Hello, I’m David. I like to explore the world and take adventures. The latest a 3mo cross-country bicycle adventure alongside my father, followed by some traveling and sailing through the Caribbean and LatAm. In June I packed up my things in Brooklyn, and set off yet again to explore the world.
I ended up in Brooklyn at the end of 2014 following a year-long, solo, motorbike journey through ~25k miles and 17 countries. This blog was originally created to document that adventure, so feel free to go through past posts to get caught up, or better yet, buy the book.
Prior to Brooklyn, I was in Denver for 8 1/2 years, San Diego before that, and originally born and raised in Atlanta. All of the moves were for job promotions, which I was fortunate to receive.
Speaking of work, shortly before the moto trip in Nov 2013 I resigned from my position as a Region Sales Director for a well known wireless handset manufacturer. I enjoyed it and have been in consumer electronics marketing, sales, and management for 12+ years, but had to give up that particular position prior to setting off on the trip. Some said I was mad for giving up such a good position. Others said, “you’ll never be able to land a comparable job”. The majority told me that a year gap on my resume would be a death sentence for my career. Quite frankly I didn’t care. The journey was so important to me I knew that if I didn’t go through with it I’d have regrets until the end. Furthermore, you shouldn’t listen to naysayers if you have an urge to travel. Life is short, regrets are forever.
I ended up in Brooklyn at the end of 2014 following a year-long, solo, motorbike journey through ~25k miles and 17 countries. This blog was originally created to document that adventure, so feel free to go through past posts to get caught up, or better yet, buy the book.
Prior to Brooklyn, I was in Denver for 8 1/2 years, San Diego before that, and originally born and raised in Atlanta. All of the moves were for job promotions, which I was fortunate to receive.
Speaking of work, shortly before the moto trip in Nov 2013 I resigned from my position as a Region Sales Director for a well known wireless handset manufacturer. I enjoyed it and have been in consumer electronics marketing, sales, and management for 12+ years, but had to give up that particular position prior to setting off on the trip. Some said I was mad for giving up such a good position. Others said, “you’ll never be able to land a comparable job”. The majority told me that a year gap on my resume would be a death sentence for my career. Quite frankly I didn’t care. The journey was so important to me I knew that if I didn’t go through with it I’d have regrets until the end. Furthermore, you shouldn’t listen to naysayers if you have an urge to travel. Life is short, regrets are forever.
*Updated* - Turns out I was right, upon returning from the motorbike journey, my life and career were waiting just as I'd left them. I accepted a Sales Director role with a competing wireless handset manufacturer, hence the move to New York. However, as I write this I've just resigned from that position as well. It was a lovely run. I learned a lot, had good experiences, met wonderful people, and was able to drive a ton of business their way. However, another life-changing adventure/opportunity has come up, so I'm diving in headfirst yet again. This has been a tough decision, but the company is going through some transition, so it's seemingly a good time to make the change on both sides.From a personal perspective, I’m passionate about motorcycles, exercise, camping, art, music, and independent film. I also enjoy travel very much and have been fortunate enough to do a fair amount of it. The last count was somewhere around 40 countries. One of my most recent trips was to Africa to visit my father and stepmother in Botswana who were serving in the United States Peace Corps. Marion and Tish (the rents) fulfilled their two year commitment and I’m very proud of them for giving up very comfortable lives back home to serve the global community from the small village of Mochudi. They could easily fill a book with crazy stories and experiences. In fact, my dad is also an established wing suit skydiver and was part of a world record jump in California several years back. I guess I know where my sense of adventure comes from.
Giving back to community is important to me as well. Before I left on the trip I was an active mentor with a Colorado based opt-in high school mentor program for four years. I’m also proud to say that in 2012 I was selected to participate in an Adult Youth Leadership Program, which sent me to Uganda for one month with a group of 24 high school-aged youth to focus on cultural exchange, along with food and water security projects.My passion for motorcycles started when I was young, but only got very serious later in life. I started racing motorcycles at a Pro-Am level in 2008. I had a great rookie season with a handful of podium finishes, but a nasty 100+mph crash left me on the sidelines for the last few races of 2008 and all of 2009. To get back up to speed, and back on the proverbial horse, I picked up supermoto racing and was able to take home several trophies quickly. I returned to sport bike racing in 2010 and didn’t look back. All the blood, sweat, and tears paid off in 2012 as I was able to win multiple races, and wrap up a class championship. A bucket list item I’d wanted to check off my list for a very long time. I was also asked to race in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in June of 2015. I did very well (4th in class - top rookie in field), but seemingly left my 'race' on the hill that Sunday. I had a good friend Carl Sorensen pass away during a practice run. It was the single most intense week of my entire life. Brief video recap here.
That ‘bucket list’ referenced above has been a big part of my life. I’m seemingly very driven. When I see something I want, a challenge, or something that interests me, I usually jump in headfirst. Actually I’m not sure that’s such a good thing to be honest. While it’s great I’ve checked numerous things off the ‘list’, I struggle with sitting still, being alone, and appreciating the things I have at present. Being grateful and present is something I focused on during the trip, and was able to make headway, but I think that yearning to always look forward and be progressing towards a project or goal will forever remain. I guess on the bright side I’ve achieved and experienced quite a bit… I've run a marathon, cycled a century (100 miles), won a motorcycle road racing championship, traveled to ~40 countries, and volunteered as a mentor in several. I’ve DJ’ed at a handful of large nightclubs, learned to play piano, trumpet, and played drums on stage at the House of Blues. I’ve swam in the ocean with an elephant in Thailand, jumped off a cliff in Colombia... a bridge in Zimbabwe... and multiple planes.
I’ve crashed a motorcycle at well over 100mph, learned to dance salsa, and speak a second language. I’ve earned a marketing degree from a reputable university, spoken in front of a crowd of 1k+, and developed a solid sales and marketing career. I was almost swept away by a flood in Bolivia, and have experienced the pain of frostbite crossing the Andes. I've published a book, and ridden a motorcycle for one year, 25k miles, through 17 countries.Finally and most important... I’ve made countless friends around the globe, fallen in love deeply, been loved equally, and have lived a life that I'm proud of.
Great story!!!! Glad to have briefly met you!
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