The Weekly Spark: Original Photography & Reflections

June 10th is the anniversary of the beginning of my 2017 bike ride across America. Looking back at the photos now, I definitely see them differently than I did at the time.
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Take this stretched-out Cadillac I found parked in Wyoming. Back then, I just thought it was a cool, quirky car. Today, I noticed something else.

"Later" is a small word that seems harmless on the surface. We often use it in casual conversations, such as "See you later" or "Talk to you later." However, we need to be careful with this word, because if we use it too casually, "later" may never come.

I took this photo at Eagle Island State Park in Eagle, Idaho: a Common Milkweed pod releasing its seeds at the precise moment of bursting. The plant doesn’t have a flight plan or a guaranteed landing zone—it simply opens up and lets the wind take over, trusting movement over certainty.

​I came across a quote that captured my attention: “Steady effort but without obvious brilliance.” I don’t recall who said it, but the message stuck with me.

You may notice I’ve been reflecting more on how songs shape my life. Right now, I’m listening to a playlist of rock favorites from the 70s and 80s. “Peace of Mind” by Boston is playing. My friend and I wore out several 8-tracks (remember those?) listening to the debut album, and the title song still stirs many emotions. One verse in particular impacted me then and perhaps even more today: “People living in competition, all I want is to have my peace of mind.”

I came across this sign in the quiet and beautiful stretches of Oregon during the first state of my bike ride across America. "Journey Through Time" is a massive concept for a roadside marker, but it perfectly captures how we move through the world. We aren’t just traveling across a physical landscape; we are navigating the deep layers of history, one moment at a time.

The Momentum of the Journey
Today marks a significant shift for this space. For the past year, I have shared an original photo and an inspiring caption every single Monday. It has been a rewarding practice of consistency and, more importantly, a way to find meaning in the journey.
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There is a unique power in momentum. What started as a simple weekly commitment to share a piece of my world has grown into a collective record of simply living life. This video brings together the original images from the last 52 weeks—a visual retrospective of the path we’ve walked together so far.

The "Someday" Trap: Why Today is the Only Square on My Calendar
Think about that one project or goal you've tucked away for a "better" time, the hobby you'll start when you have more bandwidth, or the change you'll make once you feel truly "ready." It's easy to treat those intentions like this picnic table in the off-season, assuming they only have value when the sun is out and the leaves are gone. But the table is just as real today as it is in July. Your goals don't need a perfect season to be valid; they need you to stop waiting for a sunnier version of your life and start working with the "today" you actually have.

Sometimes, the most profound landscapes are the ones that don't shout.

I took this photo on the way to Swan Falls in Idaho. At first glance, it looks like a quiet stretch of high desert—just sagebrush, rolling hills, and the Owyhee Mountains sitting quietly in the back.

​But something massive is missing from the picture.

It’s easy to hesitate when you can’t see exactly what’s coming next. On my cross-country ride, I faced countless roads just like this one...long, empty, and unknown. I learned that the only way to find meaning in the journey is to move toward it. We never know exactly what the road ahead offers, but we know for a fact that standing still reveals nothing. Go find what awaits.