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Saturday June 27, 2015 A MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCE
Saturday June 27, 2018 DAY 115 A MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCE!
NOTE TO ANY WHO READ YESTERDAY’S BLOG. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO BACK AND REREAD IT! I just proofread it and it was atrocious. I was literally sleep walking in my brain last night. Hope tonight is better. At least it is only 12:22 a.m. I must hurry so I can get more sleep tonight.
Tonight I am again in a different bed, different room and about 10 hours in driving time from where I spent last night. I am in Cheyenne Wyoming. After driving in both Montana and Wyoming I think it is almost a draw as to which one I am most in love with. The thing I find so interesting about these states is that each state individually is so diverse in landscapes. Since they are bordering states you would think they might be quite similar, but after leaving Montana and arriving in Wyoming it’s as if the landscapes changes purposely to accommodate a separate identity for each state. It also seemed that way when I crossed the border from Canada into Idaho.
I loved Montana in its stark beauty of open spaces and subtle colors and the curves that fashioned the ground. So, so beautiful. And then I crossed over the “port of entrance” in Frannie Wyoming and It’s as if I drove into another country again. Very different. Wyoming has a cragginess about it. So many shapes and forms rising up from the earth. Sharp points of mountains, large and small, irregular peaks in the distance and bluffs that seem to arise out of nowhere. Crumbling rock tumbling on the roads from above. And I wondered what “The Port of Entrance” meant until I saw the highway sign that said all commercial vehicles had to stop at the port of entrance for inspection. Then I realized I had crossed over the border from one state to the next and everything in commercial vehicles had to be checked. I assumed it mostly had to do with transporting live fruits and vegetables and anything else that could bring petulance or disease into the state of Wyoming. The same tactic is used when crossing the border into California.
Blake told me about a mountain range that I might want to see since I enjoythe winding scenic route much better that Interstates. So I decided to take his advice and go the scenic route. I will forever be grateful to Blake for telling me about this DIAMOND. Oh my, what an experience today was as I drove into a mountain of delight. After leaving the mountain I summed it up in my mind as being Yosemite and Glacier National Park all rolled into one. And I loved both Yosemite and Glacier but I think I love this one more or at least as equal. I approached the mountain range from a long distance away and was quite impressed with what I saw. I didn’t realize these were the mountains I would be journeying into. The closer I got the more curious I was about them. They are like none other I have ever seen. Take a look at the pictures I included today. Enlarge the picture by clicking on it and study the intricate lines of the mountain’s surface. So very beautiful. As I got closer and closer to the mountain I could see that one of them had, what looked like to me, to be a road on it. I felt a little tingle, and a lot of excitement as I speculated that that might actually be the mountain I would climb to get over to the other side. Well, it was true. That was the mountain I would climb in my little grey fox. And it was a steep climb and descent. And it took a long time to get over the mountains. Once I climbed to the top in my car the lookout points were amazing. It was like sitting on the edge of an airplane wing and looking at the earth below.
I finally arrived at the other side of the mountain range and was quite a bit behind in my timeline for traveling to my next destination before dark. But it was worth it. So worth it. When I arrived at the tops of the mountain, to my surprise there were beautiful little green valleys with gorgeous trees growing up the sides of the mountains. From a distance I could see no depth, no other mountains behind the row of mountains I viewed from afar I was so pleasantly surprised to find all the different landscapes even in the ecosystem of the mountains. It was about 20 degrees cooler up than down on the dessert floor. 74 degrees vs. 94 degrees. Take your pick. When I am in the internal part of a mountain range like the one today I feel apart and personal and intimate with the mountain. It seems such a mystery how man can engineer and design a system to traverse from one mountain to the next mountain to get over and through and up and down in the mountain range and make you come out where you need to go. I love the feeling of being within the range.
Again, I am at a loss for words and clarity because of the late time. I arrived at my destination after 9:00 p.m. tonight and once I got unpacked and had dinner it was another late night. I am staying an Airbnb tonight in Cheyenne. I hope to go to the capitol building if it are open on a Sunday and then head to Denver Colorado to see my cherished friends Cynthia and Chris and their two boys. David believes I am his grandma and he is excited to see me. The 4 month old could probably care less but I can hardly wait to see how much he has grown since I was there earlier in my trip. He was just a couple of weeks old when I last saw him. I have adopted her boys in my heart as my grandchildren. I think I am the only grandma they really know. I will be in Denver for two nights.
