"ROLLIN' ALONG PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY..."

Must catch up, must catch up. I have been busy and doing a lot of driving! So...Here I am in San Francisco at 5am typing before I get too far behind. I am in a lovely little efficiency apartment high on a hill with my car parked a little bit illegally. But that is another story. let's just catch up for now.

San Diego - my old home town during the late 70's. I rolled in mid-day to my friend Tony's house. He and his wife Faye were out in Boulder and their daughter met me at the house and got me all situated. Sunday was quiet and I headed out to check out the old hood - Ocean Beach. I had two apartments in OB but decades ago. The exact addresses eluded my mind. That happens. There is just so much room on my brain's hard drive. First I drove up to the cliffs for sit and breathe time and then I went down to the beach. It was a lovely overcast day. I drove down the main avenue and was a bit disappointed to find that the STRAND theater is now a t-shirt shop. Oh the good old days are gone. The Rocky Horror Picture Show played every week at the Strand back in "my day." Time marches on.

I then headed inland to Allied Gardens to find the first house that I stayed in in San Diego back in 1978 (5530 Fontaine St.). I lived there with a band and a friend from Newton High School. He wrote a song called Fontaine Street. "We found something real on Fontaine St..." It was fun to see it again. All day slowly names of streets began to come back to me. I was finding my way around again.

Tony and Faye  got back into town that evening and we all headed out to dinner. I so wish I had my camera because after dinner we went grocery shopping to a store that was closing. I will forever call it The Apocalypse Store. There were so many things not on the shelves that it was a little bit creepy but fun.

Monday I went to AAA for maps. I definitely had arrived to the west coast. AAA has it's own huge building and when I asked for a map of San Diego I received about nine of them: coastal,  freeway, south, north, east, etc. I need a separate shoebox in the back seat of my car just to hold them. After the map stop I headed to downtown via Hillcrest, got stuck in a huge bumper to bumper traffic jam and seriously questioned if I could ever move back to San Diego ever again. But I also reminded myself that I need not live in Hillcrest or work downtown (I found my old office location from my first advertising job - Fourth and Ivy by Balboa Park) nor did I have to move back to the beach. I now had nine maps. San Diego county is pretty big and there are many choices.

Monday was also the Super Moon. Taking photos a block from Tony's house was the top super pick for the evening. Moonrise was Super! So was Tony's stir fry later.

Tuesday was my day to go to La Jolla. Years ago I would go to the beach by Scripps Institute of Oceanography. It is only a 20 minute drive from Point Loma. The parking was a bit tight so I bopped over to the La Jolla Cove and finished off some California roll, taunted to seagull beggars, watched the sea lions and worked on a mandala painting before driving over to another old hood of mine called Tierrasanta. TS is inland by I 15. Again I could not remember my exact address but I drove with my internal GPS. When I passed my old street I knew I had the right road.

NOW I COULD LIVE HERE. Tierrasanta ist also is 20 minutes from La Jolla but has a woodsy-ness to it. I am not a beach girl. I resonate with wooded areas and that is what TS has. Now San Diego was becoming more of a possibility. I am still thinking. I have much to explore in the coming months. There is so much I have yet to see.

Getting back to my roots... SHIATSU
I DO Shiatsu - or at least I used to and now I am DOing it again.

I had promised Faye a full shiatsu session before I left to go up the coast. I got back to the house, showered and set the scene. I am traveling with my magnetic mattress pad and pillow and some of my "work" items in the car. I have been in private practice since 1996. I am certified in shiatsu but took my studies further and specialized in acupoint therapy and teaching. Shiatsu is hands on energy work utilizing the pathways that the acupuncture points access. It is a type of bodywork traditionally done on the floor, clothed and without oils. It is done in silence save for a few instructions to the client to breathe or turn. I am finding myself in need of getting back to my roots and to the bioelectrics that began my private practice. I found the session to be profound, and a good payback for the hospitality given to me.

Later that evening Tony and I went to OB and out for some pub food and I came back to the house to back to leave the next morning. I drove several hours up and past Los Angeles not stopping until south of San Luis Obispo. I timed it right to avoid in freeway traffic. My Couchsurfing host Keith texted me that he could meet me at the house an hour earlier than planned. Perfect.

