Today I had the pleasure of facilitating a 3 ½ hour workshop on “Coaching Through Challenging Times” for a small group here at the ADRP Conference.  ADRP (Association of Donor Recruitment Professionals) draws attendee’s from all over the world from Nigeria to New Zealand and always does a phenomenal job in educating their members.  I have had the honor of presenting at their last 2 conferences – the last one being only 4 days after I had an emergency appendectomy and had 3 areas of sutures in my belly!  But, I made it to St. Pete Beach, Florida to do a 2-day workshop and a keynote for a few hundred people. 

Today's workshop

I love the people here because they are so gracious and loving!  So many people remembered me from last year and a few actually asked for my autograph (a weird feeling) because they consider me a “celebrity” to them!   I am so honored!

Ross...a "fan"

Being the last day of my journey, I thought I would reflect on some of the things I have learned while I have been traveling West the last 2 weeks:

• There is NOTHING like good friends!  Being able to see so many friends from afar I have not seen in awhile as well as having the pleasure of seeing all of the comments, emails and posts on FB to my blog over the last week has been priceless to me!  So worth every bit of effort that goes into writing about my journey!

A group of friends from last years conference workshop

• As many of you know, I am currently writing (and almost finished!) with my book called, “A Fearless Life.”  Before I left for my solo adventure, many people told me to be careful and asked if I was afraid to travel alone.  Well, the truth is…yes, I usually am a bit of afraid.  Not to be alone, but it is always a little scary when you embark on something you have never done before.  Letting the fear stop us from experiencing life is the true tragedy.  Fear is simply “False Evidence Appearing Real” and is an illusion that keeps us from being who we were meant to be.  NEVER EVER let anything or anyone stop you from doing something you love!
• Being in the present moment as much as you can is a “present” all in itself!  There is nothing like experiencing the opportunities and synchronicities that show themselves when you are truly in the moment and “being there” for your life. 
• Nature is a true balancer.  It has the ability to take away the pain, the sorrow, the stress and the worry by just taking in a deep breath and appreciating all she has to offer.  By watching her rhythms, you get a clue into the rhythms of your own life and somehow leave with the feeling that everything is going to be ok.  That is just how it is. Life is about balance…everything that happens is to preserve that balance so we all “have a turn.”
• Trusting your intuition and your body is the key to knowing and honoring yourself.  There were times on every mountain I was climbing where I had to trust my body to know what to do and trust my intuition to know where to go.  Imagine if we did this daily…mountain or not?  If we trusted ourselves to know what was best for us?  The potential we could tap into!!!
• Every day we have a choice to choose our attitude.  I woke up some mornings tired, not wanting to hike or drive hundreds of miles, but I did it anyway and chose to make the best of what I had been offered that day.  When we do this, we chose to LIVE!  We chose to be our best no matter what the circumstances.  That is what life is really about…choice!  We create our lives as we go along.  Make it the best life you can while you are here!!
• Finally, you don’t have to get in your car and drive hundreds of miles away to have an experience that changes your life.  Every day, in your own backyard, are experiences to enrich your life, learn from and have the opportunity to meet someone new who can help you grow, learn and appreciate all life has to offer.  All you have to do is look…see what is right in front of your eyes.  What you have been looking for has been there all along.

So, now I sadly say good-bye.   My Journey West has been an experience I will never, ever forget.  I have met wonderful people, spent quality time with myself learning more about what I need to grow further, spent time appreciating the beautiful country we live in and most of all learned valuable lessons that I can now share with the thousands of people I chose to inspire every day.

Me and my good friend Zali saying goodbye...

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to follow me on this journey.  Stay tuned….August 4-10 is ALASKA!!!

With much gratitude, light and love,

Chris

Boeing

So my day started at 9am when I got picked up by Daniel, our tour bus driver and off we went to Boeing.  I shared the Boeing tour with a great group!  Yugi from Taiwan who is a pilot and flies 747’s; Gordon from Glasgow, Scotland; Bill from Aberdeen, Scotland (yes, ANOTHER Aberdeen!); Shane from L.A.;  a nice lady and her son from Austin, TX (they didn’t know you Tina…I asked!  lol!) and a couple from Sydney, Australia.

