In Search of Solitude

Well, I lived through the drama (unplanned trip to Seattle, WA, son’s 2nd hip surgery and complications, upcoming heart surgery for my granddaughter, damaging my van requiring replacement of three right side doors, hassles with insurance company and auto repair shops, the threat of loosing my van, repairs, being “homeless,” being taken is by wonderful friends who I will never be able to repay, and feeling suicidal).  I have come out the other side, not exactly looking back on it all and laughing yet, but I’m moving in that direction.  And I have my van home back and I’m on the road again.

Once past Eugene OR going south, the world begins to feel a little more sane, and traffic starts to ease up. I knew there was a WINS (Wandering Individuals Network) gathering not far off my path, so I contacted them to see if I could join them overnight. For a few years I had thought about it, but recent photos they posted of kayaking adventures inspired me to actually stop, socialize and join signing up for a 1 year membership ...($70). There is a members' blog list, which I asked to be added to.   (Normally I add a link to things like WINS but I will not… you can google it.) The next morning I met at their hugging circle (right just what I needed a bunch of hugs from strangers)... and listened and watched, as they received instructions for the day. Everyone was happy and excited, but it reminded me a little of being back in grade school with the teacher at the head of the class and all the little obedient children paying attention. Then as they departed for the various activities, the president came up to me with a couple questions about my blog and what I needed to remove/change about it in order to be listed on their list. Sanitation... he said he could not list my blog as long as there was anything on it about going to the toilet. WTF??? Really! Here is the page in question. http://swankiewheels.blogspot.com/p/sanitation.html . I said it would be fixed but as I parted and headed down the road, I just got increasingly more aggravated by his request. So later in the day, after discussing this with a couple of my friends on FB Chat... I decided to cancel my membership application and request a refund.. I decided WINS was just not a good fit for me... and after six years of writing that blog, I was not going to change it to protect their sensitive members from the topic of "living small." Poop on that. (Pun intended).  Now if my readers complained, I might make some changes. So off I went in search of solitude. Getting closer, but nope, this is not it. Water in the man-made Galesville Reservoir was depressingly low and I didn't need anything else depressing in my life right now. Onward. Not a bad place, that Galesville Reservoir and it might be fun to kayak, but I don't have my kayak with me. And no overnight parking is allowed anywhere but the campground, which had only a few closely-packed sites with no privacy for $15 a night. I can do better... onward. But I am beginning to see more wildlife... wild turkeys, geese flying south... etc. OK Swankie still flying south too... While waiting in Washington for my van, I became driven to get away from the cities, the pollution, the people, the traffic and find some solitude and a mountain. Well yesterday morning sunrise, through the smog... sun is off to the left still... was o.k. but I can do better.... need mountains. Air in OR down Rt. 5 was awful, burning my throat in spite of having windows closed, A/C on and wearing a mask. I had to get out of this. Onward... need a mountain.


Last evening, I spent time half way up this mountain on a paved road, little traffic, but I didn't sleep well. I knew I could not sit outside at this location and paint... so I kept driving higher on the mountain this morning until I came to this. Finally, a mountain. I have only passed two parked vehicles coming up here... and I think I will stay awhile. Maybe a day, maybe more. I need to heal my heart, my body, my mind, my throat, my soul.  I can begin to do that here. A Swankie-style home. I challenge any of those WINS members to wake up to this view.. they could not even get their rigs up here. They are camped literally on the highway in Junction City, OR in an RV Dealer Parking lot. Would you trade this for that? So here is my new camp. I can't make a fire and probably wouldn't if I could, but I have a very nice and clean fire ring, and I can sit out there in the morning and enjoy more sunrises. The road coming in to my camp. Only the last little stretch of the road was off pavement. Been on roads much worse. And there is one low area I would want to get back across if rain threatened, but skies are clear and dry. https://www.google.com/maps/place/42°22'56.9%22N+123°38'12.5%22W/@42.3820346,-123.639298,439m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0?hl=en Here I will finish this painting for a friend in Paso Robles. Last commitment I have to anyone else. I will then be free again. I have solitude here, to think, to find myself again. I don't know how I got so off track back in March, but I vow to work hard at never letting that happen again. Only ONE thing could make this day better and that would be if there was water here and I had my kayak. So it can get better than this, but for today, this is all I want or need. I have plenty of food and water and a cell signal. I am blessed.

