What is #CancerRoadTrip and how did it come to be? Read this post to get the backstory!
The metaphor of a road trip would seem to be that of an external quest, but not this one. I am seasoned enough to know that healing only comes through wisdom, and wisdom comes from within. From pain, from experience and from perspective.
On my last road trip in 1995, I was looking for numerous things. I was looking to run from pain; to find a geography that resonated with me; to find me. At Oshkosh, I flew an ultralight with pontoons (too much fun!) and the owner said to me of my quest: “You’re looking for your soul.” He was right.
But on this trip, I have found my soul and I want to explore it, to see what resonates at this point in time. We are all traveling the same journey in our own way. What can I share that resonates for others? Because ultimately it’s about the commonalities of our journeys, this energy of connection and understanding that allows emotional healing, and can set the path for physical and spiritual healing as well.
Back in 1995, going through the midwest, I found myself following a gleaming steel tanker.
Looking ahead, to look back
The back was a perfectly polished mirror. Whenever I looked ahead I looked back, only to see only my own reflection moving forward in this slipstream of time. There was no horizon; just a receding past before me. There was something mystical about that suspended, indeterminate moment of passing through miles and time that has stayed with me all these years.
There is a mystical aspect to healing. Part of my #CancerRoadTrip is to give healing journeys to others. I am in the early stages of putting together our first giveaway. Sedona is one of the locations I’m investigating and I had a fascinating discussion with Gregory Drambour today. Fascinating because his experiences so articulate my inclinations. Many of our observations on healing, cancer and human behavior coincide. Yet he operates in realm that I do not, where he sees patients day after day. And he has walked the walk. He has had cancer and understands the emotional territory of the disease.
Sedona, as you may know, is a fairly mystical place with a variety of energy vortexes. Vortexes are the intersections of natural electromagnetic earth energy. They’re also known as ley lines.
Ley lines can intersect in different ways, creating different types of energy vortexes. The three most common types of vortexes are magnetic, electrical and balanced vortexes. Cathedral Rock is a magnetic, or yin (female) energy. For a yang (male) energy, Bell Rock. And the airport vortex offers a balanced energy for those seeking perspective.
Or so they say. Whether you believe in energy vortices or not, Sedona holds beauty and wonder for all:
Cancer is an epidemic. One out of two of us will have a diagnosis in our lifetime. On a more cosmic level I have to ask if this is in response to the toxicity of our “modern” lives, and if so, does the opportunity to understand this disease also offer a path to understanding health, first on an individual and then a societal level? Is it possible by looking within to heal ourselves, we connect to a more global energy and wisdom?
I have been blessed to connect with many spiritual warriors in my cancer travels. Perhaps that is really what #CancerRoadTrip is about. To connect with my tribe, at this point in time. And to bring their wisdom and reflections to you.
Hope you’ll join the virtual tribe. I suspect we’re in for quite an interesting ride! Sign up for updates as they become available.
What is #CancerRoadTrip and how did it come to be? Read this post to get the backstory!
Wellness doesn’t always receive the priority it deserves in our busy lives. Cancer makes us realize just how important self care really is.
Everyone needs a restorative break from life on occasion. From life with cancer, many of us need more than simple restoration. We need a deep mind-body-soul period of reflection and introspection. Here are three very different wellness destinations that offer a reprise and perhaps a bit of adventure. They’re on my bucket list!
Thailand
“Healing is the definition of reconnecting with ourselves”
What is #CancerRoadTrip and how did it come to be? Read this post to get the backstory!
This year the Sierras have had record breaking snow. The ride up Mt. Rose Highway is like driving through a tunnel, with well over ten feet of snow on either side of the road. Lake Tahoe has seen more than 25 feet of snow since New Year’s Day, and more is on the way. Renown meteorologist Chris Tomer is predicting 350-400 inches this season!
Squaw Valley hosted the 1960 Olympics and it looks like they had their share of snow that year as well:
Squaw has grown a lot since 1960. In 2011 it merged with Alpine Meadows, although each area retains it’s own identity. A single ski pass and a shuttle bus give skiers access to incredible terrain. Combined, the area provides visitors with over 6,000 skiable acres, eight peaks, 44 lifts, and 270+ trails.
The relatively recent addition of villages to each mountain has expanded the social experience on the hill. Shopping, wine bars, beer pubs and an array of other shops and restaurants offer skiers sustenance and amusement without leaving the ski area. And this year’s snow fall offers simply epic skiing!
