Pacific

June 27
Mendocino County, CA

I saw another ocean. To be specific the Pacific. Saturday morning I left the ranch and began my drive to the coast. There's definitely more in CA as well as some smog too. I'd heard
tell via the internet that there would be a contra dance in Sebastopol that evening. I went to mass at St. Sebastion, then stopped by Safeway to restock my larder with some fruit, and then proceeded to contra. It was an opportunity to socialize with the natives, and a chance to show the California ladies what a barefoot hoosier boy can do. I wanted so to gypsy the hippie girls there, but no gypsy was called. The dance was over at 11, and not yet having found a place to stay, I drove out to the coast and up Hwy. 1. There are some beautiful views from the cliffs overlooking the ocean, but my timing was a bit off. I was able though to see the nearly full moon shimmering off the waves below from time to time. I found a campground, but it was full so I continued up the coast. Around 1 am I found a narrow road that headed inland through the middle of a redwood forest. There were no houses, and a sign said "No Services For 47 Miles". I deduced there would be no traffic, drove a couple of miles, found a pull-off, parked the car, threw down my air pad and sleeping bag behind a fallen log, and called it good. I could here the sound of water, and thought there must be a waterfall or rushing stream nearby, but in the morning I decided it must be the sound of the ocean waves pounding against the shore. I was relieved to find that no unwanted critters ( or wanted ones for that matter ) had occupied my sleeping bag with me. I packed up and drove up the coast a ways, found a beach access, and viewed the ocean in daylight.

Ridin' The Range

June 25
Sierra County, CA

The week at Stonehouse Ranch has been a good one. Located 17 miles NW of Reno, and one mile across the CA border in a long valley with mountains all around. They raise beef, dairy, horses, alpacas, chickens, as well as a vegetable garden. Trish has been my trail boss for the week instructing me on my chores of rounding up doggies, fixin' fence, helping milk their 3 Jersey cows; Star, Honey, and Grandma, and transplanting starts from the greenhouse to raised beds. Her husband Jerry works off the ranch, but provided us with some delicious evening meals, including home made ice cream, and introduced me to a tasty blueberry lager. There was lots of time for conversations on world events, the future, religion, and everyday topics. I feel I've gained some new perspectives. Next week I'll be working near the coast about 3 hours north of San Francisco at Greenwood Millworks, an off-grid organic farm with timber stand improvement and sawmill operations. I may have to don my flannels ( no pun intended! )

Lake Tahoe / Mt. Rose

June 23
Lake Tahoe, CA

I took a day trip to Lake Tahoe. It would be a nice place if it weren't for all the development and tourists, but with a little effort you can still find some secluded places to explore. After Tahoe I cruised up toward Reno crossing Mt. Rose, the highest pass on the Sierras at 8900 feet. I stopped just short of the peak and took a hike through the snow. I hear it's been pretty hot around the country... I can't imagine...

Reno Bound

June 20
Carson City, NV


"Flying by Winnemuca doin' 'bout 95, automatic, cruise control, good to be alive" Reno Bound by Southern Pacific. I cruised through NV Saturday and found a campsite at Lake Washoe S.P. just north of Carson City. There were little rodents in the park that looked like a cross between a squirrel and a rat. I called them sqats. Sunday I checked out Carson City walking around downtown. It's a pretty little town in the middle of a brown, ugly desert. I even went in the Silver Nugget Casino where I drank a beer, but I didn't waste any money on the slots. This evening I'll head up through Reno and check out the ranch.

Soul Searching

June 18

Bonneville Salt Flats, UT

I stopped at the higher elevations of WY this morning to try and sneak up on some grazing antelope for a close-up photo op using scattered pine trees for cover, and eventually crawling on hands and knees through the sage brush, avoiding the occasional cow-pie along the way. The antelope proved to wary for my stalking skills, and not wishing to have their images digitalized, bolted to safer haunts. My trek continued into Utah through Salt Lake City and the Great Salt Lake Desert. The drive through WY and UT has had some very desolate and barren looking landscapes, causing me to look inside at the emptiness and darkness within - hey, this is a spiritual journey as well - and I found that even in the barrenness and desolation there was beauty and order. I exited the freeway prior to sunset just before the NV border, and went to the the Bonneville Salt Flats. I found a county road that went up into the mountains and pulled into an old gravel pit on BLM property where I set up camp. A couple of hours after bedding down the winds picked up so violently that I was sure the tent would collapse around me, prompting me to remove the rain shield which was acting as a parachute in catching the wind, and retired inside the tent with it's structural integrity intact. Although an inconvenience it provided me the opportunity to view the desert half moon and stars that were brave enough to peek out from the partially overcast skies. The winds died back down and I slept peacefully.

