Ahh. The good life.
Bob and I were well on our way to Alaska. Life is good, practically there... Only about 5,000 miles to go!
Out of Elkins towards Parkersburg we stopped at a small town gas station and I put on my stilts... I thought about the rainbows I have seen spanging at gas stations. I thought "surely if they can get around begging for money I could get money for stilt walking and entertaining people"... Mmmmaybe. Bob worked on some things as I walked around and talked with people. I can't beg for money. I don't know if it's pride or what? I tell myself that I don't want to create an attitude of neediness in myself or more sense of aversion to strangers in others. I don't know but I couldn't ask, so I walked around and talked with people took pictures with a family and what not. These people are poor I told myself, wait till you get to a big city. I did make $1. "Five dollars for a picture" I joked. "All I have is a one." "I'll take it!" I hate money. I think this is also why I am not on food stamps.
Anyway, on through anytown USA (I mean Columbus OH) where the police are as thick as mosquitoes in summertime and just as pesky. We did not get to dumpster at TJ's because there were cops guarding it. We did get some cheese out of WFM and TONS of bread, great egg pies, and cookies from Panera's though. The next day is when I officially gave up sweets for the rest of the trip. If your passing though Ft Wayne check out the fort! You can't miss it.
We pulled into Chicago, passing through the southern industrial district. It was like a sci-fi horror scene. And into South Chicago. I had to pee something fierce so we pulled into a gas station on Indianapolis Blvd. A very nice man who was walking by and singing to himself stopped to chat. While I was bathroom he asked Bob if we needed anything. He was offering "weed". "What's that", Bob said. "Pot, grass, Marijuana." he said. "Oh, I've heard of that." said Bob. "We also got that crack", he offered, "it will take you straight to heaven." I came out around this point and he gave me a lolipop, we said our good byes, and we were off.
Putptpt Ptptpt stall... and we coasted into a parking spot.
Awe shit.
We sat there, in sketch town, not knowing if we would start back up, looking at each other. "It's perfect that this would happen now." "Because we are so close to Tristan's?" "No because we are in the gettho of Chicago." I looked around, "Bob has a different sense of perfection then I do." I thought.
The van DID start back up! With fumes pouring out of our engine compartment, crawling towards our destination at a snails pace...
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A little catch up
Lets see if we can get this thing up to date.
I left off in New Orleans. The day before I left I spent the entire day in the hospital as my dad had what was supposed to be his first surgury and was gratefully his last. When I got back to Tampa I found out that he had yet another infection. I was once again house bound. That was the plan, a month more of helping with bathing and bandage changing. It was not to be though. The new bandage was practically a bandaid next to the first and it did not take much time to change. After about a week I talked with dad and Marty and we decided that it was not necessary for me to stay. I went down to Sarasota to help Bob with his various projects and to enjoy my friends there.
The projects were of two classes; Van and Nancy's. The van had been bought from a friend who could not afford to pay someone to do all of the work that was necessary to make it a reliable vehichle. Bob on the other hand could do the work himself. “Should take about a month.” I think was the original time estimate. Nancy is a delightful middle aged woman who Bob liked to call his patron. It was a pretty sweet deal. In exchange for food (half dumpstered) and a place to stay (Bob's parents) I would come to Nancy's do about 2 hours of work a day, play my new Ukulele, play in the yard, and hang out with Bob and Nancy. Hanging out often included Ukulele lessons. Nancy is a great Uk'er and both Bob and I got Uke's from her. Mine in exchange for massage along with an old Iphone.
After “work” we would usually hang out with Crystal or Morgan. Local girls who both deserve more airplay but for the sake of brevity let's just leave it alone. Well, how about one fact each. Crystal is an indentured servent and Morgan was planning on coming to Alaska with Bob and I.
Alaska, did I Mention that? (I guess anyone reading this probably already knows anyway.) The plan was to hang with Bob for a month, fix up the van and start on a two month epic road trip to Alaska to work on a day cruise line. The plan went mostly according to plan... Fact is... If Bob say's X time he means 2X time. After about a month I was planning on Hitching out of town. Just before leaving I got a call from my mom saying she was going to do a roadtrip to visit her Sisters and Cousin and that if I wanted I could ride back up to West Virginia with her. Perfect.
We met up in Tampa and after breakfast with both my Mom and Dad (one of the few times in my life I ate a meal with both parents.) we took off! I like my Mom, in particular we travel well together. We both got sick from some pork sandwiches and I got my first speeding ticket. Otherwise the two day trip to West Virginia was pleasant and fairly uneventful. We met with my sister in Beckly and had dinner.
Dinner with my Mom is a strange thing. Mostly in that it is paid for. She knows that I table dive and what not but I don't really do it when she is around. The food at the 'Best of West Virgina' tourist stop was great so when the people next to us left a plate of fish I had to grab it. She (Mom) was obviously disgusted but polite. One of the best traits I learned from my mom is to, for the most part, keep my opinions to myself. She is better at it then I am.
Merrin and I went to Montgomery, West Virginia. It's a small smoggy coal town with a horrendously dysfunctional elementary system, where Merrin worked. If the details were fresher in my mind I would retell the stories leading up to the state taking over the operations and the mass quitting of the teachers. Nah.
I spent my days cooking for Merrin, Studying Go, and toying with my Uke. The week passed quickly, I only left the house about 4 times. Once to go hiking, I had developed a headache from hiking in the smelly, thick air by the time we were done. Once to go to the dumpster, and twice to walk around town.
Merrin and I went to Elkins for the weekend to visit more Family. Christy, my brothers wife, is a CPA and absolutly swamped with tax work, Jack, my brother, works for the forest service and was busy catching up in the office after a weeks buisness trip. Riley and Nevada, the kids, are super busy with swim pracice, soccer, music lessons, etc. My mom and I were chillin. We both have about the same work ethic and sense of time. We hung out around the house and did little projects here and there and cooked for the busy ones. My first night in town I went to a fund-raiser for the arts school program and met some cool people. I enjoy Elkins, slow paced as it is it has a nice feel and allot of friendly people. I think the highlight of the week was playing with the kids on sunday. We climbed trees and wrestled and played tag and what not for hours. Another day I put on my stilts and all the neighborhood kids and I went on a parade through the park. Christy is forming a Roller Derby team so we went to a practice. Nevada had a concert at El Gran Sabor one of my favorite restraints. And just before leaving my moms roof sprung a leak... I was off to wait for Bob in Asheville but I decided to spend only a week there to come back to help Jack fix the roof. The ride there and back was secured, Merrin was on spring break and planning on spending the week with friends in North Carolina.
