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Every year I take off on a HUGE road trip with my dogs and a tent. We stay in National Parks and Forests all the way and Alaska is always our final destination. But Ive never made it that far. Something always comes up.....usually car trouble or I run out of time or money or something. So, this year Im only planning as far as South Dakota to work on a humanitarian project with the Lakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and after that....who knows?
I hope everyone enjoys coming along and if theres anything in the area you dont think I should miss, feel free to let me know....I am always open to suggestions
January 22,2008
Today I was at the DMV with my mother, which is always a really negative place full of unhappy overworked government employees sick of their jobs, sick of the tedium, sick of the people they have to deal with every day, with the power to make your life miserable and sometimes all too eager too do just that.
So I just listened to
everything everyone was saying all around me and it was all so negative, but noone else seemed to even notice this.
My mother got a call and instantly complained about the line, how long it
was....meanwhile I was
thinking how short it was(Compared to normal it WAS short) She commented that
she was sure things
werent going to work out, that we would need more documents, that the clerk
there would not be
helpful, that she would never buy an out of state vehicle again and then hung up.
THe man in front of us griped the he wouldnt get everything done in time to rerurn to work and commented on just about everyone he thought was to blame for his predicament, while the woman he was complaining too was complaining in silence that this man was bothering her so much with his troubles when she had so many of her own.
And then,,,later as we neared the front of the line, I was watching this really pretty girl who seemed to be
looking right at me. At least I wanted to think she was looking at me:)
But I found out she was watching her 4 year old son who was across the room
near the bench that I
assume she had sat him down on and told him to stay put in while she waited in
line.
Of course he wasnt
staying put,he was four, go figure:) but he was in no danger whatsoever and not causing any problems for anyone...he was
however
laying on the floor
near the bench and playing with another boy as his mother no more than 20 feet away constantly looked over her shoulder to make sure he was ok.
A security guard saw this and yelled over the crowd that whoever these kids belonged to needed to make them sit down NOW! The young mother looked very embarassed and called her son to her as I thought about how
this man could have handled things differently, that he could have asked
the boy who his mom was and approached her and quietly asked instead of
embarassing her that way.
But it seemed to be over, the boy came to his Mom and everything was back to normal,when then my own mother
commented
within earshot of this girl and her child, that she shouldnt have needed to be TOLD to make her child stay seated.
The woman heard, and made a gesture of anger and sadness and probably carried that with her
all day.
And I was thinking about what *I*d seen, I saw this woman carefully keeping an
eye on her child,
while trying to get some tedious chore done, probably a single mom who didnt
have money for a
babysitter, doing the best she could with her child and her circumstance,I saw
child hurting no
one, and in no danger himself...and they all made her feel like crap for no
reason at all, even my
own mother!
I shouldve talked to her. I smiled but
she didnt notice.
Sometimes I swear I can almost see the anger and unhappiness from one person absorb right into another.
The next time you see something like this, do what I didnt do, forget your place in line and make things right. A simple kind word will usually do it.
And meanwhile I will work on thinking faster instead of figuring things out later that day when it is too late.
------------------March 1, 2008-------------------------
Well at this rate I will get there in 2112. I pulled out this morning, drove 6 miles and promptly got myself stuck...pulling into a gas station of all places.
THe sheriff was looking at me like I barely had two brain cells to rub together as he directed traffic around the azz end of the RV for about an hour while we waited for a tow truck. But on the bright side, I now know every single person in Childersburg, Alabama.
I wish Id gotten a photo of all that but I wasnt thinking about it til we got it out of the road...but this is the place, so if youre traveling through Alabama in an RV be careful puling into this place.
Its going to get better!
And my first night without electricity....pretty cool.
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_____________________March 2,2008______________________
An old photo of Molly but I thought this needed an illustration.
I had lunch with my church, at my aunts house.
The kids are just wonderful. Theyre so full of wisdom and joy. One tells me there is no such thing as luck and explained it beautifully....better than any adult ever has.
So in return, I told her about belly wishes....you have to rub your belly, or preferably someone elses belly, WHILE youre making the wish...then, when youre done, you pat your belly to make it final.(proper belly rub wishing protocol is essential)
At that point the wish is complete and all you have to do is wait.
And they knew a lot about making wishes already. They told me that you cant tell anyone what a wish was until it has come true, or else it wont ever come true...so, I was wondering, at what point you could determine a wish wasnt coming true and therefore it is safe to tell someone what you had wished?
A query we have all no doubt pondered at some time or another. And that is when Hayden, the oldest at 6, told me that I should make the wish for something to happen at a certain time...that way I would know when the deadline had passed that it was ok to tell someone what I had wished because it wasnt coming true anyway. While Molly Katherine, barely 4, said simply with a huge innocent smile "Dont be silly, wishes always come true."
Its funny how those two years can make such a huge difference in a childs outlook. THeyre very different people to begin with, that I grant, but the 4 year old answer is full of wide eyed enthusiasm and belief in a world of magic , while the 6 year old answer, still holding a ton of the magic of youth still in tact, has become practical and logical, and accepts the idea that wishes just might not come true, sometimes....on occasion.
I just know theres a lesson to be learned here....Ill have to come back to that soon.
----------March 18-----------------
Earlier today, and I dont know why but this always makes me laugh.
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And theres nothing interesting about this spot, I just pulled over at a hole in
the wall campsite
to rest so I could get an early start tomorrow for the Opalachicola National
Forest, but what is
cool about it is that it is almost live....Im in the middle of nowhere
connected to the internet.
width=550 height=375
>
But theres a quarry, maybe Ill go swimming in the morning and thatll make me
think ths place is
more interesting.
Itll pick up soon! I spent thelast couple of days with some of my best friends
and I always forget
to post while I with them, or even think about what I might post.
-------------------March 19------------------------
Ponce De leon, Florida
As I was starting out on a new day on the road, I realized this place reminded me of a childhood haunt. A place where, for 2 dollars you could swim all day and go down what, to a five year old seemed like the biggest water slide on Earth.
So my whole family would load up and head to Cherokee beach. Where the owners would give us kids a buck for collecting a 20 oz cup full of cigarette butts(everyone in Alabama smokes) ....and a buck went a long way back then. For a dollar I could get a corn dog,a coke AND play a game of pool, and if you could catch the balls before they went down into the hole you could entertain yourself for a long time..
Speaking of how far a dollar would go back then, I can remember getting my allowance on Friday, one dollar, which was more than the rest of the neighborhood kids got back then(it was a poor neighborhood but we didnt know), and Id sneak down to the store and spend every cent on candy....big gumballs, jolly ranchers, lik'm aids, sweet tarts, pixie stix, and those wax sticks with sugar water inside.
That was a day the whole neighborhood looked forward to because I always shared with everyone. Id dump that bag of candy on the ground in the center of our circle and we would feast before playing one of our favorite games until our Moms made us come in for the night.
Passing this place I couldnt help but think who on Earth would get their haircut THERE? I mean there was more rust on that building than anything else.
So, of course, I stopped. And I got the best 10 dollar hair cut ever as well as a little of the town gossip and friendly service from a woman that just didnt care what the building looked like. But then again if it hadnt been so bad I probably wouldnt have stopped:)
------------------- March 20-24 ------------------------
More oF Florida, 
Just a shelter I passed and stopped to see if Art 4 Critters could help them but no one was around....so onward I go.
Hey Diana!
(c)Looking for a background for one of my crows...he would look good sitting on this post, huh?
Oppalachicola Forest, and Im sure I am not spelling that right, but theres more mosquitoes there than anywhere I have ever been before.
Tampa Donut (c)And man do people look at you funny when you buy a donut and start taking pictures of it. I mean its not like I did it nude or anything...Ill save that for next time:)
An old Mercury(c)....get used to these, I stop a hundred times to photograph old cars on my way cross country
And thats Murphy. He prefers to be called the Murphinator or Sir Murphsalot, or just plain ole Murph, but he will answer to anyone with a friendly voice.
Sadly this will be his last trip. He has congestive heart failure Im doing everything I can to stretch it out and let him stick around comfortably for a little while longer.
