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So much has sped by since writing “Arrive Alive” but I wanted to let you know I eventually reached my destination, very much alive. But before I drop you right into the thick of a new adventure, I’ll bring you up to speed. When we last met, I had just emerged, crinkly and new, from … Continue reading My Rearview Mirror
I begin this last day of writing a month in a minivan in a state of art-pray, thinking about snakes. As a young girl, I often caught garter snakes to play with for short times. Other than foul-smelling pee, they were harmless. You could find them under hay bales at harvest time, and every old … Continue reading Day 31: Arriving Alive (the final instalment)
I laughed when I woke up this morning. How will I ever leave this place? Has it been three days or a week? Time is circular in a portal. Not straight at all. Instead of planning, which always leads me astray, I simply wait and watch. Now with earnest. The first sign comes from Kokopelli. … Continue reading Day 30: Off Ramp
Words aren’t working today, so I’m going with images. Apparently, I’ve used up my word quota for the week, and I remind myself that communication isn’t restricted to words. So, I’ll take you on a visual journey instead. This first collection of photos were taken up a very night mountain in Cave Creek Canyon; 8,500 … Continue reading Day 29: Nature Speaks
There are times I’m prepared to pay $52 for the luxury of having 24 hours to take two baths, a hot shower, do three loads of laundry, update my iPad and phone, take a swim, buy water, make important phone calls, clean the inside of the van, wash out my fridge, download music and be … Continue reading Day 25: A Foot.
I don’t ever have to be convinced to sit in a hot spring, but there is something particularly sweet about a natural hot springs pool in the middle of the desert. The water in the two concrete pools circulates continually. It drains each night and refills each morning when sun hits the solar panels, keeping … Continue reading Day 19: Today’s Traffic
We were visited three times last night by a Great Horned Owl, and once alerted to the presence of a nearby human by the screeching of a car alarm. Although the second sound definitely brings out the worst in me (there is a reason they call it a panic button) I no longer imagine the … Continue reading Day 18: Notes from the Field
It takes about a half hour to pack the van. Not bad, considering how I tend to explode out of it when I settle somewhere. A mat, table, camp chair, water jug, dog kennel and my solar panels all need to find their places once again. I take time to tidy as I go. Each … Continue reading DAY 17: On the Move
I’ve never really been a “fan” of tourist attractions, but I can cook up good fun with very few ingredients, and in the absence of other obvious attractions in an area, have probably visited as many as the next person. Today I took a little day-trip along the Apache Trail, with a plan to stop … Continue reading Day 15: The Places In Between
It rained steadily all night. My neighbour from the valley came up to park beside me so he didn’t get stuck in the mud. It was a good move. Although mucky here too, it’s not “get-stuck” mud. Just squeeze-between-your-toes, mucky-muck. The kind a person can gently sink into, but safely get out of. During a very … Continue reading Day 12: The Sink & Tickle