Keith is a fantastic tour guide. His friend Ann came along with us and she too learned a great deal. He also has a beauty of a veggie garden behind his bungalow. I was sent out back to pick the salad. We all ate together and shared stories and laughter. This is what Couchsurfing is about - sharing, support and community. I was asked to stay longer but I had already made plans to get up to San Fransisco so that I could spend two nights with my friend Tom before arriving to my help exchange assignment in Fort Bragg. I shall have to pass that way again in the upcoming months. I like SLO.

SLO - BUBBLEGUM ALLEY - COLORFUL ICK

Six more hours of driving the next day all along Hwy 1 and Pacific Coast Highway, up, around, through beautiful views... but man was I tired.

And that brings me to San Francisco and 6am. I best check this for typos, make the blog post and go wash my face. The day is dawning. This catches us up. Many details are missing but this is getting long. The day is dawning and I must go.

"Rollin' along Pacific Coast Highway -
Bummin' along to my radio.
Saw a blond hitchin' my way;
Rolled up and said "How far do you wanna go?"
She'd been hummin', thumbin', hitchin' and wishin'
For a good day on Pacific Coast Highway."

1971 - let's get rollin' along...

"LIVING IN A TREE, YEAH THAT'S WHERE I'D LIKE TO BE..."

Rewind to Prescott. It was great to spend time with old friends even with poor weather. The Jerome excursion did not happen but we will save it for the next time. I got a lot of research done and made requests not only to Couchsurfing hosts but to HELPX "in need of helpers" hosts. I have confirmed one exchange but more on that in a bit.

Cool. I decided to take the southern border route to San Diego from Prescott because... I don't recall ever crossing down that way before. (I used to live in San Diego in the late 70's when I was just a young blonde bumpkin.) Yuma, AZ seemed like a good stop along my way. If I took the interstates I would be sure to have smoother driving if the recent bad weather had left the two lane scenic mountain ways a bit messy. It added some time onto my drive but I wanted easy. And I got it. The only hitch I found was getting gas leaving Prescott.The first two stations I hit on my side of the road, a STANDARD and a TEXACO, both had inoperable pumps. One clerk told me there were several stations with problems along the way so I just got in my car and kept driving. In Prescott Valley I stopped at a MAVERICK station and the pumps were working but I soon discovered that the pumps were not honest ones. DO NOT BUY GAS AT MAVERICK.

28.36 miles per gallon vs 39.6

I do math. I have been known to spreadsheet. (Ok I spreadsheet A LOT.) I can add, subtract and multiply and divide. I also know "about" how many miles I get to the gallon. As I was pumping my gas I was thinking "WTF? I only drove 160 miles. I shouldn't need this much gas!" Something wasn't right but I screwed the gas cap back on and got on my way, grumbling and doing "math in my head". Not right - not right.

I got to my CS host's place in Yuma. He had been doing artwork and repairs on the house. The floors had just been redone so he gave me the option of sleeping in the little tree house that night. After hearing about the rattlesnakes that had visited the house a few months earlier and the scorpions too I decided on sleeping in the treehouse. Actually I really wanted to sleep in the treehouse because I had never done that before. I had climbed trees and helped build treehouses but I never did an "overnight" up in the trees. The weather in Yuma was perfect for it and there were no mosquitos.I didn't need a net. How cool.

Before the sun went down David asked if I wanted to go into the desert and sungaze. The desert was a block away from the house. I said "sure" and we walked and talked and he told me about sun-gazing. I suggest that you look it up on GOOGLE.

I let him have his space to reflect and gaze at the sunset while I walked the dried up creek and took photos while avoiding the many holes in the ground that probably had rattlesnakes just waiting for me to walk by. I do have a fear but not of "regular" snakes. What is a "regular snake anyway? Well it's a Massachusetts snake, a snake that doesn't rattle and bite and kill or maim you.

And some photos of my sleepspace in the treehouse.

The following day I awoke early thankful that I could hold my pee until dawn when I could see the ladder rungs. I did have an emergency vessel to use. Let's leave it at that. I didn't use it.

