trek home and Just what Easter should be

As I plot and plod my way back across the USA, I've made many happy stops.

I stayed for almost a week with my childhood bestie, Colin Morgan and his gf Lynnea in Bend, OR. Going up in helicopters, out on hikes, cooking dinner and giving myself a little more of a buzzcut than I bargained for.


Nea and I found this driftwood "fort" along the river we were hiking.  Both of our childhood wonder at fun places to make and "hide-out" were ignited.



Next stop Boise, ID. Invited to a lovely dinner with a high school classmate, Holly Manning. Got to meet her beautiful family and see her lovely home. Then off to downtown Boise to meet up with Colin's boss for a couple beers, music superb conversation and Capitol viewing.

I let myself in late to the Hostel Boise, a very clean and charming hostel just outside Boise in Nampa.  I was the only one there, but the next morning Elsa, the proprietress, came thru and we talked at length about hostels and reinstated my drive (should it have flagged).

The drive up to Driggs, Idaho was gorgeous if a little snowy.








A common site around about these parts are grain silos and grain elevators.  Farming is big business here.


Much of this country is flat and where this is the case, the horizon feels like the ocean horizon where the sky stretches on forever and the land is dwarfed.



I stopped at Craters of the Moon National Monument... but too much snow meant the driving loop was closed and as were all of the hiking trails.  I braved a little hike regardless and ended up in snow up to my thigh.  But playing the cat game is fun, stepping lightly and trying to figure out how to spread your weight so you don't crunch thru the snow crust. The lava rock formations are very cool. 2,000 years have passed since the last eruption... about time for another one.




Stayed with Erika Hansen in Driggs, Idaho. She's was formerly an acquaintance from Portland and now she's a friend.  I love this game! She's a brilliant musician and played me some songs old and new.


Crossing the Rockies was a little hair raising. I took the Grand Teton Pass in a snowstorm.  Climbed one side ever so slowly and then navigated the 10% grades down on the other side.  Amazingly after descending the first couple hundred feet the roads were dry and the snow storm cleared up.  Ahhh weather, you are such a fierce and unusual phenomenon.

I couldn't find a couch to surf in Cheyenne, Wyoming, but that's just as well because it meant I got the chance to stay with Nathaniel Kitchel in Laramie, WY.  Driving into Laramie was hard for me as the Matthew Shepard story weighed heavily in my mind. The town looks quite desolate until you get into the "downtown proper" area. Extensive conversations with Nathaniel and a taste of the local culture in first the Buck Horn Bar...



and then the Front Street (name?) bar with a totally hipster vibe, dispelled the last of my shivers about the town of Laramie.  After all, hate is all around us and inside each and every one of us... as awful as that is, it's true.  It's all a matter of facing the evils and doing something different with it.

I've covered a lot of road in past week. Oregon to Kansas with only 6-8 hour days of driving (more than that and I don't feel like I can enjoy myself). Driven thru blizzards, scary blowing snow, much sun and open prairie.











I often hold the wheel like this and find my fingers aching and switch my grip.

        I know I don't look that happy as I'm driving, but assure you, I've been having a pretty good time.  Currently listening to the audiobook, DUNE by Frank Herbert, an old classic, but one I've never read. 





The Lincoln, Nebraska capitol building is VERY impressive. Dubbed the "Penis of the Prairies" by locals, complete with a statue at top of a man sowing seeds.  The interior of the pillared edifice is in the running for the grandest I've seen (and I've seen quite a few by now).

bad picture, I know, I have more with my good camera.

From Lincoln, NE the plan was to jet to St. Louis, MO and then on to Chicago to meet a couple friends coming out to explore Chicago with me. I got a couple pointers from people to check out Lawrence, Kansas and when you get the same bit of advice often in a short period of time it makes you think "maybe there's something to that." The feeling of Lawrence, KS being a prophecied destination was cemented when my father told me that one of his childhood friends, Bobby Lominska, has an organic farm in Lawrence.  "Okay," I said, "give me his info." I called up the Lominska farm out of the blue and asked if I could come stay the night. They welcomed me and more than that invited me to stay for Easter. 

I got the pleasure of a wonderful Easter complete with burning a brush pile before noon,









getting in some dirt therapy, planting a row of green onions; honing my skills, trying to find the most effective way to plant, still being shown up by Bob doubling my productivity (he's been at it a bit longer than I have);   meeting the family, hanging out on a dock on a little farm pond, eating a wonderful traditional ham dinner, making devilled eggs from the farm fresh eggs for a light dinner and picking lettuce from the hoop house for the freshest salad every meal.

- Posted from the road

Redwoods

Yesterday started by waking up from my first night of sleep in Falkor.





A little cramped, but overall, not bad.





My intention was to get up early and head straight to the collection of redwood forest parks. But upon finding an envelope requesting $35 for camping in Patrick Point State Park. I decided I might as well get my money's worth. So off I went on a glorious sunrise hike, on rocks and cliffs overlooking the powerful Pacific ocean.
When I returned to my car there was an imposing ranger truck parked next to Falkor. The ranger got out and asked if I was "Serene" (no one ever gets my name right, but that he'd taken the trouble to look up Falkor's info to find out who I was... Alert, alert). We had a very pleasant conversation where he told me that I should have read all the info on the guard house and that there's usually an $85 fine for camping in a non-camping area. I told him I slept in my car, that I locked the doors and that I was planning on paying the $35 camping fee as I left. He liked that I was from Maine and quickly adjusted his fee scale saying since I got in so late, slept in my car and didn't know, he'd only charge me the day rate of $8. He then proceded to tell me about a dark day at the park two months ago when a rogue wave washed a man into the ocean and they lost him. Cheery things first thing in the morning when you've just been hiking on those same cliffs (hmmm). Anywho, this conversation brought to mind Mike Tooher saying that I "walk under a blessed star" or my dad's less poetic "luckier than cat shit." Either way, I was happy to save $27, I took myself out for a Very greasy breakfast, with terrible coffee (can't win 'em all). And sat in the sunlight and caught up on some writing.





