear hold you back.

If there is something you want, do not let the fear of anything hold you back. Fear is the opposite of love. Love makes your life better, fear will keep you from doing the things you love. Give yourself enough credit to know that you will come out on top, and fear is only an emotion. Face your fears. Fear cannot hurt you, so find your volcano and bike the hell out of it.

face your fearsface your fear

[The company we used for our tour we found through Viator, the price was fair and the service was fantastic. We had a great time with our guides and enjoyed every minute of our trip. We enjoyed coffee in a small ‘cowboy’ town about halfway down the volcano. Everyone was really nice and our instructors seemed to be having a great time too. We definitely recommend using Mountain Riders if you decide to book.If you have a little more experience riding, you can also solo ride the same route. Experienced biker? Try biking UP the volcano and do the Cycle to the Sun ride.]

My Ultimate Travel Bucketlist

Everyone should have a bucket list. One of the most important things to do daily is to set goals for yourself. Setting goals both longterm and short term is one of the most effective ways to achieve them. Write them down, put them on your fridge, and continually add to it. My list always gets longer, but I have narrowed my list down to a few big travel goals I want to share. Feel free to share your own travel goals in the comments section.

  • Visit all 50 states in the United States
  • Hike the grand canyon with Brandon
  • Skii in Colorado
  • See the northern lights
  • Hike Reykjavik in Iceland
  • See all 7 new wonders of the world
  • Hike to Machu Picchu
  • Drive the entire Pacific Coastal Highway
  • Visit the Mayan Ruins
  • Paraglide in Pokhara, Nepal
  • Visit Wat Mahathat Ayutthaya in Thailand (The tree buddha)
  • Backpack the Great Wall of China
  • Take an African Safari
  • Visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras
  • See my grandfather’s hometown of Cerva, Italy
  • See the Amafi Coast
  • Gondola Ride through Venice
  • Climb to the top of the eiffel tower.
  • Watch the sunset on the top of l’arc de triomphe 
  • See the Mona Lisa in the Louvre
  • enjoy macaroons from Laduree Bonaparte in Paris
  • Hike the Dom in Switzerland
  • Complete a First Cliff Walk over Grindelwald in Switzerland
  • Visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany
  • See the Cliffs of Moher
  • Travel to London, England
  • Hike Rotorua and Fiordland National Park in New Zealand
  • Spend New Years Eve in Sydney, Australia
  • Hike Lynn Peak, St Mark’s Summit, and Norman Falls in Vancouver, BC

The above list is a short more consolidated one of my original. Please feel free to add your travel bucket list items in the comments!