Goals are fantastic things to have in life. They keep you moving forward. The secret is to not focus too much on getting there, rather, enjoy the moments that you experience along the way. It’s easy to get discouraged and give up. The thought crossed my mind a few times. Then I accepted that not every day was going to be the same and welcomed what each day would give me. Looking back, I wouldn’t want to change a single day. One more or less ride leading up to 500 would have changed how my 500th dive would have played out and cheated me out of that amazing experience. Or watching the sun set as the train approached the top of the lift those few evenings I happen to be on the right train at the right time.

Each day didn’t just mean more rides to add to the count. It was another day I got to take in the little things. At the end of almost every day I would pick the best reaction from a rider during the day. Some of the things that would come out of them never ceased to surprise me. The look on the faces of other riders after they would try some of my suggestions would be enough alone to make that day a good day. It become so natural helping out other guests I wouldn’t hesitate when asked or saw someone that look like they needed help or had questions.

I had been laid off at the beginning of the summer I started riding Yukon Striker which brought on feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and self doubt. At first it provided a temporary distraction from what I was going through and then began to give me something to look forward to. It inspired me to create a new section on my web site dedicated to tracking and sharing my progress and an app on my phone to update it. This gave me a chance to learn new technologies that I would use later that summer when I was able to secure a contract job. Riding Yukon Striker had helped me get through a difficult part of my life by giving me just what I needed and at the time I needed it.

Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone, and sometimes you have to find yourself a new one. I learned a lot about where I was, where I was going, and most importantly, how I was going to get there. Yukon Striker is now one of my happy places. Somewhere I can go, leave the problems of the world behind, and no matter how the day goes, I am fine with it. I can always come back another day and see what that brings.

Life is about discovering who we are and what we can accomplish if we take a chance every once and a while and see what happens. Trying and failing is a part of life and part of learning. It is better to have tried and failed than regretting never trying or trying again a different way. Life is it not meant to be a competition. The only prize at the end is what you see when you look back at what you have accomplished or experienced. Yukon Striker has given me many wonderful memories and I am sure more to come.

So that is my story of my journey riding Yukon Striker 1,000 times. If I have inspired you to step out of your comfort and try something new or different, let me know. I would love to hear about it. If you want to know more about how to get the most out of Yukon Striker, I may be able to help you out there. It would be my pleasure.

A special thanks to group the meet up on season pass holder preview night in 2019. I might not have gone that night if not for that. Grace for forwarding on my appreciations to the crew and supervision. To the crew for doing such a fantastic job at keeping those cycle counts up and getting me those dives in during each day and for all their support and encouragement.