BE TRUE TO YOUR OWN BEST SELF.

 

(Updated: Sept. 29, 2014) Painting delivered, customer happy.

 

Too much wildness???? Is it possible?

A couple nights ago I cooked that rainbow trout I was given, thinking I could not eat it all… but I ate the whole thing.   Yummy.

Yesterday, as I wrapped up my work day, I heard a helicopter.  I went up the ridge above my campground to spot the landing site.  One guy was on the ground, doing something, I figured out later he was hooking up the water bucket.  There were drawing water from the Lake below my campground, and flying it out S.E. about 3.5 min. and then 3.5 min. back again.  They made about seven bucket loads… and then loaded up the bucket and left.  I was on my way to ask the guy on the ground if I needed to be concerned, but they were done before I could get around to that side of the lake.  I could not see any smoke, but we have had a lot of thunder and lightening the past few days.

I have escaped the wilderness to escape some crazy wild people out there. One camper refused to keep his three vehicles in the camping space he rented and paid for and then when he left, he stole a whole pile of firewood from another camp site.

Last night, July 9th, 6pm.

 

This morning, July 10th, 10:30am.

You are suppose to have a Permit from the Forest Service to remove any wood from the National Forest.  Signs are posted and clear.
And another day-use group got upset about having to pay five dollars for the day use area... they caught 9 fish and had a tailgate party, used the bathroom facilities and dumped their trash... but tried to get out of paying $5 saying "we are just passing through!"   How do you catch 9 fish as you pass through an area????

What is wrong with these people? It's like they are immoral, or psychotic? Or what????

Well, as for me, today and tomorrow I am not going to worry about it. And today, on my way out, there was a large sheep herd at the same area... complete with shepherd on horseback and two border collies.

I tried to talk to the man (either Hispanic or Columbian?) and all he could say... is "sheep herder." Well, duh... that much I knew.
Coming down the mountain I took a number of other photos of switchbacks, the mountains, cattle and flowers… for your viewing pleasure.  It’s a nice drive.

		On the way to town… VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

OK, tonight, just going to enjoy the internet, Diary Queen, and Laundromat and a hot shower. Yahhhh!!!
I like being in the wilderness… but would like it better if I was ALONE.

39th State: Colorado - Jackson Lake (Oct. 11, 2011)

(Happy 20th Birthday to my beautiful granddaughter, Tori Bailey.)

Near Orchard, CO


Today is my first granddaughter’s 20th birthday, no more a teenager.

Tori and my son (her Dad) in Paris – September 2011.

Happy Birthday, Tori, this State Paddle is for you.

Sometimes a day starts out rotten and you think there is no way it will turn around, but today it did.  I had one of the most rewarding kayaking paddles yet.  Only 9 states of the lower 48 left to paddle.  Wow, I’ve done 39 states.
I had wanted to kayak North Sterling Park Reservoir but it was closed to boating.  I called to make sure it also meant kayaks, not just motorized boats.  All boats, in fact the Park was closed.  They suggested I try Jackson Lake near Orchard, CO.  Well, Sterling was dark, drizzly and windy… it looked like in the direction of Jackson, there was a blue hole in the sky and there was.

Once known primarily for the hunting around it’s banks, Jackson Lake State Park has become one of Colorado’s finest outdoor recreation and water sports sites.  The area is known for its shoreline camping and its large, warm-water reservoir with sandy bottom and beaches.  For fun in the sun and unlimited recreational opportunities, Jackson Lake is the place.  From Colorado State Parks brochure.  www.parks.state.co.us
… 2,700 surface-acre reservoir and the park of a total of 440 acres
… 260 campsites near or on the water, with showers, toilets, laundry, electric hookups and drinking water – can you imagine the craziness of all that in season?
… Shoreline Marina provides food and drink, boat rentals, boat storage, gas and boating, fishing and camping supplies.
… lake has trout, walleye, catfish, perch, crapple and wipers (whatever that is?)  (and one of those was jumping crazy)
… winter months… camping, wildlife observation, photography, ice fishing and ice skating
This is a very nice place off season… and so quiet and serene.  I loved it.

These large birds greeted me at the entrance, but what are they?  Cost $7 for daily.

