Two days later - Jackson, CA

Hi, everyone! It's been two days because the place where I'm staying doesn't have WiFi, and neither did the place I had breakfast this morning. After I leave here, I doubt that will be much of a problem.

It was a hot drive yesterday to Manzanita Ridge Permaculture Farm where I'm staying. When I passed SE of Sacramento, the car thermometer read 103 degrees. Fortunately, it cooled off as I ascended to the farm, but it was still pretty warm. The trailer I'm sleeping in has been rigged with an "extra roof" to help keep the sun from overheating the inside of the trailer during the day. It seems to work. Plus, there's a fan. I put that on last night, but I really didn't need it all night. Maybe I'll turn it on a half hour or so before bed tonight, and then turn it off when I go to sleep.

The inside of the trailer, obviously, with yours truly reflected in the mirror.

Facing approximately SW.

The outdoor kitchen. Reminds me of the interns' kitchen at Plum Forest Farm.

This is where the bees drink. The grey water comes out of the sink, and the plants clean it. Two things I learned about bees and water: bees will only drink the cleanest water they can find, and bees want to fly around, so if you put water right next to their hive they won't partake. They'd rather fly a ways away to get their water.

Three stalls. Two have flush toilets.

One of the hives up the hill from my trailer.

My view last night from the doorway of my trailer. Honestly, folks, I'd rather see this with no crowds around than all the monumental grandeur of Yosemite with mobs of hot, tired tourists.

Solstice moon.

Morning moon.

The next few pictures show the damage that has been done to the trees in the Yosemite area by last year's fire, and by the drought. It was explained to me that some of the trees have been subjected to a controlled burn. Those have blackened trunks, but the upper foliage is healthy. I saw some of those, but I didn't get a photo.

It is easy to recognize the areas where the forest fires were. You'll see some of those photos below -- just acres of blackened trunks, some standing, some fallen.

And the third is the effect of drought on many trees. The docent I talked with said there's a bark beetle that is always something of a problem, but when drought happens, some of the trees that might otherwise survive the beetle just don't have the resources to do so. You'll see some photos below showing the brown pines.

Remy and I headed out reasonably early this morning for Yosemite. We stopped off for some breakfast, mostly because I was looking for WiFi, but while I had a good breakfast, I didn't succeed with the WiFi. 

The trip to Yosemite took over 2 1/2 hours. It was pretty interesting scenery, but the roads required much concentration, especially a portion of 120 that wound around the edges of mountains for about 5 miles, speed limit 20 mph for good reason. I was a little worried about that stretch coming back because I was feeling drowsy, but knowing how long it would be helped. Forcing Remy to stay out of my lap during it helped, too.

There were a heck of a lot of people at Yosemite. Parking was an issue. I finally found (made) a spot and walked over to an information yurt. The docent helpfully pointed out the trails on which I could walk with Remy and suggested that I catch the  next shuttle over to the main building. I took a quick look around there, reading about the glaciers, the layers of ecosystems on the mountains, and the animals that risk extinction if our climate continues to warm. Then I walked out the back door toward the theatre. 

It looked as though they were going to show a piece on Search and Rescue in the park, but while there was a very brief piece, it was more of an admonishment to hikers to be careful, especially around the water. That was followed by another short piece, and then a longer one about the history of the National Parks in general, and Yosemite in particular. The cinematography was wonderful, and the historical still photos were used well to illustrate the events. As I watched and listened, I thought how really wonderful it would be if everyone could have the kind of experience of the parks that Muir and Roosevelt did in the early 1900s. I suspect that, unhampered by Remy, and perhaps camping and hiking with a friend, I would have been able to experience more of that raw beauty, not impinged upon by thousands of eager tourists, sweating and struggling with decisions, food and water, children, etc. 

As it was, I'm glad I got to see the place. The drive in was magnificent. Truly awe-inspiring. The movie was good. The people were generally friendly. But it was really hot, and I didn't get to see much. I'm at an Italian restaurant with WiFi, just finishing up, and I'm really looking forward to getting back up the mountain (or foothill, or whatever it is) to my trailer where it's quiet and peaceful. 

More when I have WiFi again.

Fathers Day

I am here in Lake Wildwood, Penn Valley, CA, with a couple of dads: my uncle (Mom's brother-in-law), and my cousin's husband. I'm glad I got to celebrate a couple of wonderful dads in person. I called my dad. I miss him. And I'm celebrating my kids' dad, as I always have for years, without words but with great gratitude for all that he has given them.

