Post Archive


Here you can find every post from Jack's Journal, even the ones I've hidden! 

Traveling from Spain to Turkey, Jack dives into Turkey’s rich history, shares hostel conversations, navigates passport checks, and rediscovers his love for Turkish food.

From watching trailblazing novillera Olga Casado to reconnecting with Borja Jiménez, Jack's week in Spain blended bullfights, Sevilla, and quiet work time.

From Santiago’s crowded cathedral to running with the bulls near Madrid, this week brought disappointment, adrenaline, and a longing for Sevilla.

Jack experiences Spain’s encierros beyond Pamplona, where tradition, danger, and camaraderie meet. This time, he's in San Sebastián de los Reyes.

Jack finishes the Camino de Santiago—315km, new friends, lessons, and loss. Reflections on the journey, Spain’s fires, and what comes next on the road.

In This Dispatch: - Weekly Dispatch - Call to Adventure - Latest YouTube Videos   Weekly Dispatch   I made it to Sarria! This is the...

Jack shares highs, lows, cathedral visits, lessons from fellow pilgrims, and plans for Turkey, Iraq, and Morocco while cruising buses and walking the Camino de Santiago.

Pamplona’s 2025 Feria del Toro drew crowds and controversy, as aficionados questioned trophy standards and the presidents’ handling of Spain’s famed bullring.

Contrary to popular belief, I am a highly sentimental person. Not with photos or gifts, but with symbols of something greater than...

I still prefer the classic corrida, but after last night, I won't summarily write off the rejoneo like I have in the past.

It has been quite the week with a lot of moving pieces.

What a few weeks it has been back in Texas.   To be honest, there's not much of an excuse not to have written a dispatch since the end of...

Not many Spaniards in the rural towns speak English, there are rarely special, fast-to-produce fair menus at cafes, and the local attractions—like castles, churches, and museums—stay open during the fiestas. You can run an encierro in the morning, visit a castle before lunch, join a wheel dance in the afternoon, and end the night with dinner among locals instead of raucous partygoers. You don't get that at the big fairs.

It is my morning ritual during the fiesta: awake early, drink a double espresso around the corner from the hostel, and read the morning paper. I'm specifically reading the section related to the bulls and bullfights for the day. The Diario de Navarra publishes the pictures, ranches, and weights of the six bulls that will run through the streets in less than two hours.

In running, I lived life not just to the fullest but to its potential end, less than a macabre call for help than living life all out, or at least as much as I could without staring a bull down in the bullring later that evening.