Next I was off to the short Lady Bird Johnson loop trail thru immense old growth redwoods.





(Last week I went to Muir Woods outside San Francisco and must say I prefer the planked boardwalks to this specific trail.)





Off down the scenic highway (it's all scenic, but supposedly this is the cat's meow).
Stopped at the famous Big Tree pullout and hiked the short bit to see it. Eh, yeah, it's a big tree but the clearing beside it and the overweight, smoking group of women sort of ruin it for me. I saw trailheads at the back of the clearing and not knowing anything about any if them set off on one. Up to this point I've been a nature only hiker, by this I mean: I don't put in headphones because I like to hear the world around me. I don't know what motivated me to change at this point... but it was amazing. I put on Sufjan Stevens, an album I'd never listened to, and got lost in the redwoods. It was glorious. Moving thru these giants with dulcet tunes in my ear and the birdsong of the forest still penitrating, Magic.





I walked the length of a downed redwood.





- Posted from the road

Show Eating My Life

One of my favorite blogs to read is FAIL Blog, however, I'm not proud that my blog has turned into a FAILed blog. Despite the best laid plans, life always seems to get in the way.

Brief update from my thumbs as I type all this on my phone:

Spent 2 1/2 weeks exploring a loop around the Southwest.


I went to 8 stunning National Parks,

4 states,


10 cities,


saw many old friends





and made many new ones.





Took pictures galore and hope to share more of them in the future.

For now, I'm back in Tucson, AZ. I'm working with Wolfe Bowart


and an awesome crew


to put up a really neat, original physical theatre piece: The Man The Sea Saw. In addition to being hired as a "stagehand", other duties (yes I said duty) include: seamstress, prop builder,


counterweight, and most excitingly Puppetteer.

We go up this Friday and the production has taken on a life of it's own by sucking the life from the rest of us. (And extracting some blood and many blisters in the process).


Chris and I are regularly at the studio until 1am and Wolfe is working until the wee hours on sound; effects, music and layering.

I got back to Tucson on Feb 21, and haven't come up for air since. But just now I feel like I'm finally starting to have the show sink into my soul. I'm thinking like a seal (one of my puppets).


Every action I make is accompanied by a theme song and sound effects, it's actually quite fun. A couple days ago I felt like I was drowning because I was in so deep over my head. But I've slipped into it, accepted it; and I know we'll succeed in putting up a magical show.

To check it out for yourself go to www.spoontree.com or www.themantheseasaw.com




- Posted from the road

Location:E Waverly St,Tucson,United States

Dillinger Days, Saturday, January 23, 2010

In an effort to not let myself pine away in my aunt Kathie's gorgeous Tucson casita, I joined Couchsurfing.org's Tucson group. In doing so I found an escape from my head and the casita and also a wonderful friend, Charish.

I had no idea who John Dillinger was before this celebratory day.  Charish posted a last minute note to the group asking if anyone wanted to accompany her to Dillinger Days, downtown at Hotel Congress. The details of Public Enemy No. 1 would come out slowly over the day.

Slowly because there was a antique car show and a fair vibe that didn't seem to have anything to do with relating the history of the event. 

Can you see why car trunks are called trunks?  hee hee

I discovered a kindred spirit in Charish because she's just as much of a loose cannon as I am. We'll talk to anyone and stike up crazy friendships with random people, afterall, we'd just met ourselves and were already hitting it off.

I was taking a photo of all the people in 1930s period dress who were standing at the bar, when this gentleman told me that I should take a picture of him. Never being one to turn down the opportunity to take a portrait, I obliged. Charish and I got to talking to him and his cohort. The shit-kicking went on for a good 20 minutes, we were offered rides in their antique autos they had displayed.

On to our next stop: the Wells Fargo Museum,

 where just for the day the actually Tommy Guns that were confiscated from the Dillinger gang were on display.

Then, being peckish, we meandered over to Barrio Anita for a very tasty burrito recommended by my cousin Shya.

YUM!

The walk back downtown was speckled with stops for "picture opportunities." Charish was just as into stopping as I was.

This was the back of a mailbox post, nothing like a little inspiration!

This is the Bike Church, constructed out of old rims and forks, spokes and frames. The sun shines thru the gels and casts colorful shadows around. I love public art.

Typical Tucson homefront.

Loosing track of time with all of our picture taking, Charish and I realize that we need to rush back to Hotel Congress to see the scheduled reenactment of the Dillinger Gang capture. We make it back just as it's starting but all the seats are taken and we're trying to see over heads and thru people. The acting was good and the staging was fun, but the not being able to see made the thought of a beer in the lounge much more appealing. So in we went. While sitting and people watching we were joined by a party of three next to us. We got to chatting, as we do, and missed our date with our antique car guys. Then we missed our date to see the movie Public Enemy. Then we got invited to dinner with our new friends and their family. Dinner was awesome, conversation tumbled from us all as we got to know one another.

My New Friends: Anne, Charish and Briggitte (love them)