In preparation of my arrival I got on couch surfing and messaged about 20 people asking to stay with them. Of the 6 responces one said 'if you stay here you have to do some work, anything from sweeping floors to blacksmithing...' Any place where blacksmithing is on the list of chores I wanted to check out! I called but no one answered. I left a message saying that I was arriving the next day and if I didn't get a call back I would find another place to stay. Slightly risky, but I didn't want to confirm with someone else and miss the blacksmithing!
When we arrived at the Montana house the instruction was to ring the doorbell. I could see a bunch of people but I followed orders instead of shouting to them or walking in. It was a trick doorbell. Be warned. This deal was getting better and better. A sense of humor is always appreciated even if the (friendly) joke is on me.
We got the full tour. It had a similar feel to the Hostel in the Forest. The coolest thing wasn't the slack line in the back, the art room, the forge, woodshop or garden... It was the Dog. I think the dog was an old Taoist master who died while meditating on the golden ball of light... Anyway, now it is obsessed with fetch. It will even fetch bowling balls if you roll them down a hill! I fell in love.
The whole week stay was delightful. With Five Rhythms dance on easter sunday I was off to a good start. Every day was full. Full of yoga, food, new friends, old friends, go and other games. Almost half of the people at the Montana House had heard of go and played before! I traded backgammon lessons for go lessons. Practiced massage every day. Worked in the yard. Cooked 2 or 3 meals a day for a handful of people each time. Went hiking with Merrin. Table-dived Chocolate at the fancy place down town. And slept out every night.
After a week of hobo heaven I returned to Elkins. At first I felt sad, but soon I was enjoying family, lone hikes in the woods, and more free time with Jack and Christy. I cooked lunch most days and mom cooked dinner. We pulled 8 or so tires out of the Tygart river where locals deposit anything from oil barrels to human waste runoff. Many wonderful memories that will have a fairly long lasting impact on my life. The most significant one may the 4 bowls of icecream at the 'local feast' that was part of the sustainability fair. I woke up the next morning stiffer then I had felt in years and my morning pee smelled like cream soda. Mmmm... I decided it is time to do a process sugar fast until I can manage better moderation.
Bob arrived on Tuesday night. We ate a late dinner with mom and went to meet Jack at the local beer meetup where some of the finest bullshit artists of the area meet up and pretend they know something about beer... The next morning we packed up, ate lunch with Jack and Christy and took off!
I left off in New Orleans. The day before I left I spent the entire day in the hospital as my dad had what was supposed to be his first surgury and was gratefully his last. When I got back to Tampa I found out that he had yet another infection. I was once again house bound. That was the plan, a month more of helping with bathing and bandage changing. It was not to be though. The new bandage was practically a bandaid next to the first and it did not take much time to change. After about a week I talked with dad and Marty and we decided that it was not necessary for me to stay. I went down to Sarasota to help Bob with his various projects and to enjoy my friends there.
The projects were of two classes; Van and Nancy's. The van had been bought from a friend who could not afford to pay someone to do all of the work that was necessary to make it a reliable vehichle. Bob on the other hand could do the work himself. “Should take about a month.” I think was the original time estimate. Nancy is a delightful middle aged woman who Bob liked to call his patron. It was a pretty sweet deal. In exchange for food (half dumpstered) and a place to stay (Bob's parents) I would come to Nancy's do about 2 hours of work a day, play my new Ukulele, play in the yard, and hang out with Bob and Nancy. Hanging out often included Ukulele lessons. Nancy is a great Uk'er and both Bob and I got Uke's from her. Mine in exchange for massage along with an old Iphone.
After “work” we would usually hang out with Crystal or Morgan. Local girls who both deserve more airplay but for the sake of brevity let's just leave it alone. Well, how about one fact each. Crystal is an indentured servent and Morgan was planning on coming to Alaska with Bob and I.
Alaska, did I Mention that? (I guess anyone reading this probably already knows anyway.) The plan was to hang with Bob for a month, fix up the van and start on a two month epic road trip to Alaska to work on a day cruise line. The plan went mostly according to plan... Fact is... If Bob say's X time he means 2X time. After about a month I was planning on Hitching out of town. Just before leaving I got a call from my mom saying she was going to do a roadtrip to visit her Sisters and Cousin and that if I wanted I could ride back up to West Virginia with her. Perfect.
We met up in Tampa and after breakfast with both my Mom and Dad (one of the few times in my life I ate a meal with both parents.) we took off! I like my Mom, in particular we travel well together. We both got sick from some pork sandwiches and I got my first speeding ticket. Otherwise the two day trip to West Virginia was pleasant and fairly uneventful. We met with my sister in Beckly and had dinner.
Dinner with my Mom is a strange thing. Mostly in that it is paid for. She knows that I table dive and what not but I don't really do it when she is around. The food at the 'Best of West Virgina' tourist stop was great so when the people next to us left a plate of fish I had to grab it. She (Mom) was obviously disgusted but polite. One of the best traits I learned from my mom is to, for the most part, keep my opinions to myself. She is better at it then I am.
Merrin and I went to Montgomery, West Virginia. It's a small smoggy coal town with a horrendously dysfunctional elementary system, where Merrin worked. If the details were fresher in my mind I would retell the stories leading up to the state taking over the operations and the mass quitting of the teachers. Nah.
I spent my days cooking for Merrin, Studying Go, and toying with my Uke. The week passed quickly, I only left the house about 4 times. Once to go hiking, I had developed a headache from hiking in the smelly, thick air by the time we were done. Once to go to the dumpster, and twice to walk around town.