Before I left Blake and Carrie’s home I asked Blake if he had some wisdom for me. He was quick to respond and I want to point out that I absolutely love his wisdom. He said quite a bit on my voice box on the Iphone so I will condense it here
Blake’s wisdom: “Try to learn something from everyone you meet in life because everyone you meet will have something interesting that you don’t know about. If you take time to visit with them you will learn something new.”
Blake told me about a story I found very interesting. Last year his wife Carrie became involved with flying with World War II vets for the HONOR FLIGHT to Washington DC and back because she is a respiratory therapist that flies on the medical rescue flights taking people to hospitals. Medical personnel were needed to help care for the elderly veterans while traveling. She came back from the first flight and was so emotionally exploding that Blake decided to volunteer his time as well. Blake went on all the rest of the flights. They worked with over 500 veterans on these trips. Carrie could not come on the last trip but Blake went. These men were in their 90’s and one was 103. Blake found out new things from each one he talked with. There was one man who wanted to go on the honor flight so desperately but his family did not want him to go because he was frail. He wanted to go so badly that they consented. He did it. He had a marvelous time and loved every moment of it. Carrie did not get to go on that last flight with him so she stopped over at his house the night he got home just to talk to him. He was thrilled to have had the experience. Carrie went home and the man died later that night. This man was quite an artisan and after his death his family gifted Carrie and Blake with a beautiful art creation he did. I regret that I did not take a photo of it because it was truly one of the most beautiful intricate pieces of wood art I have ever seen. It was a three dimensional piece of wood with beautiful curves that if held in one direction made a perfect double “S”. The sides were curved with a wide flat surface. the wood was all done with intricate small pieces of wood overly. It was truly a beautiful work of art. In a nutshell Blake’s wisdom “Try to learn something from everyone you meet.”
Blake, thank you for your beautiful and touching story. And oh by the way, if you read this would you please take a picture of a couple of different angles of the artwork I spoke about and send it to my text number. I would really appreciate it and would love to post it here. Thank you for a wonderful experience at your home. I enjoyed meeting both you and Carrie. If Carrie would like to send me her wisdom I’d love to share it.
Okay friends out there in never never land. My days on the road are numbered. It is count down time. This is my last Sunday to be traveling. I have a lot of thinking to do. A lot of contemplation. I am so looking forward to seeing my grandsons in Wisconsin, my husband, my son and daughter in law and eventually Rebecca and Neil and Jackson and Coal (my granddogs) down in West Palm Beach. Life will never be the same for me again. I will never be the same. Thanks to all of you who have read my blog and made comments along the way. I appreciate your input. I don’t even know if a lot of it made sense because I wrote so late at night and that is not my normal wake time. I think I am in for some adjustment when I get home. I hope to continue blogging and actually put topics where they should be so it will be easier to find things. I’d like to have more of my poetry available also.
I will close but before I do I’ll search my brain and see if there is any power left in there to come up with a poem without falling asleep.
Montana Inspiration
By Kathleen Martens
June 27, 2015
Seas of color dance in the wind,
Flowers and grass best of friends.
Colors of gold flecked by the sun
As beige and lavender blur into one.
Pink and orange and hints of green
And maroon oft is seen.
An ocean floor gentle and curved
This same beauty to the earth served.
And I thank God that I can see
All that He created just for me.
And that I can hear His beautiful song
The sound of birds as I travel along.
And I can inhale the fragrance of life
In a simple flower that carries no strife.
And I can taste His bounty of love
That He seeded from Heaven above.
And I thank God that I can feel
Love, joy, happiness, and zeal.
The above poem is in tribute of the beautiful plains of Montana, ever changing, ever dancing, ever joyful. My mountain top poem will just have to wait. Good night. Sweet dreams!
