RC TOPIA: A New Tradition Begins (Part 1) | RC ADVENTURES

For years I have been building RC Topia one bridge, one trail, one obstacle, and one idea at a time. Alder Run and Willow Rise were never meant to be scale. If realism was the goal, trucks driving through tree tops probably isn't where I would have started. What I have always been chasing is adventure; that feeling that around the next corner there may be something unexpected waiting to be discovered. This week, that feeling became very real. When I invited visitors to RC Topia, I asked them to bring something with them. Not a gift. Not something expensive. It could have been as simple as a painted rock. An expression of themselves. Something that said, "I was here." Something that could remain behind for future explorers to discover. I wasn't sure how people would respond, but I was deeply moved by what happened. Guests arrived carrying signs created with loved ones, painted rocks made with care, handmade treasures, and little pieces of themselves. As they explored the park, those contributions began quietly appearing throughout the landscape. A sign hanging in Willow Rise. A beautiful painted stones tucked beside a trail, one painted by a young daughter - that says "Build Your Own Utopia". A ceramic mushroom finding a home among the trees. Small discoveries waiting for someone else to stumble upon them and smile. As I watched everyone crossing bridges, driving through the trees, and exploring the trails, I found myself paying as much attention to the people as I was to the RCs. The trucks gave us a reason to gather, but they weren't really the point. The point was the experience we were sharing together. The conversations. The laughter. The concentration on a difficult line. The excitement of discovering something unexpected hidden just beyond the next bend in the trail. I know some people will think it's silly. A group of grown men carrying painted rocks, signs, mushrooms, and RC trucks into the woods. Yet standing there yesterday, watching it all unfold, I couldn't help but think about how many of our simple rituals have disappeared. Not grand traditions or ancient ceremonies, just the small things that bring people together and remind us that we belong. What happened felt like the beginning of something. Not because of the objects that were left behind, but because of what they represented. Each contribution was a small way of saying, "I care about this place, and I want to leave it a little more interesting for the next person." For years people have told me they were inspired by the things I've built and shared. Yesterday I had the privilege of watching many of those same people become the inspiration themselves. Their physical contributions will remain hidden throughout RC Topia, waiting to be discovered by future visitors who may never know who placed them there, yet will still feel the thoughtfulness behind them - but the laughs and their smiles will live on in my heart forever. What a dream come true. We all have hopes that this video inspires others to try the hobby of Radio Control. RC Topia has never really been about the obstacles, the bridges, or even the trucks. Those things simply carry the experience. What matters are the friendships, the stories, and the adventures that unfold along the way. Yesterday, for the first time, RC Topia felt less like something I was building and more like something we were building together. Today my body is reminding me how much work went into preparing for this gathering. Crohns disease continues to ravage me with enteropathic arthritis and bone spurs in my joints. My feet are locked up, my wrists are sore, i need a back-e-otamy (jk) and every part of me is telling me I pushed too hard. Yet I can't help but smile. This is what its all about. THIS is life.. and I accept and want it all. For that, I am deeply grateful.