This is his fourth big trip, and he has logged in over 300,000 miles with me as he swam in 2 oceans, played in 6 national forests, dozens of state forest and at least 100 county parks from Orlando to Seattle, and caught over 16.2 BILLION frisbees, sticks, and tennis balls and brought two of them back.
Im going to miss him terribly.
But for now we are just taking the back roads so he can hang his head out the window anytime he wants.
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Ive got to speed up to make this jump......tune in next time to see if I make it!
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------April 5--------- .
As requested, one plain donut for Christine(mousewords, check her work out if you get the chance)...and one powdered jelly donut for me.
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------------------------------April 25----------------------
Ok, where did I leave off?...Oh yes,I made the jump safe and sound, went home for what was meant to be a couple of days and had some donuts. I am sure everyone knows home is a blackhole of comfort and convenience so I hope it is sufficient to say, I was there, I used the time well, and I left some 2 weeks after my two days were over.
Now I am in Bowling Green, Kentucky and have spent many nights between here and home with the only light coming from the stars above and the moon reflecting off the rippling waters of the many rivers and streams I have stumbled across.
I hope everyone understands my brevity, it is not because I do not have stories to tell. Even though the most interesting thing to happen so far has been the squirrel circus I wake up to every morning and the conversations I have had with random strangers,both good and bad, there is always something to share.
But Im typing with one hand and holding the power cord in its precarious position with the other...so I must keep this one short.
But Im here, Im moving on soon, and best of all....still alive!
I did get an icee for Kelly though, I hope you dont mind sharing a straw and I swear there is some left! I did break into an Amusement park for ya though....that has to count for something?:)
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---------------------Fast forward to South Dakota-----------------
I hardly know where to begin.
I had mentioned to everyone that I was going to South Dakota with the dogs and
tent to help some
people on the Pine Ridge Reservation start a small business that will
hopefully break the cycle
of poverty for them. Well Im here and the need is overwhelming. I met the
family that I am working
with and fortunately the matriarch of this family understands what I want to do
and has a vision
beyond my own, a vision for the business and for her own people as well.
There are 16 of them living in a tiny trailer with no running water except a
hose outside,
including 12 children. There is little work available and often they are taken
advantage when they
can find work.
The work ahead of me is tremendous. But I see the potential, if
I can just connect
them with the resources they need and teach them a few necessary skills so that
they can become
self sufficient and even help others around them after I leave.
I spent the first several days just watching, making sure I was working with
the right people and
deciding what needed to be done, there are so many things I hadnt even
anticipated. And I have
come up with many other projects, for example Im helping put in a HUGE garden
as soon as this snow
storm passes, helping build a chicken coup and stock it....and just little
things like getting a
front door on the trailer that doesnt fall off every day.
Im also aranging, with Dorothy's(the matriarch and adopter of all the children
there) help to get
a structure built thats suitable for making the candles and soaps I have
planned, which is
priority one. Theres just no room in that trailer for this, and soap can not be
made with children
around.
But we are planning and things will be moving forward very soon. And I will
send photos of
everything when I get the chance.
And Im sorry I didnt even have the time to write a better letter, better
thought out, and
descriptive. But if you can imagine a woman with 12 children and 3 young adults
living in a
trailer without water, I dont have to. It is terrible. But they maintain hope,
and I have never
heard one of them complain about anything...perhaps because it is all they have
ever known.
Im trying to balance all this, and make my own living from a tent(with a
snow storm
coming)...it is fun though and very rewarding, so dont think I am complaining.
------------------May5--------------------------
. 
Theres most of the family, theyre never all at home at the same time, except at night.
Its right after some time in the garden.
This is Dorothy and her grandaughter(Eagle Hawk's child), and I cant remember her name to save my life right now, but I just call her beautiful and she giggles and starts posing...both the girls LOVE to photographed. Dorothy also care for three orphans left by her eldest daughter who passed away last year as well as any runaways that pass through and anyone else that stops by and wants something to eat, however humble it may be they share everything.
This is Ray, thats her sister above. THey were both skiddish of me at first and wouldnt say a word for the first two or three days, now they run to the car and start telling stories and dont stop til I leave. .
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---------------------May 15-------------------------
I have so many stories and photographs to share with everyone, but my car and my computer both decided to work against me at the same time and I must say theyre a pretty powerful force but theyre coming back to my way of thinking very soon:)
Ive only been here two weeks but I have seen so much that it feels like much longer.
I have seen both ends of the spectrum of human existance. I have seen unimaginable kindness, and I have seen pure evil, if such a hting exists. I have seen those that would give a friend their last morsel of food not knowing if they themselves would get to eat tomorrow but only knowing that a friend is hungry now, and I have seen those that would set a horse on fire out of jealousy for its owner. Ive seen families pull together sharing their homes with anyone in need and Ive seen those content to stand outside a liquor store waiting for someone to give them 47 cents for a beer.
But I focus on one family. Theyre working very hard now to make this plan work, and it will! We are all very busy working on something in anticipation of the tourist season and as soon as I get me car back and recoup from the 3500 dollars I spent fixing it, we will move forward yet again.
I want to thank everyone for their support here, and for their confidence in me to make this happen. And a special thanks to to all the wonderful artists at ACEO and Art 4 Critters who are helping me here, and those that are sending care packages. It is all greatly appreciated and put to use filling a true need.
Please search PRR in the category of art to find the auctions for this wonderful project. And even if youre not bidding, take a moment and give them a pat on the back...write a quick note and say you noticed..
Thanks and Ill be back with an update when the computer is running again....soon!
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-----------------------------May 23-----------------------------
Now if you just tuned in, I am in South Dakota, working on a very special project at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. If you didnt know, this is the poorest county in the United States. Many people like the family I am working with dont have running water, some dont have electricity and many still heat their homes in the brutal South Dakota winters with a wood burning stove. There are very few jobs available here and without a car your chances of finding one are slim, and if you do theres a good chance it wont pay minimum wage.
People with skills leave the reservation and what is left behind are the unskilled people with few resources destined to live in 3rd world conditions.
I wont lie, there are a lot of people here that wouldnt lift a finger to help themselves, and I feel thats common in these situations. But there are many here that are willing to work to better themselves and just need a little well focused push in the right direction, and THAT is what I am trying to do.
Thank YOU for helping me do this. Its hard work and sometimes it is heartbreaking but the rewards far outweigh anything else.
And it is much better than sitting on the couch with a remote in one hand, waiting for the microwave to go ding.
A life of purpose is truly worth living.
Thats Elissa trying on a new shirt sent by a really nice lady that runs a shelter in Nebraska and raises funds for it here on ebay , along with a bunch of goodies for the family.
And Reeann doing the same, theyre both the biggest tomboys ever but show them some new clothes and a camera and theyre all girl.(thanks Lara)
And several other folks from A4C have sent stuff too, and Im sorry I didnt think to take photos of everything, but thanks Sandie, Ann, and Alice...its like Christmas every time a package arrives and I get to be Santa:)
This is Eagle Hawks first drum, Ive been carrying it around for a few days now beating on it for no good reason and getting some stares, but its fun and I dont mind people staring at me. It has a great tone, and is hopefully sold already so we can make a couple more.
And this is Judy of Badlands Ranch and Big Jake, I know he isnt so big, but they already have a Little Jake, He is 3 days old here and I got to see him born.
The birthday boy.
Hopefully in a few weeks I will have photos of a huge flourishing garden that will feed the family throughout the fall, as well as give them something to be proud of. .
November 24, 1999 - June 4, 2008
After 2 years with congestive heart failure, I lost Murphy today.
He lived the life dogs dreamed of, with over 300,000 miles of road trips, he swam in 2 oceans and over 200 rivers, lakes and streams from Orlando to Seattle, he caught over 16.2 billion frisbees, balls and sticks and brought two of them back to me.
He rescued one drowning kitten, and once I saw him bolt out the door(it never mattered what side of the door he was on, when it opened he ran for it, every single time) to the neighbors house to steal his favorite toy, a little squeaky frog.He ran and jumped and rolled with it, but then looked across to another neighbors house where german shepherd pups were living inside a fence....walked over and climbed up on the fence and dropped his favorite toy in for them to play with.
