When buying things just isn’t enough while an experience may be all you need.

Where to begin…

Here is the background, I have 2 kids daughter 13, son 9 and a wife with a pretty crappy health situation called EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) which really impedes her ability to do a lot of activities. I grew up either camping via tent, until we got a 1960’s aluminum Apache Tent Trailer that we could tow with our ‘84 Escort. We drove it all the way from Ohio to LA (i.e. Wally World) that summer with no AC. Those days are gone with not being able to furlough weeks of vacation like my dad did how do I keep my head straight. I Think he had like 6 weeks saved and we used 3 for that trip.

So I struggled mightily when my kids were born to find things to do - waiting for that time to be able to do family trips like my childhood. Then when my son is born I get to fight the next 6 years trying to find out what is wrong with my wife and why she is physically falling apart right in front of us. I will be honest - it really sucked mentally for both of us. So comes the athlete - adventurer - and just a really pissed off guy.

Through the middle of everything I still continued to play a pretty high level of adult hockey and do my annual trip with my best friends (Scott and Chuck) while going to the beach each year with the family. Then came the first Midlife Crisis Tour.

First, my best friend, his brother and I have pretty much camped out at every asphalt oval race track in Indiana, spent 10 years going Bristol Speedway and the last 10 years at this wonderful haven called Eldora Speedway with most of my closets friends.

Now the realization of NatiThreads / Midlife Crisis Tour. In 2016 my cousin visits me and discusses how he got back into mountain biking with a childhood friend of mine and I should get on board. Okay, “I am still playing hockey pretty good shape and man the 20 year old bad a$$ bike from college is collecting dust” - so I give it an overhaul and away it goes. Six months later Tim (Cousin) and I do our first ride and I am hooked. Just so happens my best friend Scott lives in Bentonville, AR. home of Walmart and a new Mecca for modern mountain biking. See, Wally’s grandkids are MTB nuts and dump tons of cash into the regional trail system there. Unlimited Walmart funds and resources = let’s go check this out. And so it begins 3 guys from OH one from TX make the journey to the first Midlife Crisis Tour.

What I came to realize I have been working a Midlife Crisis for the last 10 years when I looked back at it. My grandfather wanted a Cadillac, my dad wanted a Corvette and I want an experience (owning a Porsche 911 would be cool). With limited time and resources (i.e. job, kids and money) - how does this work - where do I start - what can it turn in too. Well grandpa got that Cadillac, dad and mom drove the piss out of a Corvette for awhile and I have done some pretty cool stuff over these last 10 years.

Goal is to provide the confidence for you to grab a couple of your friends and experience something different. You will be amazed on how great it is to spend 3 days mountain biking in the woods, whitewater rafting in WV, hiking Smokey Mountains or tailgating at a Sprint Car race. NatiThreads is the threads of experiences that hold us together while our beards get grey, shoulders won’t rotate and knees need oil. I know my passion for life will always be reflected to my kids as long as I continue to work towards a goal.

I look forward to seeing where this journey leads us…