Me and Daniel

I learned many new things about the city of Seattle from Daniel I did not know:

• There are guys called “City Ambassadors” that wear yellow jackets and ride bikes all over downtown that help tourists with information and carry maps.  (Wish I would have know that yesterday!)
• The flagship and original store of Nordstrom’s is downtown.  Did you know at Nordstrom’s you can return ANYTHING at ANYTIME with no receipt???
• Microsoft headquarters is not too far away in Redmond, WA.  (I should have let Bill know I was coming….Damn!)
• Seattle has 16 hours of daylight in the summer and less than 8 hours of daylight in the winter. (Explains their obsession with coffee!)
• If you cross a crosswalk before you get the little “white guy walking” sign, you get a ticket for $80!  (Can’t tell you how many times I did that yesterday…too used to walking in New York I guess…Oooppps!)

 Also, today is apparently the 30^th anniversary of Mt. St. Helen’s erupting.  When it erupted in 1980, it leveled 150 square miles of trees, killed 57 people and dropped gray ash around the world.  I wonder how many flights got delayed then….????

Mount St. Helen's

 During the Boeing tour, you are not allowed to take cameras, cell phones or anything at all electronic with you.  Bummer man!  THIS WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST TOURS I HAVE EVER BEEN ON!!!  I was so excited about it I even shot a video clip for the tour company after the tour that will be on their website:  www.tournorthwest.com!  Woo-hoo!

A shot of the factory building...see the 6 blue doors? Those have the digital graphic on them.

A shot inside of Boeing (where we were allowed to take pics of course!)

 It was so amazing to watch these HUGE planes being constructed piece by piece!  We saw 747’s, 777’s and the new 787 which looks so cool!   Some facts we learned:

• Boeing is the biggest building in the world by volume at 472 million cubic feet.
• The factory is like a small indoor city (30,000 employees) requiring its own fire department, security force, fully equipped medical clinic, electrical substations and water treatment plant.
• The factory is so big that when it was first built it created its own weather.  Clouds actually formed near the ceiling.  The weather cleared when an air-circulation system was installed.
• There are 1 million light bulbs in the factory! (A shrine to the Illuminating Company!)
• 26 overhead cranes cruise along a 39 mile network of ceiling tracks, lifting and moving airplane sections.
• 1,300 bicycles in the factor help employees get around.
• The mural on the six factory doors at the entrance of the factory is the largest digital graphic in the world.
• A 747 jet has 6 million parts!
• The new 787 jet has only 3 million parts due to the new technology used and takes only 3 days to assemble.
• Disneyland would fit inside the building with 12 acres to spare.

Overall, I could have spent all day in there watching the planes being assembled.  It literally still amazes me that we can sit in a chair and be 30,000 feet in the air! 

 I spent most of the tour talking with my new friends from Scotland, Gordon and Bill.  Awesome fellows and they told me all about their country and what to see when I visit! 

Gordon, Me and Bill on the observation deck

 Gordon and I decided to go to “The Museum of Flight” after the Boeing tour.  It was THE BEST being with Gordon on this tour and at the museum because he worked for British Airways for 30+ years and knew EVERYTHING about planes!  I got an awesome first-hand education as we walked through the museum. 

The Museum of Flight

 We saw everything from the Sputnik prototype…

Sputnik prototype

All kinds of different planes from throughout the years….

Old U.S. Mail plane

Old Newsboy plane

Museum ceiling shot

 Went outside and got to tour the inside of Air Force One (from the Kennedy-era) and 2 other planes…

Air Force One

Inside Air Force One

Read the sign then look at the pic below...

And then decided we wanted to know what it was like to be a pilot and did a “flight simulator” and I was the pilot!  (Scary, I know…those of you who know me and know how I am with directions understand why Gordon and I were upside-down for most of our flight!)

Gordon and I getting ready to "take off"

 Gordon and I spent a good 3 hours at the museum and then took the bus back into town and parted ways.  I was so blessed to be able to spend the day with him!  I promised him I would be in Scotland soon and he promised to check out the blog!

 I came back to my hotel room, ordered room service and spent some time prepping for my workshop tomorrow.  (Yes, I have to work in the morning…NOOO!)  I am one of those very lucky people who love what I do so much it never, ever seems like work!

