The 5Point to Telluride Tour – The Joy Trip Project

The 5Point to Telluride Tour – The Joy Trip Project

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Tomorrow I’m heading west on a tour of adventure. Starting off at the 5Point Film Festival in Carbondale, Colorado I’ll make a big loop across the Rockies and over to Sierras. I’ll make stops in Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Los Angeles, Joshua Tree, the Grand Canyon, Moab and back to Colorado for the Mountain Film Festival in Telluride. Along the way I’ll connect with dozens of filmmakers, artists, athletes and activists to make a real-time survey of the adventure world today.

The 5Point to Telluride Tour is the next leg in my long happy journey of discovery. The Joy Trip Project is my little spot on the Internet where I report on the many interesting things that make a sustainable active lifestyle, well…worth living. I’ve been incredibly lucky over the years to be able share my experiences and the stories of people I’ve met with a small but growing online audience. And I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to take another lap around a few western states to bring back a more inspiring tales.

I’m a big believer in vehicle maintenance. In advance of this long Joy Trip my first stop is typically the Zimbrick Volkswagen dealership in Middleton just outside of Madison. I’m in for an oil change and a general check up. It seems I need a new battery, the rear windshield wiper arm is shot and I’m due to replace the timing belt. Everything but the battery can wait. Short on cash I approve the repairs I can afford and write this post while I wait.
I bought my VW Jetta TDI Wagon here about 7 years ago. Now after more the 100,000 miles on the road  the Joy Ride is still going strong. And just like the check-ups I get for my car it’s a good idea to check in with myself to see what kind of mileage I can look forward to as the Joy Trip Continues continues.
A few weeks ago Patagonia signed on for another year as my primary sponsor. And just last week I secured agreements with Rayovac and the New Belgium Brewing Company to support travel and other production expenses over the next several months. For the first time the JTP is fully endowed with the financial resources to go on location and report first hand on the many different aspects of the adventure life. Now that I’m earning enough cash to support the project as more than just a full-time hobby I believe I have the opportunity to really spread my wings and see exactly what I can do.
Film and book reviews will continue to be a big part of the JTP line-up moving forward. I’ll also continue to deliver first person interviews with interesting people in the world of conservation and adventure. But I also aim include more information on different places I’ll have the chance to visit while traveling over the next several weeks. I’ll be dropping in on restaurants, yoga studios, climbing gyms, gear shops and other establishments in order to find those things that make them unique. The places I visit will include recreation areas, national, state and local parks, as well as other out-of-way places worth exploring.
Personally I can’t imagine a better way to spend the weeks leading to summer. My goal is to demonstrate that with just a little bit of money and as much free time as you can spare there’s a lot of adventure opportunities out there. It’s worth mentioning that several promotions are going on right now to help get you motivated and maybe through some great swag your way.
Sylvan Sport is offering up free use of their Go camp trailers to three people interested in putting together an awesome road trip adventure. In 400 words or less let them know your epic plans for a gear-heavy GO expedition. Tell them how you would promote your adventure through blogging, stop-motion photo stream, your church newsletter or what ever and Sylvan will buff you out equipment from top brands like KEEN, Kelty, Jackson Kayak, Black Diamond and Yakima.

You can also enter to win the Red Rocks Base Camp Giveaway sponsored by Kelty and Oskar Blues Brewery. Winners will receive round trip airfare for two to Colorado, Dale’s Pale Ale RV transportation, hotel accommodation for two nights, OB Brewery tour, dinner, live music, a pair of backstage VIP tickets to a Red Rocks show in September with a Kelty/Oskar Blues parking lot tailgate, $200 worth of Oskar Blues swag, and a Kelty equipment pack.

And check out the Subaru Work Play Love Tour.
The carmaker is hosting events across the country to celebrate the balance of work and play. Partnering with several different companies like KEEN, Outside Magazine, Icebreaker, PrAna and Osprey Subaru wants to promote and encourage people everywhere to make room in their lives for finding a little joy.
Even though these are promotional events I believe that each of these companies is sincere in their aim to inspire people to lead a more active life. As we share that common goal I hope that readers of this blog will follow along in the weeks to come and share in some of things I discover in my travels on the 5Point to Telluride Tour. Life is a journey where happiness is as much a skill to be explored, as it is the destination.
The Joy Trip Project is made possible with the support sponsors Patagonia, Rayovac and the New Belgium Brewing Company