Of course 5 minutes later he was crying to have it back Apparently he was sharing with them, not giving it them for keepsies.
He left a trail of smiles behind him wherever he went and he truly loved everyone and everything.
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---------------------------June 22----------------------------------
I woke up yesterday and felt it was time to leave. So I did.
The last couple of weeks progressed very quickly. Gary was very ambitious and made several drums with the materials we bought and re-invested right away and sold some more.He now has the materials to make about 20 drums and that is a very good sized business for them.
I had some successes and some failures and learned a lot but my last two weeks with Gary "First Hand"(because here always volunteers) Rowland were the most productive.
Besides the drum business we also raised enough money to pay for the annual Crazy Horse Memorial ride in Montana, for him and his father and 7 youngsters.
I have also left my PO box key with his wife, Elowah Roland, so any care packages will go directly to them.
There was a lot more I wanted to do, but when the voices say hit the road I dont argue, I just hit the road.
And I know I only told about the success and the blades of grass that grow in the sea of concrete and Id be perfectly content leaving everyone with only that image but it simply isnt true. It wasnt all powows and cookouts and camping under the stars.
I saw good men, strong men, not ordinary men like myself, but powerful men with a deep and profound love for their families that I have no doubt would lay down their lives for them reduced to petty beggars and kindergarten con men by alcohol. I saw things I will never speak of. And many mights I slept with a screwdriver under my pillow.
The cookouts and powows are real but theyre barely the thinest layer of existance here. And I dont know that I will ever fully understand what I saw.
But I do know 2 families are better off now, and at least one will keep working and contributing to the community they live in, and I hope to work with them again soon...not too soon though:)
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I did recieve all the packages everyone sent and I apologize for not stopping to recognize everyone, every time, but internet connections were hard to find and slow when I did. Gratitude is not something I should have cut corners with, so let me say now...THANK YOU!
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Faces at the Veterans Pow wow at Pine Ridge(the first of the season.
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Now, you know I had to follow it to its end, I could surely use the pot of gold. So I did, and go figure, the big one was a decoy...thoseleprechauns are tricky rascals. So I went to where the smaller rainbow hit the ground and got the big ole pot of gold, sadly with gas prices being what they are it barely paid to fill my tank again.
A small crowd beginnin to gather on Mail Day. Thats Gary Rowland in the new red shirt. His father was at the siege of 73, and I got to meet him and see him and Gary Jr off on the big ride right before I left.
Oh, one last one...he is wearing an Alabama hat...I couldnt not take his photo.
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And on that note I close out the Pine Ridge portiion of my journey, I thank you all for the support, and a special thanks to Dorothy D. whom without her help I would not have been able to do this. Thank you Dorothy!
I dont know where Im going now, but Im signing off for a little while. I feel heavy and need some time to refresh my spirit. The things I saw left me feeling sick and I think I will now spend some time alone, in the woods with Angel, or maybe just drive for a while and not think....try not to think.
But Ill be back!
--------------June 24- July 5------------------
Let's see where was I? Oh yeah....fleeing South Dakota like I was running from the scene of a crime, but very glad to have been there.
Well theres nothing like the open road to refresh a person, blue skies, beautiful scenery, and a good song on the radio never fails to make me smile.
I found that for the last 2 weeks I barely spoke to anyone, which doesnt make for good stories. It's the people I meet that make things interesting. The UFO hunters in Arizona, the wacky jingly jangly tambourine toting girls in Oregon that tell you of the sceance they had last night and hand you a photo of the ghost and tell you "theres no way anyone could fake THAT" at the precise moment youre thinking "Now, That is fake", Or the crazy guy that decides to pull over on the side of the Pacific COast Highway in the rain and paint his Bronco in Eagle feathers with a magic marker.
But without talking topeople you dont meet these folks, and youre left with just me and my thoughts....not so interesting.
Well Ive started talking to people again and Im sure Im going to meet the usual colorful folks that always seem to find me on my journeys....til then all I have to talk about is the weird dreams I had and the flora and fauna I passed:) So bear with me tilmy next update.
I did put in a lot of miles though. Maybe some photos will be of interest.
I headed west from Wounded Knee, wanting to see the Tetons and Yellowstone again, I dont use a map when I travel....not much. I find when I do I see the country in dots and dashes and blue lines instead of seeing the country around me, so I just head in the general direction and consult Rand Macnally(sp?) every now and then to make sure Im not headed down a dead end path or into a nuclear test zone or something and then put it away, so....I didnt get to Jackson Hole like I wanted but the West entrance to Yellowstone is pretty amazing too. The Shoshone National Forest is now one of my favorites with plenty of camping, hiking and streams to just sit by and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Like I said I didnt talk to anyone during these days, just me and Angel, which is ok because the stories you hear here are all the same.....people vacationing and trying to get away from it all, just like me. The good stories are in the small towns and in the middle of nowhere.
I breezed through Montana, which is one of my favorite places on Earth, the people are friendly and laid back, everyone has a dog, and the scenery is amazing...and no sales tax:)
I was only there a couple days, just long enough to take some photos, paint a landscape, and do some laundry.
Now Im only including this photo because for some unknown reason, 20 seconds later, this girl had taken all her clothes off. I really dont know why. She didnt do anything....just inspected herself, got dressed and crossed the bridge. Not that I minded one bit but I have to admit I was a little confused....I was sitting 20 feet away and in plain view...not hiding or anything. Oh well, no sense in overthiking it, if every girl on Earth wanted to run around nekked I wont complain:)
But she wasnt the only one....the next day Im doing laundry and this beautifl girl walked in wearing a bikini top,....IM guessing, like me, she had waited til EVERYTHING was dirty before doing laundry.
Anyway, she was sporting a tattoo....a line from Sublime(which she informed me) that came up out of her waist band, up her stomach and then around back and back down into her waistband.
I asked what it said, and she SHOWED me.
Then later the same day some old dude on a bike had pulled over on the side of a fairly busy road and was taking a shower right there....not as much fun as the pretty girls, but I still think I need to buy property in Montana:)
-----------------July 4-------------------------
Pomeroy, Washington
Home of the World's best 4th of July picnic, and world's worst fireworks show. But Im not a big fan of fireworks anyway so that is ok. I just see money going up in flames, with a bang. I hear Fwiiittt, Kaboom, kaboom, KABOOM,..... blue, yellow, green, red, and think.....that probably cost about 30 bucks and lasted 2 seconds.
But the picnic is like an American anachronism.They have pie eating contests and tug-o-war, and musical chairs, and everyone brings food, and everyone is welcome.
,
I LOVE it!
I met the champion pie eater, a 10 year old girl a little bigger than my thumb, and Im thinking I can go up there next year and take her crown.
Ok, I mentioned boring moments of silence, and how all I had to speak of was reflections and weird dreams, and was serious but didnt plan to share them, out of respect for my readers:) But now Im thinking what the heck.....you dont have to read it.:)
A dream:.....Seriously, dont leave, Ill meet some intersting people soon, Im sure of it:)
I dreamed I woke up to see a great lion in the distance. At first I hoped it was Murphy(he is still alive in my dreams) but he was sleeping next to me.
I knew the great cat was watching us, watching and waiting, waiting not for the right moment because any moment would have worked for him, but just waiting as cats sometimes do.
I decided I would have to make my escape now, for when the waiting was over it would be too late.
Still on my back I started inching down the hill, hoping he wouldnt detect any movement. But I started sliding very quickly toward the tree that I saw as my escape.
I saw him in the distance springing into action as the wait was now over, gaining ground quickly. When I got to the bottom of the tree I sprang to my feet and jumped again to reach the first branch and hoisted myself quickly up chest high with the branch and spun over it until I could get a foot planted, and with one hand on the trunk I stood up and started climbing.
By the time I reached the V where the tree first split, the lion had reached the bottom and was climbing up after me, but by then I was climbing very quickly, almost running up the tree, jumping from branch to branch, effortlessly sailing toward the top where the thinnest branches were waiting, those that I knew would not support the giant cats tremendous weight.
