Healing the Farm

Earlier this week I made the trek to Birch River, WV to visit my friends Greg and Verena, and to help them get some work done on their farm. I was supposed to be farm sitting for them this week, but after getting hit hard by Sandy, there was no vacation in site for Greg and Verena. Sandy dumped 30 inches of very wet snow on a good portion of West Virginia, snapping off tree tops, uprooting trees, blocking roads, and putting out power and phone lines. G&S were without power and phone for over a week. I've just posted over a hundred pictures that Greg took of the damage to their farm. While he's an amazing photographer, the pictures just can't capture the devastation from the storm. Seeing it in person was like a punch in the stomach. It was overwhelming to look at and see how much work there is to do to get back to normal. With five miles of fencing there is not a single section that wasn't affected. Trees and limbs have knocked the fence over. Greg and Verena have been out everyday slowing digging out, chain sawing, stacking fire wood, and piling brush to be burned later. They secured an area for the sheep, then another for the female goats. The male goats however have been in the barn for two weeks, waiting for enough fence to be repaired to allow them a place outside.

I arrived Monday at noon, and after a short visit over lunch, we headed out with the chainsaws to continue the clearing efforts. For two and a half days Greg and Verena sawed while I "swamped". That's what we call it when we're clearing trails in Shenandoah National Park: there are sawyers and swampers. I am a swamper because I don't use a chainsaw. Swampers clear what the sawyers have cut. Verena, who is 20 years my senior, is amazing with a chainsaw! What a woman!! Not to say less for Greg who is quite a bit faster with the saw than Verena, but still, I don't know any other nearly 70 year (young) women using a chainsaw in any capacity!

Friends, Jim and Martha arrived late Tuesday morning with another chainsaw and worked with us for the rest of the day, then again on Wednesday. It took all five of us with the three chainsaws one full day to clear the quarter mile or so of road between the upper and lower farm. It's clear now, allowing a truck or tractor to get through, but there's still much to do to get it completely cleaned up. Many piles of potential fire wood and brush still remain. There is still much firewood yet to be cut. Now that the road is open the female goats can be taken down to pasture there, and the bucks can be turned out where the does have been the past two weeks near the barn.

The fencing is the main concern, but many other repairs to be done as well. They had one green house structure completely collapse. It had been standing in that spot for over 30 years through all kinds of weather. A glass panel broke from the weight of the snow in the sun room of their house. Farm life is tough anyway; to look at all that needs to be done on top of the regular chores is overwhelming. But Greg and Verena are probably the strongest, healthiest people I know and with their determination and some help from friends and neighbors, they will get through. And, hopefully in the near future, they will get to go on that much deserved vacation, and I will get to farm sit : )

West Virginia

Last October I started this blog after a camping/ hiking/ backpacking trip I took to West Virginia. In that first entry I mentioned a couple that I met in the parking lot of the Cranberry Glades Natural Area. Greg and Verena pulled in behind me and struck up a conversation because of my bumper stickers. We walked the boardwalk through the glades together and became fast friends. With a promise to reconnect and visit in the spring when I planned to make another such trip to WV, we parted but kept in touch via email. And, although my planned trip to WV didn't happen in the spring because of my Alaskan plans, we made sure to get together this fall.

And, that's just what we did this past week. Thomas and I made the drive to Greg and Verena's farm in Birch River, WV on Monday. Arriving in the early afternoon, it was like reconnecting with old friends; we went for a short hike around their land and shared some easy conversation. On the farm are 17 goats, maybe a dozen sheep, several chickens, a bunch of cats, one dog and two donkeys. The donkeys "babysit" the herd of goats and sheep. Carla watches the goats and Carlo watches the sheep. Boodicka (not sure of the spelling) is the rather large dog that watches the house. It was much fun to be around all the animals as I learned the daily chores in preparation of farm sitting in a couple weeks.

Greg and Verena's farm was the first in the country to produce organic goat cheese and sell it commercially. They had at their peak a herd of 140 goats, and sold to places like the Greenbrier, Balducci's and Whole Foods. Now they are semi retired (if there is such a thing in farming!) and only produce enough for themselves. Thomas and I were treated to wonderful cheeses that they had made as well as yogurt, both lamb and goat's meat, and fresh vegetables that they had grown. What a wonderful treat! As Thomas and I snuggled into the guest bed that night, I said to him, "I love these people!" And, I do; I feel like I've been friends with them forever!

We went through the morning chores together, then shared a beautiful lunch, which was really dinner since they do as the farmers did in days of old and eat their big meal midday. We left the farm in the early afternoon and drove to the Cranberry Glades. After a quick walk around the boardwalk we drove to the spot where I camped at last fall on my trip. We set up the tent, ate a quick instant camping dinner along with a good bottle of cheap wine, then settled in for the night. Getting an early start we did an eight mile hike in the Tea Creek area. Nearing the end of a long trek on what was old railroad grade, we decided to do a little bushwhack down to the river to eat lunch. All's well that ends well I suppose, but it probably wasn't a good thing to do since no one even knew where we were. We enjoyed our lunch by the river, then bushwhacked up the other side back to the trail. We missed the peak of the fall colors on this trip, but West Virginia is still one of the most beautiful places in this country.

Heading back to farm sit in a couple weeks and truly looking forward to the adventure!

Kids

I am home. Back in Charlottesville, Virginia. I came back a month earlier than planned because my daughter, Kelly went into the hospital after having four grand mal seizures in one night. She was out before I even got home, but scheduled to go back in on October 15th for more tests. Hopefully this is all leading to brain surgery and a seizure free life for her.

The photo above is of her, my daughter Laurie, and myself, taken at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts last week. Laurie just bought a house in the suburbs of Richmond and we had a girls night out there. I have a date with my son on Tuesday, so I hope to post a photo of him as well. He is a student at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, with a major in basketball : )

So, being home now I am looking for work, picking up catering jobs, and wondering what the next adventure will be. Thinking about what I may want to be when I grow up. Fearing the growing up. My daughter Laurie said to me today: "I don't want to be a grown up anymore; I want to be a kid again without any responsibilities." I said: "You can be someday when you reach your 40s or so."

I wrote a while ago about "Life is Good" vs. "Life is"; well, life is a lot of things: good, bad, happy, sad, etc. Life too is often difficult. But difficulties help us to grow. Everything that happens to us in life, decisions that we make, people that we meet, friends we connect with, all make us what we are. Our experiences from yesterday mold us into who and what we are today. I wouldn't trade any of it. This makes me think of baby chicks and butterflies....

Have you ever watched a baby chick slowing emerging from its shell? It's quite a process. Difficult for the little chick no doubt. But, did you know that if you "help" the little guy, you actually hurt him? The difficult process the chick goes through actually strengthens him for life outside that shell. It strengthens his body and his wings and makes him ready to face the world. The same is true for butterflies. When the time comes for the butterfly to emerge from her cocoon, she has to do it on her own, slowly pushing her way out, strengthening her wings as she struggles so that when she emerges she can fly! Without this struggle her wings would not have the strength to send her into flight.

So life is. If it's difficult at the moment, it's making you stronger, better able to cope in the world, and preparing you for the great adventures to come~

The Little Things

Hunting season has begun and the energy at Vermejo Park Ranch is quite different now. More serious. Of five hunters this first week, three of them killed elk with a bow and arrow. The elk are majestic creatures. A couple weeks ago when I was hiking in the high country I suddenly heard a thundering noise. Looking to my left a great bull elk came running out of the woods, through a small meadow, and across the trail in front of me. I was in awe. I couldn't react and get my camera out; I was just stunned. What a beautiful gift. Trying to take a picture would have ruined the moment anyway.

Two days ago I was hiking a trail close to the lodge, within the "no hunting" area. As I was descending Fossil Canyon Trail I heard two elk "bugling" back and forth. It's an amazing sound, more like a whistling. I hear it every night as I lay in bed, beautiful, haunting. As I hiked down this trail listening to the elk, a big bull walked onto the trail from my right and trotted up the hill on my left, bugling all the way. I saw him make his way up the hill, then saw a cow run up the same hill. I don't know if they ever got together, but the bugling stopped anyway, so I'm thinking that they did.