 Signing off….Sopa out!

This rock make me laugh...not convulse!!

Started my morning off this morning crawling out of bed because my gluts are killing me!!  (I couldn’t help but remember my ego boost from yesterday….lol!)  I took my time waking up, had 2 conference calls with potential clients and headed out my hotel room door to do some site seeing in Seattle.

I decided to just grab a map from the hotel lobby and make my way down to Pike Place Market, which is only a couple blocks away from my hotel, and see what trouble I could get into. My first stop was at a store I wish we had in Maryland, Protein Planet, where I stopped and got myself a high protein, high vitamin C shake. Yum!

Pike Place Market

Awesome place!!

I almost got coffee, but was a little thrown by the “original blend” they had for the day….

Can't I just get a Colombian Roast.....???

I then headed into the Market and immediately ran into the World Famous Fish Market with “low flying fish!” I loved it because I have used the “Fish Philosophy” video in several workshops in the past and the same guys in the video still work at the market!! If you have seen the video, the real life market is EXACTLY the same! Yelling the orders out loud to each other and everyone repeating it, throwing the fish across the store, teasing customers walking by and all of the employees with an overall “jolly” attitude!

World Famous Pike Place Fish Market

The "Fish" guys hard at work...

As I walked through the market I tried a variety of different foods from chocolate pasta to cheeses and also sampled organic soaps, lotions and hair pieces. The market has everything!!….vegetables, flowers, fruits, meats, and lots and lots of FISH!!

My favorite...fresh flowers!!

Was a bit frightened to buy veggies from this lady...

As you walk around the market, you notice the tiles that make up the entire floor are engraved with names on them. I asked about this and apparently 20 years ago they decided to re-do the market floor.  So, in order to raise money to do it, they sold tiles to donors for $35 each!

EVERY SINGLE tile in the WHOLE market had a name on it! (I made sure I didn't take a picture of a tile that said, "Doug" on it...lol!

I continued walking and of course, ended up in “Gem Heaven,” a crystal store. I had a nice chat with Chris, the owner and ended up buying a beautiful Carnelian stone right from Mt. St. Helen.

Chris holding a Eudialyte stone from Mount St. Helen that we discussed for awhile

I next headed into “Double Dorjee – Gateway to Mystical Tibet” and spent quite awhile talking with Tenzin, the owner. We talked about Buddhism, Shamanism and the tradition of Tibetan prayer flags (which I have been looking for forever and finally found a great set!). Tenzin takes groups on Sacred Journeys to Nepal every year and guess who signed up to go!!! (I feel another blog coming on…..)

Tenzin in his store

I walked back out near the river to find some lunch and loved seeing several bands whose instruments were made of scrap. One in particular, The Slimpickins, were awesome!

"The Slimpickins"

I finally stopped and had an amazing bowl of Smoked Salmon Chowder from Seatlle’s Best and #1 place for chowder…Pike Place Chowder! I immediately followed my nose to where I smelled cinnamon rolls and stuffed my face again with the biggest cinnamon roll I have ever eaten! I was in heaven!!

Pike Place Chowder

I figured I would just keep walking and eventually ran into the original Starbucks and also spent some time in the Vital Tea Leaf where I sampled teas that ranged from $98-$259 a pound! I then made my way over to the Seattle Library that I had heard so much about and was completely amazed! Most modern-day library I have ever seen!! My daughter would have loved it because the entire inside of the library is painted neon green…same color as her room! 10 floors make up this library with hundreds of computers, reading rooms, books, magazines, DVD’s, CD’s, etc. etc. I may have actually studied if I had a library like this in college….!!

The Seattle Library

A shot from inside the library

I then continued down 5th Street and jumped on the Monorail (which carries 2.5 million riders every year and is the fastest full size monorail train in the country) toward the Seattle Center where the Space Needle sits. I rode up the needle to the top (520 feet – which took 41 seconds by elevator) and spent some time checking out the awesome view of the city!

Seattle Monorail

View of the city from the top of the Space Needle

The Space Needle

For dinner I was thrilled to head to the “Blue C Sushi”  for my favorite food of all time…SUSHI…with my cousin Paul.  We had a great chat and spent time catching up with each others lives.  I will be back here in Seattle in July for another speaking gig so we plan on getting together again then!