Merrin and I went to Elkins for the weekend to visit more Family. Christy, my brothers wife, is a CPA and absolutly swamped with tax work, Jack, my brother, works for the forest service and was busy catching up in the office after a weeks buisness trip. Riley and Nevada, the kids, are super busy with swim pracice, soccer, music lessons, etc. My mom and I were chillin. We both have about the same work ethic and sense of time. We hung out around the house and did little projects here and there and cooked for the busy ones. My first night in town I went to a fund-raiser for the arts school program and met some cool people. I enjoy Elkins, slow paced as it is it has a nice feel and allot of friendly people. I think the highlight of the week was playing with the kids on sunday. We climbed trees and wrestled and played tag and what not for hours. Another day I put on my stilts and all the neighborhood kids and I went on a parade through the park. Christy is forming a Roller Derby team so we went to a practice. Nevada had a concert at El Gran Sabor one of my favorite restraints. And just before leaving my moms roof sprung a leak... I was off to wait for Bob in Asheville but I decided to spend only a week there to come back to help Jack fix the roof. The ride there and back was secured, Merrin was on spring break and planning on spending the week with friends in North Carolina.
In preparation of my arrival I got on couch surfing and messaged about 20 people asking to stay with them. Of the 6 responces one said 'if you stay here you have to do some work, anything from sweeping floors to blacksmithing...' Any place where blacksmithing is on the list of chores I wanted to check out! I called but no one answered. I left a message saying that I was arriving the next day and if I didn't get a call back I would find another place to stay. Slightly risky, but I didn't want to confirm with someone else and miss the blacksmithing!
When we arrived at the Montana house the instruction was to ring the doorbell. I could see a bunch of people but I followed orders instead of shouting to them or walking in. It was a trick doorbell. Be warned. This deal was getting better and better. A sense of humor is always appreciated even if the (friendly) joke is on me.
We got the full tour. It had a similar feel to the Hostel in the Forest. The coolest thing wasn't the slack line in the back, the art room, the forge, woodshop or garden... It was the Dog. I think the dog was an old Taoist master who died while meditating on the golden ball of light... Anyway, now it is obsessed with fetch. It will even fetch bowling balls if you roll them down a hill! I fell in love.
The whole week stay was delightful. With Five Rhythms dance on easter sunday I was off to a good start. Every day was full. Full of yoga, food, new friends, old friends, go and other games. Almost half of the people at the Montana House had heard of go and played before! I traded backgammon lessons for go lessons. Practiced massage every day. Worked in the yard. Cooked 2 or 3 meals a day for a handful of people each time. Went hiking with Merrin. Table-dived Chocolate at the fancy place down town. And slept out every night.
After a week of hobo heaven I returned to Elkins. At first I felt sad, but soon I was enjoying family, lone hikes in the woods, and more free time with Jack and Christy. I cooked lunch most days and mom cooked dinner. We pulled 8 or so tires out of the Tygart river where locals deposit anything from oil barrels to human waste runoff. Many wonderful memories that will have a fairly long lasting impact on my life. The most significant one may the 4 bowls of icecream at the 'local feast' that was part of the sustainability fair. I woke up the next morning stiffer then I had felt in years and my morning pee smelled like cream soda. Mmmm... I decided it is time to do a process sugar fast until I can manage better moderation.
Bob arrived on Tuesday night. We ate a late dinner with mom and went to meet Jack at the local beer meetup where some of the finest bullshit artists of the area meet up and pretend they know something about beer... The next morning we packed up, ate lunch with Jack and Christy and took off!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Party Time!
I was so excited when Dad was all better. If it was a purely altruistic sense I guess I would have felt more calm, happy, contented and maybe a little pleased with my commitment and the good fortune that he had recovered. But it was more then that I was thrilled to be free again. I realize that the only freedom that I had lost was my own ability to live fully in my own skin, and that that was limited only by myself. But, facts is facts (even if they are subjective experience) and I "need" freedom and/or community to feel "Right".
So, the adventure continues!
I had promised old friend that I would visit her in New Orleans while I was south this winter. I had planned to go once before and was not able to make it, this year time I figured I would be fashionably late, and just in time for Mardi Gras. My Stilt Dancing associate (Mark Alexander) and I took a week to see the final blow out. When I got there I was confused about who was Cajun and who was Creole. Everybody was excited about the superbole and all, screaming "Who Dat, Who Dat!" And with the floats going by and the copious quantities of beer I couldn't tell What was going on! I could remember though that "Katie is Cajun" that made it easy, and Katie was more then generous with our accommodations. She has a very nice flat in the Garden District she shares with the most charming fellow, Peter by name. And let me tell you, Katie's grandmother must know how to cook, 'cause she taught Katie how to cook, and Katie made the best darn Gumbo I ever had. The food on Bourbon Street was alright too I guess and the crowd was as thick as molasses. Up on stilts everybody wanted to take pictures with us and we'd hav'ta to swat 'em off like horse flies if we wanted to get some peace. But we were there for the attention and we loved it! When we finagled our way into the Bacchus ball that was tops. There were so many pretty ladies there all dressed up with there money, talkin to me, makin their boyfriends faces all red... I couldn't ask for more. And I got announced over the loud speaker, and danced for thousands... Just before getting kicked out. Oh, boy!
So that was New Orleans, mostly partying. I did get to see the city by bike for a day, it's a beautiful city. I think I might like to stay for a few months some time and learn to cook and see the city when it's not crazed. On one hand of course had the zealot on my shoulder yelling things like "This place if fucking disgusting! Look at all this trash! These people don't care for anything! blah,blah,blah." On the other I could feel the spirit of carnaval. I realized that the only thing that has ever brought me any sense of goodness in life has been yoga, and although I wasn't planning on giving up anything for lent I renewed my somewhat dampened faith in yoga. I think of a Tantric story of a boy who visits a yogi king. The boy gets to the palace and the king is drinking and eating meat and there are dancing girls... He is disgusted but, not wanting to offend the king, and because he had come so far he asked for a teaching. The king gave him a spoonful of oil and said that if he came back in a few hours with the oil intact he would give him a teaching...
So, the adventure continues!
