Living with
passion
By Jim Cornelius | Editor in Chief
“I’ve always lived life with passion,” says Erik Dolson.
The Sisters man, one-time publisher of The Nugget
Newspaper, is a writer, an automobile racer, a sailor
— and at age 70, he still feels the need for speed.
Dolson has been racing a vintage Corvette with con-
siderable success over the past 25 years. Over the Labor
Day Weekend, Dolson was the recipient of the Zupans
Markets Historic Races Pete Lovely Award, voted upon
by the crews who work the races.
<This means much to me,= Dolson wrote in a reflec-
tion on the honor. <You who work the flag stations, the
starting grid, the tow trucks ... you not only make rac-
ing possible, you see it all, for long hours in bitter cold
or blistering heat, risking your own well-being to keep
drivers safe, sometimes saving lives. Your recognition is
something I value more than any checkered flag.=
Last year, Dolson was awarded the Wemme Trophy, a
lifetime-achievement award recognizing significant con-
tributions to Portland vintage racing.
Dolson took up racing at age 45 4 and sailing at age
65. Is the drive toward pursuing new adventures later in
life a choice or something innate? Hard to say.
<There are a lot of options,= Dolson told The Nugget.
<One is to not do anything 4 by choice, I suppose. Take
it easy. There are those, unfortunately, who can9t do what
they used to do or want to do. I am incredibly fortu-
nate that I am able to pursue passions that I9ve had for
decades 4 and pick up some new ones.=
The passions may be innate, but the effort to pursue
them takes deliberate effort.
<The conscious choice is when I go run the river trail
two or three times a week, or I go to the gym three times
a week to maximize my physical capabilities 4 or as I
prefer to say 4 make the world a lighter place.=
In addition to maintaining physical health, there are
advantages to age that enhance mental, emotional, and
spiritual well-being.
<I am more grateful now 4 for so many things 4
than at almost any other time of my life,= Dolson said.
<I think this comes with perspective, which comes with
age. Gratitude displaces a lot of negativity, which can be
so corrosive.=
A recently-acquired joy is riding an electric unicycle.
The unit, which is steered off the rider9s balance, can
achieve speeds of 35 miles per hour 4 which is quite
a lot when there9s nothing separating the rider from the
pavement. Dolson uses it to run into town from where his
sailboat docks 4 and to simply enjoy himself.
Whenever the unicycle comes out, there are stares 4
and even friends can be a little aghast at what he gets
up to.
<I occasionally get the rueful shake of the head,= he
Erik Dolson,
70-going-on-15,
whipped around the
parking lot at Fika
Sisters Coffeehouse
last week on his
electric unicycle.
acknowledged. <They9ve probably been shaking their
head at me for the last 40 years. Acting my age has never
been my strong suit.=
The septuagenarian can9t quibble with their judgment.
<I don9t disagree with them,= he said with a wry
laugh.
He noted that when he crashed on his unicycle a few
months ago and injured his shoulder, <I wondered if I9d
taken it a step too far. But the shoulder healed.=
And Dolson climbed back up on the wheel. He9s not
planning on stopping. One of the advantages to taking up
avocations that some might find outlandish when you9re
past middle age is that you9re well past worrying about
what others think about it.
<I9m there to feel the joy of balanced movement,=
he said. <And it doesn9t matter if someone thinks I9m
indulging in risky behavior.=
It9s not risk per se that drives Dolson. He noted that he
gave up flying because he considered himself a mediocre
pilot.
<And I thought that was a bad thing to be,= he said.
More than risk, Dolson is drawn to challenge 4 the
challenge of pushing himself and a race car to the limits,
or learning to sail, navigate, and maintain a sailboat as a
way of life.
<There is joy in doing something well,= he said.
<There is challenge in learning new skills and there9s
satisfaction from meeting that challenge.=
And a fellow rider recently told him about a wheel
that does 45 mph&
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Living the best years of your life in Sisters
Of a certain age Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Of a certain age...
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