Me and my cousin Paul

Then to top the night off, I ran into some dear friends from South Africa, Zali and Gayle, who flew 31 hours for this conference!  We went to Morton’s Steakhouse so they could eat dinner and I could drink and eat carrot cake…(don’t judge me – I already ate sushi, remember?)  The entire time Tina and I were in South Africa, Zali and Gayle would not let us pay for a thing.  So, when the check came at Morton’s, I quickly snatched it up to their surprise and said, “You are in MY country now!”  They could not argue and graciously let me pay the bill (the least I could do to repay them for the gracious hosts they were when Tina and I visited their country).

Me, Zali and Gayle...why am I always drinking with these ladies?? lol!

Tomorrow morning I head to Boeing to take a peak at their factory here and then I am going to head over to “The Museum of Flight” to check out some old, vintage planes!  Love it!!!

Now I need to go soak my “bum” in some hot water….Sopa out!

I started the morning off in a bit of a panic.  As I was getting ready to put my suitcases in Kia I could not find my keys.  I frantically looked EVERYWHERE for them to no avail.  So, I did what my mother always taught me to do and that was to pray to St. Anthony for a sign.  Within minutes I noticed a pair of pants I forgot to pack and realized that I left my keys in the pants pocket of the pants I wore the day before!  (Of course those pants were in the BOTTOM of one of my suitcases!)  Thank God for signs but I have to say I wouldn’t have minded getting stuck in Mount Shasta! 

It was extremely sad for me to leave Mount Shasta.  Have you ever been somewhere that you just feel you have a special connection to?  I felt like I was leaving home and had to literally pull myself away from the city.  I kept looking back at the mountain and could not help but feel an energetic difference in myself as I drove away.  As I looked back at her the last time, the sun shone so brightly on the top of her peak it looked like a rainbow…a sure sign I would be back to visit!

Saying goodbye to my mountain...

The drive to Seattle from Mount Shasta is a straight shot on Highway 5 North for literally about 600 miles.  Highway driving.  Not much scenery.  Enough to drive someone who has been driving alone on roads, going 90mph, with beautiful mountains and canyons to look at along the way insane!! (Thank you Judy and Donna for the phone calls to keep me sane!)

Still in California...

Driving in Oregon...(please excuse the "bug juice" on my windshield)

It is interesting to note how one entertains oneselves and what one notice as they drive alone for long, boring distances.  Some signs and scenery I noted as I drove along Highway 5 for 8 hours included:

• Art sculptures made of scrap metal strategically placed along the highway (probably to entertain drivers like myself!) of a bull and a dragon.  Scared the crap out of me when I saw the dragon!  Practically drove off the road trying to figure out what the heck it was!!
• Noticed the “Welcome to Oregon” sign and because I am so quick, brilliantly said out loud, “Huh, I’m in Oregon.”
• Cursed when I saw the sign to drive 55 mph on a highway.  Hard to do when you have been going 90 mph for a week on country roads!
• According to the sign, if you don’t wear your seatbelt in Oregon it is a $97 fine.  (So, why not $100?  What is with $97?  Who came up with that number?)
• Went into a mini-convulsion when I saw a sign that said “Rocks.”  (By God if there wasn’t a sign I wouldn’t have know what those huge, round, hard things made of Earth were around me!!)
• Passed a sign in a 65 mph zone that said, “Brake test.”  (In the middle of the highway?)  Then, approximately 2 feet further was another sign that said, “Steep down-grade next 7 miles.”  (I guess they just wanted to make sure I didn’t go 90!)
• Got all excited when I saw a sign that said, “You’re in Phoenix.”  I’ve always wanted to spend time in Phoenix and then realized I wasn’t in Arizona.  (Blonde moment!)
• At one point I looked ahead and thought someone was sending me smoke signals and realized there was a forest fire up ahead.  Drove right through it!  Not fun!  I reminisced about the sign I saw in CA that said, “You are in fire danger.”  NOW I get it!!!! (It only took me 3 days!)
• Had a lovely ego boost when I stopped at a rest stop and 2 young guys told me I had a nice ass.  All I can say is as sore as my ass is from all the hiking I did….it BETTER be nice!
• Did you know there was an Elkton, Oregon?  (A little scary because as I looked around, it kind of looked like Elkton, MD.  Spooky!)
• Stopped to get gas in Oregon and found out that Oregon AND New Jersey are the only 2 states that pump your gas.  I always thought New Jersey was the only one.  The gas attendant guy asked if he could clean my windshield because he did not know how I could see out of it!  He gracious cleaned it for me and it was amazing what more I saw!!!
• Is there a Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in every big city for Pete’s sake??
• Saw a sign for FREE COFFEE and realized every Rest Area in Washington gives out free coffee.  Sweet!
• Passed a truck that had a painting of two 10 point deer bucking horns and above it the sign read:  “The Hornier the Better.”  (I thought that was pretty funny!)
• Became frightened when I passed the sign that said, “Liter and it will hurt.”  (What the heck do they do to you in Washington if you liter?  Jeez!)
• Passed a road sign that said, “Gravely Lake Dr.” and thought of my friends Lisa and Ed.  (Awwww!)
• Every route sign in Washington is in a white silhouette of George Washington’s head.