I had promised old friend that I would visit her in New Orleans while I was south this winter. I had planned to go once before and was not able to make it, this year time I figured I would be fashionably late, and just in time for Mardi Gras. My Stilt Dancing associate (Mark Alexander) and I took a week to see the final blow out. When I got there I was confused about who was Cajun and who was Creole. Everybody was excited about the superbole and all, screaming "Who Dat, Who Dat!" And with the floats going by and the copious quantities of beer I couldn't tell What was going on! I could remember though that "Katie is Cajun" that made it easy, and Katie was more then generous with our accommodations. She has a very nice flat in the Garden District she shares with the most charming fellow, Peter by name. And let me tell you, Katie's grandmother must know how to cook, 'cause she taught Katie how to cook, and Katie made the best darn Gumbo I ever had. The food on Bourbon Street was alright too I guess and the crowd was as thick as molasses. Up on stilts everybody wanted to take pictures with us and we'd hav'ta to swat 'em off like horse flies if we wanted to get some peace. But we were there for the attention and we loved it! When we finagled our way into the Bacchus ball that was tops. There were so many pretty ladies there all dressed up with there money, talkin to me, makin their boyfriends faces all red... I couldn't ask for more. And I got announced over the loud speaker, and danced for thousands... Just before getting kicked out. Oh, boy!
So that was New Orleans, mostly partying. I did get to see the city by bike for a day, it's a beautiful city. I think I might like to stay for a few months some time and learn to cook and see the city when it's not crazed. On one hand of course had the zealot on my shoulder yelling things like "This place if fucking disgusting! Look at all this trash! These people don't care for anything! blah,blah,blah." On the other I could feel the spirit of carnaval. I realized that the only thing that has ever brought me any sense of goodness in life has been yoga, and although I wasn't planning on giving up anything for lent I renewed my somewhat dampened faith in yoga. I think of a Tantric story of a boy who visits a yogi king. The boy gets to the palace and the king is drinking and eating meat and there are dancing girls... He is disgusted but, not wanting to offend the king, and because he had come so far he asked for a teaching. The king gave him a spoonful of oil and said that if he came back in a few hours with the oil intact he would give him a teaching...
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Tampa
It's been awhile eh?
I have, for the most part, given up on bloging for the ease of facebook. You can get a fair idea of what I have been up to by looking at my profile. For the sake of a narrative and for my Dad, who doesn't use Facebook I am going to write a few blogs here and there.
Quick catch up...
I left The farm in MA on the night of the last freeze. I had just finished a 10 day meditation retreat and was doing lots of yoga with Liam who had moved onto the farm with me. The plan was to start a yoga studio. Dad got sick while I was in the retreat and Merrin was wearing thin taking care of him down in FL so I packed up my bags and headed south.
Mark Alexander, who I had been doing stilt dancing with had a gig in Rockport, MA for peace day. Mark, David Sharp and I dressed up as giant doves and had a pleasent stroll around a park as music played and peace nics layed about. We also pulled out our over sized instruments and joined in on a drum circle. After taking off our stilts David and I danced a Contact Waltz (mixing Waltz with Contact Improv) on foot.
After dinner with Mark I got dropped off at Sam Hollands house for the night and a nice chat about Yoga and Taoism. Nate Walsh picked me up in the morning and we enjoyed a day at the museum and I got to spend a few hours with Nina Smolyar before leaving on a jet plane.
I arrived in FL and the rest of my stay is almost a complete blur...
Highlights include:
Realizing how many of my relationship problems with Jaz were from my bad habits with Merrin and working through many of those.
Spending almost every day at a hospital for 3 months.
Cleaning my dads wounds and taking care of him.
Contemplating suicide for the first time since high school.
Learning about love and commitment and sacrifice.
Finding peace in suffering.
Learning how to live with someone you respect tremendously but have nothing in common with. (Marty)
Trip to see Keith in Miami with Lorilea and Derek.
Breakfast with Ben.
Visit from Talia.
My dad's dog Snoozer.
Learning how to have a community in a city.
The Boba House.
Jerry, Bill, Chaz, Nam, and Adam.
Starting a Go club with John Russel.
Bret, Spencer, Kay, Selly, Steven, and Keaven.
Getting to know my cousin Seth.
The Young Adult Group at the UU church.
Emma- The best girlfriend I never had.
Trips to the swamp with Anna.
Swing dancing with Tom.
Always thoughtful talks with Jonathan Powell.
Wonderful weekend with Michael Silverman and Stephanie.
Bringing my Dad to Sarasota to spend time with Aunt DD and Uncle.
Getting to know my niece Whitney.
I was in Tampa for about 5 months all together so there are so many things I can't cover them all. I could easily write extensively on all of the points above. In brief my stay was very difficult and very rewarding.
I have, for the most part, given up on bloging for the ease of facebook. You can get a fair idea of what I have been up to by looking at my profile. For the sake of a narrative and for my Dad, who doesn't use Facebook I am going to write a few blogs here and there.
Quick catch up...
I left The farm in MA on the night of the last freeze. I had just finished a 10 day meditation retreat and was doing lots of yoga with Liam who had moved onto the farm with me. The plan was to start a yoga studio. Dad got sick while I was in the retreat and Merrin was wearing thin taking care of him down in FL so I packed up my bags and headed south.
Mark Alexander, who I had been doing stilt dancing with had a gig in Rockport, MA for peace day. Mark, David Sharp and I dressed up as giant doves and had a pleasent stroll around a park as music played and peace nics layed about. We also pulled out our over sized instruments and joined in on a drum circle. After taking off our stilts David and I danced a Contact Waltz (mixing Waltz with Contact Improv) on foot.
After dinner with Mark I got dropped off at Sam Hollands house for the night and a nice chat about Yoga and Taoism. Nate Walsh picked me up in the morning and we enjoyed a day at the museum and I got to spend a few hours with Nina Smolyar before leaving on a jet plane.
I arrived in FL and the rest of my stay is almost a complete blur...
Highlights include:
Realizing how many of my relationship problems with Jaz were from my bad habits with Merrin and working through many of those.
Spending almost every day at a hospital for 3 months.
Cleaning my dads wounds and taking care of him.
Contemplating suicide for the first time since high school.
Learning about love and commitment and sacrifice.
Finding peace in suffering.
Learning how to live with someone you respect tremendously but have nothing in common with. (Marty)
Trip to see Keith in Miami with Lorilea and Derek.
Breakfast with Ben.
Visit from Talia.
My dad's dog Snoozer.
Learning how to have a community in a city.
The Boba House.
Jerry, Bill, Chaz, Nam, and Adam.
Starting a Go club with John Russel.
Bret, Spencer, Kay, Selly, Steven, and Keaven.
Getting to know my cousin Seth.
The Young Adult Group at the UU church.
Emma- The best girlfriend I never had.
Trips to the swamp with Anna.
Swing dancing with Tom.
Always thoughtful talks with Jonathan Powell.
