Solstice High Tide

I went for a walk on the beach today, getting sideswiped by a "sneaker wave" and soaked above the knees. The high tide during this solstice full moon was near nine feet, bringing the foam from the waves right up to the dune grass. It's a lovely Oregon cloudy sunny day with storm clouds and rainbows.

rc

Happy Solstice

(Coast Salish artist Joe Jack)

Daylight lengthens
Our spirits rise with the sun
A new spring approaches
Hope is reborn in the heart

Ferndale, Calif.

Ki'il and I woke up a little late this morning, and I felt a little worse for the wear after last night's celebrating. We had breakfast, I took Ibuprofen, and we hit the road. A few miles into the Valley of the Giants I realized that I would never make it home for my afternoon appointment with Dahlia Man. I made a few calls and arranged things. At the advice of the Scholar's Grandpa we turned off into Ferndale, a very lovely Victorian style town. The town's highlight for us was the beautiful hillside cemetery.
.
After eating lunch in Eureka, we let a hitchiker jump in the bed of the truck, made good time getting home, and I'm now back in my bed.
.
Rose

Going Home- Part One

We woke up in the early morning rain as we pulled into the San Francisco bus station. We wriggled into our clothes under the cover of our bags, then packed sleeping bags into stuff sacks and awkwardly said goodbye to strangers who had become friends in just a few days. Ki'il and I then shouldered our packs and walked the five blocks to the ferry terminal. We had pastries and coffee while we waited for the ferrry. Sitting on the ferry, we enjoyed comparing our observations and experiences of people and places on the trip. Grandpa picked us up; Grandma had breakfast waiting, and we visited for a few hours before hitting the road.

We wound through the picturesque Napa Valley and finally emerged on 101. We had a delicious meal of Mexican food at some little hole in the wall, then drove until dark. We decided to get a hotel for the night, giggled at the $140 Benbow Inn with valets, and settled on Best Western. We sipped a few glasses of merlot at their wine and cheese tasting, then sat in the hot tub drinking beers. We then enjoyed hot showers and more girl talk before getting under the sheets of separate queen beds with no knees or elbows invading our space and slept deeply and comfortably.

.

Rose

Green Tortoise- Day Four- Mosaic Canyon

I woke up still tired, ate some oatmeal, broke camp, and slept in the bus for a while even after we arrived at Mosaic Canyon. By now I was growing weary of being on the road and longed for the quiet solitude of home with jc and the kitties in bed with me. After a short nap, I ventured into the canyon and was rewarded for my efforts with beautiful marble and tile.

We drove to an enclosed hot spring, which I skipped, where we had dinner and packed the bus for the last time. From there we drove all night, once again bundled together on the sleeping platforms. By this time some coupling had occurred, and there were often four legs together in the sleeping pattern.

rc

Green Tortoise- Day Three- Ubehebe Crater

I awoke in the early hours of the morning with cold feet and a full bladder to the musical sound of a pack of coyotes passing near the camp. I resisted goin out in the cold as long as I could before making the walk to the bathroom. The brilliant, starry, night sky illuminated the landscape, making the trip worth it, even though the frigid toilet seat practically foiled the real purpose of the excursion. Back at the tent, I dug through my pack for extra fleece pants and another pair of socks and bundled back into my mummy sack, still in hat, gloves, and coat, with only a hole big enough for air. Finally, I got warm and woke again later only after the sun had risen and begun its warming work. After a breakfast of French toast and fruit, I washed dishes and then got ready for the day.

Ubehebe Crater

We drove about an hour to Ubehebe Crater. It was windy and cold at the top and I felt a little queasy after the ride, so I enjoyed the solitude on the bus while everyone else hiked, taking the opportunity to begin my primitive blogging on paper.

At our next stop, we hiked out onto the sand dunes and watched the sunset. The more adventurous ones in the group ran up one side of the dunes and tumbled end over end down the other.

.

When we got back to camp, dinner was ready. After eating and cleanup, a group of us walked to Furnace Creek Resort for a swim and a hot shower. The pool is fed by a hot spring and steam rises from its surface in the cold night. Later, warm and dry and wearing clean clothes, we went to the Corkscrew Saloon where I sipped Guinness and listened to the jukebox.

.

I foolishly got separated from the others on the walk back to camp and walked around for what seemed like much longer than the few minutes it really was before finally locating the camp. Tonight, I was dressed warmly enough and didn't get too cold.

.

