Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's absence from Winter Park for the majority of the offseason means the local media hasn't gotten a chance to catch up with him on numerous topics. And not all areas of interest involve football.

Shortly after the Vikings season ended, Peterson and three other former Oklahoma football stars spent 10 days touring parts of Africa along with a group of Oklahoma City medical professionals, lawyers and business leaders. "It was humbling," Peterson told the Sports Illustrated website. "You really don't realize how blessed you are."

According to SI, the group helped villagers in Uganda as well as visited an orphanage in Cape Town, South Africa. They also assisted in digging wells, building a small school, distributing medical supplies.

Peterson told SI he was struck by how the simplest necessities could be so difficult to get, with people often walking miles on dirt roads for fresh water. "It was a blessing to be in a position to experience that," Peterson said. "It makes you more grounded and be able to say, 'Hey, you think you've got it rough? Ha.' This was rough. This was survival." Here is the complete story from the Sports Illustrated website.