Friday June 5 2015 Day 93 THE BACK ROADS TO THE MOUNTAIN TOPS
It is now Saturday afternoon June 6th and I am writing yesterday’s events. This couple I am with are wearing me out! In a good way! There is so much to see up here on the Columbia River and the surrounding area that we are off and running (well driving actually) at some point every day. Today’s running has not yet happened. We have plans for later. We are having a salad soon and then going to take off to climb a rock. A big rock. Look back at yesterday’s postings and see the picture of Beacon Rock. That is the rock that Larry and I plan to climb when it gets a bit cooler It is really quite high and has some rough trails that go around on the ledge. I have been told it has a magnificent view of the Columbia River at its highest attainable point. I get sort of a trilling stomach when I think about doing something as precarious as that. Yet, I feel like I can trust my body to perform for me. I haven’t had as much opportunity to workout this past week so I need a good strenuous challenge to look forward to. I spoke with Dave earlier and he told me that he attending a dinner tonight with the “Prime Time” group. It is where you go to someone’s house who is preparing a dinner for you but you don’t know whose house until you arrivet. He has an idea. I hope he has a good time while I am sweating my way up that rock.
Now to yesterday, Friday June 5, 2015 Day 93. It was an awesome day. My friends have been retired for awhile and are teaching me some things. One is how to sleep in, have a nice easy morning, then do what you want. Sounds pretty nice. Turn down to yesterday’s photos listed below and see the one captioned “Charlene’s backyard view”. That is exactly what I can see when I look up from the pages of my computer screen. It is 94 degrees, no humidity, and actually quite lovely here under a covered patio that comes off the side door from my lower level suite. Not just lovely, but absolutely grand!!!! I love this place. It speaks to my heart and soul. If I could I would convince Dave to come back to Oregon so we could live in this beautiful environment, albeit is drying up like California. That is so sad. I do hope snows and rains come this year for this country on the west coast.
After our luxuriously wonderful morning we high tailed it out to make up for lost time. Now I had on my red patchwork dress that I made in 1974. Carlene assured me that we wouldn’t being seeing anyone and that we would mostly be in the car and only out in the wilderness. So I decided to wear it. It was just too comfortable to change. I put on my stripped toe socks, red walking shoes, pearl earrings, and walked out into the wilds of the world wearing my floor length polyester vintage patchwork quilt red dress. It was wonderful! A little ways down the road past their house were some very secluded, unmarked waterfalls. Or so we thought they were unmarked. Charlene pulled over alongside this country road, deep in the heart of the forest (with huge trees) and we began walking down a narrow pathway that descended about half way down the mountain side we were on. At the end of our descent there was a lookout platform and straight ahead of us and below us were the most beautiful waterfalsl. The waterfalls comes out of the side of a mountain that loomed above us. The Panther Creek that runs in the backyard of Larry and Charlene’s place meet the falls at that point and both water sources combine into the Panther Creek. There were a lot of white rapids as the creek narrowed where it met the falls. It was so beautiful, so isolated, and sounded like how I imagine the chorus of heaven might sound like. I was in awe! I have a picture posted below but I was only able to get a portion of the falls because I was so close and couldn’t back up. How do I share in words something so awesome and beautiful. Now it does not compare with the Niagra Falls scope of waterfall but it’s beauty is all its own. There is an underground creek named Nine Mile Creek that feeds the falls. With so little snow left on the mountains I wonder how much longer it will run.
We made the climb back to the top of the road on a pretty steep embankment. When I got to the top and crossed the two lane narrow road I look down and see where someone spray painted the words: “FALLS” on the highway. It might have said “WATERFALLS” but I can’t remember. There was a big arrow of paint pointing to the opening path to the falls. So, I guess it isn’t such a secret anymore.
We drove around the mountains for awhile and stopped at numerous places. One of the places was at Forlorn Lake. It is one in a collection of several lakes all named the same–Forlorn Lake. Perhaps because they are all so small and in out of the way places and not easily found. They may be “forlorn” but they certainly had a pristine, primitive beauty to them. I also have a picture of one of the Forlorn Lakes posted.
As we descended the mountain there were several breathtaking views of a huge, snow capped mountain named Mt. Adams. When we finally arrived to the valley floor we stopped and took photos. That is the first photo you will see below. It is an awesome mountain. We drove through many small towns. One town we drove through actually had a MacDonalds. Charlene told me that that was the only fast food restaurant between where we were and Vancouver Washington, about 90 minutes away. How refreshing is that. All these little towns was peppered with quaint little mom and pop restaurants and many different specialties. We stopped in a little town which I do not remember, and ate at a place called Henni’s. It was a restaurant that offers small plates of food at reduced prices so you can choose two or three different entrees. I ate octopus for the first time and found it to be very interesting and tasty. I also ordered a wilted spinach salad.