I could fill in more but I am not going to. It was some repeat of the day before plus me driving all around Yuma checking it out and then doing a treatment for shoulder pain on my host then early to "tree". I took off for San Diego the next day (today). I arrived in the afternoon to my friend's daughter greeting me at the house. My friends are away for a few days and will arrive back in town tomorrow. (insert smiley face here).

So... the next bit of NEWS...

While in Prescott I sent a few inquiries out to HELPX dot NET "in need of help" hosts and I had heard back yesterday from one in Fort Bragg, CA. Fort Bragg is on the Mendocino coast about 3 hours north of San Francisco. The position is at a beautiful 1800's inn that has a ballroom where they host MILONGAS. Yes! ARGENTINE TANGO. The deal is four hours of work each day in exchange for accommodation and meals.

When in Yuma I had received an email that they were interested in my inquiry and that they had an availability for November 1st. Both of us had some questions. Today when I got to San Diego I opened my mail and found that we had an agreement. After a few days here visiting with my friends and driving through old haunts while getting lost I am driving up to northern California. It will take a few days. The innkeeper and I have agreed to a one month commitment. Where it goes to from there we both will see. For me right now this is perfect. It gives me a roof over my head while I exchange my time and talents and leaves me space and free time to check the area out and see if I might want to settle there. It sure beats renting a place and getting a job to pay rent only to find that the area wasn't a good match place at all.

San Diego is my present adventure, at least for the next few days. Then it will be the road to the north, and then the assignment. All of it is an adventure as is everyday above ground. Each of us has a new day each morning and although we can predict we can never really know what will happen. let's make it good.

"MAYBE WE'LL BE CAUGHT FOR HOURS WAITIN' OUT THE SUN"

Actually I find the present weather quite pleasant up here in the high desert of Arizona. Rain had been threatening to appear and it finally arrived with a boom and a bang and plenty of flashing lights at 3am this morning. I am grateful to be safe inside a house and not blowing around in a tent.

I am visiting friends in Prescott. We all know one another from our times spent living in South America. Joe and Linda and pretty dog Supe lived in Uruguay. They moved back to the USA a few years ago. It has been wonderful reconnecting and just chilling out for a few days together. There has been no rushing around, no pressure, no tight agendas, just relaxation. It has given me time to do some internet research on future helpx assignments, routes and much more. Sooner or later camping will not be an easy option especially in southern California where the water has been turned off in all the public campgrounds. That leaves a lot of sand on your feet.

I arrived to Prescott on Saturday after driving from Las Vegas during a hazardous weather warning. Luckily I only hit funky rain after my art stop in Chloride, AZ. (speaking of funky see the artistic photos below.)

From Kingman to Seligman driving was a little slow go for me but I still I appreciated the colors. The clouds here hang in the sky layer upon layer and with such a beautiful mix of blue and gray hues. I've had such great photo opps but with those opps come blasts of severe weather. We had/have been planning a day excursion to Jerome. It has yet to materialize due to the forecasts. It wouldn't be fun to drive up the mountain in bad weather. I understand the route is full of switchbacks. If the excursion happens fine and if not fine. I am just enjoying hanging out. Yesterday we wandered around Watson Lake. It would be a nice place to go back to in the future but Thursday I leave for Yuma.

 

UPDATE: It is raining TONS with thunder and lightening. My fault? Perhaps. I can't leave a visit with Joe and LInda without torrential downpours. It has become tradition. The same thing happened when I visited Piriapolis, Uruguay in 2010. Joe and I just got the gas heater going in this temp rental property. The process made me giggle and gave me a warm feeling of being at home again in Argentina.

So... it is quiet time right now which is very good. I have pulled out my treatment materials and magnetic pad and little black bag of magic tricks to ease people's aches and pains and I am doing some drawing too. Supo pretty dog is on the right channel for the afternoon too. It is good to relax.

"You and me and rain on the roof
Caught up in a summer autumn shower
Dryin' while it soaks the flowers
Maybe we'll be caught for hours
Waitin' out the sun"

1966 John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful :)

"YOU'RE GOIN' TO LOST WAGES, LOST WAGES..."

"They got the Steely Dan T-Shirts" - actually I don't but I do have clean laundry now. We are in Vegas but we are certainly not on the strip.

