Sunday, November 3, 2024
All the cranes
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Oops, I spooked the cranes
Thursday, October 31, 2024
The non-pursuit of happiness
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Not quite what I had expected
Southern Arizona is hot, right? Or at least hotter than most places. That’s why snowbirds and other cold weather avoiders go there.
So when I volunteered to help a friend move into Sierra Vista, which is one of the farthest south cities in Arizona (about 16 miles from the border) I worried it might still be summer-ish there. However, I hadn’t considered elevation. Sierra Vista is at about 4,500 feet.
That’s why the Rolling Steel Tent was only 35°F when I woke up this morning. That’s colder than my refrigerator (37°F). Burrrrrr. Turn on the stove then scoot back under the covers for a while.
But the surprise before the morning temperature was that the popular Las Cienegas National Conservation Area outside Sierra Vista was nearly empty of campers. That’s opposite of my last two visits here. Maybe everyone else is avoiding cold nights. That just means more peace and privacy for me. A little shivering is a small price to pay.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
I couldn’t hang around
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Yin and yang take a diversion
As I was returning to Silver City to vote I passed many memory-evoking places. Places I had been with Lou. One of the spots was the Grant County airport. You can’t see it very well from the highway, but every time Lou and I passed it he would crane his neck and say something like, “I think that’s the tower. I wonder if they have (insert aeronautic jargon here).” Lou was a pilot, so he was curious about things like that.
One day, since I was driving, I turned onto the airport road. Surprised and somewhat alarmed, Lou cried, “Where are you going?!?”
“To look at the damned airport you keep wondering about.”
“Oh,” he replied, somewhat delighted but mostly ill at ease because this was a break from the expected, a variation in the routine. Lou needed to feel in control. I understood that because he had lived through some unstable years.
On the other hand, I had developed sort of a Zen approach to life. I had accepted (mostly?) that there wasn’t much I could control — or that I needed to control. Flow with the river, Grasshopper. Perhaps my rather benign life had allowed me the luxury of seeing things that way.
So Lou and I were kind of yin and yang — opposites that somehow fit well together. I miss that man.
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Choices: what to do or who to be?
A short video about making life choices showed up on my Instagram feed. When a decision is difficult, and you’ve weighed the usual pros and cons, perhaps there’s another question to be asked: What kind of person do I want to become?
That reminded me of my decisions that led to me living in a van. I never consciously thought about what kind of person I wanted to become, but looking back I can see how it was implied in my thought processes. I certainly didn’t want to remain the kind of person I had already become — overworked, stressed, bored, depressed, stagnating, trapped...
Perhaps if younger me had considered as part of my decisions the kind of person I wanted to be I wouldn't have gotten to that overworked, stressed, bored, depressed, stagnating, trapped place. Perhaps my life would have been fuller. But I’m happy I eventually made the change, because now I feel much more like the kind of person I want to be.
Monday, October 21, 2024
The phases of water
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Wherein I make a blasphemous statement
Well, well, well, look who’s here.
I haven't seen you in many a year.
If I knew you were comin’ I’d ’ve baked a cake,
baked a cake, baked a cake.
If I knew you were comin’ I’d ’ve baked a cake.
How-ja do. How-ja do, How-ja do.
My friend Michael (who frequently comments here, and who I hadn't seen in many a year) knew I would be passing through Albuquerque, where he lives, so he emailed me:
I’ve gotten on a pie & quiche making kick and would like to gift you with one or both.
He didn’t need to bribe — a simple invitation would’ve sufficed — but free baked goods is a happy bonus. So now I have these two beauties. Michael is especially proud of the crust.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Welcome, much-needed rain. I’m out of here.
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Losing my way — several times
The trail to Wild Horse Window — a pair of caves with a hole in one roof — starts with a clear, well used path down into a wash and out again. From there it crosses a large section of bare rock with gullies, drop-offs, and dead ends. This is the trickiest part of the trail. There’s no path and only occasional cairns, with at least one of them seeming to have been placed by someone hoping to send you in the wrong direction.
I don’t have a trail app, like Gaia or AllTrails, so I used Google satellite view to keep my bearings. But there’s only so much detail in those photos, especially since I was out of cell range and couldn’t use 3D view. So I did a lot of backtracking, including going all the way back to the wash. That’s not a huge deal, but the way to the Window is all uphill. So it was up and down and up and down.
Monday, October 14, 2024
Plans not going as planned
I know better than to try certain things. But the crucial part is to actually think about those things for at least a few seconds before heading off.
Yesterday’s error was my lack of thought about it not only being a popular travel season in southeastern Utah’s National Parks, but also a weekend. Also also a three-day weekend for many folks. So, again, if I had even thought about it, I would have known it was foolish to assume there would even be parking anywhere near a popular trailhead like Hickman Bridge/Cohab Canyon. I mean, I knew Scenic Drive was closed for repairs, crowding more visitors into less area. I knew there would be a mess at the visitor center because part the parking lot was being reconfigured and resurfaced. But doo-da-doo-doo-doo, off I went. And it was the worst crowd I had ever seen there.
I had a vague back-of-the-mind alternate “plan” though. I knew of a boondocking area on Notom-Bull Frog Road, on the eastern side of the park. I could hang there a day or two then return to my original plan. But I’m not the only one familiar with that boondocking spot. It was full, except for a very tilted spot right by the road. In addition, there was no cell service. Not good.
Okay, fine, I would continue east to Hanksville. I needed bread and there’s a grocery there. Then I would go north to where I wanted to do some hiking in the canyons near Goblin Valley State Park. But the grocery was closed, I guess because they believe in observing the Sabbath.
Okay, fine, I would continue on to Goblin Valley, even though I knew that area would also be crowded. At least it wouldn’t be as crowded as Capitol Reef.
I found a site, even though it’s not as scenic as I would prefer. The better spots were occupied. Of course. But at least I have solitude where I can give greater thought to my plans.We got a smattering of rain in the night. Maybe that was enough to rinse away my stupidity.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Modern archeology
This is not an ancient ruin, but it will be in a few centuries. Should I leave something in it to facilitate dating? A coin, maybe?