Yesterday I left the ranch again for another adventure. I drove to Capulin Volcano: http://www.nps.gov/cavo/index.htm. I hiked three miles of trail at the base of the volcano and saw a lot of mule deer. They are so funny when they run, it's more like a hopping, nothing like the white tail back home. After my three mile hike I fixed my dinner on the tailgate of my 4Runner thinking about what I wanted to do next. The park was closed and so the road up the volcano was gated off and locked. I couldn't camp there because there was no overnight parking allowed. I thought maybe I had just enough time to hike up to the top to see the sunset from there. I power walked up the mountain, but wasn't fast enough, I turned to see the amazing sunset behind me. Ten or fifteen minutes later I was at the crater rim. I hiked down into the extinct volcano (this trail was just .2 mile) and back to the rim. The rim trail is just a mile of paved trail, but it was getting dark, so I just went up a little ways and turned back. It was a lovely hike back down the mountain in the dark. And it was Dark! A new moon and therefore no moonlight to guide my way. I brought a headlamp, but my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I made it down without. There's something magical about hiking on a volcano in the dark.

That's all for now. I'm in Raton getting my oil changed and going to do a little shopping, then back to the ranch. I'm going to post some new pictures as well. Ciao~

Wheeler Peak

Hunting season has begun here at Vermejo Park Ranch. Because of this I am on restriction as far as my hiking goes. I can still hike in the immediate area, a five mile radius, around the lodge, but not up in the high country. Since I had two days off in a row, I decided to get off the ranch for a bit and go hike Wheeler Peak~ the highest mountain in New Mexico~ 13, 161 feet. I had attempted to hike it four years ago when I was on my journey across the country. I had to abort the hike three miles into it though because there was too much snow on the mountain, and I wasn't prepared to hike in snow. It was June afterall! I lost the trail, went this way, then that way, and back again, then decided I had to quit. So, it was an extra sweet victory to be able to summit the mountain this time.

Saturday I had cleaning chores to do and finished about 2:00 in the afternoon. I had mostly packed my truck up already, so took a quick shower and set off on yet another adventure. I drove to the Taos Ski Valley~ a three and a half hour drive. It was raining when I arrived which is never a pleasant event when planning a long hike and camping out. I fixed my dinner on the tailgate in the rain. This involved heating some leftovers from VPR- mashed potatoes, elk chili and French onion soup. Since I'd already learned from reheating risotto in my Jet Boil that it doesn't work well for that, I brought a very large can from the VPR kitchen to use as a pot. It worked wonderfully, and then acted as my trash can when I was done. Although it wasn't raining hard, I didn't like the idea of setting up my tent in the rain and having to put it away wet the next morning, so I again slept in my truck. It's really quite comfortable. I awoke at some point in the night and was pleasantly surprised to see a star filled sky. The next morning proved to be quite clear and sunny, a great day for a long hike.

I set off up the Bull of the Woods Trail, a seven and a half mile hike up to the summit. The first three miles I was off to a good pace thinking, "oh, this is good, I'm fully acclimated to the altitude and this hike will be pretty easy." Not. It's difficult hiking in high altitude no matter what! This was truly one of the most beautiful, awe- inspiring hikes I've ever been on. At about mile four or so I was above tree line and the views were incredible. I passed a man with a young girl and small dog about a mile into the hike, then several people passed me. I could often see folks ahead of me and behind me on the switch backs. At one point I saw what I thought was the peak, but once on it realized it wasn't. Then thinking: "ok, that next one is the peak." Not. Finally though, I did see it with a bunch of people relaxing and enjoying their lunches. I summited at 12:15, four and a half hours after my start. I thought I would return via the same trail because I'd heard the other, shorter trail was quite steep and rocky, and that just didn't sound appealing. However, once at the summit, talking to those that had come up the Williams Lake Trail, I decided I wanted to do that. The trail was once just a rock slide, but a year ago a group turned it into a real trail. And, trail worker that I am, I really appreciated the workmanship of this wonderful trail. Yes, it was steeper than Bull of the Woods, but so nicely worked, it really was an easy descent and not tedious as I had expected. So, it was seven and a half up, and four and a half down, with two miles inbetween the trailheads at the bottom. I caught a ride back to my truck rather than hike the last two miles of dirt road inbetween.

On the way down the Williams Lake Trail I took the spur that took me over to the lake, and this is where something like a dream happened. In retelling it, it sounds like a dream anyway, but I assure you this really happened....

There was drumming as I approached the lake. I listened and took some pictures, then walked around to where a small group was sitting. When the drummer stopped drumming, I asked if I could join them. They welcomed me joyfully. There were three women and two men in the group. The man who had been drumming asked if anyone had any prayer requests, and so I asked for prayer for my daughter Kelly. I explained that she has epilepsy and is going through a very difficult time right now and possibly facing brain surgery in the near future. He said a prayer and then lit a peace pipe. After smoking from the pipe, he did a little ritual of turning the pipe and passing it to the man to his left. This man did the same thing and passed it to me, I took a turn and passed it on. It went around a second time, and then stopped again at the drummer. He smoked once more and asked me to cup my hands, which I did. Then he blew the smoke into my hands and told me to lay my hands on Kelly when I get home. After this, he started drumming again and chanting as well. It was beautiful and quite moving for me. I guess I am more spiritual than I realize. He prayed again, and I wrote down Kelly's name, birthdate and place for them to continue praying and healing from afar. This all took maybe 20 or 30 minutes. I don't know what was in the pipe; it did not taste like marijuana or tobacco, nor did it make me high. I know it seems like a crazy thing to do with strangers out of the blue, but for some reason, it just felt right to me.

In retelling this, I feel the same way that I do about my photographs. I can't quite capture it. The depth of the experience doesn't truly come through. It was like walking into a dream. A beautiful, amazing, spiritual experience. I want to say thank you to Pedro, Gary, Sabine, Rosalind, and the woman with the dog whose name I did not get. Blessings to all of you!

Also, on that note, I think of others that are praying for Kelly. My Uncle Donnie who is Buddhist chants for her, her dad's church prays for her, my friend, Ken has sent Reiki, and strangers whom I've met here and told her story to send prayers and healing energy her way. If you'd like to add your prayers, or chanting, or healing energy of any kind, it is very much appreciated. I believe there is more power to that than any of us realize. Thank you!

And the adventure continued.....

Once back at my truck I called my couch surfing host that I'd arranged to stay with that night. She gave me directions almost to her house, then came and met me so I wouldn't get lost finding her place. Porsha lives in a cute little cottage with two guinea pigs, two inside cats and two outside cats. She's just a couple years younger than me, and we found that we had much in common and much to talk about. I took a quick shower and then went out to get something to eat while Porsha participated in an online class she is taking. She suggested a pizza place just a few miles down the road, so that's where I went: Taos Pizza Outback. As I walked up to the front door I had a bit of deja vu, realizing I had been there four years ago when I was in the area. They make these huge individual slices of incredible pizza with a beautiful, homemade crust. After my long hike I couldn't resist having a beer with my huge slice. And, that one was so good, I had another. I felt fully satisfied after my full day.

I returned to Porsha's house where we stayed up way too late talking about life and healing and creating what we want in life. Monday morning we took my truck to a nearby hot spring. It was a short drive and then a short hike down to the Rio Grand River where the natural hots springs are. It's another one of those amazing experiences I just can't describe. We soaked in a hot spring (my guess is about 100 degrees) right beside the Rio Grand. Porsha took my picture, but it's not something I can post in the album : ) There is a photo of the hot springs though. After a little over an hour of soaking we drove over to an old bridge across the Rio Grand. John Dunn Bridge. We wandered around a bit, waded in the river and then headed back to her place. I had a few errands to run, so we said good bye and I headed into Taos. I went to a Chinese Restaurant again where I got a big plate of broccoli again to satisfy my craving for green vegetables which I don't get on the ranch.

My co-worker, Christina had been in Santa Fe for a few days and caught a ride back to the ranch with me. It was nice to have some company on the long drive "home." And so I am "home" again on the ranch, settled back into the routine, although it's a bit different now, having shifted from fishing into hunting. I can't wait to see what the next adventure may be!

Insight

In an email conversation with my friend Michael, he asks me this question: "When you are resting there in your truck, do you feel quite content, or are you thinking much of past or future or dreams you might have, or just relaxing and spacing out all over the place, or just plain all over the map? If you are totally content in the moment, I'll ask for a lesson in that."

