For the 35th anniversary of Backroads, we decided it was about time to get me out talking to the press, something I hadn’t done in ages. Everyone wanted to talk about e-bikes, electric assist bikes. All the editors and writers I met challenged my decision to offer them on trip.

Ukulele chords strummed, vibrant plumerias bloomed and hula skirts swished as soon as my feet hit the tarmac. I was back in Hawaii–one of my favorite places on the planet. But this time, instead of training for a grueling Ironman, or spending time with friends, I was in Hawaii as a first-year Backroads Trip Leader...

It's not often in life you get an opportunity to see how loved you are. The opportunity to be reminded just how lucky you are. There are birthdays, but then those are almost obligatory. Random moments caught in time when someone tells you how much you mean to them…

The expectations I had about being a Backroads trip leader when I first applied for the position were far from reality. In the first place, I thought the job was about being a simple tour guide with a little activity, but what it is all about is much more than that.