LiveYourAdventure.com
Spans the Grand Canyon
A 48-hour adventure in thinking big
By Eric R. Osborn
Mark McMahon is the founder and CEO of LiveYourAdventure.com, a Tucson-based
publisher that creates products meant to inspire people to pursue their
dreams and live their passion. Six years ago, realizing that he wanted
more out of his life, Mark left his career as a dentist and began a
journey to the southern most point of South America. Today, McMahon
is about to take his small business to the next level. With the release
of his book Driving to the End of the World due out this summer,
a national tour across North America, and the creation of multiple inspirational
products, McMahon sought after and found help for his dream. He found
it within himself.
McMahon’s latest dream began with a simple online advertisement. Yahoo!
is putting on a contest for small businesses with a title that captured
McMahon’s attention, “Think Big.” Yahoo! is giving away 10,000,000 free
ad impressions, a gold mine for a young business. The face of the contest
is no other than Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, a man who
epitomizes thinking big and has been an inspiration to McMahon.
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Arrive, 6:30 am, no sleep! |
McMahon, inspired by the “Think Big” slogan, decided he wanted to
get the attention of Branson and the Yahoo! executives and really go
after the victory. “LiveYourAdventure.com is about encouraging people
to live life a little bigger. When I heard about the contest I knew
I could reach millions and inspire them to live their dreams.” Within
forty-eight chaotic and awe-inspiring hours, McMahon conceived and implemented
a way to make a big impression.
It began on Wednesday, May, 18. McMahon had thought of a variety of
ways to get the attention of Yahoo! such as using a hot air balloon,
skywriting, and projecting a digital image on a building. While brainstorming
with his close friend Heather, McMahon realized the perfect way to get
noticed. It was a "Think Big” contest... “There aren't many things
bigger than the Grand Canyon,” says McMahon. So with only two days to
prepare, McMahon decided to string a banner across the Grand Canyon.
All he would need is a 100-foot long banner, 300 feet of rope, a helicopter
or two, a location, permission to do it, a press release, and a laundry
list of other things he was not even aware of yet.
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Bravo to Robert Bravo! |
The first, and ultimately most important contact McMahon made was to
Director of Operations of Grand Canyon West, Robert Bravo. “He didn’t
even hesitate,” McMahon said, “He didn’t say it couldn’t be done, he
simply asked, how long did I want it up?” The land where the banner
would be hung belonged to the Hualapai Reservation. Bravo, a member
of the tribe, has been working steadily over the years to create a Skywalk
that would extend over the Grand Canyon. A feat of modern technology,
the Skywalk will infuse money into the Hualapai economy by bringing
tourism to the remote and beautiful area. “I was impressed by Robert
in so many ways,” spoke McMahon, “The respect he garnered from everyone
around him, the care he took to keep his lands sacred, and the positive
intention he had that I could do what many people told me was not possible.”
With Bravo working diligently at the Grand Canyon to get the necessary
permissions, McMahon still needed to get all of the other pieces together.
It was Wednesday night and he couldn’t find anyone to make the banner
on such short notice. He called all of his contacts and searched the
yellow pages but to no avail. In spite of being captivated by the idea,
the consensus from all the vendors was, “No way, Jose!” Finally, almost
about to give up hope, McMahon received a recommendation from a friend
to contact Tammy Thorne.
Thorne owns and operates Saguaro Sign Company in Tucson out of a closet-sized
room in the back of her home. Inspired to help this “crazy guy” fulfill
his goal, she worked diligently through the night Wednesday and into
Thursday to get the banner ready. However, it could not be done in a
normal way. The rush job meant that it had to be printed out in four
narrow strips and taped together by McMahon himself. Also, McMahon had
to commit financially to the banner before he was even certain it would
be allowed by the tribe. Convinced he would find a way to make it happen,
McMahon moved forward. Throughout Thursday McMahon rushed between tasks
diligently. If he believed for a second it would not happen he never
let on. “Mark [McMahon] never hesitated for a moment. He has big dreams
and goes after them with such energy and passion that you can't help
be inspired as well,” spoke Kellilynn Hann, an Editor and Writer on
McMahon’s staff.
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Entrance to Hualapai Reservation |
As Thursday wore on, McMahon would need every bit of that energy. At
4:00 pm he still had not found a helicopter he could charter. This was
important not only for allowing the media a good view of the banner,
but also for putting up the banner itself. Putting this issue to the
side, McMahon picked up the pieces of the banner, sent out press releases
and stayed in constant contact with Bravo at the Grand Canyon, but there
was still a lot that needed to come together fast.
At the Grand Canyon, Bravo was trying to get the permit run through
the Tribal Council, which McMahon had been told ordinarily takes two
weeks. Someone had also told McMahon that Ford Motor Company had been
in negotiations to film a Ford Explorer commercial at the same location.
Negotiations had stalled. (Perhaps due to Ford’s bond evaluations tanking.)
They were negotiating $25,000 fee plus seven new Ford Explorers for
the tribe. Mark realized how lucky was – Bravo had proposed to the council
that any fee be waived! In gratitude, McMahon volunteered to give the
tribe 10% of the contest prize should he win. In addition, the tribe
would gain publicity for the Skywalk. In the end, Bravo was able to
make it happen and that problem was resolved.