  I sent him an answer to his question and he felt that I should post it, so here it is... a little personal insight:

When I am alone in my truck, camping, hiking, I am quite content. It's when I can really be in the moment. Right now, being in my room here at Vermejo, or when I'm home alone, I think too much. About things I need to do, lists I need to make, other people, etc. It's more difficult to just be. I end up eating my lunch in front of my computer, or talking on the phone while cleaning the house. When I'm out in the wilderness though, I'm focused on my surroundings, and just being in nature. I suppose it's my version of a spiritual experience. Not that I don't get carried away with thoughts because I still do sometimes, but it's different "out there." Monday evening being in my truck in the rain was beautiful. I just sat and watched the rain for awhile. Peaceful.

I'm finding it to be very easy to meditate here. Probably because I don't have other things... errands, chores, etc. to be doing, so it's easy to get settled in and focused.

When I am in the mountains I am engrossed with my hike and with my surroundings. I don't have to think about being present; I'm just there. The same thing happens when I connect with people. I become engrossed with the conversation, something "clicks" and I'm just there. I don't know how to explain it or how to do it. I wish I could do it in other everyday happenings and surroundings. Unfortunately I get bogged down in those everyday things. For some reason when I'm hiking and camping I just feel like I'm in my element and all is good in the world.

All is good in the world.... that makes me think about the "Life is Good" T-shirts and some words of wisdom from a friend. Do you know the ones I'm talking about? My friend Ken had one on one day when I was visiting, and I commented on liking it and what a good idea that guy had. Ken agreed with me, but stated that it should really say: "Life Is." That's all. Because life isn't always good for anybody. There's ups and downs for all of us. We'd all like to do things better or different at times, we experience painful situations, ill health, etc., so life isn't always good. It's not supposed to be. We live, we learn, we grow, we experience life in all it's diversity, and it just IS.

I like to think if I could always be in the mountains maybe I would find nirvana. I'm not sure though. That is heaven to me for sure, but I get bored so easily. Always looking for something....

Life Is~ Embrace it for all it's worth~

More VPR Adventure

Today is my only day off this week. I'm feeling a bit discouraged about this fact. Wanting to make the most of it, last night after work (10:00 pm) I set off again for the high country. I drove about an hour to a place that I knew, and crawled into the back of my truck and went to sleep. I awoke at 6:30 am, and after making coffee and oatmeal, I set off for the high country. Andy, one of the fishing guides, told me a good place to go and hike. He didn't tell me though that there is a fork in the road that's not on the map. I took the right fork, which turned out to be the wrong fork, for where he was sending me. It was a beautiful drive though. It took me over the Colorado state line and way up onto a bald area. There was fence up there that I guess marked the property boundary. Beautiful views all the way around. I could have hiked from here to State Line Peak (another 12,000 foot mountain), but decided to back track and find the cabin that Andy had told me about. I saw a pond on the way down that I didn't notice on the way up. I continued on back to the fork in the road and took the "other fork". I found the cabin- "High Country Cabin" it's called. I really wanted to hike so after driving a bit more I got turned around and pulled off the road and parked. I hiked this way and that way trying different roads and trails, but not having any real direction. I ended up on a road that eventually took me to the pond I had passed on my way down the "other fork." I had a beautiful morning hiking for about three hours, then had another driving adventure. Rather than taking the "long" way around, I decided to try a spur off to the left that would take me down to the "main" road. Andy had warned about it not being a good road, but I found it to be just fine. Especially after the rough roads I traversed last week. I made my way down to Merrick Lake where I basked in the sun until it went behind a cloud. Then decided to continue my journey back to the lodge. It was so early I decided to venture off and find the Charcoal Ovens I had been told about. It was quite a drive over four wheel drive roads, but the directions I had been given were good, and I found my way there. I at first passed them by, then suddenly saw them, so I backed up. A truck was coming down the road, so I pulled over and waved at them. I was hoping to leave the area via  different/ shorter route. They said to just follow them and they'd get me through the gate, but I wanted to take some pictures first. I'm not sure what they were doing, but I believe it had to do with the gas wells. There are hundreds of them here! A whole other operation here on Vermejo Park Ranch. I drove down the the ovens and explored and took some pictures and then was on my way again. Rather than back tracking an hour and a half through four wheel drive roads I took the "emergency exit" road that was wide and well graded to a gate. There I picked up the radio handset and requested the gate be opened. I was asked for a three digit pass code. I said I didn't have one, but that I was an employee and just needed to get through the gate. He said he wasn't supposed to, but would let me through this one time. Thankfully! This brought me out on the "major highway"- State Route 555 where I had less than half an hour drive back to the lodge. I had to go back through the main electronic gate again. I love these driving adventures!

So, one of the girls I work with is off all week while she travels to Illinois to visit family. That means more work hours for the rest of us. I'm not happy about this; it cuts into my adventure time! Alas, such is life. More next week.... Oh, and there's pictures posted on this adventure too. m~

Adventures

I’ve been working a lot lately. Like 50 plus hours a week. That’s a whole lot for me, considering when I’m home I work about 25- 30 hours a week. It’s ok though because I still have plenty of time to hike, and there’s really nothing else to do. I have no chores, no errands, and no responsibilities other than to show up for work. And, the work is good. It’s pretty easy really except when we’re busy and everyone comes to dinner at the same time. Mostly I am waiting tables, but I’ve also bar tended a bit. The bar tending is much fun because that’s when I can really talk to people and hear their stories, and share mine.

While I say that I have plenty of time to hike, my hikes are pretty uneventful and nothing exciting to write about for the most part. I wish I could write descriptions like Edward Abbey. My words can’t even begin to describe this magnificent place. Monday I finished work around 3:00 and then was off Tuesday and Wednesday (today), so I packed up my 4Runner and set off for an adventure.

I headed up to what is called “the high country”, up above Costilla Lodge (the more exclusive lodge 30 miles west of where I work and live). I stopped at Costilla and got a radio (upon the insistence of several caring people) then drove up to Seven Lakes. I drove around a bit, then went back down to the first lake to “camp out.” I actually “camped” in my truck because it was pretty cold and also ended up raining a good bit. I fixed my supper on the open tailgate and enjoyed a couple glasses (out of my coffee mug) of wine. The rain started about the time I finished eating so I crawled into the back of my truck and read for a bit. It was quite cozy reclining there with the back open, enjoying my book and enjoying the rain. Eventually the rain was too much, so I closed up the back and snuggled into my sleeping bag with my book. I was off to sleep pretty quickly. I slept soundly until about 6:00 and woke to a foggy morning.

I made coffee, and then oatmeal, and enjoyed a leisurely start to my day. The drive to the trailhead to Casias Lakes is about five miles from where I camped. I love driving on these four-wheel drive roads. I drove until the road ended and parked there at the trailhead. It was about a mile hike to the first lake. This is where it’s hard to write descriptions because it’s so much more than a physical description of the lake and the huge mountains surrounding it. It’s the overwhelming feeling of fullness that I get when I see something so breathtakingly beautiful. It’s truly a spiritual experience. I will post some pictures to go along with this, but even the photographs can’t do it justice. I can’t capture the depth, the vastness with a camera.

From first lake I hiked on to three more lakes where again my breath was taken away at the splendor of the great mountains. I set out to hike up to the ridge, but took the wrong way up and had to go back down. It didn’t look that hard from down below, but as I scrambled up through nothing but scree, and watched rocks go flying down the mountains, I decided that this was not a good idea. I hitched my pack up as high as I could and scooted back down on my bottom. I did find a better way up that was actually a little trail. There aren’t many trails around here. I was able to follow this trail easily to the ridge top. I say easily, but actually hiking around here is not easy. Everything is harder in high altitudes. I followed the ridge over to the top of Costilla Peak (over 12,000 feet). I added a rock to the cairn built to mark the top of the mountain, and took a picture to show that I made it all the way. I could see a lake from the top of the mountain and looked through my binoculars to confirm that it was the first lake I had hiked to. There was something like a paddleboat there and that was the only lake with one of those. I continued down the other side of the mountain, again scooting part of the way down on my butt because it was so steep and nothing but loose gravel. Making it down the mountain, I followed a ravine back to the first lake where I sat and ate my lunch and cooled my feet in the lake.