At the top, or very near the top, I waited, but not for long as he was VERY fast, but I had become almost weightless and knew his fate.
Just before he caught up with me, I climbed out on the thinnest branch, and he followed. I waited until I heard the branch crack and knew he had passed the point of no return, too far out to go back but still not close enough to reach me, and I leapt to a neighboring limb, grabbing hold with both hands as as I heard a loud dry SNAP behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see him scrambling to get back to the tree, trying to run in mid air, no longer even looking at me as the realization of what was happening set in.
I closed me eyes and drew a breath and looked down. It was only then that I realized how far I had climbed. I saw my enemy floating, spinnning like a clockhand(not exactly) into the clouds below.
I had climbed 15,ooo feet in only a few seconds. I thought of my dogs and knew they were safe.
Then the fear of how close I had come set in, and I awoke.
-The End-
.---------July 6-8----------------------
Ok, I have to share this photo. It is one of those "what were they thinking moments" It's just a couple of things that probably shouldnt have been placed so closely together. Seperately they arent that interesting. Theres a chainsaw statue of BIGFOOT(One of a million out here) and a simple sign advertising daily lunc specials.....if they were on opposite sides of the street, I would have never even noticed, but being where they are.......
You ready?
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I guess its true what they say....BIGFOOT, Big....shoes:)
And a live shot, thanks to modern technology I can do this. Well it isnt live but it is less than a minute old.
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Trying to spice it up a bit I went to visit the jingly jangly tambourine toting girls at Morning Star Cafe to see if they had any good ghost stories but they sold the place to someone with much less imagination that plans to make it a success on, get this.....good food and good service.
I dont know where she got such a crazy idea but I would eat a turd(almost) and wait an hour to get it to hear a good story.
I told them they should put up a big sign that said "Seance Tonight, 11:30pm, everyone welcome" But always keep yesterdays date on it.....just so people passing by would stop to see how it went, but never actually get to go to the sceance. And maybe have a cup that rattles and falls to the floor every now and then ust for show.
She didnt think it was a good idea. So just to show her, I only ordered half my usual bacon, eggs and coffee. What can I say? She is on to something with the good food idea.
But I know the great story is just around the corner, the crazies(like myself) always seem to find me:)
------------July12--------------------
I had to go back to Morning Star, still looking for a good story. There is no story with the new owners, they look at me like I am nuts and talk to me the way people talk to those for whom English is a second language, watching me for signs of understanding before continuing.
So, I listened to the people around me, and it was the same conversation at every table. One person talking about themselves for what seemed like hours, while a second nodded at all the right moments. They spoke of their addiction to internet chess and psychological revelations that seemed to me to be about as interesting as oatmeal(without raisins) and they used words like dichotomy and ubiquitous, and one said paraphernalia(which I understood). But Ive decided that if I say "I" or "me" for the next few days I want someone to kick me in the teeth....not counting the "I" or"me" in that last sentence......starting,...now!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just a day of wandering.
350 Rally Sport
Angel trying to bum a treat, she got it:) I forget her new friends name but you can tell he knows he has been outbegged.
William
Note< Angel has her eye on that tennis ball, Eli Wouldnt give it up though.
It's Bike Week here in Seaside, I didnt stick around SD long enough for the Sturgis rally so Im making up for it here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 27
As I prepare to move down the coast it dawns on me just how far I have traveled and just how much I have seen.
I try to remember everything and, in that time of reflection, as I turn South, and begin the second half of my journey, it amazes me how the human mind recalls on the good times and discards everything else, or at least sends everything else to the furthest recesses of consciousnous, where it can do no harm . Of course I only assume this to be a human trait by assuming that everyone's mind works as mine does in some fundamental way. But I have to consider there may be many people out there, maybe even some people reading this, who do just the opposite. Those that not only forget the good times in favor of something else, but perhaps they never even see the good times at all
And I dont mean to say that my trip has been especially tragic or heartbreaking, because it most certainly has not. I just mean to notice how I recall only the "good times" crossing this great nation.
THough I have seen the darker side of man, and woman. And although I have met some that wouldnt think twice to leave someone dying in a ditch rather than lift a finger to help, and perhaps I have met some that might even put that man in that same ditch. And though I have also seen the petty, the judgemental and the hateful that can not see outside of the ten foot circles of their own existance.
And as well as all that I have also lost a good friend, whom I will miss dearly for the rest of my life.
But now, looking back through the healing lens of the minds eye, what I remember is the excitement I felt when I FINALLY got in the car and turned the radio up loud, feeling the sun from that cloudless day in March on my face.
I remember the powder white sands of the FLorida panhandle, and the friendly people of its interior, and even the mosquitoes are erased from my memory(almost). And I remember traveling slowly down the back roads with Murphy hanging his head out the window with his eyes squinted and his jowls flapping in the breeze, and I smile.
I remember the hills of Tennessee, which I am sure is the Lord's braille, put there just so he can reach down on a dark, moonless night and caress them with his divine fingertips and tickle the treetops and know that all is good. And I smile.
I remember the fertile blacklands and my new friend, that went so far out of her way to help me at Pine Ridge, and never asked for anything in return.
I remember all the supportive artists that contributed to what I was doing, with their words and with their hard earned money. And I remember the beautiful children of the reservation, with eyes so full of hope and joy. And I smile.
And now that I prepare to head down the coast I wonder what I will remember of this leg of my trip.
I suppose it will be the wonderful people of Hamlet, hardworking folks that welcomed me into their homes and into their lives without once questioning just who I was, and in this day and age....that is rare.
I might recall thoughts of writing a book about this place.....how it would begin with the loud snap and thundering crash of a falling tree as a lone woodsman prepares his harvest before putting it in a mule drawn wagon that was built by his father many years ago. And perhaps he lost his watch there, where it remains to this day, waiting for someone to find this artifact of another human life.
I would tell of his return home, with his hardworking wife waiting there for him with a hug and kiss, telling him how much she loves him. and Id tell of his children and his friends and how the world changed over the next 100 years, through their eyes.
Id tell of the family's births and deaths, their dream and hopes, their failures and successes, and chronicle their lives until one day, this lone woodsman's grandson, now an old man himself sits enjoying a beer after a hard day of work, telling his story to an artist from Alabama who was just passing through.
It is amazing how beautiful the past seems to me. Now if I can only turn that unbridled optimism toward the future I would be better off than most. And with miles and mile of coast and the redwoods ahead of me....I think I can!
Oh yeah, ...my new toaster. Ive been looking for one for forever. People promised to give me one only to dig it up and find it was all scratched up, and I almost bought one here on eBay. But then a couple days ago I saw a sign on the side of the road out of the corner of my eye that said "Free", and I KNEW my toaster was there....so I spun around and went back.
I forgot what I was looking for while browsing the used books and then I saw a cardboard box and remembered....I opened it up and sure enough there it was....my toaster!
It's nice huh?
--------------------------------------------------------
July 31
And off we go.....
First stop Point Mear.
then off to crash a wedding. The toaster has a mind of its own but at least she brought me a piece of cake.
---------------------------August something or another-------------------
The heart of the redwoods
This is one of my favorite places on Earth. And Im only posting a photo because Im here, and Im not in any way under the delusion that I will be able to capture this place on film or canvas.
I have seen a few beautiful photographs of redwoods but,...well if you have ever been here you know what I mean. Standing here and looking at a photo arent even close to the same.
It is a magical place. A place that some say the skin between two worlds is the thinnest.
There is something amazing about knowing that a few of these were around during the time of Christ, or that a few were born when Stonehenge was just a baby. And that they will be here long after our grandchildren are long gone.
I dont know how to differentiate cause and effect in such things, but it seems people get nicer and nicer the closer I get to these giants. Those that are just going through the motions of a busy day, rarely speaking to a stranger seem to be light years away now.
Ill have to come back to this, when I have had more time to think about it. Right now I just want to enjoy them and smell the air and figure everything out later. But Im sure something profund will cometo me later,and if it doesnt...maybe it will come to someone with more ability to express it.