The day began, as it always does, with a Remy walk. Here in Lake Wildwood, walking around the neighborhood at 6:30 a.m. means seeing wildlife. Last evening, we saw 10 adult turkeys! The first two were strutting around Mary & Ward's front yard. One took a running start and fluttered up to their roof, finishing by running up to the peak. It was still there when we got back from our walk. As we circled the neighborhood, we came upon a group of 8 turkeys -- looked like seven hens and a tom, possibly -- all hanging out in the street a couple of blocks away. This morning we saw one deer. A couple of days ago, two. They are utterly unafraid of us. Remy doesn't bark, but his body language perks up, and he watches these strange creatures carefully.

Mary and Ward got up earlier than usual, so that we could meet Kathy and Richard at the Pine Street Cafe in Grass Valley at 9:30 for Fathers Day breakfast. When we got there, Mary and Ward immediately recognized some friends waiting outside the cafe (they know someone everywhere we go!), so while they chatted I went inside to put our name on the waiting list. We were #16. Remy and I had a walk. Kathy and Richard arrived. Everyone chatted. Kathy gave Uncle Ward his Fathers Day gift, a beautiful, washable silk, Hawaiian print shirt. He told us he would go to the car to change shirts so he could wear his new one. We continued chatting until, suddenly, Kathy turned, having heard someone shout, "Someone's down!" As our chat circle opened up, we saw Ward lying face down in the street, not moving. Some young men were hurrying over, and our group did, too. He was lifted to his feet, and he walked with steadying assistance to the car.

In the meantime, the hostess called our party, so I gestured to the group, and they returned, knowing that he would have someplace to sit down. Once we were seated, I produced Rescue Remedy from my purse at Kathy's request, and he had some of that. There was much conjecture as to how this had happened, and we'll probably never know, but it seems most likely that his foot caught on the rough pavement. His right knee took most of the fall. His hands were barely scraped. His chin has a bruise/abrasion, but it's not too serious. I got out my Arnica gel when we got back to the house after lunch, and he says that's helping a lot.

After lunch, we returned to the house, and I hung out on the computer for a bit till Kathy and Richard got here after running some errands. The three off us headed off for one of Lake Wildwood's lakefront parks. Mary and Ward joined us a short time later, and we spent a very pleasant afternoon soaking up some sun, having a bit of a dip in the refreshing lake, and feeling soothed by the cool breezes. Once again, Mary and Ward ran into people they knew. Like I said, ...

I said good-bye to Kathy and Richard, having thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Let it not be another 10 years or more before we meet again! Mary and Ward and I had leftovers for supper, as we've been amassing some wonderful food over the past few days.

I got my second suitcase out of the car, putting the cooler weather clothes into it and keeping the warmer weather ones in the more accessible bag. I divided up the gifts I've been buying with the intention of stopping at a post office tomorrow to send some things off to Abby and Adam.

I'll load up tomorrow morning, after breakfast, and run a couple of errands before my massage. After the massage, I will head south to my Airbnb destination in Jackson, CA, and to Yosemite over the next few days.

Some sort of prairie primrose (?) seen here in Grass Valley, but also to be widely found in the area.

Long, full day around Penn/Grass Valley/Nevada City/Ananda Village

Today, Aunt Mary had a lovely young woman on the bridge over the Yuba River take a picture of us all together. She texted it to me. I saved it to my phone. My phone is hooked up to my computer. All of the pictures I took today are available to load to this blog, but I can't get the one I saved from text up here. I guess I'll see if I can post it on FB. If y'all have any thoughts ...

I generally wake up around 5:30 or 6:00, depending on when I go to bed. This morning I slept in till 6:30, took Remy out, fed him, had some non-grain granola and a heated up cup of decaf with coconut cream. Then I hung out on the computer for a while. When the rest of the household was up and at 'em, I had a shower, and then we departed for Kathy and Richard's (my cousin and her husband) near Ananda Village, waaayyy up a mountain.

But first, we had a stop at the Yuba River. Ahhhh! It looked cold, but there were people swimming. The water was beautiful! It calls to me. Here are the photos from our first encounter of the day with the Yuba River.

We watched the fellow on the rock in the center of the last picture for a bit, hoping that he wouldn't choose to dive in there. You can see the white water just upstream of the big rock in front of him. We were concerned that the water would be very fast and deep where he was. Once we all felt comfortable that he was just sunbathing, we got in the car and continued to Kathy and Richard's.

Talk about your curvy, steeply up and down, mountain roads! It's quite a drive. And then there's the gravel road that leads up to their house. I'm sure they're always grateful to arrive home.