After lunch I set off back down the trail to my truck where I continued my adventure behind the wheel. There are road maps of Vermejo Park Ranch, but there are a lot more roads that aren’t on the maps than roads that were found worthy enough to make it to print. I drove along a road that looked like it would take me to a place where I was on my last venture to the high country. Remember Glacier Lakes and the time my truck wouldn’t start? The map looked like it hooked up with the road just below that area. I drove and drove and drove. The road started getting bad. I shifted into four-wheel drive and continued on. I started driving over little trees in the middle of the road. It wasn’t getting any better and I started to feel like I was in over my head and driving in an area that was beyond my driving ability. Ok, just turn around right? Wrong. The road is tight and narrow, with nowhere possible to turn around, I am seeing huge mountain peaks and thinking: “oh shit.”  Finally I come to a tree across the road and low and behold there is room to get turned around. I back track to a place that turns off the “main road” and crosses a creek; I should have turned here in the first place, but there was no turn indicated on the map. I followed the road through the woods for a bit then into a field. Ok, this is where I wanted to be. Except that I am sideways going along through the field thinking about Tina (who gave me the 4Runner last fall) warning me about the fact that these vehicles have a high turnover rate. Yikes! I finally get back to the road that I wanted to be on. I drove back to Costilla where I returned the radio (I never even turned it on). I set off back towards the main lodge with a route in mind that would take me by something labeled on the map as “The Wall.” This wall I never found, and somehow ended up back on the main road. That’s ok, I’ve had enough driving adventure for the day. I continue eastward with the intention of driving to a place called: Castle Rock Camp, thinking that I could camp there for the night. I got to Castle Rock Camp easily, but it wasn’t a camp at all. Oh, it was an old cattle camp, but now it’s where some employees keep their horses. There are several buildings there, but no real place for camping. I drove beyond the buildings and parked in a wooded area with the intention of sleeping there for the night anyway. But, after fixing dinner and reading for a bit I decided to head back to the lodge for the night. I packed up and set off down the road. It was a little different route than the one I took in, but still a straight shot back to the main road. Or so I thought. I drove for several miles, seeing several elk herds, and realizing that I had gone way too far. Still I thought that this road would have to hook back up with the main road. The sun behind me, I felt like I was heading in the right direction anyway. I must have driven twenty miles when I came to a locked gate. It was nearly dark by now and I couldn’t figure out where I had gone wrong so I didn’t feel like I could easily retrace my way back the way I had come. I called the front desk and told Makayla that I was at VPR 134 (sign on the gate) and she put me on hold to make a call to get a combination for the lock. In the meantime a truck was going by on the road ahead so I flashed my lights and attracted their attention. It was Elise (reservations manager) and her boyfriend Dustin. Elise had a key and opened the gate for me. I had completely driven outside the ranch and had to reenter through the main gate behind Elise and Dustin. Wow, what a day! I was so glad to be back “home.”

On another adventure…..

Last week I had two days off and drove to Santa Fe. I decided I needed to get off the ranch for a bit and pick up some things in town. Santa Fe itself was pretty uneventful for me. I’m not much of a city person and beautiful as it is, it is very touristy and I’m just not into shopping and sight seeing. The highlight of the trip though was reconnecting with some folks I had met there when I was through four years ago. I had set up camp at a forest service campsite outside of town then went in to see the sights and grab some dinner. I had ordered my dinner and was sipping on a beer when the band began to play. I got up to dance all by myself, then sat back down when my food was served. Sam came over and introduced himself to me and invited me to sit with him and his wife Jean. We had a fun night talking and dancing there at La Fonda’s. I had a cup of coffee with Jean the next day at their home and was then on my way. So, when I decided to make the trip to Santa Fe, I sent them an email and arranged to visit with them at their home. I brought a bottle of wine and Jean fixed the most wonderful dinner of salmon and risotto with asparagus and procuitto. It was so cool to make the reconnection. What a wonderful couple! They have been married almost as long as I have been alive, but it just felt like being with long time friends. I spent the night in their guest room and set off the next morning. Sam fixed me oatmeal for breakfast and Jean sent me on my way with the leftover risotto.

From Santa Fe I drove to Taos, where I had planned to couch surf, but it too was too touristy (of course I am a tourist too!) for me so I made a quick visit to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and then headed east. I camped at a place called: Eagle Nest. It was a beautiful drive through Red River to a forest service campground that was crowded but quiet. I heated the leftover risotto in my Jet Boil (big mistake as the Jet Boil is only designed to heat water) and enjoyed another delicious dinner (yes, in spite of the Jet Boil). I pitched my tent beside a little creek and slept peacefully through the night. Then headed back to Vermejo the next morning.

That’s all for now. No more days off until next week~

Strange Living

It's a strange way to live really, in a room above my work place. Yet, I'm so comfortable here. All of my "things"... a house full of furniture, kitchen ware, household items, my nice cozy bed, are all back in Virginia. My room here is nice, but it's like living out of a hotel room. I sleep in a twin size bed with a not so great mattress, there's a second bed with an even less great mattress, a dresser, night stand, a chair, and a dorm size refrigerator (for my kefir : ), yet it feels just right to be here. I sleep well for the most part, but on the days that I have to be at work at 5:00 or 6:00 am, I struggle to sleep, I think for fear of getting up on time. It's funny that I've become accustomed to working at night and sleeping in after all those years of early rising living on a farm.

I slept in until 8:30 this morning! This because two nights ago Frank slept with me. I was sitting on the floor in the hall outside my bedroom in order to get a better Internet connection when Frank snuck in through the open door. She promptly made herself comfortable on the foot of my bed. I took pity on her, (spoiled, pampered cat) and told her she could sleep on the chair as I gently placed her there. That was fine for about 20 minutes, then she got back on the foot of my bed and remained there until I had to get up at 5:30. Every time I turned in my sleep I was aware of this unmovable thing at my feet! So, it wasn't a restful night. Last time that's gonna happen!

After working from 6:00 am until a little after 9:00, I went for a short hike. There's a gazebo above the lodge that I've hiked to a couple times (photos posted- it's made out of wood from the ranch), I headed up that way, but turned instead and headed up a rocky area. I like to find a quiet place to lay in the sun and read or write in my journal. A couple times now I have gone for hikes and had to cut them short because of a storm rolling in, only to get back to the lodge and the storm never materialize. This time I decided to ignore the rumbling thunder. After my lunch I went exploring up above the gazebo and was on a rock cliff when the thunder and lightning happened simultaneously. Yikes! I hie tailed it down the mountain and across a field back to the lodge all the while lightning flashing and thunder booming around me. No rain though, and by the time I reached the lodge the storm was passed. I went in to work again at 4:00 to work the bar until a little after 10:00. There's a guest here right now, an 81 year old woman who has become my new hero. Lou. She's beautiful and sweet and full of spunk. I want to be just like her when I grow up! She and her husband used to travel and have adventures together, but he's now in a nursing home. She however is still driving, and still traveling alone. She's not fishing, but she has her guide, a handsome young man that drives her around the property sightseeing.

On an aborted hike last week I saw a rattle snake and an elk calf. Pictures posted on picasa. The wildlife is abundant here. I see mule deer regularly, and the bucks have huge antlers that are velvet covered right now. There have been raccoons and skunks in the front yard of the lodge, and always hummingbirds. It's an amazing place, and I am thoroughly enjoying my time here. I do miss my kids though, and Thomas, and you, my friends~ Blessings to all....

Call of the West

I do believe the west is calling to me. I am thoroughly enjoying the beauty of this place, the wide open spaces, the mountains, the lakes, the wildlife, every bit of it. I wish I could post pictures so you can see a glimpse of what I am seeing every day, but alas, the downside of being here is a very slow internet connection and limited phone service. Trade offs.

Yesterday I walked to Colorado. Ok, it was only a four mile walk from where I parked my 4 Runner, but still I can say that I walked to Colorado. Most of my walks have been on roads; there aren't really any trails to hike, yet the hiking is limitless. I was off on Sunday and Monday, so I packed up my truck and set off to have an adventure. I drove up to see Costilla, the smaller more exclusive lodge on the property. Wow! It's beautiful. Made entirely of wood harvested from the property, it sleeps 16 and has it's own staff of five to take care of the guests. Just below Costilla in a field near the reservoir I saw the bison herd for the first time. I also saw four turkeys on my drive out.

