Bedtime Stories for Wanderers

If stories are the currency of travel, then writer Ryan Nickum is a very wealthy man. By the time he turned 30, Nickum's passport was chock full of the brightly colored patchwork of entry and exit stamps from dozens of distant countries. He was consumed by a desire to travel and haunted by the inability to sit still. The gaps in his resume developed into oceans between jobs. Cynicism grew. The overwhelming urge to quit the job and pack a bag sprang up every six months like a song that would not leave his ears. With his career stalling and idealism flat lining, Nickum looked into his past to search for the seed of the travel affliction. There was only one person to blame -- his father....

Listen to the Short at the Dirtbag Diaries.

The Dirtbag Dad Diaries

Hello and welcome to the Dirtbag Dad Diaries. This blog is my thoughts and experiences bringing up my son in today's society where children spend more time socializing through their computer than they do in person with real live friends, where learning about nature and this beautiful world we live in is through the TV rather than in the forest, and all to often, lives are lived out from the safety of the couch, never realizing the full potential of this wonderful place we call home.

Growing up in Montana, Washington, and North Carolina I was lucky enough to experience the outdoors my whole life. Hiking and camping with my family, surfing, snowboarding and just playing in the woods, I have an appreciation for life that I feel most kids don't get now. Maybe I'm just worrying to much. I certainly hope that I encourage my son to live life to the fullest, getting everything he can out of real life and not reality TV.

Posting may not be to frequent for now. Levi is still an infant and thus not inclined to surf with me just yet. As I think about the future of my fatherhood and in the distant future when he's old enought to start experiencing more with me, I'll be posting more frequently. Thanks for visiting!

On a side note, I stole the Dirtbag Dad Diaries name from the Dirtbag Diaries, a much better blog about outdoor living than this. Make sure to visit Fitz Cahall over there.

Note: Fitz has started, and I am contributing to, The Outdoor Parent. Be sure to visit!