SARGE AND ME: Eastern Tour 2021 – Part 5 – Brooklyn, New York
This thought I had – will determine a person worthy of traveling with Monaya or not. To this day, the German doesn’t know who Anthony Bourdain is.
VINTAGE AUTOMOTIVE
SARGE AND ME: Eastern Tour 2021 – Part 4 – Long Island, New York
“I am blessed, I am smart, and I can do anything.” These are the words I repeat to myself every day, a mantra to help me feel confident and self-assured. But as I sat across the table from him, I realized that men are not immune to insecurities and self-doubt. I asked him if his mother had ever told him he was perfect just the way he was born, something I had heard a mother say to her son. When I asked if he knew what body dysmorphia was, his response surprised me. The more we talked, the more I came to understand the depths of male insecurities.
I thought I was aware of these issues, but I had forgotten that men will go to great lengths to prove a point, just like women do. As he shared his secret, I felt the weight of the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and physical insecurities. His story blew the doors off what I thought I knew about the subject, reminding me that we all have our struggles and that we must support each other in our journeys.
SARGE AND ME: Eastern Tour 2021 – Part 3- Portland, Maine
Like a curious little boy, this man peered around his new Denali Sierra at Sarge. “Get closer; he won’t bite,” I said. Bellowing laughter came out of this guy. “Where did you get this thing..” I won’t forget this guy for two reasons. So men, listen up if you want to make an impression. To so said dude’s wife – I’m sorry, but he’s your prize.
SARGE AND ME: Eastern Tour 2021 – Part 2 – Toronto
Jack Kurac writes about his friends from a perspective of complete adoration. There is a reason Toronto was at the beginning and not the end of the trip. Nhu has the word Juxtapose tattooed on her arm. She resides in the small part of my spirit that has balance. It is constantly moving to adjust – but like water, it flows between family, work, and passion. I have no idea what Nhu sees in me. But I will always look at her as this juxtaposition between light and dark, soft and hard, fast and slow. Always moving with the ability to create the balance needed for each situation.
SARGE AND ME: Eastern Tour 2021 – Part 1 – Michigan to Toronto
Don’t travel with your boyfriend…
Unless he’s a landrover Defender or was a seal team six member.
Traveling across Wisconsin was like eating white cake with American buttercream.
It was easy, but I had had way more than enough by the time I crossed the Michigan border. I passed the “Welcome to Michigan” sign, and a disco party of lights pulled out behind me.
Officer: “Excuse me, Ma’am. Do you know why I pulled you over tonight?”
S&M: “Sir, I picture I am going too slow. Do you need me to turn on my hazards?”
Officer: “No, I pulled you over because you have no lights on the back end of your truck.”
SARGE AND ME: Eastern Tour 2021_Preparation Full Send: GETTING A LANDROVER READY FOR A 7,000 MILE ROAD TRIP
What does that mean?
If you do something full send, especially in extreme sports, you’re doing it full-throttle and with 100% commitment—even if you end up failing.
In extended, popular slang, full send has the sense of “intense,” “hardcore,” or “without regard to consequences.”
There are so many times where I have leaped off the cliff before looking or knowing what was on the other side. This first big trip with Sarge needed a bit more attention but will still have a major element of Full Send.
SARGE AND ME: MY FIRST WEEK WITH SARGE – Part 3
Sarge had some downtime
Sarge was a shop truck for his first few months on the state’s side. He was driven maybe 200 miles to and from home. He, like all LandRovers, leaked a tiny bit but was in great shape overall. The drive north and first week, Sarge got a proper run about with about 500 miles on him.
A wonky rear end.
With Sarge up north, we started our small daily ventures. We would go out about 40 miles walking the dog every day, traveling down some 4×4 trail, parking here or there. Enjoying our small rides, we were having fun. Sarge was doing great, until a week later. The following Saturday, Eva, Sarge, and I were out for a dog walk. On the way back driving him casually down a dirt road, Sarge’s rear end felt pretty wonky.
SARGE AND ME: MY FIRST WEEK WITH SARGE – Part 2
familiar places
I had been to Monticello before, particularly to the bike park. I had done a triathlon there and wanted to bike the course again. It was also on the way home, about 1/3rd of the total distance. An easy and familiar place to stop. Leave it to traffic and road construction to make an hour and a half drive three. We arrived in Monticello at about 1 am. Between driving and making a stop to check if Sarge’s lights were good, I was exhausted. I popped the tent, set some Netflix, and passed out. It was 6 in the morning when I woke up, the sun was peeking through the tent skylight, birds chirping, the air was pure and Eva was restless.
SARGE AND ME MY FIRST WEEK WITH SARGE – Part 1
An introduction to Sarge and Me.
I have always loved going on adventures. It all started when I was 12 and the second session of the all-girls sailing camp I would attend every year did not have an opening. Instead, I was sent to an off-the-grid wilderness camp in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. I have been on all sorts of trips, from backpacking, overlanding, hiking, ultralight, canoeing, and even experienced van life. The longest I have spent in the lakes chain over Minnesota was 27 seven days picking up trash. Only to later in life spend 21 days in the Black Rock Desert doing almost the same thing with a bit more flare. Over the last 24 years, I have had the pleasure to live it all. My bucket list is still long and Sarge is a milestone.
SARGE AND ME: The Gods Must Be Insane.
Grandma Gen
The further I get down the rabbit hole, the more these trucks show up in my life. At this point, I can’t even turn on a terrible crime drama on Netflix without a beautiful Defender gracing my screen as I just try to unwind. As I have started to venture out further from the garage, each and every trip has gotten me closer to my childhood. What I found was at the end of the rainbow was not a romance like I thought but a family connection. My grandmother played The Gods Must be Crazy at least three days a week for me. Apparently, I was brainwashed with a Series II.