From Costilla I drove up to the Glacier Lakes. Actually I parked two miles below the lakes and walked up to them. The last two miles is a very rough four wheel drive road that I didn't really feel ready to tackle, plus I wanted to hike. It was very much like a trail actually, only wider. I don't know if the lakes are actually snow fed, which a glacier lake would be, but they definitely have a different look and feel than the other lakes. It was cold up there, and the lakes were clearer and seemed barren compared to the others. The only wildlife I saw on this hike was a grouse. Just a single grouse, bigger than the ones I see in Virginia. When I got back down to my truck it wouldn't start. Great. What could possibly be wrong? I put a brand new battery in it in November when I got it. It didn't even try to start, not even a click, and I was far away from everything. So, I put it in neutral, took off the brake, turned the key on, and with the door open I gave it a push then jumped in and popped the clutch. Low and behold it worked! I was up and running. Or, down and running since I was heading down a mountain. Kind of a crazy thing to do considering the truck could have just as well knocked me over and continued down the mountain by itself. Although I had wanted to stop and have my lunch beside a small stream, I decided it best if I continued driving back to Costilla Lodge to figure out what was going on mechanically. Aaron, one of the guys who works at Costilla looked at the battery and one cable was completely loose. I should have known. I'm the one who installed the battery and I knew one cable wasn't very tight. It wasn't a problem though so I forgot to fix it. Forgot all about it. Apparently the rough roads caused it to loosen even more. I haven't had any more trouble since Aaron tightened the cable.

After doing a lot of driving around exploring, I drove down the "red road" (as it is called because it is actually red in color) to a place along Ricardo Creek I was told was a good spot to camp. And, it was! What a sweet spot alongside this babbling little brook. I pitched my tent, then set out a blanket to sit upon and read. While sitting there reading I was visited by a bear. She came down the hill on the other side of the creek I suppose to get a drink. She saw me and stared quizzically. I softly said "go away." I was glad to see her, but didn't feel like sharing my blanket. Still she just stared at me. I slowly stood up thinking that maybe I could get my camera, but as I rose she turned and ran back up the hill from where she came. I kind of thought I may see a bear since there were many signs in the area, ie: bear scat and recently upturned rocks. It was a special moment.

I didn't sleep well in my tent. Only because it takes me a few days to get used to it again. I only spent the one night out though, and boy did I sleep well last night back in my bed. When I left my campsite, I drove to another little traveled road where I parked and hiked to Colorado. It was about an eight mile hike, very easy because it was mostly flat, but I was tired from not sleeping well and decided to make a short day of it. I stopped at Merrick Lake and laid in the sun for a bit then had my lunch and headed back "home." There was a small, scroungy looking bear at Merrick Lake. I did get pictures of that one which I will post once I get to town and a "real" internet connection.

Animals I've see here so far:
Bison, Mule deer, three of which were big bucks with huge velvety antlers, turkey, grouse, lots of prairie dogs and chipmunks and squirrels, bear, fish jumping in the lakes, lots of birds of all kinds, including woodpeckers and ducks. I haven't seen any elk yet except for one dead in a field. I couldn't tell it was an elk (someone told me later). It was being consumed by vultures, crows and coyotes.

I'm heading down for a wonderful lunch now; the food here is exceptional!

Meditation

I went out for a meditative walk today. I've been tired I think because of the elevation here, so I'm going to wait until next week to tackle any real hiking. Still, I'm getting some good walks in anyway.

Today as I sat eating my lunch in the shade of a tree alongside the meadow I was walking through, a humming bird came to me. She hovered right in front of me, not even an arms length away. I first took it as a spiritual experience, because here was this one lone humming bird seeking me out, out on the desert plain. Then I realized there were more humming birds and they were enjoying the nectar from thistle blossoms. Because I was wearing a bright pink shirt, this one probably mistook me to be a giant thistle flower. Poor thing, what a disappointment. For the humming bird, not me; she was still a blessing to me : )

Thought for the day:
"If you don't know where you are going, get there by a way you do not know." ~ Confucius

Quite fitting for me right now!

Virginia to New Mexico

Wednesday July 18, 2012

I am all settled in at Vermejo Park Ranch in northeast New Mexico. I’m happy to be here but feeling exhausted. I don’t know if my activities of the past month plus have caught up with me or if I’m being affected by the elevation of this place. It’s something over 7000 feet. Oh, and it’s so nice here! It’s beautiful, and it’s cool. I had my bedroom windows open last night and I was getting cold by morning. I put a fleece on to go down and get my coffee at 7:00 am.

I spent five days driving across the country (1800 miles), so I really took my time about it. I had a bit of a hard time leaving Virginia in the first place, so I got a late start, then I went on a little side track in Allegheny County before heading further west. It was hard to leave Thomas again, and hard to leave home. I kept feeling a bit of anxiety as I traveled. I spent a couple of days with my friend Ken in Columbia, Missouri, and that was refreshing. I couch surfed with a 70 year old woman in Wichita, and then a 30 year old man in Raton, New Mexico. Raton is the last town before the ranch; Vermejo is another 40 miles west of Raton.

It feels so good to be here. The people are wonderful, the food is fantastic, and I have almost 600,000 acres to explore. The past two mornings I’ve gone for walks down the road, and I just can’t tell you how good it makes me feel to start my day with a walk and some stretching. There are roads and trails and wide open spaces to wander. There’s a lake up the road a bit, and many more on the property. On Saturday nights there’s a B-B-Q at the lake up the road (Merrick Lake) for lodge guests. I’ll be working the B-B-Q this Saturday, so I’ll get to check it out. At some point I’ll go swimming in the lake too.

It’s really quiet around here right now. Last night was my first dinner service and there were only 24 guests. Tonight there’s the same. The work is easy. Hopefully things are going to pick up. I’m planning to be here until the end of October. By then hunting season will have begun, and I’m told this is a different place once the hunts begin. I’m told it’s all very family oriented right now, but all the guests last night were men.

Well, that’s about it, I just wanted to let everyone know what I’m up to. I’ll post again when there’s something interesting to report.

~Melanie

Leaving Virginia (Again)

I've left Virginia again. Back for only a couple of weeks, I found another job on the other side of the country, so now I'm heading to New Mexico. I'm driving this time so I will have my own wheels and all the freedom that comes with that! I'm currently in Columbia, MO visiting my friend Ken. I'm so excited to be here. I was here in March and that was the first time in four years, so it's really nice to be back again so soon. My job starts on Monday and I'm taking my time getting there. I'll be working on a ranch: http://www.vermejoparkranch.com/. It looks really cool~ the biggest ranch in the country. I will again be waiting tables and bar tending. And, hopefully doing a lot of hiking in my off time. Also hoping that it works out for Thomas to fly out in the fall to meet me and drive back to Virginia together, having an adventure together on the way. I've just posted some pictures and that's what got me to update my blog. There are a few pictures of Kelly and me on a hike that we did while I was in Virginia. We hiked up White Oak Canyon and down Cedar Run Trail. We had the water slide to ourselves and then shared the big swimming hole with a few others. It was a great hike in spite of the heat. Especially since we had the wonderful river to cool off in. The rest of the pictures I posted came from a little detour I took on my journey out of the state. I was driving on 64 West and getting close to West Virginia when I saw the signs for Hot Springs and Warm Springs and I veered off the highway to see where I was on a map. I looked at the map and then decided to drive for a bit. It was so beautiful, I drove all the way to Warm Springs! Allegheny County is amazingly beautiful! I almost couldn't leave Virginia. I came upon a beautiful waterfall right on Routh 220 and got out to take pictures and walk around a bit. There were three teenage boys enjoying a swimming hole above the falls. I hope to continue updating my blog as this summertime adventure continues.... ~m

Colorado to Virginia

I am back in Virginia. Gerda and I went on a beautiful hike to Shrine Pass, and had a wonderful time catching up on the past four years. I took a day trip to Boulder and walked along the Pearl Street Mall. I felt like I was in Charlottesville. The Charlottesville Downtown Mall was modeled after the Pearl Street Mall. I think my pictures capture it, including the homeless street musicians that played "Wagon Wheel" for me. The pictures I took on the Shrine Pass hike are not quite clear and that's because there are so many wildfires burning in Colorado right now. On Monday and Tuesday when I was in downtown Denver the temperature reached 107 degrees. That's an all time high for them. Usually this time of year the temperature is in the high 80s. Whoever said, "It's not so bad when it's a dry heat." was out of his mind! Hot is hot, and 107 is unbearable! I do love Colorado though, and her majestic mountains. It's nice to be back in green Virginia now. For a time. Wondering now what is next~

California to Colorado

 

Friday, June 22, 2012

Catching up on my flight to Denver. I guess I left off in Redding, CA where I was couch surfing with Steve…..