Well, remember I am in my floor length leftover hippie looking dress from the 70’s, walking across the street toward an outdoor restaurant with red oxford shoes on, a red camera dangling around my neck, and striped socks of a myriad of colors, none of which matched the dress. And everyone is looking at me. I received a few smiles, a few furrowed eyebrows, and some who just glanced away quickly when I met their eye. Then the waitress comes out and makes a comment about her mother having had a dress like that way back when. She asked me where I bought my vintage dress. You should have seen her expression when I explained that I had made it 41 years ago. She went back inside, got her camera phone and asked if she could take a photo. I said yes, but she had to take two. The first one was a floor length picture of me holding my dress out. The next one I pointed my toes out, pulled my dress up and let my beautiful socks do their glory, and she took the picture. Everyone around were just smiling and I don’t even want to know what they were thinking.
I was just called for late lunch, it is 3:32 p.m. so must go. This will be it for yesterday. It was a fun day. I’m off to climb the world.
April 30 2015 Day 54 San Francisco Here I Come!
Right back where I started from. Well, not completely back quite that far. I was born in Arkansas but grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area until I married in 1973. And here I am again. There have been times when I said I would never come back to California and yet, here I am. Actually planning a trip to San Francisco proper for later next week. The rest of the time I’ll stay in the East Bay Area. Seems a little safer. San Francisco is beautiful to look from a distance but up close it is crowded and quite messy to navigate in. My word of wisdom for today is if you have a stick shift car don’t take it to San Francisco. It is dangerous on those hills.
Left beautiful Monterey this morning. It is always too soon to leave Monterey, the city by the sea. I am still living in the memory of the beauty I experienced there. And today, well today, I am in rows and rows of houses and long congested streets and lots and lots of people. It was around 40 plus years ago I watched this community of San Ramon grow and bloom into masses of people. At that time the trees were little. Now the city is a paradise of huge growth trees planted when I was a young woman. The streets are dark and shady and the homes have aged gracefully with beautiful lines of integrity. All in all, despite the miles and miles of homes it is a beautiful place to live. The surrounding hills show a light touch of green desiring to burst forth from last week’s rain. The brown grasses prevail on most slopes and often overshadow the hint of green. It give a beautiful aura standing proud above all the homes. This area consist of several canyons. A flat area of land where the streets and houses expand out to rolling hills setting stage for the mountains.
I have never seen so many mountains in my lifetime as I have experienced on this trip. It seems every state has their own particular design of mountains and they just keep going on and on, especially as I travel north as the mountains go north to south. The problem is, there is just no snow on them. Only saw a few very tall mountains with some snow and that was the day after the snow storm in Denver Colorado. By the time I left Denver most of the snow had already melted on the slopes. Pray for rain.
When I was in Oakhurst at my aunt and uncles home (by Yosemite) one of my uncles horses took a bad slide on the mud and fell hurting herself pretty badly. I called the other day to see how “Toby” was doing. She is doing okay and will survive but it will take a long time for her recovery. My uncle loves to ride and has actually taken his horses up to Yosemite National Park and ridden the trails there where no one can go without a horse. I can’t even imagine the beauty he must have seen. Well, I said all that to say this: When I was on the phone my uncle Jetton asked me if I missed being home. I told him I would think about it and blog my way through that question. He said, no, I just want a spontaneous answer right now. So I said, no, I don’t miss home. I miss my husband and family but I don’t miss being home. He asked me when my halfway point was and when I’d be turning around to go home. I told them I had no half way point, and as as far as I was concerned, that from the moment I left home I was on a journey that was leading home. I think the reason for that is that I truly do live in the moment. There is no other moment but the one I am living in. Each experience is an experience unto itself, to be savored fully for the moment(s) I am experiencing it and then I let it go for then I am living in another moment. Yes, there will be a time when am home again and then I will be experiencing the joy and thrill of that moment. But, to wish I was someplace else, or miss someplace else because I am not there would just rob me of the fullness of the joy I am feeling where ever I am at that moment.
Today was a special day in the fact that I had no plans except traveling from one location to the next. And the good part was that it was less than 100 miles away. It was a beautiful drive and I missed all the commute traffic by leaving in the middle of the day and arriving here about 3:00 p.m.