As I make this left turn at San Fran, I know that I will now be racing across the desert. I feel like a man who has just devoured a 7 course meal and is now being offered a salad. I just dont think I can take anything else in. But I do look forward to a strange,but almost extict breed of man. That man that lives in the middle of absolutely nowhere, whose hometown exists of a gas station on the side of the highway,and maybe a small motel and 80 miles of dirt. A man that barely utters "windy, ehh?" to which I reply "ehh" and nod and he drifts to a look that says we have just spoken volumes....and I wonder. Maybe we have.
--------------August 13,2008--------------------
Sweet Home Alabama!
Just as I knew I would, I raced across the desert barely stopping for anything other than gas, food and to let angel do her business.
My only regret is that i never ran into that one oddball that serves as a milestone in every trip. I whole-heartedly believe in the law of attraction, that birds of a feather flock together and I can only surmise that I am just not odd enough to attract these people anymore. Or perhaps theyre waiting for me just around the corner.
And that rare breed of man that lives 80 miles from anything....he is now the rare breed of man that lives 30 miles from anything. The world is closing in, even on him. I suppose in my own lifetime there will come a day when there is nowhere for a man to go where he can hear only the sounds of the world without the noise of a passing car.
It is good to be home, and THANK YOU to everyone that supported me on this journey! It wont be long til Im doing it again, maybe across Europe this time.....just as soon as the novelty of home cooked meals and hot showers wears off.
I hope everyone enjoys coming along and if theres anything in the area you dont think I should miss, feel free to let me know....I am always open to suggestions
Today I was at the DMV with my mother, which is always a really negative place full of unhappy overworked government employees sick of their jobs, sick of the tedium, sick of the people they have to deal with every day, with the power to make your life miserable and sometimes all too eager too do just that.
So I just listened to
everything everyone was saying all around me and it was all so negative, but noone else seemed to even notice this.
My mother got a call and instantly complained about the line, how long it
was....meanwhile I was
thinking how short it was(Compared to normal it WAS short) She commented that
she was sure things
werent going to work out, that we would need more documents, that the clerk
there would not be
helpful, that she would never buy an out of state vehicle again and then hung up.
THe man in front of us griped the he wouldnt get everything done in time to rerurn to work and commented on just about everyone he thought was to blame for his predicament, while the woman he was complaining too was complaining in silence that this man was bothering her so much with his troubles when she had so many of her own.
And then,,,later as we neared the front of the line, I was watching this really pretty girl who seemed to be
looking right at me. At least I wanted to think she was looking at me:)
But I found out she was watching her 4 year old son who was across the room
near the bench that I
assume she had sat him down on and told him to stay put in while she waited in
line.
Of course he wasnt
staying put,he was four, go figure:) but he was in no danger whatsoever and not causing any problems for anyone...he was
however
laying on the floor
near the bench and playing with another boy as his mother no more than 20 feet away constantly looked over her shoulder to make sure he was ok.
A security guard saw this and yelled over the crowd that whoever these kids belonged to needed to make them sit down NOW! The young mother looked very embarassed and called her son to her as I thought about how
this man could have handled things differently, that he could have asked
the boy who his mom was and approached her and quietly asked instead of
embarassing her that way.
But it seemed to be over, the boy came to his Mom and everything was back to normal,when then my own mother
commented
within earshot of this girl and her child, that she shouldnt have needed to be TOLD to make her child stay seated.
The woman heard, and made a gesture of anger and sadness and probably carried that with her
all day.
And I was thinking about what *I*d seen, I saw this woman carefully keeping an
eye on her child,
while trying to get some tedious chore done, probably a single mom who didnt
have money for a
babysitter, doing the best she could with her child and her circumstance,I saw
child hurting no
one, and in no danger himself...and they all made her feel like crap for no
reason at all, even my
own mother!
I shouldve talked to her. I smiled but
she didnt notice.
Sometimes I swear I can almost see the anger and unhappiness from one person absorb right into another.
The next time you see something like this, do what I didnt do, forget your place in line and make things right. A simple kind word will usually do it.
And meanwhile I will work on thinking faster instead of figuring things out later that day when it is too late.
Well at this rate I will get there in 2112. I pulled out this morning, drove 6 miles and promptly got myself stuck...pulling into a gas station of all places.
THe sheriff was looking at me like I barely had two brain cells to rub together as he directed traffic around the azz end of the RV for about an hour while we waited for a tow truck. But on the bright side, I now know every single person in Childersburg, Alabama.
I wish Id gotten a photo of all that but I wasnt thinking about it til we got it out of the road...but this is the place, so if youre traveling through Alabama in an RV be careful puling into this place.
Its going to get better!
And my first night without electricity....pretty cool.
.
An old photo of Molly but I thought this needed an illustration.
I had lunch with my church, at my aunts house.
The kids are just wonderful. Theyre so full of wisdom and joy. One tells me there is no such thing as luck and explained it beautifully....better than any adult ever has.
So in return, I told her about belly wishes....you have to rub your belly, or preferably someone elses belly, WHILE youre making the wish...then, when youre done, you pat your belly to make it final.(proper belly rub wishing protocol is essential)
At that point the wish is complete and all you have to do is wait.
And they knew a lot about making wishes already. They told me that you cant tell anyone what a wish was until it has come true, or else it wont ever come true...so, I was wondering, at what point you could determine a wish wasnt coming true and therefore it is safe to tell someone what you had wished?
A query we have all no doubt pondered at some time or another. And that is when Hayden, the oldest at 6, told me that I should make the wish for something to happen at a certain time...that way I would know when the deadline had passed that it was ok to tell someone what I had wished because it wasnt coming true anyway. While Molly Katherine, barely 4, said simply with a huge innocent smile "Dont be silly, wishes always come true."
Its funny how those two years can make such a huge difference in a childs outlook. THeyre very different people to begin with, that I grant, but the 4 year old answer is full of wide eyed enthusiasm and belief in a world of magic , while the 6 year old answer, still holding a ton of the magic of youth still in tact, has become practical and logical, and accepts the idea that wishes just might not come true, sometimes....on occasion.
I just know theres a lesson to be learned here....Ill have to come back to that soon.
Earlier today, and I dont know why but this always makes me laugh.
.
And theres nothing interesting about this spot, I just pulled over at a hole in
the wall campsite
to rest so I could get an early start tomorrow for the Opalachicola National
Forest, but what is
cool about it is that it is almost live....Im in the middle of nowhere
connected to the internet.
width=550 height=375
>
But theres a quarry, maybe Ill go swimming in the morning and thatll make me
think ths place is
more interesting.
Itll pick up soon! I spent thelast couple of days with some of my best friends
and I always forget
to post while I with them, or even think about what I might post.
-------------------March 19------------------------
Ponce De leon, Florida
As I was starting out on a new day on the road, I realized this place reminded me of a childhood haunt. A place where, for 2 dollars you could swim all day and go down what, to a five year old seemed like the biggest water slide on Earth.
So my whole family would load up and head to Cherokee beach. Where the owners would give us kids a buck for collecting a 20 oz cup full of cigarette butts(everyone in Alabama smokes) ....and a buck went a long way back then. For a dollar I could get a corn dog,a coke AND play a game of pool, and if you could catch the balls before they went down into the hole you could entertain yourself for a long time..
Speaking of how far a dollar would go back then, I can remember getting my allowance on Friday, one dollar, which was more than the rest of the neighborhood kids got back then(it was a poor neighborhood but we didnt know), and Id sneak down to the store and spend every cent on candy....big gumballs, jolly ranchers, lik'm aids, sweet tarts, pixie stix, and those wax sticks with sugar water inside.
That was a day the whole neighborhood looked forward to because I always shared with everyone. Id dump that bag of candy on the ground in the center of our circle and we would feast before playing one of our favorite games until our Moms made us come in for the night.
Passing this place I couldnt help but think who on Earth would get their haircut THERE? I mean there was more rust on that building than anything else.