On Tuesday Steve again was our personal tour guide. He took us for a hike along a railroad track to a beautiful waterfall. It was pretty cool when we had to stand back and let a train pass by. I don’t think I’ve ever been so close to a moving train before. After that hike we drove to Mt. Shasta where we went to the headwaters of the Sacramento River and filled our water bottles. We then drove up the mountain as far as we could to a place called Panther Meadows. I had a strong desire to go to Mt. Shasta after hearing that it was a magical mountain and there is special energy there. It’s true. It’s true of mountains in general though. I am overwhelmed with emotion when I see these majestic mountains; they are breathtaking.

It started on this trip when I left Seattle in Jimmy’s truck and Mt. Rainier first came into view, then in Portland when I saw Mt. Hood, then of course the magical Mt. Shasta. I get the same feeling too when I hike on Jones Mountain and many others in the Blue Ridge. The mountains have a spirit about them that I connect with. When I am away from them I feel out of my element, not quite whole. So, while I am enjoying my time exploring these cities, I am really looking forward to seeing and hiking in the Rockies when I get to Colorado.

After having lunch on Mt. Shasta, Steve drove us to Castle Lake where the girls relaxed at the lake while Steve and I hiked about an hour to another lake above Castle Lake. The smaller lake is called Heart Lake. It was absolutely gorgeous. We had a great view of Mt. Shasta and all over the area from there. We sat and enjoyed the peacefulness for a while then hiked back down to Castle Lake where we, along with two of the others, went for a dip. It was cold! I didn’t stay in long, but got out and enjoyed a couple beers. We drove back to Steve’s house and had some leftovers for dinner, and I pretty quickly went to bed while everyone else got in the hot tub. After my early awakening and busy day, I was ready for sleep.

Around 1:00 on Wednesday, my driver, Barbara showed up to drive me to San Francisco. Oakland actually. She was heading home from Eugene. We first went to a gas station where I put $40 in her tank for the ride. It was about three hours to Oakland where she dropped me off at the Bart station and I rode the train into San Francisco. It was a short walk then to the framing shop my friend Chris owns with his partner Reinhold.

I hadn’t seen Chris for 30 years. Since high school; wow! It was so awesome to see him and to reconnect after all these years. We easily fell back into a beautiful friendship. I’m not doing facebook anymore, but one of the good things to come out of my short time on it, was to reconnect with this special friend. After a short walk on the beach with Chris, Reinhold, and their two dogs, Freddie and Nelson, Chris fixed a wonderful lasagna dinner for us. We didn’t want our visit to end and we stayed up too late, then up and into town the next morning for Chris and Reinhold to go to work and for me to explore the city. I enjoyed walking all over the place. I don’t know how many miles I covered, but I went from Market St. down Powell to China Town, to the business district, back to China Town for lunch, to Fisherman’s Wharf, to Fort Mason, and back to the shop. My legs were feeling the crunch from all the walking on concrete. I’m used to dirt trails on mountains! At the Chinese restaurant for lunch there was a couple in line ahead of me. They invited me to sit with them. It was really nice to have the company. Stu and Kay were in San Francisco visiting their son and his family. They live in upstate New York most of the time.

I skipped the walk on the beach with the dogs that evening and instead stayed home and made a salad to have with the leftover lasagna. After another wonderful meal, bottle of wine and conversation, I went upstairs to repack for my flight the next day and to prepare for another segment of this adventure. I spent Friday wandering around again. This time down Hayes Street to Alamo Square where Thomas lived many years ago, then through The Haight and into Golden Gate Park. San Francisco is a cool city. Much diversity. And its share of homeless people. When I arrived in Golden Gate Park, I turned around to take a picture of a group of homeless folks. One guy yelled at me for taking the picture and said I should give a dollar for that. I too felt that it was pretty tacky of me to take the pic so I gave him a buck. I walked over to their group and said, “since you asked so nicely and said please, here’s a buck.” He didn’t ask nicely or say please, but it still seemed appropriate. He said that yesterday was his birthday and he had just turned 21. I told them I have a 21 year old son and I think they appreciated that. I said that I wish I had a dollar to give to each of them, but that I had just lost my job. I think they just appreciated the attention, to be treated as human. After a short walk in the park I walked back to the shop and Chris, Reinhold and I went to their favorite Vietnamese restaurant for a bowl of soup for lunch. It was delicious and very hearty!

It was hard to say goodbye to Chris when he drove me to the Bart entrance. We had a good long hug and a promise to stay in touch and to visit again soon. Bart (SF transit system) took me to the airport where I got on a flight to Denver, and that’s where I am as I write this. I’m so looking forward to this visit with my aunt Gerda, whom I have not seen in four years.

Then a P.S. to the above…. I have arrived in Denver and am at Gerda’s house now.

Seattle-Portland-Redding

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

I am in Redding, California. I was awakened this morning at 4:30 by a horrible screeching noise. Startled awake and heart pounding, there was no going back to sleep. I am couch surfing, heading down to San Francisco to visit a friend from high school before I begin heading east and homeward. I don’t know what the noise was, but my host thinks it was perhaps a cell phone alarm belonging to one of the other couch surfers. It sounded like someone wrestling with a cat to me! There are four other women staying here. They are from southern California, all in their twenties, and all of them sleeping soundly in the living room. I had my own space, an air mattress on the floor of a bedroom. Steve, our wonderful host took us to a lake yesterday evening for a swim, treated us to Mexican food at a local restaurant, and then took us to see an amazing glass bridge (http://www.turtlebay.org/sundialbridge). Some of us got in his hot tub when we returned, and so it was 12:30 before I got to bed. We’re all going hiking today. I’m not sure what I can do on four hours of sleep, but we’ll see.

My last post was from Seattle, so I have much to catch up on…

After two nights at the hostel I found a couch (futon really) to “surf” on. If you don’t know what I mean by couch surfing, check out: http://www.couchsurfing.org/. I stayed with a wonderful lesbian couple for two nights in Seattle. Lynne and Gina. Gina was at work and then meetings most of the time so I hung out with Lynne who took me to her local hangouts. Wednesday night we had a couple beers with her “boyfriends” (as Gina likes to call them). What a fun evening! There’s nothing like seeing a town by meeting and hanging out with the locals. Thursday I took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island where I wandered around. A strange and beautiful place, it doesn’t seem quite real. It’s all too perfect, too pristine. No dirty parts, no slums, no homeless, no trash. Why does that have to seem strange?

Thursday night I had a glass of wine with Lynne at another bar, then I left her and went back to the condo to get to sleep early. After a good workout at the gym in the building, and then walking about six miles on my adventure, I wasn’t up for a long night out. I needed to be well rested for my trek to Portland the next morning. Jimmy (whom I met in Ketchikan and asked for a ride when I found out he’d be driving home to Portland) picked me up a little after 10:00. What a wonderful person! His summer had not worked out as planned either, but he was in good spirits driving home to be with his wife and spend his summer on a golf course. Great company, great conversation, I really enjoyed the ride in his ’88 Chevy pick up truck!

Jimmy dropped me off at a coffee shop a few blocks from Uncle Donnie’s house. Uncle Donnie is my mother’s younger brother. I reconnected with him and his family four years ago when I was traveling across the country. At that point I had not seen him in 27 years, and I had never met his seven children. It was fun to meet my cousins and to be a part of his family back 2008, and really special to spend time with them again. I had a fun visit with Donnie and Rita. Donnie had a meeting in Seattle on Saturday, so Rita took me to downtown Portland and showed me around. We went to Powell’s Bookstore, which is absolutely amazing! Then we had lunch at a local sports bar. Rita wanted to get her hair done, so she dropped me off on Hawthorn to wander around in the little shops. It was a beautiful day with bright blue skies, warm and not humid, unlike the east coast. Upon leaving one shop, a parade of naked bicyclists rode by. No kidding! Naked people on bicycles! That seems terribly uncomfortable to me, but they all looked so happy.