And I am here with my childhood friend Jeanette and her husband. Today was Jeanette’s last day on the clock at work. As of closing time today she is retired. She had her hip replaced in February and was on disability leave and today that leave expired. She says she doesn’t know yet how it feels to be retired. Funny thing, neither do I. But I’m practicing. Jeanette and I met when we were 12 years old at church in Oakland California. Our mother’s became good friends and thus we stayed in contact also. We had our babies close together and our boys used to play together. Well tonight one of Jeanett’s boys was on a TV show called “IT TAKES A CHURCH”. He was the bachelor looking for a prospective wife. The only thing was that it wasn’t him who did the choosing. The show was filed at his church with his friends and his pastor watching the auditions of the girls that would like to be chose and then the church chose the four finalist. Then it was up to Ryan to make the final choice. Of course mom and dad were proud as punch watching their young son (in his 30’s) do an excellent job of being himself. I’ve know Ryan all my life and he is a wonderful young man. I once did a model shoot for him in San Francisco at the Palace of Fine Arts. He is a gorgeous man as well as a great guy. We were all rooting for our favorite gal. We all chose the same favorite for of course we knew just which one would be the best for him! And he didn’t fail to deliver! We haven’t heard from after the show’s debut so we are wondering if they hit it off and are still dating. This was filmed several months ago and his parents did not know a thing about it until they were told a couple of days ago that the show was coming on. What a surprise they received when they watched the program because they didn’t know what it was about or what his part in the show would be. It felt very satisfying to be here and have the opportunity to watch this show with his parents. It was a fun night. Ryan lives and works in Southern California so he is not home very often. Ryan is an R.N.
Oh, one more incident I want to tell you about. I have a friend that lives a few blocks from Jeanette in this same neighborhood. We have been friends for 60 years. We met because we lived in the “housing projects”. My family of 5 girls lived in a small three bedroom apartment on the top floor. Albert’s family of four kids lived in the apartment below us. That made for a lot of angst with his dad because I often went to sleep with my coffee can full of marbles on my bed only to have them topple over in the night and hit the linoleum floor above Albert’s dad’s bedroom. Not a pretty sight to have him come upstairs banging on our apartment door saying things I can’t say here on my blog. Well that is how we met. We have been true friends ever since. Albert is retired now and he and his partner live close by Jeanette’s house. Jeanette and I were off on a journey to find out if I could get some passes to a gym and on the spur of the moment I asked her if we could stop by Albert’s. Albert did not know I was coming or in the area. Jeanette and I knocked on the door and Mark answered, looked at me and I just stood there with a silly grin and forgot to say anything. I could tell he did not recognize me. My friend Judy and I stayed with Albert and Mark 4 years ago when I was here for a planning session for an event I was “co-producing with a cousin”. Finally Jeanette asked if Albert was there. Mark recognized her. When Albert came to the door he immediately knew who I was and then poor Mark was embarrassed for not knowing me. I guess that is what happens when you grow as old as I did in such a short time as four year. He actually did not recognize me because of the hair style and the 80 pound weight loss. It was fun none the less to surprise them. They immediately made us feel welcome and we had a great short visit. I told them I had to do something to write about in my blog. The back of their house opens up to a beautiful yard. In standards of Wisconsin yards it is pretty small but he has made a small place absolutely beautiful. Other than the pics I took there I have no others today. I will post some for you to see. He has a rose garden oasis. This is blooming time in drought ridden California so these flowers are very precious.
I asked Mark what his words of wisdom would be. Here is his answer: “When you look at your life and see you have less time ahead than you have behind, take a a trip”. He said he did just that and had an amazing time. It seemed he really connected with why I wanted to go on this trip. He understood the value of the journey, one moment at a time, experiencing what life brought to you in each moment. That is somewhat how I feel. The value for me is what God brings to me. Everyday I see God’s hand and direction in my life and I am so grateful for the opportunity of this journey. It really is a journey of a lifetime.
Thank you for those who take time to read these pages. I do not feel bad if you do not read them, if they are too long, too boring or too time consuming. For me it is documentation of my journey of today and melding the moments of my past into the beauty of the present. This journey is bringing back so many memories and I find that regardless how uncomfortable some of the situations I’ve experienced are, I no longer have pain from any memory. All the negatives have been let go and there is no longer any pain associated with any one memory. All the pain has been released through the healing presence of Christ living within me for He has shown me the truth of what really is. It is a wonderful place to live.
