FEATURES
BEST JOBS 2005
Brett Favre | 66
The hardest-working man in the NFL on how to attain your goals -- and how to hang on to them. BY JONATHAN MILES

Make Your Passion Pay | 74
It's never too late to take your true calling in life -- whether it's surfing, skiing, or sailing -- and make a great living at it. Here are the men who are doing just that -- and how you can too. BY MICHAEL KAPLAN

50 Dream Jobs | 76
Some people just have it made. Like test drivers for Ferrari and ambassadors to Caribbean islands. Guess what? You can be one of these guys. Introducing our second annual roundup of the 50 greatest jobs in America, including what they pay and how to get them. PLUS: Surf filmmaker Dana Brown and others on how to land that dream gig.

Riding the Forbidden River | 88
When the usually dry Rio Brazos exploded into a storm of rapids this year, our writer was there to run the gauntlet himself. BY FREDERICK REIMERS

Flying Cowboys | 96
In the desert outside Reno, daredevil pilots push vintage warplanes to their limits -- and sometimes past them. Welcome to the most dangerous air race in the world. BY MATTHEW TEAGUE

Blood, Gold, and Glory | 100 Over 400 years ago, the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto cut a swath of destruction across the American Southeast in search of fame and fortune. Now, our intrepid writer traces his bloody path -- and recounts his harrowing adventure. BY TONY HORWITZ

School of Rock | 104 Meet the diehard climbers who practice and play on the best stage in the Northeast: the cliffs of New York state's Shawangunk Mountains. BY CLAIRE MARTIN

ADVENTURE
The Ultimate Guide to Australia Forget Crocodile Dundee and Foster's beer. The real Australia is a vast, otherworldly adventure playground, with pristine reefs, rugged deserts, and skiable slopes. Here's the complete guide to the wonders down under. Including: Pub crawling by private plane in the Outback; exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef; bridge-climbing in Sydney; and much more. 34
Costa Rica Ten years ago the author spent two months hiking the remote coastline of the Nicoya Peninsula, searching for the perfect wave. Now he's back to find out how it's changed -- and how he has too. 24
First Look Teddy Roosevelt's roughest ride, new fiction from Gabriel Garc’a M‡rquez and Jim Harrison, and more. 46
Road Trip Cruising Lewis and Clark's Pacific Northwest stomping grounds in the rugged new Honda Ridgeline. 48

PEAK PERFORMANCE
The Ironman Workout The triathlon's not just for fitness maniacs anymore. Weekend warriors and recreational athletes can rev up their bodies by exercising with the Ironman in mind. 53
Mental Game Train your brain with the coach who keeps A-Rod at the top of his game. 58
Paging Dr. Bob What's wrong with airline coffee, the scoop on athlete's asthma, a new guide to pain relievers, and more. 60
Nutrition Omega-3s are great for you; mercury, bad. Fish have both. Here's how to deal with the seafood conundrum. 64

STYLE
Time Zone Watches Watches go global for the jet-setter in you. 110

GEAR GUIDE
Trail Runners The dirt on the best new trail running shoes. 113
Comfort Bikes Four new hybrid bikes that match luxury with performance. 116
Camcorders The most powerful, compact new video cameras. 118
Ask the Gear Guy Bike Repair 101, how to rehab old Gore-Tex, and more. 121

MISC.
The Record Book A new transatlantic sailing record, an attempt at an ice-climbing first ascent of Nepal's Teng Kangpoche, and more of the month's boldest adventure firsts. 148
Mail 14
Contributors 18

On the cover: Brett Favre at the Grand Bear Golf Course in Gulfport, Mississippi, this spring. Shirt by Nike; pants by Louis Raphael; watch by Panerai. Photographed by Blake Little