Squaw’s original design was modeled after European ski areas and was very avant garde for the Sierras at the time. Alex Cushing, a Harvard trained lawyer who was instrumental in bringing the Olympics to Squaw, located the original restaurant, skating rink and pool at High Camp, at the top of the 2,000 foot tram that brings skiers up the mountain.
Outside the village, the Resort at Squaw Creek is a sleek modern building with 5 restaurants and all the amenities one could wish for. It hosts an annual food and wine event as well as numerous other summer events such as wine walks, concerts, yoga and writer retreats. And don’t overlook the spa! It’s a perfect way to indulge yourself with some TLC.
Squaw has always had prestige. It’s expensive, and it has a history that no other area resort can boast. But with the merger, I sense that a bit of the “je ne sais quoi” may be dissipating. The aura of exclusivity seemed just a little less so. Neighboring Alpine Meadows, which has traditionally had more of a family orientation, now boasts a beautiful Ritz Carlton slope-side for ski in/ski out dining and socializing.
The merger of the two areas (plus Homewood which is now owned by the same corporation) bodes well for winter sports enthusiasts. The combined terrain is simply unparalleled, and the recreational opportunities are stunning. But with the merger, a bit of that unique identity of each area is given up to a larger collective. Not good or bad, it just is.
And it may be in anticipation of hosting a future Olympics. A local exploratory committee had hoped to bid for the 2026 games, with the idea of utilizing much of the existing Tahoe infrastructure to create a profitable Olympics. But rising costs, uncertainty regarding snow and limits of the lake’s transportation infrastructure (there is just one two lane road that circles the lake, and it is often closed at Emerald Bay due to avalanche concerns in the winter), plus the politics of the event, make such a bid uncertain.
If the Olympics come, Squaw’s place in sports history will shine even more. But a bit of that old time mountain character will be lost. Get to Squaw now, and enjoy a bit of past and present on a marvelous ski hill.
What is #CancerRoadTrip and how did it come to be? Read this post to get the backstory!
Sean Swarner is a serious adventurer and a two time survivor of childhood cancer. A a result of his treatments, he only has one functional lung.
But cancer didn’t slow him down. On the contrary, it’s given mission and drive to his life. On this trip to the North Pole he’ll be carrying a flag with the names of people whose lives have been touched by cancer. If you want to support him, click here.
For Sean, this is the final road trip in a saga that has taken him to the seven summits and both poles. The Explorer’s Grand Slam includes Everest, Kilimanjaro (which I think he’s summited 17 times!), Denali, Aconcagua, Vinson Massif, Mt. Elbrus, Mt. Kosciusko, Carstensz Pyramid. He’s climbed them all. Plus the South Pole. Now only the North Pole remains.
One of the interesting facets about an expedition to the North Pole is that this pole is really a floating ice pack. That means that you may travel 20 miles, only to float backwards ten!
What is #CancerRoadTrip and how did it come to be? Read this post to get the backstory!
Tahoe is simply spectacular, and I’ve been lucky enough to call this area home for nearly 20 years. Skiing, hiking, golf…you name it, Lake Tahoe has it.
For me, Tahoe is a place of peace and healing. When I moved here, I found countless places that were special for me. Tahoe tends to have that effect on people.
See if you have what it takes to know Lake Tahoe! (If you score less than 100%, I recommend a Tahoe vacation!)
Inspiration, joy & discovery through travel. Oh, did I mention with supposedly incurable cancer?
What's on your bucket list?
Thank you for stopping by!
CancerRoadTrip is about making lemonade out of lemons.
As you read my story, you may want to start at the beginning to "grok" how CancerRoadTrip came to be. You can click here to start at the end (which is actually the beginning) and read forward! The posts are chronological, with the most recent posts appearing on the front page.
The relatively recent addition of villages to each mountain has expanded the social experience on the hill. Shopping, wine bars, beer pubs and an array of other shops and restaurants offer skiers sustenance and amusement without leaving the ski area. And this year’s snow fall offers simply epic skiing!
merger, I sense that a bit of the “je ne sais quoi” may be dissipating. The aura of exclusivity seemed just a little less so. Neighboring Alpine Meadows, which has traditionally had more of a family orientation, now boasts a beautiful Ritz Carlton slope-side for ski in/ski out dining and socializing.