 Speaking of signs, remember in my first blog when I told you I sat next to a guy that looked just like my friend Doug?  Well…today I had quite the interesting experience.  Driving along Route 5, minding my own business, I saw the following:

• A sign for “Douglas County.”
• A restaurant called, “Doug’s Place.”
• About a dozen black Jeep’s (my friend Doug drives a black Jeep).
• A guy who drove by with a license plate that said “Hickey.”  (Doug’s last name)
• A sign for “Doug’s Truck Stop” in Aberdeen, WA.  (Doug owns a gym in Aberdeen, MD)

Aberdeen, Washington...I felt right at home like I was in Maryland!

I thought I was free and clear after the truck stop sign until I arrived at the Seattle Sheraton and the young man who helped me looked EXACTLY like the cartoon character “Doug” (remember that cartoon?) but with hair and not bald like cartoon Doug (although my friend Doug is bald too, but that is beside the point…ANYWAY…).  It was when I looked down at his name tag and it said “Doug” that I fainted!  When I finally woke up, I thought maybe I should call my friend Doug and ask him to marry me or something because all of these signs surely must mean something!  (I’m sure if I continued to drive on Route 5,  I would run into “Doug’s Bridal” and be able to pick up a quick dress!)  LOL!  (Love ya Doug!)

In case you're wondering what my friend Doug looks like....

Anyway, Doug (the bell boy Doug, not my friend) helped me get all of my luggage to my room and then I drove Kia back to the airport to drop her off and said my sad goodbye’s to her.  I ended up logging 2,434 miles on little Kia!  What a trooper she was!  I got back to my room at the Sheraton to find that someone had sent up a basket of fruit and 2 Perrier waters to my room anonymously.  Whoever it was…THANK YOU!

Now I have 2 full days in Seattle before I work (yes, I actually have to work for a ½ day – poor me!).  Plan on doing some normal site seeing stuff and putting the hiking boots aside this time.

Until another sign arrives….Sopa out!

I found out yesterday that since Mount Shasta is considered such a sacred mountain, that there are actually 11 other sacred sites around this area that are considered sacred because they are near the mountain.  I decided to check some of them out.  The first place I stopped was McCloud Falls.  This was about a 3 mile hike round trip with 3 different waterfalls along the way; Lower, Middle and Upper Falls.  This was a beautiful paved path along the river through the forest.  The Lower Falls were the first thing I came upon right at the beginning of the hike.  After about 1 ½ miles I began to well up with tears for some reason.  As I walked around the next corner I came upon the Middle Falls and literally burst into tears!  They were so beautiful they literally took my breath away!!

