CHUTELESS

Rising with the sun in a nearby park, our excitement was...

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:06:06 -0400

Rising with the sun in a nearby park, our excitement was contagious. Devin was our final ride, and completely game to take us straight to Santa Monica. We were mere hours from exploding into the surf & completing our fantastical mission, 6 days ahead of schedule.

Day 9, Ride 11 : CA

Chris, a young lawman, drove us out of Vegas and into...

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:33:34 -0400

Chris, a young lawman, drove us out of Vegas and into California. Despite having an early morning shift ahead of him, Chris rode through the night and took us a good hour out of his way to ensure we’d find a final ride to the coast…

Day 9, Ride 10 : NV - CA

Hours of biking thru now 125 degree heat had us wondering if...

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:01:05 -0400

Hours of biking thru now 125 degree heat had us wondering if we’d ever escape the transient city of Las Vegas. Dennis was our first sign of hope, with a critical short lift to a better jump-off point headed west. Arduous though it appears, few experiences compared to the relief of muscling our heavy, body-bagged Dahons into a ride suddenly secured.

Day 9, Ride 9 : NV

Marooned in 120 degree desert heat without shade or much hope of...

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 22:27:00 -0400

Marooned in 120 degree desert heat without shade or much hope of a lift, an angel came out of nowhere. Veronica, nearly home from a long workday commute, scooped up her two sons & daughter before driving us nearly 2hrs in reverse to Lake Mead so we’d have shelter and water.

Day 8, Ride 8 : NV

The paras astounded us with a stop at the Grand Canyon. We had...

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:01:06 -0400

The paras astounded us with a stop at the Grand Canyon. We had touched the void at this point, humbled by so many shared treasures.

Day 8, Ride 7: UT - NV

Photo: A couple of special ops paratroopers from the UK encouraged our mad attempts to ride cows on...

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:54:55 -0400

Photo: A couple of special ops paratroopers from the UK encouraged our mad attempts to ride cows on the way… http://t.co/bDGLvv8

A couple of special ops paratroopers from the UK encouraged our...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:01:05 -0400

A couple of special ops paratroopers from the UK encouraged our mad attempts to ride cows on the way to a flash storm in Moab.

Day 7, Ride 7: CO – UT

Exploring abandoned mines & hunting for crystals with Tim...

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:01:05 -0400

Exploring abandoned mines & hunting for crystals with Tim & Jennifer near their hometown. Soon we’d find ourselves wrangling horses, relaxing in a crude hot tub next to a frigid mountain river, and riding the gondolas at Telluride.

Day 6, Ride 6: CO

We were hooked at this point, bold as the rides that had taken...

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:22:20 -0400

We were hooked at this point, bold as the rides that had taken us farther & faster than we’d dreamed possible. Fresh from The Gathering of the Juggalos, Tim & Jennifer schooled us on the Colorado wild with introductions to a wizened grandmother and hidden, elemental treasures.

Day 5, Ride 6: MO - CO

Sandi’s amazing family repacked their already stuffed...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:50:34 -0400

Sandi’s amazing family repacked their already stuffed vehicle to make room for us and our bikes. One loving mother & four incredibly sweet-tempered children spontaneously willing to take us hundreds of miles towards our destination. We had some of our most soulful conversation during that ride and were treated to symphonies composed and conducted by an absent son in the graduate program at Carnegie Mellon. Here we are at a gas station, sharing ice cream with the kids.

Day 5, Ride 5: IN - MO

Simon wins the race to see who can pack up his fold-up Dahon...

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:04:00 -0400

Simon wins the race to see who can pack up his fold-up Dahon faster before transport in Sam’s hulking SUV, the roomiest ride of our adventure westward.

Day 4, Ride 4: OH - IN

Day 3: Midwest Reggae Fest @ Nelson Ledges… to Hilliard,...

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:36:27 -0400

Day 3: Midwest Reggae Fest @ Nelson Ledges… to Hilliard, OH

Waking from tents in a cemetery we hitched a ride with James to...

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:49:30 -0400

Waking from tents in a cemetery we hitched a ride with James to a reggae festival staged on the edge of a quarry filled with water for swimming & cliff-diving. It was a tremendously auspicious start pulsing with curious people & constant, impending unknowns. We felt a bit like risk junkies and a bit like social explorers. ”Hunting for treasure” was proving best done by asking questions and sharing our most amiable sides. Not so many days later we’d be crystal hunting near an abandoned mine shaft with a couple of Juggalos in Durango, Colorado. The biggest adventures were yet to come… and we were already in Ohio.

Day 2, Ride 2 : PA - OH

One year ago today, on Friday the 13th, the adventure began.

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:05:43 -0400

One year ago today, on Friday the 13th, the adventure began.

“Who’s Fittest?” Quick edited 2 nights before...

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:11:58 -0400

“Who’s Fittest?” Quick edited 2 nights before pushoff back in August 2010… never posted until now.

The chuteless equation

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 09:48:41 -0500

We’re often asked to explain chuteless as a concept, and really it boils down to the following equation: ‘We are going to XXX without XXX in order to XXX’.

A few examples that we’re considering:

‘We are going to WALK FROM THE NORTHERN TO SOUTHERN TIP OF MANHATTAN without SIGHT (IE BLINDFOLDED) in order to TERRIFY OURSELVES AND TEST WHETHER NEW YORKERS ARE GOOD PEOPLE’.

‘I (likely a girl!) am going to GO FOR ONE MONTH without USING ANY KIND OF SKIN CREAM in order to TEST WHETHER THEY MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE’.

‘We are going to TRAVEL FROM THE WEST TO EAST COAST OF AFRICA without MONEY FOR FOOD OR ACCOMMODATION in order to TEST OUR HYPOTHESES THAT THE POOR ARE THE MOST CHARITABLE’.

Would love to hear any thoughts - simon.bray@whatifinnovation.com.

Feature in 2011.

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:44:21 -0500

Feature in 2011.

Very rough, Sunday edit in September. Part 3 to follow. Feature...

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 13:22:25 -0500

Very rough, Sunday edit in September. Part 3 to follow. Feature release in 2011.

Footage from the 9-day crosscountry hitchbiking adventure last...

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 22:50:32 -0400

Footage from the 9-day crosscountry hitchbiking adventure last August, edited hastily one Sunday in September. Feature to be released in 2011, in series and/or film, with fresh scoring by various composers. Parts 2 and 3 to follow. (Happy Birthday, Si.)

Leftover funds from Kickstarter contributions that Simon...

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:19:42 -0400

Leftover funds from Kickstarter contributions that Simon generously refused and deemed “fight money” for film festival submissions, angel rewards, editing needs…