Sunday, Donnie and I got up early and went for a walk in his neighborhood and beyond. We walked up Mt. Tabor where we could look out over the city of Portland. Later, Rita drove us around through wine country. Oregon is a beautiful state, and it was another gorgeous day with blue skies and no humidity. We had dinner at a local pub, then dessert at the fancy restaurant where my cousin Annie got married a couple years ago. Dessert was superb! We shared a chocolate torte and a huge dish of blackberry sorbet.

This is getting to be a long post, but I need to catch up to where I am!

I found a ride to Redding, CA on Craigslist. It’s about a seven hour drive from Portland, and near enough to Mt. Shasta that we are going to hike there today. Yay, hiking! The guy who gave me a ride is a navy man heading from his home in northern Washington back to San Diego where he is stationed. I put $30 worth of gas in his car and he took me right to the home of my couch surfing host, which is where I am now. I keep saying this, and I’m going to say it again… there are so many great people in the world : )

Tomorrow I’m catching another ride that I found on Craigslist. I’ll be riding with a woman driving from Eugene, OR to San Francisco. I’m planning to spend two nights in San Francisco, and then I have something lined up to get me to Salt Lake City, where I’m planning to stay a night with Thomas’ niece.

More in a few days….

Ketchikan to Seattle

Wednesday June 13, 2012

It’s 6:00 am; I am lying in a bed in a hostel in Seattle. Awakened at 5:15 by a snoring woman in the next bed, there’s no getting back to sleep now. I’ve got my earplugs in listening to Gillian Welch. I’ll be couch surfing tonight and tomorrow night in Seattle and then bumming a ride to Portland on Friday. I’m really looking forward to reconnecting with my uncle, Donnie and his crew there.

I flew out of Ketchikan Monday night. My ticket would have ultimately taken me home, but I’m not ready to go home yet, so I jumped ship in Seattle. Before leaving Ketchikan I met a man whose summer job was not working out for him either and he is leaving Alaska today. He’s driving home to his family in Portland and will be coming through Seattle Friday morning. It’s funny how you meet people when you’re traveling.

Monday morning my couch surfing host, Nic took me and all my stuff into town at 6:00 because he and Kaylynne were leaving to go to Kansas City for three weeks. Nic dropped me at the Alaska Fish House, which is owned by another couch surfer, Raffy. Raffy let me stow my stuff, and then I went in search of some coffee. Raffy owns a coffee shop as well, but it’s an outdoor café with only outdoor seating. Kind of strange in a town like Ketchikan- cold and rainy most of the time. After coffee I wandered around town wondering what I should do with my day. At some point I realized that the Deer Mountain trail was only .6 of a mile out of town, so I headed out there to see what it was like. I had heard in town that it wasn’t possible to hike right now because of the snow. Not true! Why do I listen anyway? I started up the trail without a plan, thinking that I would have to shortly turn around. I met several people coming down the trail; no one had made it to the top, but all had enjoyed their hikes, so I continued on. My backpack contained my purse, my computer, all the cables that go with the computer to plug it in and to plug things into it, my journal and a couple books, a few snacks, my raingear and a bunch of odds and ends useless for hiking. I had no water, no compass, no first aid kit; it was all packed in my duffel bag, as I was packed and ready to fly out in the evening. It made no sense for me to continue hiking, but I did anyway. And, it was wonderful! There were no views because it was cloudy, but a beautiful hike nonetheless. The snow at the top was 10 to 15 feet deep. Sometimes I stepped in deep and my boots (at least I had my hiking boots on) got snow down in them. I feel like I made it to the top of the mountain, but I didn’t see a sign saying so; it would have been buried in snow if it were there. I think I ended up hiking seven miles all together. I made my way back to town to have a sandwich and a beer at Raffy’s place.

The Alaska Fish House doesn’t serve beer. Bummer! I really wanted to patronize Raffy’s business because he was so kind to allow me to leave my stuff there. No problem, the guy behind the counter offered to bring my sandwich across the way to Fat Stan’s where I could have my beer. So, that’s what I did. And, that’s where I met Jimmy who is going to drive me to Portland. He and his friend, Chas invited me to sit with them at their little table. I ate my sandwich, drank my beer, and enjoyed the conversation. Chas bought us all a glass of wine, and I learned that Jimmy was heading home. The two of them had been coming to Ketchikan for the past five years to work for the summer, and for some reason Jimmy’s summer wasn’t going as planned and he wanted out. Chas tried desperately to get me to stay. He made phone calls and showed me web sites to work for the company he works for. But, I was done. Done with Alaska, ready to head back to the “other 48.” And, so here I am, waiting to see how life will unfold next.

Before leaving Alaska I filed a report about the dog bite with OSHA, Ketchikan animal control and the Alaska state police. All were on my side in the matter, so hopefully something good will come out of all that.

Something Magical

June 9, 2012 ~ Saturday

I like to write the day because it helps me remember what day it is. They have all become a blur. Things began here in earnest on Thursday. Our first lodge guests arrived in the evening, but before that we had a bit of excitement. Besides lodge guests other people come out to go fishing for a day or to hike. Some folks arrived midday and one of the guys in the group had a stroke or heart attack or something of the sort. It took 40 minutes for a plane to come back for him. He died. Someone said he was in his 70s, but I don’t know exactly how old. Had it happened in town, perhaps he would have lived. Who knows?

Then I met a guy who was also here just to fish for the day; he was at the bar having a glass of wine and asked where I was from. When I told him Virginia, and that I live in Charlottesville, he said “Really! My son just bought a house in Charlottesville.” As it turns out his son dates someone I worked with for a while at Fleurie. It’s a small world. Yesterday I got an email from my friend Michael passing along an email from a long lost friend who was looking for me. It’s so funny how the World Wide Web works and enables things to happen that never could have happened a few years ago. My childhood friend googled me, and found me on the website of the Savvy Sleeper where I had done some work for my friend Michael. The web makes the world even smaller.

Also on Thursday a dog bit me. I had walked out with Nicky to grill some steaks and one of the dogs came up from behind and chomped down on my calf. The bite drew blood. Apparently I am not the first, and apparently they don’t think anything of having a biting dog around. Go figure! I’m not allowed to hike alone for fear of bears, yet it’s ok that the owner’s dog bites me. I don’t feel safe walking around outside the lodge now. I’m terrified of him. Cassandra, my roommate and I went for a hike to the lake this morning, and I freaked out screaming when the dog came out from the house where he lives. Dee came out and got him and we ventured on for a wonderful hike. When I got back I ordered some hot pepper spray. When it comes I’m going to spray him just for good measure and then carry it with me everywhere.

On our hike I got in the river. Oh my, is it cold! I only got in up to my thighs, but that was enough. I love how my skin feels after being in mountain water, all tingly and happy. Nicky’s birthday is on June 12^th and it’s a tradition for her to jump in the bay. She wants us all to join her, but I’m not sure I’ll be up for that. Besides being so cold, the water’s not as nice in the bay. I like mountains streams that run so clear you can see everything in them. We’ll see though, I might.

….. This is kind of a post script to the above entry~

Nicky agreed that the pepper spray was a good idea. The dog is a real problem. I’m not the only one he has bitten. Kevin though didn’t think it was a good idea. He forbade me to use it. “And furthermore” he added, “don’t scream like a banshee every time the dog gets near you. It just aggravates the problem.” How does one control screaming in a situation of be frightened? I told Kevin that I’m not comfortable around the lodge with that dog around and that the pepper spray would make me feel better. He said to stay inside then. He said that it’s a weapon and I cannot have it on his property. So, what it finally came to is me saying that I needed it in order to be there, and him telling me to get out of his lodge. In other words, he fired me. I packed my things, carried them down to the dock, and Captain Dan brought me back to Ketchikan in his boat.