So, of course, I stopped. And I got the best 10 dollar hair cut ever as well as a little of the town gossip and friendly service from a woman that just didnt care what the building looked like. But then again if it hadnt been so bad I probably wouldnt have stopped:)
------------------- March 20-24 ------------------------
Just a shelter I passed and stopped to see if Art 4 Critters could help them but no one was around....so onward I go.
Hey Diana!
(c)Looking for a background for one of my crows...he would look good sitting on this post, huh?
Oppalachicola Forest, and Im sure I am not spelling that right, but theres more mosquitoes there than anywhere I have ever been before.
And man do people look at you funny when you buy a donut and start taking pictures of it. I mean its not like I did it nude or anything...Ill save that for next time:)
An old Mercury(c)....get used to these, I stop a hundred times to photograph old cars on my way cross country
And thats Murphy. He prefers to be called the Murphinator or Sir Murphsalot, or just plain ole Murph, but he will answer to anyone with a friendly voice.
Sadly this will be his last trip. He has congestive heart failure Im doing everything I can to stretch it out and let him stick around comfortably for a little while longer.
This is his fourth big trip, and he has logged in over 300,000 miles with me as he swam in 2 oceans, played in 6 national forests, dozens of state forest and at least 100 county parks from Orlando to Seattle, and caught over 16.2 BILLION frisbees, sticks, and tennis balls and brought two of them back.
Im going to miss him terribly.
But for now we are just taking the back roads so he can hang his head out the window anytime he wants.
.
.
.
.
.
As requested, one plain donut for Christine(mousewords, check her work out if you get the chance)...and one powdered jelly donut for me.
.
.
Ok, where did I leave off?...Oh yes,I made the jump safe and sound, went home for what was meant to be a couple of days and had some donuts. I am sure everyone knows home is a blackhole of comfort and convenience so I hope it is sufficient to say, I was there, I used the time well, and I left some 2 weeks after my two days were over.
Now I am in Bowling Green, Kentucky and have spent many nights between here and home with the only light coming from the stars above and the moon reflecting off the rippling waters of the many rivers and streams I have stumbled across.
I hope everyone understands my brevity, it is not because I do not have stories to tell. Even though the most interesting thing to happen so far has been the squirrel circus I wake up to every morning and the conversations I have had with random strangers,both good and bad, there is always something to share.
But Im typing with one hand and holding the power cord in its precarious position with the other...so I must keep this one short.
But Im here, Im moving on soon, and best of all....still alive!
I did get an icee for Kelly though, I hope you dont mind sharing a straw and I swear there is some left! I did break into an Amusement park for ya though....that has to count for something?:)
.
.
.
I hardly know where to begin.
I had mentioned to everyone that I was going to South Dakota with the dogs and
tent to help some
people on the Pine Ridge Reservation start a small business that will
hopefully break the cycle
of poverty for them. Well Im here and the need is overwhelming. I met the
family that I am working
with and fortunately the matriarch of this family understands what I want to do
and has a vision
beyond my own, a vision for the business and for her own people as well.
There are 16 of them living in a tiny trailer with no running water except a
hose outside,
including 12 children. There is little work available and often they are taken
advantage when they
can find work.
The work ahead of me is tremendous. But I see the potential, if
I can just connect
them with the resources they need and teach them a few necessary skills so that
they can become
self sufficient and even help others around them after I leave.
I spent the first several days just watching, making sure I was working with
the right people and
deciding what needed to be done, there are so many things I hadnt even
anticipated. And I have
come up with many other projects, for example Im helping put in a HUGE garden
as soon as this snow
storm passes, helping build a chicken coup and stock it....and just little
things like getting a
front door on the trailer that doesnt fall off every day.
Im also aranging, with Dorothy's(the matriarch and adopter of all the children
there) help to get
a structure built thats suitable for making the candles and soaps I have
planned, which is
priority one. Theres just no room in that trailer for this, and soap can not be
made with children
around.
But we are planning and things will be moving forward very soon. And I will
send photos of
everything when I get the chance.
And Im sorry I didnt even have the time to write a better letter, better
thought out, and
descriptive. But if you can imagine a woman with 12 children and 3 young adults
living in a
trailer without water, I dont have to. It is terrible. But they maintain hope,
and I have never
heard one of them complain about anything...perhaps because it is all they have
ever known.
Im trying to balance all this, and make my own living from a tent(with a
snow storm
coming)...it is fun though and very rewarding, so dont think I am complaining.
.
Theres most of the family, theyre never all at home at the same time, except at night.
Its right after some time in the garden.
This is Dorothy and her grandaughter(Eagle Hawk's child), and I cant remember her name to save my life right now, but I just call her beautiful and she giggles and starts posing...both the girls LOVE to photographed. Dorothy also care for three orphans left by her eldest daughter who passed away last year as well as any runaways that pass through and anyone else that stops by and wants something to eat, however humble it may be they share everything.
This is Ray, thats her sister above. THey were both skiddish of me at first and wouldnt say a word for the first two or three days, now they run to the car and start telling stories and dont stop til I leave. .
.
.
I have so many stories and photographs to share with everyone, but my car and my computer both decided to work against me at the same time and I must say theyre a pretty powerful force but theyre coming back to my way of thinking very soon:)
Ive only been here two weeks but I have seen so much that it feels like much longer.
I have seen both ends of the spectrum of human existance. I have seen unimaginable kindness, and I have seen pure evil, if such a hting exists. I have seen those that would give a friend their last morsel of food not knowing if they themselves would get to eat tomorrow but only knowing that a friend is hungry now, and I have seen those that would set a horse on fire out of jealousy for its owner. Ive seen families pull together sharing their homes with anyone in need and Ive seen those content to stand outside a liquor store waiting for someone to give them 47 cents for a beer.
But I focus on one family. Theyre working very hard now to make this plan work, and it will! We are all very busy working on something in anticipation of the tourist season and as soon as I get me car back and recoup from the 3500 dollars I spent fixing it, we will move forward yet again.
I want to thank everyone for their support here, and for their confidence in me to make this happen. And a special thanks to to all the wonderful artists at ACEO and Art 4 Critters who are helping me here, and those that are sending care packages. It is all greatly appreciated and put to use filling a true need.
Please search PRR in the category of art to find the auctions for this wonderful project. And even if youre not bidding, take a moment and give them a pat on the back...write a quick note and say you noticed..
Thanks and Ill be back with an update when the computer is running again....soon!
.
.
People with skills leave the reservation and what is left behind are the unskilled people with few resources destined to live in 3rd world conditions.
I wont lie, there are a lot of people here that wouldnt lift a finger to help themselves, and I feel thats common in these situations. But there are many here that are willing to work to better themselves and just need a little well focused push in the right direction, and THAT is what I am trying to do.
Thank YOU for helping me do this. Its hard work and sometimes it is heartbreaking but the rewards far outweigh anything else.
And it is much better than sitting on the couch with a remote in one hand, waiting for the microwave to go ding.
A life of purpose is truly worth living.
Thats Elissa trying on a new shirt sent by a really nice lady that runs a shelter in Nebraska and raises funds for it here on ebay , along with a bunch of goodies for the family.
And several other folks from A4C have sent stuff too, and Im sorry I didnt think to take photos of everything, but thanks Sandie, Ann, and Alice...its like Christmas every time a package arrives and I get to be Santa:)
Hopefully in a few weeks I will have photos of a huge flourishing garden that will feed the family throughout the fall, as well as give them something to be proud of.
.
November 24, 1999 - June 4, 2008
After 2 years with congestive heart failure, I lost Murphy today.
He lived the life dogs dreamed of, with over 300,000 miles of road trips, he swam in 2 oceans and over 200 rivers, lakes and streams from Orlando to Seattle, he caught over 16.2 billion frisbees, balls and sticks and brought two of them back to me.
He rescued one drowning kitten, and once I saw him bolt out the door(it never mattered what side of the door he was on, when it opened he ran for it, every single time) to the neighbors house to steal his favorite toy, a little squeaky frog.He ran and jumped and rolled with it, but then looked across to another neighbors house where german shepherd pups were living inside a fence....walked over and climbed up on the fence and dropped his favorite toy in for them to play with.