Ines and I got in a nice last hike in at Bryce canyon. We went to Tower Bridge at the bottom of the canyon and walked back up. Between Queen's Garden the day before and Tower Bridge my hips this morning took a bit of time to figure out how to work properly again. Right first, then left, repeat. My body got rather stiff yesterday driving from Bryce to Las Vegas. It took about 7 hours all together with stops. I was pooped. This is not a photo of me obviously. It is of one of the funsters that came over today. He personifies how I feel.

Heidi (Ines' daughter) and Mark greeted us with beverages and enchiladas and Ines was super pleased to be once again with her granddaughter Sofia, now 2 1/2 years old. I was down for the count early. There was a time change during the day's drive from mountain to west coast time plus my contacts had adhered to my eyeballs. I was sleepy and worn but I am happy to report that this morning when I awoke I was headache free. I was still tired but headache free. YEY!

(This is Sofia breaking eggs. She cooked us breakfast.)



This house is lovely and Heidi has inherited her mom's artistic taste. Every room feels peaceful and 'good energy' even when this young family hosts Family Storytime on Fridays for a Mom's group. Throughout the house there are pieces of art including screens and wall hangings by Ines. I want to show you some of the photos I took of the carved and painted pieces. I think it is fun to see them not on a website or in a gallery or show but in a real life home. Remember Ines and I met because we were both juried into the same national art show in Easton. This is her website to see more. inessmrz.com Check it out.

Last night we were told of the Family Storytime that was scheduled for today at 10 am and how several toddler and infants would be descending onto the house. "Perfect" I thought. I like to do nice things for my hosts and this was no exception. I just happen to have Paty Payasa stored in the very back of my car's trunk. This morning I took her out to play with the kids. Now I really am exhausted. In fact, as it is quiet right now I am going to take an adult nap. I finished my laundry and my car is almost completely packed for driving to Prescott tomorrow where I will stay with some friends. It will be "farewell for now" to Ines. She is needed here at her family's place and Sofia will re-energize her too.

SOFIA AND PATY DANCING BEFORE BREAKFAST

Paty and I are signing off for now. Catch ya on the flip.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

1973 - Steely Dan and Show Biz Kids............................

"THERE'LL BE WIND IN THE CANYON, MOON ON THE RISE"

Bless me Father for I have ...not blogged in five days. I am not sure where to begin. How about chronological order? Yes I think that is better than alphabetical order by CANYON and NATIONAL PARK.

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK @ 5PM

A question first... Have you ever had something that you really,really like, let's say it is ice cream or cake? You eat it for every meal plus in between meals and you do so for seven straight days AND you do it with a big headache. Do you think you just might get a bit jaded when someone brings you another dish of ice cream or _______________ (fill in the blank). Really. Try it someday. I bet you would want a rest from the over indulgence. I bet that ice cream or _____________ (fill in the blank) would not look anywhere as near as WONDERFUL as the first dish....unless maybe you took a bit of time to savor the wonderful taste for a few days instead of gobbling it down.

Patt writes in analogies again.

We drove from Grand Junction, CO to Thompson Springs, UT and set up camp in a flat, dry RV park with no stores around for 30 miles. We were the only tent in the RV place and were given the honor of the only tree shade behind the mobile home that houses the office and laundry. There was a hole in the wall of the building to put our extension cord trough so that we could plug in my electric skillet to make dinner. It actually was a neato spot. The stars were amazing and they felt so close as if you could almost touch them as did the train that boomed by sounding it's whistle in the middle of the night. The next morning when I got up I looked to see just how close the train tracks really were.

After we set up the tent and confirmed that yes indeed we had an indoor toilet to use (never forget to ask that question) we headed off to Arches National Park. If you are in a rush in Utah and have several parks on your itinerary you can skip this one. Skip Moab too. Granted it was a Friday on a long weekend and the weather was fantastic but the traffic going up and down Arches...UGH.

After the Colorado Monument I really am jaded. That park was clear of too many people and felt intimate, as if I had a connection. Arches isn't set up that way. But hey - there are plenty of people to ask to take your photo. I am being positive yet sarcastic. There was an energy there that I didn't like and it had nothing to do with the vistas and the rocks themselves. It had to do with entitled people that knowingly walk right in front of other people taking photos. Now that didn't happen to me as I didn't take many photos but I did see it time and time again with others. I have not seen such behavior in other parks. If you do not like driving in crowds don't bother with Arches. We did it, got it done - and moved on to....