Wonderful weekend with Michael Silverman and Stephanie.
Bringing my Dad to Sarasota to spend time with Aunt DD and Uncle.
Getting to know my niece Whitney.
I was in Tampa for about 5 months all together so there are so many things I can't cover them all. I could easily write extensively on all of the points above. In brief my stay was very difficult and very rewarding.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Hitch Hiking
Thanks Dad for the New Camera!
For all of the pictures from this trip go here:
The trip was awesome. It was great to visit with everybody, but nobody probably wants to hear about the visit with the family.
On to THE ADVENTURE:
Jack and Holt dropped me off on an exit off I-68. I said my good byes to "The Cousins" (Nevada, Morgan, Erin and Riley) and walked to the on ramp.
I sat there for a while until I was picked up by a Father and son drywall team. I was in the back of the truck so I didn't get to know them that well.
More thumbing on an entrance ramp until I got bored.
Then walked a few miles on the interstate until I was stopped by the police.
We talked about many things on the long drive together. He is currently reading the Omnivores Dilemma and although he is in the Navy he doesn't blame me for not wanting anything to do with the military as they are the "puppets of the politicians" who we agreed are the puppets of the corporations. I was not expecting to meet such a cool police officer in MD. He dropped me off at the AT and gave me a granola bar. I had 2 Oranges, about 10 Apples (found a tree), a full belly and about 2 liters of gatorade/water mix. I knew that by the end of the walk I was going to be both hungry and thirsty.
The AT is Awesome!
Aaron is a teacher in Baltimore MD. He bought a bunch of survival stuff when 9/11 happened and a few years later he thought he might as well use it. He had never been camping before and when I met him he was sitting by the trail, tent half set up, boiling watter, looking confused. I helped him set up his tent and start a fire and he gave me some food. He was carrying 4 times (or more) the stuff I would have been carrying if I was planing a hike. He gave me 2 or 3 days worth of food and still had more then he needed. The food was strange stuff. ER Bars are like huge gram crackers packed with nutrition. Those with a few military rations thrown in and I am still eating the stuff.
In the morning I went to a hikers hostel and met a cool section hiker. He gave me some pizza leftovers and we hung out. I got to use the internet and after looking at maps decided to hitch hike out. I walked for hours before I crossed the trail again. I was deciding if I was going to go back on the trail or keep hitching when my hiker friend popped out of the woods. We talked for a bit and then he went on. I think I would have had a much nicer walk if I had gone along the AT but that is the gamble. A few more minutes of standing there and Erika pulled over. "I never pick up hitch hikers, but I like your pants" she said.
We hung out for an hour or two at the Coffee shop she works at. Met a girl studying art at a local collage and the local ear doctor (Fun guy) and then she dropped me off at a truck stop.
After an hour or so the manager of the truck stop told me I had to leave. So I went to the gas station and met this guy...
That car, Loud. Kind of fun though. Fast, low to the ground and it just whips around turns, but oh boy was it loud.
He took me to the next truck stop down the road. I walked around with a sign for an hour or so. I saw the first guy I talked to again. He bought me dinner after I turned him down twice and then offered me a ride after some conversation. He had a dog.
He offered for me to sleep in the truck, which I excepted becase that way he could radio other truckers in the morning to give me a ride... But we were parked next to the entrance and it was so loud with the trucks driving through that he couldn't sleep and so he drove the rest of his trip that night. I was ok with that because I was having a nightmare when he woke me up to tell me. It wasn't like the nightmares I used to have. It was sortof a tour through a hell realm where everyone is telling me what bad is going to happen and I feel a little constricted but generally relaxed. Anyway, I ended up sleeping out in a feild, as far from everything that I could get.
I woke up feeling pretty rough. I laid around for a long while after the sun came up trying to feel like I wanted to walk back to the loud truck stop and bury my pride and conjure up enough positivity to ask person after person if they were headed east. After a very short walk around the truck stop and one trucker calling out on his CB for me I gave up. Standing by the ramp seemed like a bad idea. Cars were not passing often and I was in the middle of nowhere. I was going to eat some breakfast and start walking. Then something strange happened. Someone stopped going the wrong direction. I thought they must be doing something else but they waved me over. I packed up my food and ran to the car. "Where you headed". "Where ever you are". I told them I was going to NYC and they said maybe not that far but they ended up taking me to Somerville NJ. It was quite a drive. They were both in seminary. John Mark Henry, the driver and I did most of the talking. He asked me about my faith and I told them about it in Christian lingo to avoid conflict. It was all very nice until the co-pilot started talking about what Buddhism is and I sharply cut him off with his misinterpretation. Then asked him how much he had studied Buddhism and told him that he didn't understand Buddhism and that he shouldn't be talking about it. The rest of the ride went well and we prayed together when we got to Sommerville NJ.
I met a few really nice people there. First the guy at the comic shop, the record store, then a gift/food store. I washed my pants, in the dunken donuts bathroom and went to the library to use the internet. In the library I met Mike. Reminds me allot of Ted from Big E's, conspiracy theories and everything. We talked for a bit and then I went to his place to take a shower and to wash my shirt. Mike lives in a 3 story house that was 'Abandoned' in the financial crisis. They haven't evicted him or turned off the utilities yet and the land lady left the state and stopped collecting rent...
Every Friday Somerville has a classic car show. The car show was fairly boring but in my mind I compared it to the flower festival in Thailand. I stopped back by the gift shop for some free popcorn and then hit the train to NYC!
When I got to NYC I was feeling pretty exhausted. I had planned on going to a party in Brooklyn and staying the night there but I only had partial directions and less then partial interest in being with people so I hoofed it to Talia's place and after hanging out with her mom until I could not think straight and then I passed out.
For all of the pictures from this trip go here:
 |
| Drop Box |
The trip was awesome. It was great to visit with everybody, but nobody probably wants to hear about the visit with the family.
On to THE ADVENTURE:
Jack and Holt dropped me off on an exit off I-68. I said my good byes to "The Cousins" (Nevada, Morgan, Erin and Riley) and walked to the on ramp.
I sat there for a while until I was picked up by a Father and son drywall team. I was in the back of the truck so I didn't get to know them that well.
More thumbing on an entrance ramp until I got bored.
Then walked a few miles on the interstate until I was stopped by the police.