And every day I learn something.
Good Night
April 28 2015 Day 52 Monterey and Big Sur “WOW!”
How can one day be the greatest and then the next day is the greatest too?. I must sound like a broken record. God is so good. I think each day is the greatest because “this is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it”! Everyday I live is a day of rejoicing. I wish everyone could feel life with the joy and intensity that I experience life. It is especially intense now that I am constantly seeing new sights and each one I see is so awesome and inspiring that they take my breath away. Today was not exception. I had planned to go to Santa Cruz but My cousin Bill’s wife Vicki spoke so highly of Seaside, Monterey, Big Sur and the ocean views that I had to do some investigating for myself. What made it easy to do was that cousin Bill took the day off of work to escort me to all these breathtaking views. I was so glad he was driving so I could gawk.
Not only did I have a chance to actually sight see instead of doing the driving, there were many pullouts that allowed us to stop and explore. We walked down trails, and up trails, and down hillsides of stairs and back up hillsides of stairs. We walked across bridges and out onto catwalks to take a better look at the sights below us. And having Bill with me meant that I had a built in photographer with me. So you may get to see more photos of me than usual on this day. All I have to do now is stay away so I can get the blog done.
I will make this blog short as I must get up early for another busy day tomorrow.
Bill drove me all around the ocean view points, we ate our lunch in the car and kept driving some more. We went across lots of mountains and through several state parks. Then we headed home and met Bill’s wife so we could go to the farmer’s market. An interesting farmers market. A lot of singers and entertainers performing for tip money. There were many things that were non food items but somehow fit into the theme of farmer’s market. There was hand made jewelry, jams, breads, lots of strawberries, kettle corn, purses, scarves and lots of personal items for sale.
After the farmer’s market we walked on the wharf overlooking where the cannery used to be in years long gone. It was a beautiful wharf but the time of day did not bode well for photos. I was shooting into the sun. I did come across a pelican that allowed me to get within two feet of him/her (want to be politically correct) without ruffling a feather. Up close and personal I don’t think I would want the pelican to nip me with its beak. There was a long curved nail-like claw protruding from the upper beak point. It looked wicked. The pelican was so stunning up close.
AND THE SONG IT SINGS
By Kathleen Martens
April 28 2015
The grandeur of the mountain is such a small thing
When compared to the ocean and the song it sings.
Waves crashing one by one on the sandy shore,
From whence they come there is always more.
Relentless and pounding; the heartbeat of the earth.
And only God knows the Ocean’s priceless worth.
It’s beauty alone unable to express in words
So the reason it’s voice must be heard.
Listen carefully so that you will hear,
The heartbeat of the earth while it is still near.
The above poem is my poem for the day. I wish you could have been with me and experienced the sounds of the “heartbeat”.
After walking the wharf we came back to the house and had a wonderful dinner of salad and chicken. Delicious! Tomorrow is another day and it is packed full again. I suppose I won’t get to slow down until I arrive at my long time friends, Jeanette and Denny’s on Thursday evening. Tomorrow is aquarium day and a Tour. We changed our days around.
Note to Lana: Be sure and refresh your screen on my blog when you want to see new post. I had several posts of my time with you. Let me know if you can access it.
Must close my tired eyes. I’ll proofread tomorrow. Smile!
P.S. I am going to post a photo of me looking out over the ocean. Bill is standing in a tunnel looking toward me with the ocean in the background. I asked Bill to take it just like that because I liked the view so much.
April 8 Day 33 Arizona You are Beautiful
Albuquerque is behind me. The mile high city is behind me. Two mile high cities in a row. Tough on the body when it comes to exercise. So here I am in Mesa Arizona at 1,234 foot altitude instead of over 5,000 foot altitude. Tomorrow I will exercise and get back to routine.
The drive through New Mexico and Arizona was absolutely astounding. Everywhere I go I see more and more that amazes me. The first thing that took my breath away today was coming to the edge of the plateau from the mile high city and looking at the expanse before me. Miles and miles spread out in a panoramic view as far as I could see. Oh to be able to take pictures and drive at the same time would be awesome. I just tried to soak it all in as I descended the mountain. It was a straight road before me going down to the lower elevation. Then when I thought I was on the bottom, after a few miles a new view would await me as the altitude descended even more. The roads changed, the vegetation changed and the mountainous rock formations changed. By the hour the landscape just kept changing and changing. Just driving these roads made me wonder, not just about God’s creation but at the engineering and ingenuity of man’s capability to design such roads through the huge boulders and lava rock. This is a highway I would like to travel again, but slowly next time instead of at 75 miles per hour.
