April 18, 2007 by dunny.

It is amidst the planning for our trip to the wild abyss that we are reminded of the root of our passion.  The shock and bewilderment that meets us when people first hear about our journey certainly deserves an easy explanation.  Our goal is simple.  We are defending the right to life.  Yet, our subjects are still far away.  Even our ambition to give to people who simply don’t have the means to survive does not adequately represent the fleeting nature of life.  Having everything or nothing, it can all be lost in a split second.

No words can describe the sorrow I feel at this moment…for the 33 Hokies who were taken…for their friends and families…for the community around them…and for the state of humanity.  Too often is our reaction to people negative, thrown to the depths of resentment, discrimination, and ultimately hate due simply to our own self awareness, or lack thereof.  The loss of life, especially when unwarranted, is the ultimate tragedy. 

My immediate, natural reaction is unfortunately hate…hate because I simply cannot understand the senseless, cowardly nature behind this act.  It is the present moment that alleviates my anger.  We have to try and make sense of this tragedy.  We have to try and realize what little beauty lies in such heartbreak and catastrophe.  While I weep for those 33 lives that were lost, I realize that there is a nation of people drawn together by their stories.  I hope beyond hope that those 33 souls will be a living example of how fostering love amongst our brothers and sisters is our responsibility as humans.

If you are reading this blog, please take time to reflect…no conversation, no action, and certainly nothing pertaining to us.  Think not of measurable aspects of your life, your families, your friends, or of the ephemeral ventures of others, or even of the emotions that rush upon you.  Think of the significance of those 33.  Find meaning in this loss.  Recognize this moment and grasp it with all your strength. 

Life rises and falls as quick as the splash from a raindrop and as slow as the formation of a mountaintop.  All we are left with is the present.  Let us foster peace in that moment, in this moment.  It is life itself, after all, that depends on it…

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April 13, 2007 by dunny.

No turning back now, or some West Texas folk will be awful disappointed…

Toreador

This ought to be the beginning of our media exposure. Not bad for a couple of country boys who used to think baseball and Texas were the ends of the Earth

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April 2, 2007 by dunny.

New route!  More countries!  A convoy!  Another charity to support!

Massive changes went through over the last week.  Check that…massive upgrades over the last week.  We have officially joined forces with a couple other teams (Driving Miss Daisy of UK and Wrong Way Round  of Scotland/Minnesota).  We will join them in lugging boxes of education materials to SWORDE-Teppa, a small charity in Tajikistan, where we will take a short break before hitting the Kazakh-Russian-Mongolian death strip.

Check on the main page, where yall can find info on SWORDE-Teppa, links to our new teammates, new country descriptions, and a swanky new route map put together with the help of Nathan from Wrong Way Round.

For those of you in DFW, keep an eye open for us this weekend, and not just for our company (hint, hint…)

Skip, out. (SkipLizard Homepage)

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