We talked about many things on the long drive together. He is currently reading the Omnivores Dilemma and although he is in the Navy he doesn't blame me for not wanting anything to do with the military as they are the "puppets of the politicians" who we agreed are the puppets of the corporations. I was not expecting to meet such a cool police officer in MD. He dropped me off at the AT and gave me a granola bar. I had 2 Oranges, about 10 Apples (found a tree), a full belly and about 2 liters of gatorade/water mix. I knew that by the end of the walk I was going to be both hungry and thirsty.
The AT is Awesome!
Aaron is a teacher in Baltimore MD. He bought a bunch of survival stuff when 9/11 happened and a few years later he thought he might as well use it. He had never been camping before and when I met him he was sitting by the trail, tent half set up, boiling watter, looking confused. I helped him set up his tent and start a fire and he gave me some food. He was carrying 4 times (or more) the stuff I would have been carrying if I was planing a hike. He gave me 2 or 3 days worth of food and still had more then he needed. The food was strange stuff. ER Bars are like huge gram crackers packed with nutrition. Those with a few military rations thrown in and I am still eating the stuff.
In the morning I went to a hikers hostel and met a cool section hiker. He gave me some pizza leftovers and we hung out. I got to use the internet and after looking at maps decided to hitch hike out. I walked for hours before I crossed the trail again. I was deciding if I was going to go back on the trail or keep hitching when my hiker friend popped out of the woods. We talked for a bit and then he went on. I think I would have had a much nicer walk if I had gone along the AT but that is the gamble. A few more minutes of standing there and Erika pulled over. "I never pick up hitch hikers, but I like your pants" she said.
We hung out for an hour or two at the Coffee shop she works at. Met a girl studying art at a local collage and the local ear doctor (Fun guy) and then she dropped me off at a truck stop.
After an hour or so the manager of the truck stop told me I had to leave. So I went to the gas station and met this guy...
That car, Loud. Kind of fun though. Fast, low to the ground and it just whips around turns, but oh boy was it loud.
He took me to the next truck stop down the road. I walked around with a sign for an hour or so. I saw the first guy I talked to again. He bought me dinner after I turned him down twice and then offered me a ride after some conversation. He had a dog.
He offered for me to sleep in the truck, which I excepted becase that way he could radio other truckers in the morning to give me a ride... But we were parked next to the entrance and it was so loud with the trucks driving through that he couldn't sleep and so he drove the rest of his trip that night. I was ok with that because I was having a nightmare when he woke me up to tell me. It wasn't like the nightmares I used to have. It was sortof a tour through a hell realm where everyone is telling me what bad is going to happen and I feel a little constricted but generally relaxed. Anyway, I ended up sleeping out in a feild, as far from everything that I could get.
I woke up feeling pretty rough. I laid around for a long while after the sun came up trying to feel like I wanted to walk back to the loud truck stop and bury my pride and conjure up enough positivity to ask person after person if they were headed east. After a very short walk around the truck stop and one trucker calling out on his CB for me I gave up. Standing by the ramp seemed like a bad idea. Cars were not passing often and I was in the middle of nowhere. I was going to eat some breakfast and start walking. Then something strange happened. Someone stopped going the wrong direction. I thought they must be doing something else but they waved me over. I packed up my food and ran to the car. "Where you headed". "Where ever you are". I told them I was going to NYC and they said maybe not that far but they ended up taking me to Somerville NJ. It was quite a drive. They were both in seminary. John Mark Henry, the driver and I did most of the talking. He asked me about my faith and I told them about it in Christian lingo to avoid conflict. It was all very nice until the co-pilot started talking about what Buddhism is and I sharply cut him off with his misinterpretation. Then asked him how much he had studied Buddhism and told him that he didn't understand Buddhism and that he shouldn't be talking about it. The rest of the ride went well and we prayed together when we got to Sommerville NJ.
I met a few really nice people there. First the guy at the comic shop, the record store, then a gift/food store. I washed my pants, in the dunken donuts bathroom and went to the library to use the internet. In the library I met Mike. Reminds me allot of Ted from Big E's, conspiracy theories and everything. We talked for a bit and then I went to his place to take a shower and to wash my shirt. Mike lives in a 3 story house that was 'Abandoned' in the financial crisis. They haven't evicted him or turned off the utilities yet and the land lady left the state and stopped collecting rent...
Every Friday Somerville has a classic car show. The car show was fairly boring but in my mind I compared it to the flower festival in Thailand. I stopped back by the gift shop for some free popcorn and then hit the train to NYC!
When I got to NYC I was feeling pretty exhausted. I had planned on going to a party in Brooklyn and staying the night there but I only had partial directions and less then partial interest in being with people so I hoofed it to Talia's place and after hanging out with her mom until I could not think straight and then I passed out.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wish You Were Here
I am sitting in a Hotel in Morgantown WV waiting for my mom to come pick me up for a week of visiting with family. I "woke up" this morning in PA, on the side of the road soaked to the bone. There is a saying with lightweight travelers "comfortable most of the time and safe all the time". It's the trade back, what I pay for my lifestyle. Only comfortable "most of the time". As I was singing Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" I was contemplating how I could feel so refreshed after the worst sleeping conditions of the past year.
I caught a ride out of NYC with a man named Mike Johnson. Mike helped start a 30ish y/o urban community on Staten Island. The trip was filled with great conversation and connection. Finally, late into the night I was dropped of at Rte 119 and I76. I was not well prepared to sleep outside and it looked like rain. I played it cool though, like it was going to be no thing. I had of course my old down bag and my therma rest. I left my tarp with Liam, shortsightedly forgetting how useful a tarp is after sleeping inside for a few days. A got a few hours of sleep before it started raining at witch point I changed my set up from comfy mode to 'safe mode'. I stayed awake for the rest of the night consentrating on a balance between staying warm and staying relaxed. I was huddled in the fetal position wrapped in my sleeping foam instead of laying on it, feet hanging out with my flattened sopping sleeping bag draped over me in a way that I touched it as little as possible but it could act as a wind block and rain deterant. When my right side would get cold I would flip until my left side got cold then I would do childs pose for a while...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXdNnw99-Ic
I caught a ride out of NYC with a man named Mike Johnson. Mike helped start a 30ish y/o urban community on Staten Island. The trip was filled with great conversation and connection. Finally, late into the night I was dropped of at Rte 119 and I76. I was not well prepared to sleep outside and it looked like rain. I played it cool though, like it was going to be no thing. I had of course my old down bag and my therma rest. I left my tarp with Liam, shortsightedly forgetting how useful a tarp is after sleeping inside for a few days. A got a few hours of sleep before it started raining at witch point I changed my set up from comfy mode to 'safe mode'. I stayed awake for the rest of the night consentrating on a balance between staying warm and staying relaxed. I was huddled in the fetal position wrapped in my sleeping foam instead of laying on it, feet hanging out with my flattened sopping sleeping bag draped over me in a way that I touched it as little as possible but it could act as a wind block and rain deterant. When my right side would get cold I would flip until my left side got cold then I would do childs pose for a while...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXdNnw99-Ic
Monday, June 29, 2009
3 months
As you can imagine blogging on a bike trip is difficult thing to do and, largely do to weight concerns I sent my computer to Merrin and stopped blogging.
