It feels fitting that the first post on a website about adventures should probe how one is led to these pursuits. Sure, “everyone loves to travel” is somewhat axiomatic, but it is not a universal. No one is born with a passion for travel or exploration. Somewhere along the way, those interests are developed, nurtured, and cultivated. For me, I think it all started with family trips to our cabin in Baja California, about thirty minutes south of Rosarito. The cabin was the vision of my maternal grandfather, Myron Claxton, back in the 1980s. Campo Lopez is a small beachside community of expats, and as far back as I can remember, my family has been making trips down to this seaside oasis to enjoy the sun, surf, tide pools, beach games, board games, and plenty of reading and solitude. We would also venture out to Rosarito or Ensenada for shopping and dining, exploring different restaurants and local curiosities. Over the years we’ve ventured further out to wine country and down the Baja Peninsula. Even though developments have enveloped the surrounding, Camp Lopez still maintains a small beach community vibe. It was those moments as a kid where I was exposed to unfamiliar places and people that taught me how to feel at ease outside my comfort zone. Ultimately, I believe that is what cultivated in me a true sense of curiosity and exploration: seeking out new places and people, and learning to be comfortable and adaptable in unfamiliar environments. Over the years, I began to understand just how different and unique the world and its people can be from what I knew, and that those differences, and even surprises, are not just okay, but something to be embraced. There’s no room for judgment, only acceptance of what is. But despite those difference on the surface, if one spends enough time listening and looking deeper, humanity shares many more attributes that unite us.I am incredibly grateful and fortunate to have been exposed to these environments early in life. They helped shape who I am today, and even now, this special place continues to hold deep meaning for me and my family, both in how it shaped us and how it continues to do so.