Oh, and it’s a glorious day here! Absolutely beautiful. We didn’t see any wildlife on the hour and a half boat ride, but it was delightful anyway. We also got “pulled over” by the coast guard. It was quite exciting really. Just routine, they didn’t get on the boat or anything. They just asked if we were fishing. We were not. Where were we going? Life jackets? Etc. Pretty simple. I took pictures. Dan was nervous though. I’ll post pictures later. I’m waiting now at Knudson Cove Marina for a couch surfing host to call me back and hopefully give me a place to stay tonight. Beyond that I don’t know what I’m going to do next.

Last night after dinner while we were cleaning up I grabbed the turkey wishbone I had left out to dry a few days ago and asked Brian, the dishwasher to make a wish. I didn’t have a wish in mind, so just wished for something magical to happen. I didn’t tell my wish, but said that I wished something that would benefit all of us. I guess my getting fired was my “something magical.”

And so the adventure continues….. m~

The Why

 June 4, 2012

I’ve been talking about this adventure in Alaska for many months now so when I posted my first blog entry I felt like it didn’t need any explanation. Then when I went through my list of email contacts there were many people I haven’t seen or talked to in quite awhile that I thought would be interested in knowing what I was up to. So, I sent out a mass email and have heard from many, wondering what in the world I am up to. So, here is the explanation….

Oh dear, where do I begin?

Ok, my sister Gillian first told me about Yes Bay Lodge a few years ago after she and her husband Brad, and the whole Wade clan came here for a vacation. She sent me a link to the website and I was intrigued. I didn’t do anything with it then, but last summer or fall or so I started feeling like I needed an adventure. I checked out the website in more detail and clicked on their link for employment. They are very adamant in saying: “do not come here to work if you don’t enjoy long hours and days alone.” I read about the hiking trails and the floatplane adventures, and since I was already enamored with Alaska and the whole idea of wilderness, I thought this was the right adventure for me. After my trek across the country in 2008 I have found that I have a yearning for adventure. I lived off of savings for those three months though and that’s really something one can only do once in a lifetime. So, I’ve thought, what could I do work wise that could support me while I go on another adventure? I returned from my trip in August of 2008 right when the economy was falling apart. I had quit my job months before, and then couldn’t find employment when I got back. A friend suggested catering and told me to get in touch with Lisa at HotCakes. I did and she hired me, and I found that I really enjoyed it. This led to a job waiting tables in a restaurant and more catering work.

So, low and behold I’ve found this wonderful new skill that I can take with me anywhere! And that’s how I’ve ended up in Alaska on this working vacation/ adventure.

It’s beautiful here and I am enjoying myself in spite of the lack of hiking. I have been forbidden to hike alone because of the threat of bears. I get so tired of hearing about bears. I’d sure like to see some though. Oh, I suppose I will eventually, and maybe they will really be a threat. Somehow I doubt it. I will get to hike again too, but there’s really only one hike~ the one I did to McDonald Lake~ that can be done from the lodge. All others require transportation by boat or floatplane. I’ll get to go out on a fishing boat at some point as well. And, the floatplane ride to get here was an adventure in itself. In the meantime I am working out on a treadmill and doing yoga every day. There’s even some dumbbells in the workout room for my enjoyment : )  The view from the treadmill is amazing. However, it makes me want to go and hike the mountain on the other side of the river.

So far the work has been quite easy. I’m helping Nicky, the chef in the kitchen. She is wonderful to work with. Her father who owns and runs the place is a despot.

Oh, and one really funny thing is that everyone that I am working with is young enough to be my child. My roommate is only 20. There are fishing guides a good bit older, and I serve them dinner, but don’t work directly with them. I guess this is the sort of thing people do when they are young, and I am a young 49 ; )

Guests will begin arriving on Thursday this week. Things won’t be quite so laid back then. I will keep helping with prep in the kitchen as well as serve dinner to the guests. I’m looking forward to their arrival. My other favorite things (after hiking) is meeting new people. There will be a lot of that this summer.

Let the adventure begin!

Yes Bay June 2nd

June 2, 2012 Still at Yes Bay Lodge

I got to hike. I’m ok now. Last night a few of the guys (fishing guides) wanted to walk up to fish in the river. I tagged along for the hike. It was raining. Raining in the rainforest. Beautiful. Amazing. I hate hiking in the rain, avoid it at all costs at home. Yet I loved it. I felt refreshed and revived. The guys, three of them, all young enough to be my sons, stopped to fish and I continued on with the dog, Koby. Koby belongs to the owners of Yes Bay Lodge. Some kind of Alaskan bear dog. They actually keep the bears away. I hiked again today with Heidi who is going to be the breakfast and lunch server and Makayla who is a daughter of the owners of the lodge. Makayla was our guide. She explained that the reason Koby kept coming up from behind us was because she was circling around us scanning for bears. I did not once see her go up the trail and back again; she just kept coming up from behind. We hiked all the way to MacDonald Lake. It seemed much further than the mile and a half that it is. It’s tough walking through the rainforest. I got almost as wet today as I did last night in the rain. Everything was wet and the trail is overgrown. I wore a pair of boots borrowed from the lodge. Xtra Toughs they are called, and known as Alaskan sneakers. I would have been SOL with my hiking boots on. The trail was deep mud in many parts and a stream for the rest of it. My Merrells would have been full of mud. At MacDonald Lake there is an island with a forest service cabin on it. Sweet! I’d love to stay there when Thomas comes up for a visit later this summer. It’s complete with a woodstove and a shed full of western red cedar. It was void of inhabitants, but I’m told you can rent it for about $35 a night. To get there from town (Ketchikan) you charter a floatplane for about $500 round trip. Ok, maybe we’ll find something else to do!

I'm am uploading photos to picasa right now, but the internet is really slow so it's taking awhile. 

Yes Bay Lodge~ Ketchikan, AK~ May 31, 2012

Yes Bay Lodge ~ Ketchikan, AK ~ May 31, 2012

Yesterday I arrived in Ketchikan. I took the ferry from the airport to the mainland. There I shared a taxi with a guy named Dave into town. Dave came to Alaska t go hunting with some buddies. He’s from Utah. I came to work at Yes Bay Lodge. The taxi dropped me at the home of my couch surfing host Seth K. Dave wouldn’t let me pay for the taxi, and he carried my duffel bag to the door where he waited until I got the key from under the mat and the door opened. Such a gentleman! The world is full of wonderful people. Seth wasn’t home. A firefighter, he was working until the next morning. Exhausted from traveling across the country in an airplane (several actually) I went to bed at 7:45, fell promptly to sleep, and slept until 4:00 am. Looking at my watch, I thought, “oh no; it’s too early!” so I dozed a bit until 5:00 when Gillian called and woke me up for good. She thought I hadn’t left Virginia yet. It was 9:00 there.

At 7:30 Seth came home and we met for the first time. What a trusting soul to allow a stranger access to his home while he was at work. Great Guy! The world is full of them. He had many things to do to get ready for a kayaking trip to Glacier Bay, but still took the time to drive me to the Yes Bay Lodge office in town. Tina at the office gave me a ride to Walmart where I bought four months worth of toiletries, and some yarn to make an afghan for Thomas. I caught a free shuttle back to town and went all the way downtown to where the cruise ships were docked. Busy place. I had some time to kill so I wandered around a bit. Seth called to make sure I had gotten all that I needed, and when he realized I was downtown he said to go by and see a guy named Raffi who is another couch surfer and owns a café in Ketchikan. I met Raffi and told him I’d be back in town later in the summer. Then I took the shuttle back to the office where I got on a floatplane with a deck hand, Eric, and the pilot, Mark. Mark flew us to the lodge in the rain.

Now that I’m here I’m having big time second thoughts about all of this. I came here thinking that I would be able to hike everyday, and the first thing I’m told is that under no circumstances am I to hike alone. So far there’s no one else that wants to hike. I really don’t want to hike with a partner anyway. I love to hike alone. I need to hike alone. At least a little walk anyway. There’s nowhere to walk here. Oh, there’s a lake a mile and a half away- MacDonald Lake, which would be perfect, but Kevin, my boss and owner of Yes Bay Lodge says it’s not safe because of the bears. Ok then, where can I walk? I can’t he says, and too bad, and if I don’t stop asking there’s going to be trouble. Really? I had in mind a three mile round trip walk to the lake everyday with a  longer hike on my day off and now I’m told this is not going to happen. I’m just not even sure I can stay here. For four months? Yikes!

Internet service is spotty. I'll try to upload some photos later.