Rose

Green Tortoise- Day Two- Golden Canyon

Red Cathedral, Golden Canyon

We awoke to a changed landscape of desolate desert and sagebrush. A few wild horses grazed by the roadside. Soon we stopped to prepare a breakfast of bagels with lox and fruit salad. Then we set off down the trail. George, a lab tech originally from Burma, and I set out ahead as the group loitered at the viewpoint. We hiked down a wash with a wide palette of colors rising up in the rocks on each side. We bent to walk through a short tunnel that water had carved clear through one formation. We saw virtually no plant life of any kind. We emerged from the rock canyon to a stunning view of the Panamint Moutans on the other side of the wide valley. A few other hikers emerged from Golden Canyon at the same time we arrived at the meeting place, and we realized we must have missed the signpost where we should have turned toward Manly's Beacon. We were early, so I hiked back up the canyon to meet Ki'il. When the canyon opened to reveal the Red Cathedral, I was glad that I had come back.

marble canyon wall

I found Ki'il hiking with a multilingual French geologist named Sebastian, who explained how oxidation changes Fe3 to Fe2 to form the contrasting red and green in the rock walls. I got my sack lunch out of Ki'il's pack and ate as we walked.

salt crystals at Badwater Basin

The sun was setting quickly, so we made a quick stop at the salt flats at Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in the US at 282 feet below sea level.

A short ride brought us to our camp at Furnace Creek. We pitched the tent and I chopped mushrooms, onions and garlic for dinner; a burrito bar. I washed down my burrito with Newcastle brown ale, then sat around a sputtering fire for a while before going to bed early.
.
Rose

Who's On the Green Tortoise?

(If you object to your photo's use, please comment on the blog and it will be removed with my apology.)

Green Tortoise- Day One- Going to Death Valley

I woke up with a headache that probably came from driving in the sun, so I got up early and had coffee with Grandma and Grandpa. We took Molly the dog for a walk in the brisk, morning air and then set out to follow Grandma's directions to the bank. A combination of poor directions and bad following took us to parts of Vallejo that we hadn't intended to see. Clarification of the directions led us even further off the path, but we soon spotted the landmark we were looking for from the top of a hill, and completed our errand.
.
After lunch Grandpa dropped us off at the ferry terminal. We enjoyed the lovely views during the hour ride and disembarked at the San Francisco ferry terminal with plenty of time to see the town before catching our bus.

We paid a small fee to store our packs and tent at Greyhound for the day and walked around the docks and then through Chinatown. We had dinner at You's Dim Sum, where the name was the only English, but the food was both delicious and economical. We took a box of Dim Sum to go and headed for Union Square to see the Christmas lights before going back to the bus station to claim our bags and wait for the Green Tortoise.

A homeless man living in the bus station showed us the back alley where the Tortoise picks up passengers and advised us not to wait there, loudly warning other bus station denizens not to harm us. When we went back outside around 7:30, most of the other passengers were dotting the sidewalk corner with backpacks and sleeping bags. Finally the Green Tortoise pulled up, people paid the balance due, signed risk waivers, and loaded their packs under the bus. Ki'il and I went to the back of the bus, taken up by a large sleeping platform, and settled in. We introduced ourselves to other passengers to facilitate the "Buddy System" and settled in for the long ride. To my left was a Swiss geoscientist who was ending a business trip with the Green Tortoise tour. France, Burma, England, Wales, Holland, Spain, Germany, and Canada were also represented.

.

Two dinettes and sideways bench seats filled the front half of the bus. At our first stop, they were converted into similar sleeping platforms to the one in the back, and everyone bunked down for the night. We lined the back platform like irregular cordwood; every other person facing the opposite direction, alternating feet and heads. Soon all was silent except the regular breathing of the sleepers.

.

rc
.

Day Two - Golden Canyon

Day Three- Ubehebe Crater

Day Four- Mosaic Canyon

The End

On The Road

I slept fitfully the night before our trip and got up early. I showered, had breakfast, and packed the truck, and soon Ki'il arrived and we were on our way. It was a pleasant day for driving, so we made good time. We stopped in Ashland for lunch. Ashland is a pretty, little, refined town full of lovely little shops and restaurants. Ki'il had a panini sandwich with tomato basil soup and I enjoyed a Greek wrap and turkey rice soup.

.

When we pulled into the Scholar's Grandma and Grandpa's in Vallejo, they had dinner waiting for us. I could see by the books that filled their shelves and hear in their mealtime grace much of the religion that I once followed. However we had a nice red wine with dinner. Grandpa tuned into Bill O'Reilly after we ate, but no political discussion ensued. I was tired from driving and excused myself to go to bed early.

.

rc

Maple Leaves

Perhaps the pretties leaves of the fall, these were clinging to a half-fallen tree dangling over DeWitt Run. The next day, A.E. plucked them off one by one and we watched as they spiraled down to the water and floated away.

.

rc

Ork Rock

I went for a walk today. I need to lose a few pounds or buy new clothes. It seems more economical to exercise a little. This is where I walk; I have yet to get a really good picture, but this one isn't bad if you click for the full-size image.