Once I crossed over into Arizona the terrain just abruptly changed to flat lands and more desert like conditions. At least for awhile. My first stop in Arizona was a necessity stop (restroom). Stops are few and far between so I take every advantage I can. This time it was at Tee Pee Trading Post. The shop was filled with native American authentic art and jewelry. I seem to meet the kindest people wherever I go. I was browsing and the cashier noticed my hands and asked if they hurt. I said yes and she showed me a little tin with an Indian remedy for easing arthritic pain. She opened it and gave me a sample on a little stick. I put it on my fingers. I don’t know yet if it works. I inquired about buying one but they were all out and she insisted on giving me the remainder that was in the little tin. I’ll use it and let you know if it works.
After awhile my ma mapquest directed me to go to a little less traveled road called Highway 87. If you want the boonies, then HWY 87 is it. For miles and miles there is absolutely nothing but small mountains and open spaces. I could tell the car was climbing but didn’t realize just how much. After about an hour or so I came across a small business, store/gas station, and a post office. A very small post office. I was curious so I took a picture of the post office and a man got out of his car and commenced to telling me that this post office was the smallest post office in Arizona and the 3rd smallest in the world. He introduced himself as the post master. He was proud to inform me that I was in Happy Jack, Arizona. The interior of the building was about 4 feet by 5 feet. I’ll post a couple of pictures of the interior. This little Happy Jack community was in the mountains and the population was not very dense. I couldn’t see even one house. A little before Happy Jack the forest began to thicken up and soon I realized I was really climbing. A sign told me that I was in the Tonto National Forest. I read later that this forest is the 4th largest forest in the United States and ranges from 1300 feet to 7900 feet in altitude. It is one of the most beautiful forests I have ever driven through. The vistas that I could see from the top were so breathtaking with the late sun dappling the huge jutting rocks on one side of the road and the drop off on the side of the road I was driving on. The road was so winding and the grade was steep, both up and down. Very good roads but very treacherous. Google Tonto National Forest pictures and look at some of the views I saw today. You will see why I thought they were so spectacular.
Once I climbed to the peaks of the Tonto range I could look out and see layers upon layers of more mountains. It seemed they were unending, one behind the other getting higher and higher. The views below were also amazing to behold. It was like looking down from heaven and seeing all the variations of color and trees and different heights that went on and on and on.
The fact that I arrived in Mesa Arizona astounds me. True, I followed the mapquest instructions ,one of which was wrong and sent me in the opposite direction but luckily I know North from South because my rear view mirror tells me, so I turned around. Once I saw a road sign to confirm I was going in the right direction I still wondered if I was really going someplace. There was no sign giving indication that I was headed in the right direction. I have never seen such a dearth of traffic signs as in Texas, New Mexico, and I found out today, in Arizona. You can go for miles and miles and not see a speed limit sign or notification of what highway you are on. It is confusing to me at imes to not have occasional verification as to what road I am on.
Tonight and tomorrow night I am staying with my friend JoAnn and her husband Brent. What a delight it is to be in their home. Can’t wait to take a better look at the area tomorrow. I am falling in love with the southwest. I think this may be my favorite place of all. Like I said, wherever I am becomes my favorite. Maybe that comes by being content in any situation or circumstance. Let’s see if I get along tonight with my bed that takes a stair way to climb into. I may be able to navigate 4, 300 miles to get here but let’s see if I can get up those three steps to the bed. It’s not the getting up I’m concerned with. Rather the coming down two or three times during the middle of the night. Don’t ask me why. Figure it out.
A lovely day! Some of my favorite times is when I am alone in the car enjoying the beauty around me. No TV, no radio, no headsets, no reading. Just living in that simple moment of time where I am, who I am. No demands on my time, no need to try to impress, no need to hurry, no consternation or concern about anything at all. Do you know how good that kind of living is? It is called a place of freedom. It is a place where I like to be. And it seems, looking back, that the closer I came to the Lord, the easier it was to live in the moment. It’s a nice place to live.
More tomorrow. But first I have to get there.
Goodnight
Visions of Poetry 