Kathy was in the process of preparing a wonderful lunch for us when their landlord and neighbor, Gary, stopped by with a box of chocolates. We all sat in the living room for a while and had a great conversation. Remy curled up and went to sleep on my lap. When Gary left, lunch preparations continued, and we were served curried paneer on green salad with a basil, garlic, cashew dressing. Wow! And accompanying that was a flowery lemonade. Here's a picture of the outside of Kathy & Richard's house, but it doesn't give you the flavor of it at all. The downstairs houses the bedrooms and bathroom, as well as a music/sitting room. Upstairs is the most delightful, colorful yet relaxing and spiritually peaceful living space -- open kitchen, dining and living room.

If you looked out the windows you see above, you'd be gazing out from the top of the stairway. The boat belongs to Gary.

After lunch, we took two cars to go to Ananda Village. I rode with Kathy and Richard and had all the landmarks and important points shown to me, and I got to hear something of the story of Ananda Village. Kathy and Richard have been there for about 20 years. Kathy teaches in the school, and Richard works at Dawn Publishing, which is an Ananda business.

Here are photos from the Village.

Looking out from one of the windows of the chapel beneath which Kriyananda is buried. The vista was amazing, and the space was so quiet that my ears tried to create sound.

Gazebo on the grounds of Ananda Village.

The Village is truly that, a self-contained community with a store, school, and other businesses, as well as meeting spaces that can be reserved by outside groups, and a couple of shops with beautiful spiritual items for sale. (I bought some cool stuff!)

When we left Ananda, we headed back for another view of the Yuba, this time including a hike along a ledge overlooking a popular swimming area.

If you look closely, you may be able to see swimmers in and around the glorious, clear green water. After we hiked along the ridge, we descended to put our feet in and get Remy a drink. Then we met up with Mary and Ward and headed off to Nevada City for wonderful Thai food on the cool, inviting patio of Sopa Thai Cuisine. 

I'm pooped. I'm finishing up some laundry and heading to bed. Hope to bike tomorrow before things get rolling.

Lake Wildwood

Lake Wildwood is the name of the gated community in which I am currently staying with my Aunt Mary and Uncle Ward. Our main activities of the day involved getting into Penn Valley so I could get my oil changed, my bike lock cut off, and my car washed. We had some lunch at a great little deli right next to the car place, and then we traveled on to Grass Valley to just walk around the town and see what's what. This activity included the purchase of a few more trinkets for my kids, and ice cream. Then we stopped at the co-op, and I got a few staples for my upcoming trip to a place near Yosemite.

My cousin Kathy and her husband Richard came over for dinner. Aunt Mary had another event, so Uncle Ward and Richard prepared the salmon they had brought, I made a salad, and Kathy prepped the salmon and made the broccoli. We had a lovely meal and then sat around talking until after Aunt Mary came home.

It's lovely being with people I know and who know me, in the midst of traveling alone. Uncle Ward suggested this evening that I stake out the people to see all around the country and then just keep circling, year by year, repeating my visits. Hmmmm.

I promise to take some more photos tomorrow. We'll be seeing some more wild areas and visiting Ananda Village, where Kathy and Richard have lived for 20 years.

Northern California

I found a cute little cafe in Klamath Falls yesterday morning. Its website advertised breakfast and, to be fair, they did have quiche; but I ended up with an unsweetened chai and walnut/raisin gluten-free cookie. I'm trying to get myself to the place where being hungry is better than eating grains. At lunch, I stopped at a 4-star Yelp recommended Mexican place in Redding, knowing full well that it's almost impossible to eat Mexican food without corn. I had two delicious chicken tacos (no cheese!), and two enchiladas (cheese). Both were made with corn tortillas.

Since I've observed a rash around my eyes after eating corn prior to this, I wonder if my current eye problem might be grain-related. As of this morning, I'm going to try to be strict with myself, at least for a few days, and see if it clears up the eye problem. Of course, it's already somewhat better after not wearing my contacts for a day. Hmmm ...

I arrived at Mary & Ward's (my aunt and uncle) about 3:30 yesterday afternoon. They live in a beautiful, gated community. Google led me to a street that came up to a chain link fence, on the other side of which was obviously the community, but which I could not get through. I enlarged my map and found another entrance, then followed the instructions from there. The house is huge. I was given the option of sleeping in the guest bedroom on the main floor, with my own bath, or having an entire apartment to myself downstairs. I chose upstairs because I want to interact with them, not be all by myself in the downstairs.