DAWN IN TORREY - SANDY CREEK RV & CAMPING

Torrey and Sand Creek RV and Camping. When I saw the fenced in area for our tent I didn't think the tent would fit. I guess most campers do not have 10' x 14' tents or they would be RVing it. All worked out fine though and there were two fence walls to bungee that sucker to. Goodness it got windy overnight. The dawn was wonderful.

Here are a few shots of Capitol Creek.

LOOKING INTO THE SUN - CAPITOL CREEK NATIONAL PARK

Up again the next morning and in the car with me driving to Tropic, UT which is about 20 minutes from the Visitor Center at Bryce. (Oh did I mention when not driving, putting the tent up and down and driving through canyons we seem to spend the rest of the time getting on slow internet connections to find the next campground? Sounds like I still have a headache huh?) On the positive side as I have been told in the past that I seem to make the best of things... I am considering this a taste of the canyons. I shall return to the places that I have liked and spend true quality time, on my feet and not behind a wheel.

The route from Torrey to Tropic isn't long (2 1/2 hours) but it is slow and driving is tedious. With an altitude headache that started in Denver I became more and more quiet and unappreciative. The views with the aspen so yellow at that altitude should have had be in bliss but instead I was in pain and getting grumpy inside and out. I didn't want to be driving. Inside my eyes hurt, I wanted to be outside in nature softly sitting on a rock somewhere. I kept telling myself that soon, soon that time will come somewhere, someday down the line. I really dislike rushing through nature. I felt like "If It's Tuesday It Must Be Some National Park and Flippin' Canyon Out My Car Window" movie.

NOT STARBUCKS

Bryce Pioneer Village - I LOVE THIS PLACE! I went into the office and paid for two nights as soon as we arrived in tropic. I didn't get back into the car until we needed food for dinner. I was not going to go to Bryce Canyon and drive that too on the same day. Instead I put on my bathing suit and got into the pool and the BEAUTIFUL hot tub. I LOVE THIS PLACE. For $20 plus tax you can pitch your tent on a nice green lawn and have full use of the village's facilities. There are mountains all around with great views, the staff is friendly and it is so quiet at night. Obviously I highly recommend it.

HAPPIER OUTSIDE

MINI CANYON MANDALA

And now for Bryce Canyon. A must see. At first I was not impressed (jaded) as we were instructed to drive to the end of the road up and then turn and come back down as the lookouts are all on the return side of the road. The views got better and better as we made our way back to the visitor center. We didn't get more than an hour of hiking in at the top but we knew what we were going to do the next day. In fact, we added two more days to our tent stay at Pioneer.



Yesterday we got up before dawn and went to the park to photograph the sunrise. Beautiful. I personally was in so many layers of clothing that I could barely move my arms to point and shoot. I am joking but I did have six layers on my upper body and I was still cold. You can imagine how cold it was in the tent at 5am.

Later we went back to Bryce for some real exercise and views that you don't really see from the look outs. I went off by myself as did Ines and that headache temporarily dissipated while the huffing and puffing was brought forward into consciousness. Let me show you what was at the last half mile of the two mile hike..... I stopped being grumpy for a bit because I was just trying to survive it.

(Thanks Ranger Anon who told me that I looked good on the trails - haaaa - I think it was the short blue jean shorts and cowboy hat and not my quick confident pace up that last inclines.)

Well this is long with probably lots of typos as I am tinkling my keyboard outside in the shade overlooking a mesa at the campground and keep losing connection. We're hiking again at Bryce today and then tomorrow I am dropping Ines at her daughter's in Las Vegas. There we will part. Zion Canyon I know is a must see but it is a not must now. I wouldn't appreciate it. Not now. I will hike it another time when my head doesn't hurt and when I am over gorging on gorges.

The day is a-wasting. I must go. Adelante >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"There'll be wind in the canyon
Moon on the rise
As long as we can sail away."

SO HAPPY WITH THIS PHOTO!

And here is your musical interlude with Neil Young from 1979...