Adventure Down Under

Day 1: April 1, 2011
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Leaving Fort Carson … The Call to the Southern Seas

April 1, 2011, marked the beginning of a journey that had been forming for years … a journey inspired by visions of tall ships, pirate captains, and a life at sea.

For the past eight months, I had been preparing to leave my position at Fort Carson, where I worked as a GIS Specialist, Curator, and Archaeologist for the U.S. Army. It wasn’t a sudden decision. This departure had been carefully planned, responsibly executed, and thoughtfully transitioned.

I wrote and published a Curation Manual to guide those who would take over my responsibilities, ensuring continuity and stewardship of the archaeological collections and GIS systems I had helped manage. I trained replacements, completed outstanding projects, and gradually stepped back from the role that had defined much of my professional life.

But something else had been calling.

For years, I had envisioned a tall sailing ship; a vessel not just for travel, but for a purpose. A ship that would sail from port to port, carrying an onboard historical museum, live-action swordplay, pirate theater, and educational experiences. A ship that would fund itself through entertainment, storytelling, and living history.

That vision became Pirate Relief.

The idea was simple but ambitious:
A tall ship.
A traveling historical experience.
A floating community.
A life at sea.

But before committing to that dream, I needed to know:

Could I live aboard a tall ship?
Could I sleep in hammocks?
Climb rigging?
Stand night watch?
Swab decks?
Live as part of a crew?

So I booked passage aboard the replica of Captain Cook’s HMB Endeavour, during its circumnavigation of Australia.

My role aboard the ship would include:

• Night watch security
• Tour guide for the onboard museum
• Active sailing crew

My assigned leg:
Brisbane to Gladstone, Australia

It would be the perfect test of a … real-world trial of the Pirate Relief vision.

But before Australia… there were goodbyes.

DECAM Farewell … Fort Carson

The day began with a going-away gathering with colleagues from the Directorate of Environmental Compliance and Management (DECAM). Friends, coworkers, and fellow archaeologists gathered for food, drinks, and stories, celebrating both the work we had done together and the adventure ahead.

There was excitement, curiosity, and a bit of disbelief. Leaving a stable government archaeology job to sail aboard a tall ship around Australia wasn’t exactly a conventional career move.

But those who knew me weren’t surprised.

Adventure had always been part of the path.

These farewell moments carried a sense of transition … not just between jobs, but between worlds.

Government archaeologist…
to the tall ship crew.

The Inkqbator … Colorado Springs Burner Farewell

Later that evening, the journey continued at The Inkqbator … a Colorado Springs Burning Man warehouse and creative gathering space. This was another community that had shaped my life … artists, dreamers, builders, performers, and fellow travelers.

If DECAM represented my professional world,
The Inkqbator represented my creative one.

Here, the Pirate Relief dream made perfect sense.

Music played, drinks were raised, hugs were shared, and conversations stretched late into the night. These were the people who understood why someone would leave stability to pursue adventure.

Because they would do the same.

There was laughter, celebration, and the quiet awareness that something significant was beginning.

The Journey Beyond Australia

Australia was only the beginning.

After sailing aboard the HMB Endeavour, the journey would continue:

• Cornwall archaeological field school
• Building an Iron Age roundhouse
• Three Wishes Fairy Festival
• Searching for holy wells and sacred sites
• Exploring England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland

This wasn’t just a trip.

It was a transformation.

It was the beginning of what would become Adventure Down Under and beyond.

[ The Next Day: April 2, 2011 ] [ Home ]

Last Night at Fort Carson [ Version 1 ] [ Version 2 ]
Dark wave Viking military song about Sir Thomas leaving his position as Curator/Archaeologist at Fort Carson ready for his life’s transition Down Under adventure. By Rowan Ai | Oisin Rhymour | Suno Ai on 4/5/26.

Lyrics:

[Verse 1] Cardboard kingdoms In fluorescent halls
Maps rolled tight
Like sleeping scrolls
Dust of centuries
On your quiet hands
Sir Thomas Leif
Leaves the land he scanned Y
ou logged the bones
And the rusting blades
Guarded stories In the survey shade
Now the office laughs
Over paper plates
Plastic cups shake
Like a trembling gate

[Chorus]
Raise your horns
For Sir Thomas Leif
From Fort Carson’s walls
To the desert heat
GIS lines To ancestral stone
Tonight we sing you
Out of this throne (hey, hey)
Sir Thomas Leif
We carve your name in smoke

[Verse 2]
Co-workers circle
In a break-room ring
Passing memories
Like a war-band drink
Project jokes
And the late-night calls
PowerPoint sagas
On the cubicle walls
Burners arrive
With the dust in their hair
LED halos
And the thousand-yard stare
They paint your face
With an ash-black rune
Promise a temple
That will kiss the moon

[Chorus]
Raise your horns
For Sir Thomas Leif
From Fort Carson’s walls
To the desert heat
Curator’s keys
Traded in for flame
Tonight the old gods
Whisper your name (oh-oh)
Sir Thomas Leif
We carve your name in smoke

[Bridge]
[Drums deepen Low chant builds]
Hoar-frost mountain
Cardboard snow
Server lights flicker
Like a funeral boat
You walk the hallway
One last time
Badge on your belt
Like a brittle sign
They gift you a compass
A hand-drawn map
The break-room fridge
Bears a paper flag
“Find us in the fire
When the towers fall down
We’ll meet in the dust
Outside every town”

[Chorus]
Raise your horns
For Sir Thomas Leif
From Fort Carson’s walls
To the desert heat
Archaeologist
Of the unseen roads
You chart the ashes
Where the bright ones roam (hey, hey)
Sir Thomas Leif
We carve your name in smoke

[Outro]
[Voices in distant round]
Fortress to furnace
Office to sand F
ollow the lanterns
Out of this land
When the border burns
And the last doors close
We’ll build you a cairn
Out where the temple glows