Of course 5 minutes later he was crying to have it back Apparently he was sharing with them, not giving it them for keepsies.
He left a trail of smiles behind him wherever he went and he truly loved everyone and everything.
.
I woke up yesterday and felt it was time to leave. So I did.
The last couple of weeks progressed very quickly. Gary was very ambitious and made several drums with the materials we bought and re-invested right away and sold some more.He now has the materials to make about 20 drums and that is a very good sized business for them.
I had some successes and some failures and learned a lot but my last two weeks with Gary "First Hand"(because here always volunteers) Rowland were the most productive.
Besides the drum business we also raised enough money to pay for the annual Crazy Horse Memorial ride in Montana, for him and his father and 7 youngsters.
I have also left my PO box key with his wife, Elowah Roland, so any care packages will go directly to them.
There was a lot more I wanted to do, but when the voices say hit the road I dont argue, I just hit the road.
And I know I only told about the success and the blades of grass that grow in the sea of concrete and Id be perfectly content leaving everyone with only that image but it simply isnt true. It wasnt all powows and cookouts and camping under the stars.
I saw good men, strong men, not ordinary men like myself, but powerful men with a deep and profound love for their families that I have no doubt would lay down their lives for them reduced to petty beggars and kindergarten con men by alcohol. I saw things I will never speak of. And many mights I slept with a screwdriver under my pillow.
The cookouts and powows are real but theyre barely the thinest layer of existance here. And I dont know that I will ever fully understand what I saw.
But I do know 2 families are better off now, and at least one will keep working and contributing to the community they live in, and I hope to work with them again soon...not too soon though:)
----------------------------------------------------------
I did recieve all the packages everyone sent and I apologize for not stopping to recognize everyone, every time, but internet connections were hard to find and slow when I did. Gratitude is not something I should have cut corners with, so let me say now...THANK YOU!
----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
Now, you know I had to follow it to its end, I could surely use the pot of gold. So I did, and go figure, the big one was a decoy...thoseleprechauns are tricky rascals. So I went to where the smaller rainbow hit the ground and got the big ole pot of gold, sadly with gas prices being what they are it barely paid to fill my tank again.
A small crowd beginnin to gather on Mail Day. Thats Gary Rowland in the new red shirt. His father was at the siege of 73, and I got to meet him and see him and Gary Jr off on the big ride right before I left.
Oh, one last one...he is wearing an Alabama hat...I couldnt not take his photo.
-----------------------------------------------------------
And on that note I close out the Pine Ridge portiion of my journey, I thank you all for the support, and a special thanks to Dorothy D. whom without her help I would not have been able to do this. Thank you Dorothy!
I dont know where Im going now, but Im signing off for a little while. I feel heavy and need some time to refresh my spirit. The things I saw left me feeling sick and I think I will now spend some time alone, in the woods with Angel, or maybe just drive for a while and not think....try not to think.
But Ill be back!
--------------June 24- July 5------------------
Let's see where was I? Oh yeah....fleeing South Dakota like I was running from the scene of a crime, but very glad to have been there.
Well theres nothing like the open road to refresh a person, blue skies, beautiful scenery, and a good song on the radio never fails to make me smile.
I found that for the last 2 weeks I barely spoke to anyone, which doesnt make for good stories. It's the people I meet that make things interesting. The UFO hunters in Arizona, the wacky jingly jangly tambourine toting girls in Oregon that tell you of the sceance they had last night and hand you a photo of the ghost and tell you "theres no way anyone could fake THAT" at the precise moment youre thinking "Now, That is fake", Or the crazy guy that decides to pull over on the side of the Pacific COast Highway in the rain and paint his Bronco in Eagle feathers with a magic marker.
But without talking topeople you dont meet these folks, and youre left with just me and my thoughts....not so interesting.
Well Ive started talking to people again and Im sure Im going to meet the usual colorful folks that always seem to find me on my journeys....til then all I have to talk about is the weird dreams I had and the flora and fauna I passed:) So bear with me tilmy next update.
I did put in a lot of miles though. Maybe some photos will be of interest.
I headed west from Wounded Knee, wanting to see the Tetons and Yellowstone again, I dont use a map when I travel....not much. I find when I do I see the country in dots and dashes and blue lines instead of seeing the country around me, so I just head in the general direction and consult Rand Macnally(sp?) every now and then to make sure Im not headed down a dead end path or into a nuclear test zone or something and then put it away, so....I didnt get to Jackson Hole like I wanted but the West entrance to Yellowstone is pretty amazing too. The Shoshone National Forest is now one of my favorites with plenty of camping, hiking and streams to just sit by and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Like I said I didnt talk to anyone during these days, just me and Angel, which is ok because the stories you hear here are all the same.....people vacationing and trying to get away from it all, just like me.
The good stories are in the small towns and in the middle of nowhere.
I breezed through Montana, which is one of my favorite places on Earth, the people are friendly and laid back, everyone has a dog, and the scenery is amazing...and no sales tax:)
I was only there a couple days, just long enough to take some photos, paint a landscape, and do some laundry.
Not that I minded one bit but I have to admit I was a little confused....I was sitting 20 feet away and in plain view...not hiding or anything. Oh well, no sense in overthiking it, if every girl on Earth wanted to run around nekked I wont complain:)
But she wasnt the only one....the next day Im doing laundry and this beautifl girl walked in wearing a bikini top,....IM guessing, like me, she had waited til EVERYTHING was dirty before doing laundry.
Anyway, she was sporting a tattoo....a line from Sublime(which she informed me) that came up out of her waist band, up her stomach and then around back and back down into her waistband.
I asked what it said, and she SHOWED me.
Then later the same day some old dude on a bike had pulled over on the side of a fairly busy road and was taking a shower right there....not as much fun as the pretty girls, but I still think I need to buy property in Montana:)
-----------------July 4-------------------------
Home of the World's best 4th of July picnic, and world's worst fireworks show. But Im not a big fan of fireworks anyway so that is ok. I just see money going up in flames, with a bang. I hear Fwiiittt, Kaboom, kaboom, KABOOM,..... blue, yellow, green, red, and think.....that probably cost about 30 bucks and lasted 2 seconds.
But the picnic is like an American anachronism.They have pie eating contests and tug-o-war, and musical chairs, and everyone brings food, and everyone is welcome.
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I LOVE it!
I met the champion pie eater, a 10 year old girl a little bigger than my thumb, and Im thinking I can go up there next year and take her crown.
Ok, I mentioned boring moments of silence, and how all I had to speak of was reflections and weird dreams, and was serious but didnt plan to share them, out of respect for my readers:) But now Im thinking what the heck.....you dont have to read it.:)
A dream:.....Seriously, dont leave, Ill meet some intersting people soon, Im sure of it:)
I dreamed I woke up to see a great lion in the distance. At first I hoped it was Murphy(he is still alive in my dreams) but he was sleeping next to me.
I knew the great cat was watching us, watching and waiting, waiting not for the right moment because any moment would have worked for him, but just waiting as cats sometimes do.
I decided I would have to make my escape now, for when the waiting was over it would be too late.
Still on my back I started inching down the hill, hoping he wouldnt detect any movement. But I started sliding very quickly toward the tree that I saw as my escape.
I saw him in the distance springing into action as the wait was now over, gaining ground quickly. When I got to the bottom of the tree I sprang to my feet and jumped again to reach the first branch and hoisted myself quickly up chest high with the branch and spun over it until I could get a foot planted, and with one hand on the trunk I stood up and started climbing.
By the time I reached the V where the tree first split, the lion had reached the bottom and was climbing up after me, but by then I was climbing very quickly, almost running up the tree, jumping from branch to branch, effortlessly sailing toward the top where the thinnest branches were waiting, those that I knew would not support the giant cats tremendous weight.
At the top, or very near the top, I waited, but not for long as he was VERY fast, but I had become almost weightless and knew his fate.
Just before he caught up with me, I climbed out on the thinnest branch, and he followed. I waited until I heard the branch crack and knew he had passed the point of no return, too far out to go back but still not close enough to reach me, and I leapt to a neighboring limb, grabbing hold with both hands as as I heard a loud dry SNAP behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see him scrambling to get back to the tree, trying to run in mid air, no longer even looking at me as the realization of what was happening set in.