Lower Falls

Base of Lower Falls

Middle Falls

I tell many of my coaching clients that tears are a form of release.  Crying is what helps us heal our old emotional wounds.  My tears at Middle Falls were not sad tears, but tears of gratitude and healing.  I could hardly believe I was standing there looking at those falls!  I began to reflect on the last week of my journey and for the next 20 minutes I was a bawl-bag!!  I realized the many things I am grateful for:  grateful to be able to take this trip, grateful to have had the courage to do it alone, grateful for the weather and how I “lucked” out everywhere I went (except my day of solitude in Baker, NV) with beautiful sunny, clear skies, grateful for my life and what I do for a living, grateful for each and every experience I have had on this journey so far and each and every person I have met, and grateful to be able to share this whole experience with all of the people I love that take the time to read this blog.

A scene on the McCloud Trail

I tried to access the road to Upper Falls (even though there was a big sign that said “DO NOT ENTER”) but no such luck!  I decided I wanted to live!

I then headed to the Castle Crag Wilderness area to hike the Castle Dome Trail.  Now, you would have thought I might have actually learned a lesson from my experience on the Syncline Loop…but NOOOOO!  I chose this trail because it was the longest and I wanted a challenge.  Well, let me tell you about my “challenge!”  First of all, the Ranger had to give me the “bear lecture” before I left because all over this forest are Black Bears and cubs.  Can you imagine me running into a bear!?  Sopa out…literally!!  So the Ranger tells me that if I come across a bear to make a lot of noise and that it would be best for me to just make a lot of noise as I was hiking because it is a bad thing to “surprise” a bear.  I guess that is when they charge you and get mad.  Now I am sorry but if I saw a bear, the LAST thing my instinct would tell me to do would be to make noise so the bear KNEW where I was!!  Call me crazy!!  So what did I do to make noise along my hike alone….I cleared my throat a lot, I shuffled my feet really loud as I walked, I talked into my digital tape recorder and I finished the last verse of “Raw Hide.”  I figured the best way to scare off any bear around me would be to sing…that will scare off anybody!

Just thought you might like to see the "exciting" forest sign.....

On top of the “bear” challenge, this trail was not a loop so it went UP to a point and then you just had to turn around and come back down.  Now, when I say UP, I mean UP!!!  Straight up for 2.7 miles!!  I was swearing out loud (to keep the bears away of course) the entire time, calling myself crazy and thinking I must have something loose in my head to AGAIN choose another trail that would kill my poor little body!  The only thing that kept me going was that I figured if this trail is called “Castle Dome” there must be a “castle” up ahead and who lives in castles…PRINCES!!  So I kept imagining my “prince” at the top when I got to the “castle.”  (Ok, YES, I was hallucinating again!!).  Unfortunately at the top, there was no prince for me (story of my life) but some beautiful scenery that was well worth the hike up.

My "Castle"

Another view of my "Castle"

The main thing I noticed about this hike in the forest was the smells.  I kept getting whiffs of the most fragrant smells that stopped me in my tracks.  (Of course, on the way UP I was barely breathing so I wasn’t able to finally breathe through my nose to smell everything until on the way down.)  I also realized while I was hiking this trail that on this trip I have hiked just about every terrain:  desert, canyons, snow, dirt path, paved path, waterfalls, and forest.  Go Sopa!

Another view on the trail

I decided on my way down to take another 1.7 mile hike on the Indian Springs Trail which was beautiful and FLAT!  Next I drove a few miles down the road to Hedge Creek Falls and hiked a little less than a mile there.  All so beautiful!!

Hedge Creek Falls

After all of my hiking this last week (I figured I logged about 40 miles at least) I decided that I was extremely grateful for my body not clunking out on me and allowing me to put it through everything I did, so I decided to treat my “body” to a 3 hour spa treatment at the Sacred Mountain Spa!  My 3 hours consisted of a hot aromatherapy foot soak, 1 ½ hour full-body massage and then a full-body lemongrass/ginger salt scrub.  Ahhhhh!

I ended my day feeling like I needed to say good-bye and thank you one last time to Mount Shasta so I drove up to Bunny Flat again, where I started my hike the other day, and spent some time in gratitude for the beautiful mountain and what she taught me while I was here.

Mount Shasta in the background on my hike today at Castle Dome

Tomorrow I drive 8 ½ hours to Seattle and cannot wait!  I get to visit with my cousin, Paul,  who I have not seen in over 20 years, speak at one of my favorite conferences and see some of my friends from South Africa!

Until Seattle….Sopa out!