We had a lovely meal together and lots of conversation. Mary and Ward are students of contemporary philosophies/theologies and very interesting to talk with and listen to. After all my time alone and visits with others, it has been affirming to talk with them and remind myself of the journey of openness and acceptance that I'm on. It helps to remember that I'm making my choices daily that will take me where I need to go to learn whatever it is I need to learn. I don't have to have a plan. I don't have a plan.

I would like to find a place for an oil change (for the car) and a massage (for me), but so far no luck. The oil change places in these small communities are booked up at least a week out. Haven't heard back from the masseuse yet.

I'm excited that I get to see my cousin and her husband this evening (Kathy & Richard). They've lived out here most of their life together, and I have seen them very rarely. Their grown son lives near LA, so I hope to be able to see him in another week or so when I head down that way.

The picture below is of a mountain peak rising out of the clouds as I drove between Klamath Falls and Penn Valley. I think it's Mount Shasta.

It rains in Portland. Surprise!

I started the day at The Chestnut Tree Motel, where the singularly unhelpful desk clerk had been unable to recommend a restaurant or an area for supper on Tuesday evening, so I didn't even bother about breakfast. Instead, an Internet search revealed several possibilities, and I chose this one. It was a very good choice.

Not only was the food excellent (Greek omelette with some of the best sun-dried tomatoes ever, and nice, soft feta cheese), but they had a locally sourced chai that was not too sweet. After I ate, I asked the young women at the counter for advice. "I'm only in Portland for a few hours, and I've never been here before. Where should I go to get the flavor of Portland?" They recommended 3 possibilities, figuring I could possibly fit them all in.

Construction blocked some of this entry to Portland's Chinatown.

The Chinatown gate, above, was glimpsed at a stop light on my way to the Pittock Mansion. If you've ever been to the Hearst Castle, this was the Portland version. I didn't go inside. It wasn't very big, if you compare it to Hearst. I could see a harp through the living room window. But I would have had to wait for the place to open and pay $10, so I just went to the viewpoints and looked at the gardens.

In case I haven't mentioned it before (and I think I have), the climate out here is amazing for flowers. From Kingston to Portland (so far), everything is in bloom, and the air smells so lovely!

I'm not sure what this is. It was in the gardens at Pittock Mansion. I was intrigued, so I took a picture.

A particularly healthy rose bush on the north side of the mansion.

Looking down the hedge, trying to give you the idea of how overwhelmingly rosy and gorgeous it was.

Gazing out over the city of Portland. It was raining -- imagine that, rain in Portland! It did that off and on all day. Mostly it rained when I didn't have my umbrella with me.

Remy doing his version of Vanna White displaying the rose bushes.

View to the north.

One of many beautiful fronts in the City Center area of Portland.

More flowers - these in front of a home near the City Center. 

This hydrangea and the one in the next photo were on opposite sides of the same front yard, about 6 or 7 feet away from each other. Neither is pink or blue. Both are purple, but the purples are quite different.

The menu from Salt & Straw ice cream makers in the City Center. I had the Fermented Cherries. I took the picture so you could see all the unusual selections, especially dill pickle, which was something my brother, Jim, had from House of Flavors when we were kids. 

A testament to creativity!

Driving out of Portland. More traffic. I don't think I like cities very much. Or maybe I just need to learn how to use the public transportation systems.

Speaking of public transportation, do you see that tower in the center of the photo. It supports a cable car system. I saw one passing over, but I didn't have a chance to photograph it.

Driving along past Upper Klamath Lake, and the fields of water on the other side. Sun broke through the clouds from the west and cast pieces of rainbow on the mountainsides. Impossible to photograph while driving, or maybe even while not driving.

The lake was so high -- or the road was so low -- that I had visions of driving along a dike in Netherlands. Once again, 3 transportation methods lined up next to each other: water, rails, and road.

More mountains and water.

Sun getting low over Upper Klamath Lake

I can't believe I missed the chance to see Glacier Lake. I guess it will just have to be on my bucket list for a while longer. I saw signs, but I thought I was heading in the right direction. Once I got to Klamath Falls, I realized that I would have to go back an hour and a half to see it, and my trip takes me on south this morning.

I'll be wearing my glasses today, instead of contacts. I have apparently developed a sty on the inside of my right eyelid.

While we're on the subject, I want to make a few observations about injury and pain. I've been hurt a lot, but I've never broken a bone. I've had sore muscles, contusions, abrasions, messed up places that took many chiropractic adjustments to fix, and Crohn's. I have a high pain threshold, so I tolerate most things pretty well and keep going while they heal. 

