“We’re taking a boat from Santiago, Chile, down the coast, the southern coast, around Cape Horn. Did you know Chile is close to Antarctica? We’ll stop at a city for a day. From there, we will go around the Falkland Islands, Port Stanley. Then, Montevideo and Buenos Aires for three days…”
The itinerary for an upcoming adventure drops drip drip drips from the lips of John Stalick like a glass of luscious pinot noir from Chile’s Malleco Valley. As each mental nugget is showcased, I have the pleasing fantasy of being a stowaway on whatever aircraft he’s on — as long as it’s not a Boeing 737 Max 9. Examined through another lens, stopping my good friend and neighbor from moving his sturdy body is akin to trying to keep the exterior of your vehicle clean for more than a nanosecond in the Colorado dirt and dust. It’s simply a losing battle.
John, 82, is able to afford the best vacations, he says over our frequent coffee sessions, because he planned it that way. He’s a self-made guy who, among other things, started a computer company. Along the way, our hale and hearty boy from Douglas, Wyo., was taught the value of a dollar at an early age, beginning his official splash in the workforce bussing tables in the Cowboy State.
During his time in the Air Force, where he spent part of his time assigned to a listening post at the Khyber Pass on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, he found himself in D.C., where he earned a degree in finance and accounting from George Washington University. John also served as a U.S. Capitol cop. His grit has yielded pleasurable material fruit from airplanes at Vance Brand Airport to the high-end motorcycle in his garage and his generosity when it comes to picking up the tab at restaurants.
My buddy’s philosophy about money and what to do with it mirrors his down-to-earth pragmatism and raw energy. If John were a bowl of Grape-Nuts, I’m convinced he would be an excellent source of fiber, delivering 100% of the daily whole grain recommendation. And, most importantly, non-GMO verified.
In the time I’ve known John, not once has he sugar-coated the frustratingly intangible concept of time. As a kid from Wyoming, he knows it passes swifter than a summer wind across the towering peaks and high plains. There’s clarity in his decision-making: “I figure I’ve got another 10 years,” he states flatly. “You have to ask yourself what you want to have, out of life. The would’ve, could’ve, should’ve. If you can get up and go when you can, there comes a point when you can’t get up and go at all.” Words of wisdom from a man who has faced down a host of medical challenges, living to talk about each of them.
John’s proud of his kids. While no parent does it right every time, he is happy with how they’ve grown into productive, responsible citizens. He’s been there to help them emotionally, psychologically and financially. At the same time, he’s of the mind that there needs to come a point in the relationship when children need to rely less on Mom and Dad and more on their own resourcefulness. Farmers in Europe, he notes, sign a contract with their kids. The farmer turns the business over to his children, providing the offspring, in turn, take care of their parents. That means giving them food that’s been produced from the land such as “ham, eggs and flour. We raised you,” the deal is, “now it’s your job to take care of us. I think it’s a great idea!”
Oh, wait. John’s 2024 globetrotting adventures aren’t through. He’s just getting warmed up.
“In April, we’ll fly to Munich, where we’ll be on our own. Think what I’d like to try is the train. I’ve done it in Europe, just not in that part. We’ll end up in Ljubljana, Slovenia, my ancestral country, for a little bit. Then probably fly from Ljubljana to Bucharest, Romania, where we’ll board the river cruise which goes from Bucharest to Amsterdam on the Rhine and the Danube…”
Although John has the means to follow his muse to exotic ports of call, he’s here to add that you don’t have to be King Solomon to enjoy new places. By taking advantage of airline mileage points and finding reasonably-priced hotels can help stretch your dollar. “For $10, you can take an Uber or taxi or bus, depending on where you go. You can buy a guidebook for $10 or $20. I’ve walked all over Rome.” As for tours, John sees how they appeal to so many sojourners. They’re organized and structured, and the tour guide generally has broad knowledge of the local or regional history and culture.
Still, John likes to take things at his own pace.
With tours, he warns, “You’re stuck. You’ve got to do what they’ve set up, and if you don’t like it, too bad. I don’t want to listen to their canned spiel.” Going solo, he says, reminds him of the Frank Sinatra classic, “My Way.” When he’s knocking around Paris on his own, “I go to the grocery store, buy salami, bread and cheese. And I sit down in a park and watch everybody do their thing.”
The cool thing about John is you sense a heightened degree of thanksgiving. He doesn’t have to stand on the table and shout it from the mountaintop. Like the power-packed nutrition in every bowl of Grape-Nuts, his spirit glimpses his palpable joy and appreciation.
Speaking of blessings, Thanksgiving is little more than seven months away. Two days before last Thanksgiving, John had hip replacement surgery. In and out of the hospital the same day. A few weeks later, he was back pumping iron at his favorite haunt, 24 Hour Fitness in Boulder.
Which begs the question: Where will John be on or around Thursday, Nov. 28?
“I think there are 195 countries in the world,” he swoons with authority. “I’ve been to 52 of them. This year, I’m adding three more. Everywhere you go, there’s something interesting. Do you know what’s inside Pharaoh’s tomb in the Egyptian section at the Louvre in Paris?”
Gee, I’m at a loss, I plead. Beer and bread that are slightly beyond their “sell by” dates? Petrified baba ganoush?
“Painted inside the lid is a naked woman. And painted inside the lid of a woman’s tomb is a naked man.”
On that semi-bizarre note, John looks back on a trip to Spain he took with his 90-year-old brother-in-law. “He was in a wheelchair. I pushed his wheelchair around Barcelona. He also went to Africa!”
So what parting wisdom does he offer those who are on the fence?
“Get over the fear of seeing some of the world. Buy a ticket.”
The high-fiber man has spoken.
Tony Glaros, originally from Washington, D.C., is a longtime reporter and former educator. He says living on the Front Range sparks euphoria.
