Road Trip USA - 10/13/08

For the next 6 to 8 months I'll be driving around the USA accompanied by my dog's Bella and Apollo. I've planned on taking this trip for a few years, and finally here I am. I'm avoiding freeways, tollways and expressways, and opting for secondary highways and scenic byways. I don't have an itinerary, and except for an astrology lecture I'll be giving in Chicago on November 21st, I don't know when I'll arrive at any of my destinations. My only real plan is to use astrology in helping me decide which direction to go in and how long to stay in an area. Bella and Apollo are the best companions and I'm really glad to have them along. I'm very excited to visit with family and old friends, some of whom I've never met, and some I haven't seen in over twelve years. I'm getting in touch with people as I get closer to their area and it's nice to know that they want to see me as much as I want to see them.

Apollo, Bella and I left Vernonia late morning on the 9th driving east on my Venus line. First I had to stop by a friends house to finish a tile project I started a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't take photos of it at the time, but as soon as I have some I'll post them on this page. After I finished, we continued east to see the painted hills of the John Day fossil beds, a 14,000 acre park with an elevation that ranges from 1,800 to 5,000 feet. John Day sits on my Jupiter line. The air in this part of Oregon is very dry and the landscape is desert. Although I love the dense, green forests of western Oregon, it's nice to escape the rain. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how much this area reminds me of parts of Baja California, except of course, it's much colder here. I loved the colorful pink, red, and green hills and rocks. We drove the 115 mile loop and stopped for a hike, but the wind was so strong I swear we almost got blow into the next state. The best treat was the thin layer of snow that covered the road in and out. I've spent the last few winters in a hot climate so I hadn't seen snow in a couple years.

I decided this morning to head towards Boise, Idaho. Funny enough, with all the activity of the last few weeks, I feel like I have to crash. The Moon will be in Pisces and in my 12th house when I arrive in Boise so I think I'll take a day or so to just relax. Besides; I'm not in a hurry. I have reservations at a hotel downtown. Downtown Boise looks small and manageable so I think I'll take it easy and walk the dogs around and check out the local neighborhoods. Seems like a nice, safe town.

10/16/08

I liked Boise, but I'm just not in the mood for cities. After living in large cities all my life, a couple of years ago I moved to a small rural town, population 2,200, in the upper Nahelem Valley of northwestern Oregon. Since then I've fallen in love with small town life and I'm really enjoying the small towns I'm visiting and driving through. I decided to leave Boise and head east on my Venus line, then south to Ely, Nevada which sits directly on my Uranus line.

Ely is a small gambling town close to the Utah boarder. The dogs and I have walked around the town quite a bit and although I don't see a lot of homes, there are at least 6 beauty salons and 1 barber shop, 2 or 3 large-ish casinos, and countless restaurants and bars. There are murals depicting local history painted all over town and at night bright neon lights blaze along the compact main strip.

I got a room for a couple of nights at the Hotel Nevada. A smoky casino and restaurant take up the first floor of the hotel. I don't remember ever being in a casino at any other time in my life. I have very little gambling experience; I've purchased only a handful of lottery and a scratch tickets, I tried a lottery machine once but I didn't really understand what I was doing, and I don't know how to play cards. That being said, I think I'll try my luck. When in Rome. . .

I love the bed in my hotel room. It's the most comfortable bed I've slept in in long time. It's a pillow top mattress with soft, cotton sheets and a thick, silky comforter. Yummy. Unfortunately I've never slept well on my Uranus line. I've tried a few times, but each time I ended up tossing and turning and getting up throughout the night. I hope the bed makes up for the erratic sleep.

My friend LaLonna, who is keeping the table I tiled while I travel, sent me photos of the finished project. Someone gave me a small wooden side table that was cute but boring, and I decided to do something with it. It took me a couple of weeks to complete and my hands hurt from cutting up all the small pieces. Bear in mind that this was the first time I'd ever tiled anything and I know it's not perfect. But I had so much fun with it that I'm already planning my next project.

Tomorrow I'll continue heading east on Hwy 50 (dubbed "America's Loneliest Road") on my Venus and Jupiter lines and visit the Great Basin National Park on the Nevada, Utah border. The park's elevation is 13,063 feet, and is one of the least visited parks in the US because of its remote location. I'm looking forward to hiking around some, but with the high altitude I'll have to take it easy.

10/19/08

We spent the weekend exploring the Great Basin National Park in Nevada. It's a pretty large park with an incredible night sky. The days were warm and sunny and the nights cold and crisp. We hiked a few of the trails and I took a tour of the Lehman Caves (see photos). We stayed in Baker, population 52, at the foot of the park and I think the thing that impressed me most about this small town was how creative the locals are.

When you look at local history it's shocking to realize how much damage we've done in a relatively short amount of time, and how much more is threatened. This is high desert and water is scarce. Currently the area has been experiencing a drought for the last 10 years. Las Vegas politicians are threatening to mine water from the area for the city, which means that water that is used will not be replaced. Check out the Great Basin Water Network to find out more or to get involved. There are also two proposed coal mines that will cause irreparable damage. This area, like so many other treasures I'm finding along my way, is worth conserving.

I decided to continue east on my Venus, Sun & Jupiter lines to visit the national parks in southern Utah. If it's not too cold I'd like to camp a couple of nights this week.

10/22/08

Since I was so close, I decided to keep heading south to Arizona and visit the Grand Canyon. I came here once a few years ago, so I hadn't planned on coming back this time around, however, the last time I was here we were crunched for time so we didn't get to spend a lot of time exploring. I don't remember what I thought of the Grand Canyon the last time I was here, but it's amazing. I keep thinking about the ancient people who once lived here and how they lived their life.

The entrance pass I bought lasts seven days so I've decided to go back and camp out for a couple of days before heading south to check out Sedona. I told a friend in Colorado I'd visit soon so after Sedona I need to head north again.

10/27/08

I changed my mind about about going to Sedona and back to the Grand Canyon, and instead I decided that it was time to visit my friend Christi in Colorado, so the puppies and I took a sharp right and headed north. We spent the weekend hanging out with my friend Christi and her family in Salida, a small, picturesque mountain town in the heart of Colorado. Christi and I have been friends ever since we met in Seattle in the early '90's. Seattle in the ninety's was a great place to be, not just for the music but the culture as well. Over the last fifteen-plus years I've accumulated a lot of memories of time spent with Christi in Washington, Texas, Illinios, and Spain. But her life is radically different now. Not only is she a high school teacher, but she is also married and she and her husband Jeff are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, 2 1/2 year old Riley and 5 month old Audrey.

Unlike our crazy long nights in Madrid, our weekend was spent with kids, kids, and more kids. Oh yeah, and a few dogs. During the day we ran "family" errands and I practiced my hand-eye coordination on a baby stroller that needed an alighnement. I went to a baby shower then a couple of hours later to a kids Halloween party. I have to admit that I really enjoyed myself. Not only was it great to hang out again, but the kids were a breath of fresh air.