The muscle soreness I experienced after descending Mount Walker led me to a new realization: pain can be debilitating. I know. Duh! Maybe I'm just good at forgetting pain, the way a mother does after the childbirth experience has passed, enabling her to do it again. If it remained fresher in my memory, I would eat better and maybe (probably not) be more careful. 

But as I tried to negotiate stairs and ramps (and even flat walking on Monday), I flinched and twitched. I tried to will myself to walk normally, but the nerve reactions had their own opinion of how I should move. I tried to imagine what it would be like to have that kind of pain all the time. I know I would work with biofeedback and various things to control it, but it would be at best limiting, and at worst completely debilitating. My hat's off to you, those of you who have fibromyalgia and other diseases that keep you in constant pain. 

I'm happy to say that my own muscle pain is gradually subsiding. I am actually starting to walk normally again, even on stairs. If I can remember the code to the new bike lock with which I locked the bike onto the rack in Portland, I'll have a little ride later today to get those muscles loosened up.

I should have WiFi tonight, so I'll write again later. On to Penn Valley, CA, and the arms of more beloved and rarely seen relatives.

Portland

Today was another "not-quite-what-I-expected" day. I soaked in the hot tub again while Dianna had an online meeting this morning. (She's been working in Winnipeg, and I just lucked out that she was home in Portland to help her husband with some medical things. So, in Winnipeg, the meeting was at 8:30 a.m., but for Dianna, it was at 6:30 a.m.) I applied some Arnica to my sore muscles after the soak and a subsequent shower. By the time I was done with that, Dianna was done with her meeting, and we had some breakfast together.

She had lots of work to do, so I packed up and went on my way. I headed to I-5, which goes pretty much straight south to Portland. First, there was the rain -- spitty rain, drizzly rain, showering rain, and drenching downpour rain, with periods of no rain and even a ray of sun or two. This continued for most of the trip.

For those of you who know the area, after at least 45 minutes of stop and go traffic we encountered a semi lying on its side (plus strobes, tow truck, and road trucks with flashing arrows on them) just north of exit 82. It finally occurred to me that, since we were moving so slowly, this might be a good time to call the Healthcare Marketplace and take care of some business. The phone call was easily sandwiched into the stalled time, and I even had time to get bored after it was finished.

As I got closer to Portland I thought, "I'm really not seeing very much of the beautiful countryside. Perhaps I should get off the expressway." I exited to Main Street at Vancouver and kept going south. Remy and I took a break in downtown Vancouver and had a burger at Old Ivy. There were few people but the food was good, and the server was very personable. I only had 30 minutes on the meter, though, so we didn't hang out for long.

After lunch, we continued south, but when Google was sending us back onto I-5, the voice said, "There is an accident in .6 miles." I didn't want to just sit in traffic again, so I took a different road, stopped at a coffee place and read my book for a while.

I noticed that I was becoming more and more irritable with Remy and with just stuff that was happening. That was when I remembered that I had gone to bed without my CPAP last night. I was so tired and sore, and I was reading in bed. When I was about to turn off the light, I realized I hadn't brought my CPAP in from the car. I didn't want to wake Dianna and Bob, and I was ready to simply tumble into sleep, so I decided it would be okay for one night. It wasn't. I'm exhausted. And I felt like I had a sore throat when I woke up this morning, too, because of the snoring I undoubtedly did all night.

After coffee, Remy and I stopped at a Petco -- still looking for a replacement for the bike basket, which they didn't have -- and at Target to replace the bike lock I left hanging on the rack on the back of the car till it fell off, apparently. In the meantime, I had made a reservation at a local hotel, The Chestnut Tree, and we headed there, crossing back over the Columbia River to the north and driving alongside it, then recrossing the Columbia further east.

The hotel isn't in a really cool neighborhood. Those hotels were $200 and up per night. But they upgraded me to a suite with a kitchenette and lots of space (that we don't really need). Also, the kitchenette doesn't have any dishes or a microwave, so I can't really use it without buying a bunch of stuff.

When I left Tacoma this morning, I thought I'd arrive in Portland in the mid to late morning and spend some time walking around the town, but as the day progressed I realized that maybe my legs weren't yet ready for a big day of walking. I'm still recovering from Mount Walker, and while today was better than yesterday, I'm still pretty sore.

I guess that means that I'll see what I see tomorrow, and then I'll continue south toward Penn Valley. For tonight, I don't know if I'll go out again. I'm almost finished with the last Harry Dresden novel -- there's still a book of short stories I'll probably read -- and I'm bushed. I hate to spend an evening in a hotel room when there's an interesting city out there to check out. We'll see how it goes. Perhaps a hot bath and a little nap, and then maybe I'll have some energy for sightseeing.