Happy Birthday my Adventurer

Happy Birthday Kid

Today my son turned 24 years old. I can not believe what he has accomplished since he became a man. Dominick has always been an outdoors person. When he was growing up he was always fishing, kayaking, and especially hiking. He enjoyed birding.

In 2010 we went on a big vacation out west. I had some money in the bank and my job had been  "downsized". I took him on what I thought was a once in a lifetime vacation out west. We hit national parks in multiple states. We saw grizzlies, wolves, elk, bison, and all the other large fauna found in the American west. I wanted to make great memories with him. Every night we would write in our journal what we did that day.

Little did I know, that what I thought was a once in a lifetime trip would turn into a lifestyle. After high school he went to community college but hated it. He worked and was always employed in the food industry, but really never liked his jobs despite being quite good at bar tending, cooking, and serving. I think part of the reason he hated the jobs was his wanderlust was calling.

At BCC he met a kid named James. Dominick and James had these big plans to bike ride across the U.S. after the semester was over. It never happened and my kid was pretty upset. Instead of dreaming big and ignoring those dreams like most normal people, he found a way to make his dream happen. He didn't bike ride across the country solo, but he did find a way to travel the country and get paid.

He applied for jobs at the restaurants in national parks. He eventually landed a job as a bus boy at Yellowstone. Of course he wasn't going to get rich but when you live there, you live in dorms that only cost a couple bucks a week. So basically his only bills were car insurance and cell phone. He hiked everywhere he could within driving distance in Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP. He even climbed over 13000 feet to summit one of the Tetons.

Since then he has worked at the Grand Canyon and now Glacier NP. He works four long shifts and has 3 consecutive days off. Considering he can easily hike 20 miles a day, he can cover a lot of the most spectacular scenery in this great land.

Dominick is even getting back into fly fishing again

While working at the Grand Canyon he was a night time server at the fancy restaurant. He had to wear a tux to work. To get the job he had to pass a hand written test about all the rules of fine dining. The best perk of this job was the money. Since the cheapest meal was $25, you can imagine his tips. He saved up enough in six months to travel the world over the winter and when he got home buy a car.

Just one of the hikes he has gone on this summer

My adventurer child left in January and traveled quite literally around the world for almost six months. He went across the Atlantic to Spain then dipped down to Morocco. From there he went to Istanbul then traveled to Kazakhstan. Then he spent a couple of months with friends in Thailand before going down to Ecuador to reunite with his girlfriend. While in Ecuador he visited the Amazon and the Galapagos. He also hiked up 17, 000 foot volcanoes.

I would love my son no matter what. The fact that he swam with sea lions in the Galapagos does not make me love him more. Why  I am writing this and what I am most happy about is that he got to have those experiences. I am happy for him. Looking back on his birthday, I am so impressed that he found a way to live his life in a way that everyday is an adventure. He figured out a way to support himself financially and do all of these amazing things on his own.

So if you do read this son, know that I am truly happy for you. You live a life that most people dream of but almost none of us have the balls to attempt. I love you and I respect you, I hope you had a great birthday.

A few photo below he took on part of his world tour. All in the Galapagos.

The famous Galapagos Sea Iguanas

Blue Footed Booby

Galapagos Sea Lion