That was about 3 months ago.
So many things have happened since then! I am in, in some ways, a slow point in my life. Although everyday CAN be filled to the brim I have taken time to call friends that I have not talked to in months or even years... Telling the same story over and over again is not something that I enjoy so this is a skeleton catchup of what happened so that when I talk to you we can skip to the details or skip to your life...
We were still in LA for the last blog. Since then "We" biked to Phoenix Arizona by way of Joshua tree and some of the most intense days of my life. Some pleasant, some awful. The 'whole thing' could be a book in itself complete with "fencing, fighting, true love, hate, revenge, giants, hungers, bad men, good men, beautiful women, snakes, spiders, and beasts of all natures and descriptions..." This is the abridged version.
While in Phoenix we stayed with friends of Jaz's family. Harry Mai is a sweet, powerhouse of the short Vietnamese variety. He was helping to start a Loving Hut Restaurant in Phoenix. The restaurant was opening the day after we arrived and we helped setup, mostly by eating great food and telling everyone how much we enjoyed it!
We left the bikes in Phoenix due to time constraints and Jaz's re injured ankle. After a full day of trying to get through the city we managed to get a ride to Sedona AZ with JP. JP was an awesome guy, this would be my second novel but I will cut it short to say that JP wanted to get the gypsy experience and camped with us overnight so that he could see a glimpse into our lives. It was really nice to share in that way.
During the week stay in the mountains of Sedona I got terribly ill in the bathroom of the Circle K that we filled our water at. Damn, the police were called to check on me, the whole thing sucked. As soon as I could walk again I hiked the mile to our campsite and after getting lost in the dark I passed out. The nest day was spent half dead. I didn't move more then five feet to go pee all day. Trying to figure out the cause, Not dumpster diving for over a week ath this point and having eaten hardly anything but restaurant food and prepackaged items that were bought for us I blamed it on MSG which I had eaten more of recently then ever in my life. Most likely, I think, It was contaminated water? I got better of course and life returned to normal after a few days. Normal for us was meeting someone on the side of the road, hanging out in there illegal housing and enjoying good company, and eventualy making our way to Porenge's house. A friend that we met at the wintercount festival. Many many good times on trampolines and hiking and etc... meeting a man who was a catholic priest of 8 years AFTER he had lost his faith only to find a new life and a spirituality he could live after being introduced to Psycedelics, now in his late 80's and living a beautiful life...
There were many lives between Sedona AZ and West Yellowstone MT... Many beautiful people and places.
But, the BFC (Buffalo Field Campaign) stands out as outstanding.
My job was essentially to hike around for 8ish hours a day and track buffalo. It was beautiful, everyday profound for both Jaz and I. The story of stories was the day when I saw 150-200 buffalo stampeding past 30ft from where I was standing. It was terrifying and exhilarating! Our job at that point was to alert the rest of the staff and follow them along a bluff for hours. Wild buffalo are not the docile Beefalos you sometimes see in fields, behind fences, on the side of the road. A few cow genes dose a lot to mellow out a wild animal, and when they are on the move they can move in a hurry! Noah and I kept a good pace for hours through the snow and only caught up to the head of the group just before they got to the road. Our job then was to alert the road crew to where they would be crossing to aide in the safety of both cars and the buffalo.
While I was there 8 buffalo where killed in car accidents at night. I imagine the wounded pride of the buffalo spirit that used to roam these lands freely. Now confined by roads and laws and irreverent people in helicopters trying to drive the noble beasts into death traps for the sake of money and grazing rights.
I was joking about taking up a life of crime, stealing and scamming millions from whatever corporate enterprise, maybe banks, whatever. A defense of all the innocents that would be hurt was cut off by a sharp. "No one is innocent". I love you all, but you have to know that I am thoroughly disgusted with our culture, the way we live, everyday. I HATE the immoderate human influences on both the human world and the natural environment. Though it saddens and angers me to see splattered buffalo guts, dear, turtles, squirrels, or people on stretchers on the side of the road... And knowing how millions lives human and other are not just ended but also made miserable by our daily decisions... C'est la vie.
On with the story!
From West Yellowstone we made our way to Boulder, UT to visit Dave Holiday. A wonderful man who lives in a little cabin on a magical piece of property tucked away in a canyon with a stream paralleling an impossible driveway. In northern Utah, on the side of the road, Jaz and I were wondering how long it would take to hitch through the seldom traveled 100 or so miles to Boulder!?! Only a handful of cars had passed all day when a guy pulled over. "Where you headed"? He was an old school punk, a lost boy. He drove us the whole way, out of his way, and we talked and listened and I was very happy both to have a ride and to have a friend in the middle of nowhere.
We stayed with Dave and Jill for about a week, camping, hiking, and sharing in one of the most wonderful lifestyles I have witnessed.
The Jaz and Daniel Drama was ever present and finally at this point "we" no longer became "we". The details are unimportant and difficult to think upon. We were going to try to be "just friends".
We stayed in Kanab UT with some new friends and caught a ride through Zion National park on our way to Denver at which point hitchhiking was too much of a drain to continue... We were defeated by the city. We took a plane to NYC from Denver with the help of James Burgdorf who, in the middle of the night arranged our flights by telephone while he should have been working. Thanks Jimmy! The flight was awful, NYC was Awful, everything was Awful... For Jaz. We left the city as soon as we arrived. I was, at this point, very broken. Nothing I said or did or didn't say or do could do anything to positively effect her. This breaking for me was perfect. Ask Rumi, Hafiz or Kahlil Gibran for an explanation. I gave up for a moment. I rested in Love.