.

rc

Dunes

I'm getting ready for another busy week. Ki'il and I are taking an impromptu trip to Death Valley on the Green Tortoise this week. Must pack layers of fleece and a sun hat.
.
rc

Disposing of the Body- dream journal

I was present when the murder happened, but I don't think I had anything to do with it. They loaded the body in my rental car anyway and told me to get rid of it. It was in pieces in a plastic bag. I drove all over looking for a suitable place. Finally I came to a church at the end of a dead-end street. For some reason I went in. There were a lot of people there having some kind of party with games and food. I finally left and drove the other way, coming to another dead end. I turned around again, and when I came to a fork in the road, I turned right. Then I saw a police car behind me with the lights flashing. It turned left, but when it saw me, it turned around and followed me. This road ended in a dead end too. I left the car in the parking lot by another church and ran.

Sronnoc Esor

Begin the Holidays

I attended a recital of Handel's Messiah with Ki'il at the local community college yesterday. It was a nice enough performance of music that is always beautiful, but I was very surprised to see the choir filled with mostly white-haired women. There were only a few college students and very few men at all. In addition, the hall was more than half empty for the free performance. I guess they come out en masse if a professional wrestler comes to town.

.

Rose

Scary

The dream I awoke from was so terrifying that I can't write about it. It included a lot of travel for indocrination into some new cult, but that wasn't the scary part. We spent a lot of time waiting in airports and trying to find food, and at the very end met some prodigious musician. I was attacked in a stairwell, but I couldn't scream. My attacker was riding me piggyback, and I was running all over looking for someone to help. I finally ran out onto the street and mouthed the word "help" to bicyclists standing on the corner and they rescued me.

.

There, I wrote about it.

.

Sronnoc Esor

In the Fog

I got up in time to enjoy the dense fog around the bay this morning and play with my new camera. I'm quite delighted with the images I'm able to capture.

.

Much more to come.

.

Rose

Spoiled Rotten

When I picked up the mail at the post office yesterday, I had to make two trips because there were so many packages. jc was sleeping, so I got out the box cutter and started opening them. There were a lot of gaudy athletic shoes, a Monster cable, a spare laptop charger, and then the jackpot: a pristine used Pentax istD digital SLR. While at Freddy's buying batteries and an SD card, I found these Grinch pants on special. So here's an anonymous picture of me wearing Grinch pants and using my new camera.
.
When we pulled out of China Bay after lunch yesterday, a dragging sound told me all was not well with my truck. jc took a look in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn and saw something hanging loose under the front end. We pulled into the service center of the dealer across the street. They said if we stopped by in the morning someone could take a look. I stopped after work in the morning and was told that the guy in the body shop could take a look when he came in, but that he didn't keep regular hours and only came in when he had work. Maybe I could try tomorrow...
.
I drove aimlessly, wondering what to do. I nearly passed the Les Schwab Tire Center before stopping there with the idea that they could tell me where to go. I was barely in the parking lot when a clean-cut, fresh-faced young man met me. He took a quick look and offered to fix it. I gave him the keys and he drove off. He was back in a few minutes to tell me that he had replaced a few missing bolts and it was good as new. No charge.
.
rc

Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light

I finished reading this before going on vacation, and the story is still compelling to me. The book is an edited compilation of Mother Teresa's private letters. It reveals the deep joy she had as a young nun, which caused one confessor to warn her of the dangers of "ecstasy". It then goes on to explore the horrifying emptiness of her soul, which began shortly after the commencement of her work among the poor. It is not my purpose to assess the truth of what Mother Teresa believed, but rather to accept that her world view was valid for her.
.
I feel compelled to point out that Mother Teresa vehemently denied that she was a humanitarian, insisting that her purpose was to bring souls to Jesus. This is an important point for me to make because of the conservative Protestant view that she was trying to gain salvation by works. Quite to the contrary, Mother Teresa wrote that she would gladly continue to endure her desperate earthly existence for eternity if it would bring glory to God.
.
I find the progression of the way Mother Teresa coped with her depression to be fascinating. I don't think that it detracts from her virtue to say that she was depressed. It is my opinion that she would have felt the same personal bleakness of soul no matter what her course in life, and that she interpreted it as the feeling of God's absence in the context of her life. She works through this darkness in a way that gives personal meaning to it. She refuses to accept her feelings as truth, continuing to pour her life into work for a God whose presence she does not perceive emotionally, but cognitively. By the end of her life, she has transposed what she believes gives God pleasure onto her own persona in such a way that it becomes the only pleasure she is able to experience.
.
If I interpret Mother Teresa's story in light of my own world view, it is true that I find her more than somewhat pathetic; however, in accepting her set of values, she becomes one of the strongest women in history, a truly selfless saint, a single-minded soul who is true to her ideals throughout her lifetime. Although Mother Teresa felt deep despair for most of her life, she is known for her cheerful smile.
.
R. Connors