LOCATION
Sedona Arizona while on contract in Fort Defiance Arizona (staying in Gallup, NM)
CAIRN TRAVELER VLOG | EP 25
Biking is one of best ways to see a city (or small town with limited parking) with improvement freedom of movement. This week took me to Sedona on a mission to knock out two more bucket list items - checking out The Chapel of the Holy Cross and getting my first tattoo. More discussion about the tattoo design and meaning in the BLOG post linked below as well as some amazing photos from the astonishingly beautiful Sedona.
Be creative and find your adventure this week!! ✌️😎
In terms of bikes, I've had a Trek CrossRip Elite for almost ten years and I'm always amazed at how fast this bike is on the road. I hope to soon have a mountain bike as well to take advantage of some of the awesome trails out here. Later in June I will have a hitch welded under the back bumper of the Airstream (as well as several inches of lift) in order to get these bikes out of the rather cramped back of my truck. I do have both clip-in pedals and shoes but when I'm getting on and off the bike a lot (as in exploring a town), I like to have comfortable walking shoes so I just leave the regular pedals installed for now. I think biking a city or town though is a great way to get around and experience the place with true freedom - this is especially true for a small tourist town with lots of traffic and little parking (as in Sedona). I drove in early to find parking and then just left the truck and biked around the town at my leisure. I will probably go back later in the year to explore further with the bike but this was an excellent trip. After parking on Chapel Road, I first biked up 179 to The Hike House (while waiting for the Chapel to open), and then back down to Chapel Road to explore the Chapel by 9am (it was quite busy). I then biked further down 179, had a deli lunch at a gas station, and then made Physical Graffiti (http://pgbodyart.com/) in Oak Creek by 11am for my first tattoo.
More photography from this trip is available both on Instagram and here on the CAIRN Traveler Galley Page (both color and in the Western Shadows Galley in black and white).
Some have said they thought this tattoo looked "tribal" but in reality I designed it myself without much tribal art reference. I knew I wanted a band to start off with and may perhaps later add a half-sundial mandala under the band as well. A Navajo friend of mine also noted that this style of band is called a "warrior band" which is an interesting note. The overall intent behind this tattoo was to have it symbolize life and life achievements. Bands are hard to conceptualize, draw, and then to put into practice due to the contours of the forearm but Eric from Physical Graffiti did an excellent job putting my concept into ink.
Components and Meaning
The chevrons indicate the number of travel nurse contracts I have completed (individual locations NOT extensions in those locations) - I would add more down the arm as I go.
The solid band at the top signifies faith and what I choose to believe as a foundation to all things.
The separated and cut bands signify the components of life and how one part of life often ends and another begings but in the end all of these come together to form a cohesive and beautify whole (e.g. high school turns into college, buying a house, various jobs and employers, various career tracks and changes in life trajectory).
RELATED
PRODUCTION NOTES
Cameras: Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with DJI OM 4 Gimbal, Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 24-70mm Lens and Peak Design Carbon Fiber Tripod, DJI Mavic 2 Pro, GoPro Hero 7 Black
Audio: RODE VideoMic PRO+, RODE Wireless GO, Apple AirPods Pro, and Device Native Mics
Editing: Adobe Premier Pro (Creative Cloud)
Music: Epidemic Sound, MUSICBED, Soundstripe, YouTube Music Library
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