Yes, I’m in my glory… and I love it like this.  Calm, partly cloudy, and NO people.  It just doesn’t get any better than this.  There was one boat trailer in the parking lot but he must have been at the Dam end of the lake as I never saw him until I headed in.

I saw many very large fish jump straight up out of the water… about a foot or more, but darned if I could catch it with the camera.  No matter which way I was looking the fish would be on the opposite side of me.  These were as close as I could get… and they were really big fish.

You’ll find beauty everywhere… you just have to be open to it.  Last good shot I got like the above was when I paddled Port Angeles Harbor, WA with GG.

Then I spotted this ol’ feller (Great Blue Heron?) and began trying to get the best shot of him that I could, when large shadows came across my boat.  What the heck?  Something was above me???  I turned the camera UP and began aimlessly clicking. Good thing I had the camera running, or I wouldn’t have caught these.

This might be the best photo of the day.  So I followed the Pelicans.  A whole flock was coming in for a landing or rest on their migration I would suspect.  You just enjoy the following photos of them… hopefully as much as I enjoyed the afternoon watching the Pelicans.  Boy, Tori, I wish you could have been here with me today.













The crane and I were both watching them all come in.






And then this old guy made a spectacular landing right beside my kayak… of course, the camera was off.  I’m thinking he was an old geezer who just has more fun watching another old geezer watch the youngling's in the flock, then being a part of the flock himself… just like ME!  Very interesting.  At least he thought I was interesting, or maybe he just thought I had food.  I wish I could have caught his landing… it was awesome.

And they just kept coming in.





Once in a while a few would take flight and buzz the flock… like they were showing off to get attention… maybe they were young males doing just that.  As I was leaving the very quiet lake, they had spread out along the shoreline where I was when they first came in… and suddenly I heard this noise that sound like the roar of a semi-truck in the near distance.  But, it was a whole group of the pelicans taking flight at a low level and feet hitting the water as they buzzed about in a tight circle… and the feet and wings made this low rumbling sound.  Never heard anything like it before.  My camera battery was dead so I could not get that shot… but it was breathtaking.

Misc. other photos…

A Rock?   Looks like a Buoy to me.

Looks to me like it was time to head in with that cloud coming in over my head.  Crazy thing… the cloud was going West, but the winds were coming from the West.  What the heck?
Now for a drive around the park.  Then time to leave, thinking, I can’t top this… there’s nothing else to see.  HA!

As I’m leaving the park, I see something cross the road ahead.  Quick, scramble in the back and find the camera I just plugged in to recharge.  What is it?  Then pulling closer…


… and closer, a flock of wild turkeys…  WOW and GEE WHIZ!  How can the day end any better?   Wait…  something else crossing the road.  A stray wild turkey, odd for one to get separated from the flock???

Darn… it just got better, a male pheasant.  These birds (the turkeys and the pheasant) were within feet of each other.  Amazing.

Enjoyed the last little bit of the area before hitting the highway.  On the right, don’t you just love those cloud formations.  Black spots in the sky are blackbirds, landing in the corn field.

On the distant horizon are the Rocky Mountains… and Denver. I always love this view… when you first see the Rockies.  I feel more at home with mountains in view than anywhere else on earth.
Whoops… sun in my eyes and still fighting the eye infection,  I have missed the turnoff to avoid downtown Denver, ugghhh, and there it is.  Here I thought the day couldn’t get better… and now it just got worse for me.  After one of the most quiet and serene days I’ve had in awhile… I’m heading into downtown Denver.


Then mother nature sends a full moon out from behind the clouds as if to reassure me I could get through this challenge (Denver) and come out the other end o.k.  But, oh my gosh, how do people live like this?  Do they know what they are missing out there?  And what’s all that talk about no funds being used for our “infrastructure?”  That’s all I’ve see all the way through SD, NE, and CO.  Road construction, must be millions of dollars worth as it just went on and on for miles.


But then there it was again, hiding behind the trees, as if to say, “Don’t worry, Swankie, I’ll still be around when you get out of that mess down there.  You can do it.  It will be O.K.“
So sometimes the day starts off rotten and even ends that way, but the middle was grand.  I was very tired by the time I got through Denver, but drove until about 8:30pm… just to get clear of the craziness know as a civilization… the CITY.  I was glad this day was over and will only remember the GRAND part of the day… nature and the birds.