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I don't see the resemblance!

9/27/2018

Excuse me, but I don’t get the resemblance!

Ever since the movie, Up, hit the big screen…kids have said I look like that old man in the movie. I don’t get it! There’s no resemblance at all! But the boys in the Colorado Rockies got a big chuckle in July 2017 when we were at Snow Mountain Ranch. A family was walking up the steps to our lodge and some little boy (probably about 4) pointed at me and said something to the effect of, “Look mom, he’s the man in the movie!” Well, our MTA boys just about fell over with laughter—embarrassing that boy’s mom. I’m sure both the little guy and our slightly bigger guys understood exactly.

Just the same, Mr. Fredricksen (Ed Asner) was an admirable character that loved adventure. And he was a kind (slightly elderly) gentleman. I’m honored to have that comparison.

There are plenty of adventures ahead for your own “Russell.” Check out what we have lined up for 2019 by clicking here.

(Just so you know, I added twenty pounds and twenty years to the right-side photo on Photoshop.)

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This used to be a standing gag...maybe we'll start it back?

9/21/2018

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Usually my posts have been from our most recent trips, but it is fun looking back at the MTA archives and glancing at photos from some of our past trips. This first photo was from our Alaska-Canada trip in 2010. Some of the boys actually needed to use this porta-potty we found on some road outside of Juneau and the beginning of a new “group photo” tradition was started. We continued this from time to time and most of the boys thought it was a good gag. The second photo is a bit more recent – Virginia Mountains in 2014.

So that you know, most of our boys are more resourceful than waiting in line for a smelly old porta-potty. You can probably imagine some other options.

Who knows if we’ll post such a picture in 2019, but it might be time? Check out what we have lined up for this coming summer by clicking this link.

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Math In Action!

9/15/2018

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There’s a secret reason we have “MindStretch” in our name. Of course we hope the boys will be drawn to the “travel” and “adventure” part of our moniker. However we throw in a little brainwork just because we can. Of course, traveling itself is enlightening and educational but MTA can toss in some real-world educational experiences that are even fun. These two photos represent one of those examples. So that the boys don’t have to raid the hotel vending machines for snack food, we’ll often take them to a supermarket near the beginning of each trip and instruct them that they can only spend “X” amount per person per room. You’d be amazed at how quickly their math skills are put to work when the kids try to figure out how much loot they can get for a set amount of money! They check the prices, they compare name brand to store brand, big size vs. small size, price per ounce, and work together to accomplish their mission. They’re proud of their math (and buying) achievements!

Click to read about our 2019 adventures and just picture your son making these great choices!

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Older than Dirt!

9/8/2018

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This photo is of the MTA staff we had for this past summer’s Virginia trip. I’m no math teacher, but some of these guys are and they would probably tell me that I was using the correct formula for figuring out the average age of a MTA staff member. Including me in my math (I was behind the camera) shows an average age of 54 years old. Actually, we have leader Andy Clack (second from right) for helping get that age down.

And we’re proud of this. Very proud. Because all of those years equal a lot of life experiences and a lot of knowing when to say “no” when a boy asks, “What could go wrong?” Or, instead of “no” we might suggest that we think this through first.

Yet, the boys still have fun – but safety always comes first.

Andy, by the way, was trying to convince us that these things were first generation smart phones. (If you haven’t guessed, they’re speakers at a drive-in movie we went to our first night in Virginia.)

Click to check out just some of the fun we have planned for 2019.

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What's to eat?

9/5/2018

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Just one of the great perks about a MTA experience is that boys get to choose what they want to eat. It gives them freedom to explore something new or stick with the familiar.

The above photo shows two brave campers in Paris this past summer having steak tartare (I think I have that name right). You can see on their faces just how much they enjoyed their choice!

In the bottom photo, taken in Cripple Creek, Colorado just over a year ago shows these two same guys along with some of their buddies about to sample their first “Rocky Mountain Oysters.” You’ll need to Google that if you’re not quite sure what it is because I’m not about to tell you.

And as I often say, “That’s part of the adventure of a MTA trip.”

Click to learn more about our 2019 travels and start planning your own menu.

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He got it fixed!

9/3/2018

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It’s Labor Day and while we certainly don’t put our MTA travelers to any “real” work during our trips, we are happy to celebrate this day. But in this photo you’ll see our motor coach chief mechanic, Carson, giving his first assessment of what’s wrong with our coach when it broke down during last summer’s Virginia trip. Carson, and others, soon had us up and running with a replacement bus and we didn’t miss a thing.

Carson is coming back next summer on our New England adventure and he’ll be happy to know we’ve made arrangements for a coach for that trip. In fact, we were so spoiled with the chauffeur-driven coach that we’ve made arrangements for a motor for both of our trips in 2019.

CLICK this link to check out to learn more about our 2019 adventures.

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I don't see the resemblance!

This used to be a standing gag...maybe we'll start it back?

Math In Action!

Older than Dirt!

What's to eat?

He got it fixed!

Mark Levin

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