Everything was greatly improved after our few days of bumming around Danbury, CT. and we got back to camping. Even while in Danbury things became functional again. I met Lincon, one of Jaz's friends who came to interview her for his book.
Finally we started our Job at Great Hollow Wilderness School!
This is a good breaking point.
That was about 3 months ago.
So many things have happened since then! I am in, in some ways, a slow point in my life. Although everyday CAN be filled to the brim I have taken time to call friends that I have not talked to in months or even years... Telling the same story over and over again is not something that I enjoy so this is a skeleton catchup of what happened so that when I talk to you we can skip to the details or skip to your life...
We were still in LA for the last blog. Since then "We" biked to Phoenix Arizona by way of Joshua tree and some of the most intense days of my life. Some pleasant, some awful. The 'whole thing' could be a book in itself complete with "fencing, fighting, true love, hate, revenge, giants, hungers, bad men, good men, beautiful women, snakes, spiders, and beasts of all natures and descriptions..." This is the abridged version.
While in Phoenix we stayed with friends of Jaz's family. Harry Mai is a sweet, powerhouse of the short Vietnamese variety. He was helping to start a Loving Hut Restaurant in Phoenix. The restaurant was opening the day after we arrived and we helped setup, mostly by eating great food and telling everyone how much we enjoyed it!
We left the bikes in Phoenix due to time constraints and Jaz's re injured ankle. After a full day of trying to get through the city we managed to get a ride to Sedona AZ with JP. JP was an awesome guy, this would be my second novel but I will cut it short to say that JP wanted to get the gypsy experience and camped with us overnight so that he could see a glimpse into our lives. It was really nice to share in that way.
During the week stay in the mountains of Sedona I got terribly ill in the bathroom of the Circle K that we filled our water at. Damn, the police were called to check on me, the whole thing sucked. As soon as I could walk again I hiked the mile to our campsite and after getting lost in the dark I passed out. The nest day was spent half dead. I didn't move more then five feet to go pee all day. Trying to figure out the cause, Not dumpster diving for over a week ath this point and having eaten hardly anything but restaurant food and prepackaged items that were bought for us I blamed it on MSG which I had eaten more of recently then ever in my life. Most likely, I think, It was contaminated water? I got better of course and life returned to normal after a few days. Normal for us was meeting someone on the side of the road, hanging out in there illegal housing and enjoying good company, and eventualy making our way to Porenge's house. A friend that we met at the wintercount festival. Many many good times on trampolines and hiking and etc... meeting a man who was a catholic priest of 8 years AFTER he had lost his faith only to find a new life and a spirituality he could live after being introduced to Psycedelics, now in his late 80's and living a beautiful life...
There were many lives between Sedona AZ and West Yellowstone MT... Many beautiful people and places.
But, the BFC (Buffalo Field Campaign) stands out as outstanding.
My job was essentially to hike around for 8ish hours a day and track buffalo. It was beautiful, everyday profound for both Jaz and I. The story of stories was the day when I saw 150-200 buffalo stampeding past 30ft from where I was standing. It was terrifying and exhilarating! Our job at that point was to alert the rest of the staff and follow them along a bluff for hours. Wild buffalo are not the docile Beefalos you sometimes see in fields, behind fences, on the side of the road. A few cow genes dose a lot to mellow out a wild animal, and when they are on the move they can move in a hurry! Noah and I kept a good pace for hours through the snow and only caught up to the head of the group just before they got to the road. Our job then was to alert the road crew to where they would be crossing to aide in the safety of both cars and the buffalo.
While I was there 8 buffalo where killed in car accidents at night. I imagine the wounded pride of the buffalo spirit that used to roam these lands freely. Now confined by roads and laws and irreverent people in helicopters trying to drive the noble beasts into death traps for the sake of money and grazing rights.
I was joking about taking up a life of crime, stealing and scamming millions from whatever corporate enterprise, maybe banks, whatever. A defense of all the innocents that would be hurt was cut off by a sharp. "No one is innocent". I love you all, but you have to know that I am thoroughly disgusted with our culture, the way we live, everyday. I HATE the immoderate human influences on both the human world and the natural environment. Though it saddens and angers me to see splattered buffalo guts, dear, turtles, squirrels, or people on stretchers on the side of the road... And knowing how millions lives human and other are not just ended but also made miserable by our daily decisions... C'est la vie.
On with the story!
From West Yellowstone we made our way to Boulder, UT to visit Dave Holiday. A wonderful man who lives in a little cabin on a magical piece of property tucked away in a canyon with a stream paralleling an impossible driveway. In northern Utah, on the side of the road, Jaz and I were wondering how long it would take to hitch through the seldom traveled 100 or so miles to Boulder!?! Only a handful of cars had passed all day when a guy pulled over. "Where you headed"? He was an old school punk, a lost boy. He drove us the whole way, out of his way, and we talked and listened and I was very happy both to have a ride and to have a friend in the middle of nowhere.
We stayed with Dave and Jill for about a week, camping, hiking, and sharing in one of the most wonderful lifestyles I have witnessed.
The Jaz and Daniel Drama was ever present and finally at this point "we" no longer became "we". The details are unimportant and difficult to think upon. We were going to try to be "just friends".
We stayed in Kanab UT with some new friends and caught a ride through Zion National park on our way to Denver at which point hitchhiking was too much of a drain to continue... We were defeated by the city. We took a plane to NYC from Denver with the help of James Burgdorf who, in the middle of the night arranged our flights by telephone while he should have been working. Thanks Jimmy! The flight was awful, NYC was Awful, everything was Awful... For Jaz. We left the city as soon as we arrived. I was, at this point, very broken. Nothing I said or did or didn't say or do could do anything to positively effect her. This breaking for me was perfect. Ask Rumi, Hafiz or Kahlil Gibran for an explanation. I gave up for a moment. I rested in Love.
Everything was greatly improved after our few days of bumming around Danbury, CT. and we got back to camping. Even while in Danbury things became functional again. I met Lincon, one of Jaz's friends who came to interview her for his book.
Finally we started our Job at Great Hollow Wilderness School!
This is a good breaking point.
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