Still, there was the helicopter problem. The cost for the helicopter
was too high, and McMahon had to reevaluate his plans. He still had
to put the banner together while he was continually fielding calls from
the media. Inspired by McMahon’s “big” dream, a freelance camera crew
in Flagstaff decided they didn’t want to miss out on the great footage
even if they weren’t being paid for it.
It was now almost 7:00 pm Thursday night. McMahon was to meet Bravo
at 7:00 am the next morning and he still had to put the banner together
and drive the six hours to the Grand Canyon. The banner took over three
hours to tape together and get into the car, and it was about 11:00
pm before McMahon hit the road with Heather, who he convinced to keep
him company on the journey. The drive took almost seven hours because
the tired McMahon
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Joshua Tree forest |
missed the road he was supposed to turn onto. The only sleep he had gotten
was an hour on the side of the road early in the morning. At 7:00 am McMahon
and Bravo finally met in Kingman, Arizona. After a breakfast where the
two men got to know one another, they jumped into Bravo’s truck and headed
to see the possible locations for the banner. There were three locations
in all, and each offered a distinct backdrop against the beauty of the
canyon. The drive from Kingman was incredible. They were surrounded by
a forest of Joshua Trees that McMahon described as bigger and more beautiful
then any he had seen at Joshua Tree National Park in California. At different
times the scene would change from the beautiful red rock to endless hills
of wildflowers. The roads were unpaved and they had to cross small streams
in their vehicle. Even though he had barely slept in two days, McMahon
was amazed and inspired by the beauty surrounding him.
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Artist Rendering of Skywalk |
McMahon was also able to witness the construction of what will become
a beautiful and remarkable tourist attraction. The Skywalk, which opens
at the end of the year, is a glass-bottomed bridge that cantilevers
over the edge of the Grand Canyon, 4,000 feet above the Colorado River.
It is an engineering marvel with six-inch steel pillars that are drilled
eighty feet into the mountain. In addition, the Hualapai are building
a resort and amphitheater that take into account both the need to increase
tourism and the desire to keep the land sacred and beautiful. Bravo’s
main concern was to balance the need for growth with keeping true to
his people’s spiritual and cultural beliefs. Bravo took McMahon to the
three possible locations to put up the banner. McMahon had the opportunity
to drive on roads where few others have ever been. Cruising along, feet
from the rim, witnessing incomparable beauty. Ultimately, McMahon chose
the same location where exactly six years earlier Robbie Knievel jumped
over two hundred feet across the canyon on his motorcycle. “If it is
good enough for Robbie Knievel, it is good enough for me!” said McMahon,
and the location was set.
Putting up the banner was another issue. The cacti on the ground and
the wind in the air meant there was little safe space for the banner.
McMahon, Heather, Bravo, and a burly construction foreman named Jack
were the ones responsible for getting the banner up. The sheer weight
of the banner made it extremely dangerous, particularly as they were
so close to the edge of the rim. One good gust could easily lift the
banner, along with the person holding it, into the air and into the
canyon. The four of them affixed the rope to the back of the banner
and began trying to figure out how to make it work without the help
of a helicopter. In the end, they tied one end of the rope to a rock
and the other end to Bravo’s pickup truck. The wind picked up and threw
the banner into the canyon, fluttering thousands of feet over the canyon
floor. With his truck, Bravo pulled it high enough to be able to view.
It was up, but it was beginning to look like the wind would foul the
final results. The wind was whipping the banner, and had it at a completely
horizontal angle. It wasn’t readable, and it was starting to get ripped
up. “Oh, so close, and we won’t even get a photo!” thought McMahon.
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Burned, bloody, but feeling blessed! |
They needed the wind to calm down. McMahon, exhausted and bleeding
from jumping over a barbed-wire fence, looked up into the heavens and
began blowing against the wind. He made arm motions as if to stop the
wind and looked over at Heather and said, “The spirits have to help
us,” and almost immediately, they did. For a brief time, the wind calmed
and the banner hung correctly. The words Live Your Adventure now floated
as if by magic over the Grand Canyon. McMahon looked out upon this spectacle
that he was told was impossible. He looked at the three people with
him who helped him make this happen. He met the eyes of Robert Bravo,
perhaps the most powerful man in the Grand Canyon, covered with dirt
and sweat, tired and elated. It was up! The banner was hanging over
the Grand Canyon. They celebrated with a bottled water toast and backslapping.
Afterwards, they cleaned up the mess, leaving only footprints. McMahon,
physically and mentally wiped out, sunburned and dehydrated, felt as
if he was walking on a cloud, “I have already won. I want to thank Richard
Branson and tell him I feel as if I have already won. He inspired me.
Robert Bravo inspired me. The Hualapai people inspired me. And, in the
end, I inspired myself. I did it. I feel like a million bucks today.”
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Not bad for a point-and-shoot! |
So, in the end, Mark McMahon hung his banner across the Grand Canyon.Yet
another adventure in a life filled with adventures. But, somehow he
is different. His company is about to take off, yet that is not what
is different. It is in his eyes. He made the impossible possible. When
the forty-eight hours was over and he looked back, whether he wins or
loses the contest, he has found something very important. “Make a commitment.
Think big. Go after your dreams. There is a way. I am going to find
it. There will be roadblocks but that won’t stop me. If you take one
step toward your commitment, the universe will take two steps toward
you.” Mark McMahon, idealist, dreamer, environmentalist, adventurer,
I hope all of your dreams do come true.
