Recently, we had a business trip for the Hot Springs Association convention. Many of you may not know this, but I technically have three businesses, and one of them I co-founded. My business partner and I attend trade shows with different organizations. The last one was held in Calistoga, California, for the Hot Springs Association.
We have two main client types for our software businesses. One of them is campgrounds and canoe rentals, and the other is hot springs businesses.
You want to talk about night-and-day type business owners. The campground outdoors world, they’re outdoorsy people and seasonal businesses, and a different type of crowd, right? It’s just a different mentality. The Hot Springs business owners are your upscale, high-end resorts. They have the spas, they have the hot springs facilities, you know, they do soaks, all that kind of thing.
When we go to those trade shows, they’re usually more high-end and more relaxing, and honestly, a lot more fun. I knew it was a one-day trade show, so I planned on flying in the night before, setting up, and then leaving the next morning.
If I had known what Calistoga, California, was like, I would have so booked a longer stay. I got up at 3:00 AM, drove to the airport, flew to Vegas, and then from Vegas to Santa Rosa. I had planned to get a rental car and then drive to Calistoga. Well, whenever I got in the air, Curtis messaged me and said Charla was on the plane on the runway, and they canceled her flight.
She was trying to reroute but didn’t know what was going on. I messaged her, and she initially thought she wouldn’t be able to be there until 11:00 that night, if she even made her flights.
Since her birthday was on Wednesday, I had booked us a mud bath experience on Sunday evening before the trade show started. I told her, “I’ll try and see if we can reschedule our mud bath. You just let me know what’s going on.”
Well, in the meantime, I knew I was picking up the rental car at 2:00, and if she wasn’t going to be there until 11:00, I had the whole rest of the day to myself.
Well, I started looking at the map, and I’m like, “I’m like 50 minutes away from the ocean. What am I doing?” I started asking myself: Do I want to try to go to the ocean? What’s the best place to see it? What’s the quickest route, etc.?
All while I am in the air, I’m trying to decide if I’m going to, you know, pivot and get myself to the water. Well, she messaged me and said they rerouted her. She’s got four flights and will be in Santa Rosa by 5:00.
By 3:00, I’m off the plane, got the rental car, got a drink, and had routed myself to Goat Rock Road with a beach lookout.
I get in the car, and I’m getting ready to drive, and there are these huge gorgeous trees and rolling hills. I felt like I was in Scotland. It was beautiful. It was amazing. I turned on music, and wouldn’t you know, it was like ’90s rap, “Feels Good to Be a Gangsta.”
I felt so free, so adventurous, so amazing. I missed this feeling. This is exactly what I needed.
I was at the overlook for about 15 minutes, and it was exactly what I needed to fill my cup. I knew I had to get back to pick Charla up from the airport, but the way back was blocked by road construction. I decided to once again pivot and take Highway 1 and cut up to the airport a different way.
I drove Highway 1, which is coastal all the way. It’s switchback curves, and I was just driving. I had a motorcycle behind me. We were just taking the curves together. It was, oh, so much fun. Just so much fun.
By the time we got to the hotel, we were tired and hungry. We went to a restaurant and then settled in for the evening, since we didn’t have to be set up until 9:00 on Monday morning.
Calistoga is in Napa Valley, Sonoma County. If you look down the road, one end is the mountains. It’s in a valley. So one end is mountains, the other end is mountains. It’s just gorgeous. Such a cute little town. Absolutely loved it. I want to go back so bad. I did look to see if I could extend my stay, but I had meetings on Thursday and Friday, so I had to get back for that.
While I was booking our reservations, I had already found a gym, of course. It was a really neat little gym. They had true metal, old-school metal plates type of gym. It was so fun.
After I finished my workout, I went back to the hotel to get Charla. And then we went to the coffee shop, got breakfast, and set up. The trade show itself was so much fun. High energy, nice people. Some of them are our clients, so it was good to see them.
I was able to reschedule our mud bath, so that evening we went to Golden Haven Spa. It is a geothermal bath, so you can’t just step into it. You have to sit down, shimmy across, lie down, then put the mud over yourself. Then they come give you a clay mask and a hot and a cool rag for your forehead.
I don’t know if I liked it or not, but it was an experience! I don’t know that I’d do it again. We did have a great time, and it was very nice to relax that evening.
Again, up at 3:00 AM to drive back to the airport. It was a small airport that only had eight gates.
I had three flights home, which kind of sucked. It was a long day, but the San Diego airport was nice and easy. The Phoenix airport was a little crazy, but I got on the plane fine and landed in St. Louis.
While on the plane home, I felt a huge sense of relief and release. I felt transported into this place of high frequency and high vibration. And it made me realize something:
I had been putting my power into the hands of other people.
I had been leaking my energy.
I hadn’t been holding it tightly.
And I hadn’t been creating enough magical moments that keep me grounded and sane.
That one tiny little trip… that one moment of saying, “I’m taking this adventure,” changed something in me.
I want my life to feel free.
I want it to feel adventurous.
I looked out the window of the plane, and there was a rainbow right below us!!
When I landed in St. Louis, my shuttle to the parking lot was right there at the door when I got there. I was able to get in, get in my car, and the rain held off as I drove home.
This trip really reminded me of what I value… the values I hold true for myself: freedom, adventure, and self-integrity.
