Introduction - Hello, I am YOYO!

Hello, I am William "YOYO" Martin. Yah, I know, "YOYO", where did I get that handle? Well it all started out after I got a really bad diagnosis. I am not going to go into details, but it was, and is, life threatening. After receiving this news, I decided to live out my days exploring all of my interests, there was only one problem, I had none. Not only did I not have any real interests, but I didn't have the money to live any of them out.

Having very little money and needing to do something huge, I bought a first class European Rail Pass ticket , booked a plane, and packed a backpack. I traveled all of Europe for very little money. I slept on trains and in hostels. I stayed with people I met along the way, and I stayed away from tourist attractions as much as possible. I took over 6,000 photos and I had never taken photos or owned a camera prior to that moment. I just jumped into it head first, something I would have never had done prior to my diagnosis.

After exploring 26 different countries, I headed home. I wasn't home long before I set out to do some long distance hiking, when I say long distance, I am talking about 2000 miles and up. I hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT), and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). These photos were taken when I hiked from mexico to Canada on the Continental Divide Trail.

After getting off the trail, I was left with a very real uncomfortable feeling. I wasn't going after any new goals. I always wanted to bicycle the world. I knew it would be expensive, but I knew one day I would tackle it. I did however find a new adventure, I would kayak the Mississippi River.

Below are some of the photos of my journey.

I got to Lacrosse, WI. and had a problem with the kayak seat ripping through the side wall. I had to wait through the Holidays for them to sort it out for a refund. I was upset about the whole ordeal, so I loaded my pack and went for a walk across America. Here are a few photos of that experience.

I made it to Newton, KS form Rehobeth Beach, DE. I was feeling great and enjoying the trip. I noticed a hole in my tent and my sleeping bag wasn't warm enough for the sub-freezing temperatures. I called my host family and let them know what was going on. They encouraged me to come home until the repairs were made by the company. What the hell, it was coming up on Christmas.

During the Holidays I found that I had enough money to purchase a new kayak to finish my trip, so I headed back down river.

I made it to St. Louis and had to get out because of river flooding and the port closing down. I got back on river a couple of weeks later and headed down to Vicksburg, MS where I would meet up with a friend. During the visit I noticed a breech in the hull of the kayak and looked for repairs. During my search I lost my Credit Cards. I left with my friend and headed to their home in Atlanta. During my visit and the replacement of my cards, I checked my finances and if I were ever going to start my bike touring, it would have to be in the spring. I made the decision to not return to the river and complete the last few days. It wasn't that difficult of a choice considering the setbacks I had already experienced.

I have purchased my bike and I am getting my gear together for the spring. I have purchased some new film equipment, a camera, slider, stabilizer,and a drone. I am looking forward to bringing Steemians an ongoing adventure series. I hope to tour the world on Steem and Bitcoin. Let's hope that works.

You can find out more about me by visiting the links below. I have some films out now for your enjoyment. In the future, look for my posts to be primarily on Steemit and d.tube. Great to be a part of the community.

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/imaginationicon

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/imaginationicon

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/imaginationicon

Isntagram:
https://www.instagram.com/imaginationicon/

Blog:
https://imaginationicon.wordpress.com/

Steemit:
@imaginationicon