Tell Me WY

June 17
Lander, WY

Wednesday morning I started out for WY. I lined up two job interviews at spas, one in Cheyenne and one in Casper. As I left ID I spotted an eagle soaring across the interstate - perhaps a good omen. It was a windy, rainy drive. Thursday it cleared, but winds were gusting 50+ mph. The stretch between Casper and Cheyenne was especially treacherous. Two tractor trailers were tipped over along I-25, like horses laying on their bellies in a pasture. I imagined them lying helpless with their soft undersides exposed to big truck predators- if there were such a thing. My Nissan had no trouble navigating the mighty winds, she just hunkered down and gripped the asphalt with her steel belted radials. We have logged almost 5000 miles on this journey thus far. She has been a loyal companion and her service has not gone unappreciated. Tomorrow I shall reward her with another oil change. The interviews went alright, but I wasn't overly impressed with either place. We'll see... From Casper I drove to Lander where I'm spending the night. I must have seen hundreds of antelope ( well maybe not hundreds, but at least 95 ) grazing along the roadsides with the cattle. I have another farm to work at next week stonehouseranch.com so tomorrow I'll be crossing back over the continental divide for Nevada.

Palouse Falls

June 14

Palouse Falls, WA

What's a good blog without a breathtaking waterfall picture? Sunday I took a road trip into WA state to see Steptoe Butte and Palouse Falls. Eastern WA is rolling farmland with no trees, quite different than ID. The falls were out in the middle of nowhere but a lot of people were at the park. I'll be at the ranch a few more days before rambling to a place of mystery!

Idaho

June 12
Benewah County, ID

Nothing too exciting happened this week at the farm. I spent the days pulling weeds around garlic plants and exploring the nearby towns and forests. Stan & Colleen and there houseful of cats are gracious hosts. I'm staying in a spare bedroom as the weather has been too cool and rainy to attempt camping. Colleen is an RN and health consultant and I've learned several new home remedies including Tiaga, a mushroom type fungus that grows on trees out here, of which I've collected a few specimens and intend to give them a try. Rob, a volunteer who has decided to stay on and is living in a camper, came within 30 ft. of a mountain lion on a walk earlier this week. I have not been so lucky (or unlucky) although I have seen deer, elk, and a beaver. After traveling over 2000 miles it's been good just to take it easy and have a home base to return to.

Mountain Standard Time

June 5
East Glacier, MT

Today I crossed into Montana. The temp. is cooler and the days are longer here in this northern land. Sunrise is at 5:30 and last night when I crawled in my tent at 10:30 it was still partially light out. Today's high will be in the upper 60's and tonight it's supposed to be around 40 prompting me to (along with the fact that I haven't showered in a couple of days) check in to the Mountain Pines Motel. Settling in I then drove up to Glacier National Park. The scenic 50 mile loop through the park was closed 13 miles in (due to snow and ice I suppose) so I spared myself the entrance fee, parked at a pull off along the highway and went for a relaxing hike along a mountain stream.

Headin' West

June 4
Lewis & Clark S. P., ND

I'm traveling west to northern ID where I will be WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) on the first of several farms I hope to stay at http://www.parksideorganicranch.com/ Driving along the northern part of MN, I would occasionally look over my right shoulder and glare in the general direction of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. I also periodically checked my rear views for any security agents or mounties who may be tailing me. None were spotted. I stopped in a little one horse town, Northome, at the city library to publish a previous post. Their "computer room" sported no less than three antiquated computers and a printer. The model I sat at reminded me of my previous (and first) laptop, which even to my lacking computer knowledge was slower than molasses in the middle of winter. Having completed my task I continued on to the Peace Garden State of North Dakota where I drifted across the high plains, undaunted by a strong prairie wind seeking to impede my progress. I set up camp at the Lewis & Clark S. P. and feasted on a pot of black beans and eggs cooked over my campfire, which were quite delicious. It doesn't take much to satisfy a hungry, road-wearied traveller.

