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
Category: van community
DAY 17: On the Move
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
Day 16: Simple. Not Simple.
Some things are simple pleasures. For instance, the world let me in on a coffee secret and I’ll never be the same. Apparently a New York City favourite from way back, at 7 coppers a cup it’s the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had. Ah, pure simple pleasure. This morning, my friend identified at … Continue reading Day 16: Simple. Not Simple.
Day 15: The Places In Between
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
Day 13: Higher Ground
It’s a bit of a paradox; how sinking into something can transport you to a higher place. I spent the afternoon at the Arboretum, with my macro lens. It seemed fitting, given my recent focus on going deeper. Aren’t the patterns incredible? The balance. The contrast. Light and dark. Lines and Circles. Spirals. Being among … Continue reading Day 13: Higher Ground
Day 11: Leaning In
I feel the rain closing in. Picketpost is doing its best to hold it back, but you can see it climbing that mountain, and just know eventually it’s going to lower itself over the other side. But I’ve decided it doesn’t matter. There is such peace when I stop running away from something. Today I … Continue reading Day 11: Leaning In
Day 10: Weathering Weather
Morning rises over Picket Post, and Pippa and I bask in the growing sunshine entering through the open side door. Direct morning sunshine applied liberally to the face upon waking does a world of good. There is something psychologically powerful about rising with the sun. That’s a lot of energy, rising into the sky! I … Continue reading Day 10: Weathering Weather
Day 8: Live, from the Arboretum
Sue met me in the parking lot of the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and before we could finish proper introductions we are caught in some kind of desert-spell. My travel guide points over my shoulder mid-sentence, and we pivot to witness a large Saguaro, it’s small root ball hanging vulnerably below, in the bucket of a … Continue reading Day 8: Live, from the Arboretum
Day 6: Curiousity Cards
Pip and I walked at sunrise and didn’t see another awakened soul, even in this densely populated camp. Made my bed, put on coffee and sat in the sunshine, listening mostly to traffic and rounds being fired at a nearby gun club, until my friend arose. At other times, this might have irritated me in … Continue reading Day 6: Curiousity Cards
Day 5: When Lost isn’t All Lost
I searched for those keys at the crack of dawn, for as long as I could. It’s hard to intently scan the ground in a blooming desert, without falling under the spell of every wildflower and sparkling rock. You try focusing on the desert floor when every bird for a mile around is singing, and … Continue reading Day 5: When Lost isn’t All Lost