A Call to Adventure - The Movie
Hey Guys;
Last year at age 67, I was emboldened to try something new (bicycle touring), and as a result I came across more interesting and stimulating people in the four months of riding atop a bicycle, than I had in my entire past ten years combined.
Would you be interested in being part of something bigger, something that you and your counterparts will want to follow along day by day as it progresses? In that regard, I believe I have something for you.
Filmmaker brother, Bill Day, and I are putting our passions together to create a Documentary film of my next USA cross-country bicycle ride, pushing off early this Fall. The focus of the film, “A Call to Adventure”, is to capture the intrepid spirit, in their own words, of the many adventurous people that I bump into along the way. By thought, action or deed, they are answering their own “Call to Adventure” and thereby enriching their lives.
Bill Day received his Masters Degree in Fine Arts back in the stone-age from UCLA Film School. He brings to the table 30+ years of creativity and experience directing and producing and editing documentary films all over the world, and working for nearly every major TV news service at one time or another.
At 68, I’m working to inspire the 50+ crowd and others out there, to better physical and mental health through increased exposure to the adventure community. A “Call to Adventure”, if it gets someone off the couch and away from their computer and TV, might help prevent them from becoming a premature burden on our healthcare system, which common sense tells us is a benefit to everyone.
I’m banking on applying my experiences from last year’s solo trip of cycling across the USA to capture more than a handful of that gumption I encountered for everyone to see.
They were people of all ages who were so focused and involved in what they were doing, and amazing in their viewpoints. On deserts, mountains, rivers, beaches, the flats of the midwest; I met them everywhere. I camped with some, dined with so many I can’t count, was hosted by a number in their homes, and rode side-by-side for many miles with others. They were hiking, on horseback, mountain biking, climbing, desert 4-wheeling, rafting, mountaineering, cycling, kayaking; everything you can imagine and from all walks of life. Surprisingly, some were grey-haired folks like me with big grins on their faces, and many were from foreign countries. Yet they were all kindred souls with a certain sparkle in their eyes.
This year’s ride START is at the upper edge of the State of Maine where it bumps into Canada, and just in time to experience the changing of the leaves. Estcourt Station, Maine, (pop 4) is in the north woods with initial routing in Canada due to a lack of roadways. From this northernmost point of the USA in the East, I plan to continue all the way down the Atlantic coastline to the southernmost point of the country at Key West, Florida. By also offering free lectures with anecdotes of my travels at select locations along the track, I hope to gently prod more people into taking hold of their own lives.
Bill and I sure could use the support of seniors in getting this project in front of as many as possible. We all know that dreaming is free, but converting fantasies into reality can be pretty expensive and that’s where the website Kickstarter can help. People go to Kickstarter to build community around their projects. It's inspiring to be supported by people you know, and amazing to connect with strangers who are discovering your ideas for the first time.
Kickstarter is a funding platform for nearly 24,000 creative projects. At this very second, thousands of people are checking out projects on Kickstarter. They're rallying around their friends' ideas, backing projects that hit them right, and discovering things that make them laugh and smile. Every project is independently crafted, put to all-or-nothing funding, and supported by friends, fans, and the public in return for rewards.
Bill’s Kickstarter Project has just recently launched and right now, Bill and his crew are hard at it in the planning stages of the film while I am organizing my ride to match. It is no easy task. But it will be an adventure film like no other. He has some special tricks up his sleeve to guarantee that you will meet people that one couldn’t imagine, experience beauty that can’t be expressed in words, and be surprised by situations that will make you belly-laugh. The timing is about right, also, as we have less than thirty days to raise the funding for the movie.
So take a moment to check out Bill’s ‘A Call to Adventure’ project at Kickstarter.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/198673325/a-call-to-adventure
It’s a pretty cool site with a map of our track and a short video clip.
Later when I’m on the trail, go to my website to follow the North-to-South ride via tons of maps and a Satellite Tracker in real time. One will be able to plot (GPS tracks) the ride on a Google map down the entire Eastern Seaboard of the country. Daily captioned photos from the trail will be uploaded to the connected Facebook page, too. And one can add comments and ideas. It’s a group effort.
If you are so inclined, please remember that no contribution is too modest. Each and every dollar puts us a little bit further down the track to completing a project that will provide value to all ages.
I am aware that something like this is not for everyone, yet whatever you chose to do, please forward this letter to your email list and every adventurous spirit that comes to mind. One never knows who might be quietly thinking of doing something bold and exciting. And maybe they need just a little more inspiration to get it done.
In addition, if you have any comments or possess ideas for the film that hit you right smack in the center of your forehead, or you know of a particular adventurer along our track that would be of benefit to interview, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Here’s hoping you get some enjoyment out of this, and maybe some added provocation in your own life. In any case, the ride promises to be an awesome adventure.
Maybe we will see you out there.
Bill and Jack
Jack Day
Email - jackjday@gmail.com
Bill Day
Email - billthefilmmaker@smilingzebra.com
Kickstarter Project