I closed me eyes and drew a breath and looked down. It was only then that I realized how far I had climbed. I saw my enemy floating, spinnning like a clockhand(not exactly) into the clouds below.
I had climbed 15,ooo feet in only a few seconds. I thought of my dogs and knew they were safe.
Then the fear of how close I had come set in, and I awoke.
-The End-
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Ok, I have to share this photo. It is one of those "what were they thinking moments" It's just a couple of things that probably shouldnt have been placed so closely together. Seperately they arent that interesting. Theres a chainsaw statue of BIGFOOT(One of a million out here) and a simple sign advertising daily lunc specials.....if they were on opposite sides of the street, I would have never even noticed, but being where they are.......
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I guess its true what they say....BIGFOOT, Big....shoes:)
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I dont know where she got such a crazy idea but I would eat a turd(almost) and wait an hour to get it to hear a good story. I told them they should put up a big sign that said "Seance Tonight, 11:30pm, everyone welcome" But always keep yesterdays date on it.....just so people passing by would stop to see how it went, but never actually get to go to the sceance. And maybe have a cup that rattles and falls to the floor every now and then ust for show. She didnt think it was a good idea. So just to show her, I only ordered half my usual bacon, eggs and coffee. What can I say? She is on to something with the good food idea. But I know the great story is just around the corner, the crazies(like myself) always seem to find me:)
------------July12--------------------
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As I prepare to move down the coast it dawns on me just how far I have traveled and just how much I have seen.
And I dont mean to say that my trip has been especially tragic or heartbreaking, because it most certainly has not. I just mean to notice how I recall only the "good times" crossing this great nation.
THough I have seen the darker side of man, and woman. And although I have met some that wouldnt think twice to leave someone dying in a ditch rather than lift a finger to help, and perhaps I have met some that might even put that man in that same ditch. And though I have also seen the petty, the judgemental and the hateful that can not see outside of the ten foot circles of their own existance.
But now, looking back through the healing lens of the minds eye, what I remember is the excitement I felt when I FINALLY got in the car and turned the radio up loud, feeling the sun from that cloudless day in March on my face.
I remember the powder white sands of the FLorida panhandle, and the friendly people of its interior, and even the mosquitoes are erased from my memory(almost). And I remember traveling slowly down the back roads with Murphy hanging his head out the window with his eyes squinted and his jowls flapping in the breeze, and I smile.
I remember the hills of Tennessee, which I am sure is the Lord's braille, put there just so he can reach down on a dark, moonless night and caress them with his divine fingertips and tickle the treetops and know that all is good. And I smile.
I suppose it will be the wonderful people of Hamlet, hardworking folks that welcomed me into their homes and into their lives without once questioning just who I was, and in this day and age....that is rare.
I would tell of his return home, with his hardworking wife waiting there for him with a hug and kiss, telling him how much she loves him. and Id tell of his children and his friends and how the world changed over the next 100 years, through their eyes. Id tell of the family's births and deaths, their dream and hopes, their failures and successes, and chronicle their lives until one day, this lone woodsman's grandson, now an old man himself sits enjoying a beer after a hard day of work, telling his story to an artist from Alabama who was just passing through.
It is amazing how beautiful the past seems to me. Now if I can only turn that unbridled optimism toward the future I would be better off than most. And with miles and mile of coast and the redwoods ahead of me....I think I can!
I forgot what I was looking for while browsing the used books and then I saw a cardboard box and remembered....I opened it up and sure enough there it was....my toaster!
It's nice huh?
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This is one of my favorite places on Earth. And Im only posting a photo because Im here, and Im not in any way under the delusion that I will be able to capture this place on film or canvas. I have seen a few beautiful photographs of redwoods but,...well if you have ever been here you know what I mean. Standing here and looking at a photo arent even close to the same. It is a magical place. A place that some say the skin between two worlds is the thinnest. There is something amazing about knowing that a few of these were around during the time of Christ, or that a few were born when Stonehenge was just a baby. And that they will be here long after our grandchildren are long gone. I dont know how to differentiate cause and effect in such things, but it seems people get nicer and nicer the closer I get to these giants. Those that are just going through the motions of a busy day, rarely speaking to a stranger seem to be light years away now.
My only regret is that i never ran into that one oddball that serves as a milestone in every trip. I whole-heartedly believe in the law of attraction, that birds of a feather flock together and I can only surmise that I am just not odd enough to attract these people anymore. Or perhaps theyre waiting for me just around the corner.
It is good to be home, and THANK YOU to everyone that supported me on this journey! It wont be long til Im doing it again, maybe across Europe this time.....just as soon as the novelty of home cooked meals and hot showers wears off.
Trying to spice it up a bit I went to visit the jingly jangly tambourine toting girls at Morning Star Cafe to see if they had any good ghost stories but they sold the place to someone with much less imagination that plans to make it a success on, get this.....good food and good service.
I had to go back to Morning Star, still looking for a good story. There is no story with the new owners, they look at me like I am nuts and talk to me the way people talk to those for whom English is a second language, watching me for signs of understanding before continuing.
So, I listened to the people around me, and it was the same conversation at every table. One person talking about themselves for what seemed like hours, while a second nodded at all the right moments. They spoke of their addiction to internet chess and psychological revelations that seemed to me to be about as interesting as oatmeal(without raisins) and they used words like dichotomy and ubiquitous, and one said paraphernalia(which I understood). But Ive decided that if I say "I" or "me" for the next few days I want someone to kick me in the teeth....not counting the "I" or"me" in that last sentence......starting,...now!
Just a day of wandering.
Angel trying to bum a treat, she got it:) I forget her new friends name but you can tell he knows he has been outbegged.
It's Bike Week here in Seaside, I didnt stick around SD long enough for the Sturgis rally so Im making up for it here.
I try to remember everything and, in that time of reflection, as I turn South, and begin the second half of my journey, it amazes me how the human mind recalls on the good times and discards everything else, or at least sends everything else to the furthest recesses of consciousnous, where it can do no harm . Of course I only assume this to be a human trait by assuming that everyone's mind works as mine does in some fundamental way. But I have to consider there may be many people out there, maybe even some people reading this, who do just the opposite. Those that not only forget the good times in favor of something else, but perhaps they never even see the good times at all
And as well as all that I have also lost a good friend, whom I will miss dearly for the rest of my life.
I remember the fertile blacklands and my new friend, that went so far out of her way to help me at Pine Ridge, and never asked for anything in return.
I remember all the supportive artists that contributed to what I was doing, with their words and with their hard earned money. And I remember the beautiful children of the reservation, with eyes so full of hope and joy. And I smile.
And now that I prepare to head down the coast I wonder what I will remember of this leg of my trip.
I might recall thoughts of writing a book about this place.....how it would begin with the loud snap and thundering crash of a falling tree as a lone woodsman prepares his harvest before putting it in a mule drawn wagon that was built by his father many years ago. And perhaps he lost his watch there, where it remains to this day, waiting for someone to find this artifact of another human life.
Oh yeah, ...my new toaster. Ive been looking for one for forever. People promised to give me one only to dig it up and find it was all scratched up, and I almost bought one here on eBay. But then a couple days ago I saw a sign on the side of the road out of the corner of my eye that said "Free", and I KNEW my toaster was there....so I spun around and went back.
And off we go.....
First stop Point Mear.
then off to crash a wedding. The toaster has a mind of its own but at least she brought me a piece of cake.
---------------------------August something or another-------------------
Ill have to come back to this, when I have had more time to think about it. Right now I just want to enjoy them and smell the air and figure everything out later. But Im sure something profund will cometo me later,and if it doesnt...maybe it will come to someone with more ability to express it.
And that rare breed of man that lives 80 miles from anything....he is now the rare breed of man that lives 30 miles from anything. The world is closing in, even on him. I suppose in my own lifetime there will come a day when there is nowhere for a man to go where he can hear only the sounds of the world without the noise of a passing car.
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