Oh (almost) Canada

June 3
Lake Pfiefer, MN

So in preparing for this epic adventure I tried to take in all considerations and packed accordingly. Lots of clothes, camping and cooking gear, a guitar, massage table, and my trusty 22 caliber rifle should I be forced to live off the land, or be attacked by wild bears or mountain lions. That being said I cruised on up 61, and since I was this close to Canada, and never having been abroad, decided I would cross over into their fair country, drive along it's southern border and reemerge in the states at International Falls, MN. As I pulled up to customs and awaited my turn at the drive-thru, I whipped out my shiny new passport acquired less than a month ago. The agent went down her checklist of obligatory questions, and when she asked "Do you have any firearms? I casually replied "Yes" (wrong answer!) After a few more questions I was told those five words you don't want to hear at a border crossing. "Pull to the left please." I parked my car and went inside where I was told to have a seat and wait (just like the dentist's office.) After about 15 minutes I was called to the counter to undergo a series of questioning hereto for never experienced. I half expected them to drag me into a bare room with a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. I was then told to have a seat and after another 15 minutes was re summoned to the counter. The agent had her paperwork completed and no doubt had searched my files (if I have any.) She then informed me I would have to fill out a registration form and pay a $25 fee for the privilege of transporting my rifle. After having gone over my budget earlier in the day, and considering that the southern part of Canada couldn't vary that much from the northern part of the U.S. I kindly asked if I could waive the registration and just return to my homeland (wrong question!) She obliged my request, but told me they would have to search my car. I was told to have a seat again, and after another 15 minutes four security agents emerged from their dark lair, and with my accompaniment proceeded to the parking lot. I was told to stand on the sidewalk in front of the car while my loyal Sentra yielded her contents to the probing hands and searching eyes of the agents. They searched through all my luggage, opening any boxes or bags they encountered. I even saw one agent looking inside my shoes, trying to find any shred of evidence so they could pounce on me, throw me to the ground, and place me in shackles. I must admit I felt a bit incriminated, especially when a busload of tourists stopped in the parking lot directly behind me and watched all the goings on. Finally, satisfied that I wasn't smuggling any illegal aliens or drugs, and that I wasn't a threat to the security of their sovereign nation, (which at this point I wasn't entering anyway!), they went back inside, but not before informing me they needed to search my cell phone and laptop, to which I obediently typed in my password. After another 15 minute wait an agent came forth from the inner sanctum bearing my computer and phone (which I'm quite certain they planted tracking and monitoring devices in) and instructed me on how to leave their facilities. Back in my car I pulled around the side of the building with an agent pointing me in the direction of my homeland. I politely smiled and waved, but she failed to return the gesture. I was actually hoping for a kiss, because after spending the last hour and a half kissing a part of their anatomy ( that I learned in my A&P class is known as the gluteas maximus, medius, and minimus) I felt they could at least return the favor and kiss mine goodbye. Upon arriving at the American checkpoint I was asked if I enjoyed my trip to Canada, to which I told them my little story. They then told me to (guess what!) "pull to the left please!" After another series of questioning and searching (although much more abbreviated than their northern neighbors) I was allowed to set foot on native soil. None the worse for wear and a little bit wiser, I wasted little time driving back down 61 a ways and then hanging a right and heading deep into the north woods, stopping much after dark to pitch camp for the night.Later that night I was awakened by the sound of raindrops on the tent and I lay there pondering the events of the day. I tried to think of a moral to this story, but all that came to mind was the words to an old Hank Jr. song "and y'all was gettin' screwed but ya wasn't gettin' kissed". Idaho bound.

Gitchie Gumee

June 2
Two Harbors, MN

"The legend remains from the Chippewa on down on the big lake they call Gitchie Gumee"
The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot. After bidding Andy farewell last night I stoked the campfire and crawled in the tent for what I hoped would be a restful night's sleep. Around 2 am I was roused from my slumber by increasing winds and distant lightning. After a few minutes of deliberation I decided to pull stakes and managed to escape the campsite before the brunt of the storm bore down, getting only slightly wet, and by 2:30 was rolling northward through IL. MO, and IA. By 10 am the Land of 10,000 Lakes had welcomed me with open arms. After an overdue oil change I continued north through western WI reentering MN at the southern edge of Lake Superior. I then followed the lake shore up 61 and got a motel room for the night at Two Harbors. The following day I continued my trek toward the Canadian border, but that's a whole 'nother story.

Handy

June 1
Pere Marquette State Park, IL

The wheels have been set in motion. I met up with an old CAP acquaintance, travel partner, and nemesis, Andy, today. He treated me to dinner in a restaurant at the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. We then went back to my campsite and partook of some Mike's hard lemonade while reminiscing about past adventures, like the time we, along with some cohorts took a home-made raft down the mighty Cumberland River. Or the time we spent a week on the Maine Trail Crew, where we single-handedly cleared 50 miles of the Appalachian Trail. (Some stories tend to grow bigger over time.) Andy and his wife Amanda are proud new parents of a beautiful daughter Clare Marie. She is said to favor Andy, but without a long, flowing, red beard it's hard to say. I tried to convince Andy to leave wife and newborn to join me on this adventure, but being the noble gentleman he is, he did the honorable thing and opted to stay behind with wife and family. You've betrayed me for the last time Handy...