The history adventuring project, chapter two


I like history adventuring. There's really no point to it, which is exactly the point. I've never had a goal of writing a book, or turning it all into a major motion picture, or anything like that. This is my life. And I know that when I say that it puzzles many people, who become suspicious, but I really do mean that all I want to do is to go look at stuff, and imagine places in Phoenix and California "back in the day". I've been doing this for decades, and it's really all I want for the rest of my life. If you understand, you know what I mean, but if not, then it's logical to think that I'm doing it for other reasons, especially now that I'm sharing.

I'm in the second chapter of my history adventuring, which is sharing. It's still a very personal thing with me, as I wander off and try to imagine Malibu when there were Malibu Indians (which I can't help thinking as funny-sounding), or imagining flying over the Sonoran Desert (as a hawk) before the city of Phoenix was built. In the past I've tried to cover it up, come up with some plausible reason why I was so lost in thought, telling people that I was day-dreaming, or thinking what I'm going to have for lunch. But I'm history adventuring.

The second chapter began a little over ten years ago when an accident suddenly took away my abilities to get out there and explore as easily as I did before. But I still needed to go places in my mind, and with the help of the internet, I did. And then I started writing down my travels in my imagination, and to my surprise there were people, like you, who liked them and didn't think that I was crazy (well, not much!).

The second chapter of my history adventuring will include a lot more people like you. I need people who can drive, fly airplanes, know which way is east and west, that sort of thing. In theory, I guess I could do these things, but I'm just not very good at them, and I'd like to turn my attentions elsewhere. I call these people PhDs, which means Phoenix History Detectives. And they can be IRL (In Real Life) eating a hamburger with me at the Chuckbox, and they can be in cyberspace, maybe just following along with me on their computer, or their phone. Or all of the above!

History adventuring puts much-needed structure in my life. I've never been someone who can just "go through the motions", doing the same thing day after day - I need adventure! And I've really been enjoying sharing it with like-minded people. I've created a Facebook page, a Patreon page, and most recently an Instagram page. I have the domain name of historyadventuring.com , and it helps me to, as I say, "spread the love". But I've accidentally bumped up against spam, and promotions of products and services, so I'm aware that many people are suspicious. It seems like I'm selling something, but I'm really not.

If you're reading this, you're part of my second chapter. If you saw me stop my car and go walk up to touch a palm tree for the first time in Phoenix when I was 19, you were also part of the first. Thank you for walking with me.

Image at the top of this post: the YMCA, Water Users building at Federal Park in the 1920s, 2nd Avenue and Monroe, Phoenix, Arizona. You're looking northwest.
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History adventuring posts are shared there daily. The basic tier is a dollar a month, and the PhD tier, which includes "then and now" photos, billboards, aerials, videos, and super high-definition photos, is five dollars a month, and is discounted for seniors, veterans, and students.

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