A Perfect Day

I wasn't having the best of mornings.  I was feeling disconnected, unworthy and old.  Yes, the mirror was telling me I was definitely older.  New signs of aging seem to have magically appeared on my face, neck and arms.  I could swear they weren't there yesterday.  It didn't help that in dream time there had been yet another man I was totally connected to only to awaken and find he had stayed in the other reality.  I hate when that happens and it happens with far too much regularity.  Is it any wonder I want to stay in dream time as much as possible.

But the weather was sublime here on the Oregon coast so I stepped outside my door.....walked a 1/4 of a mile down the road....and walked into a Perfect Day.

The Dock at Brookings, Oregon

A Saturday market was set up on the Brookings dock and with the sun shining and temperatures in the 70s it seemed that everyone was in the best of moods.  And then the gifts just kept on coming:

1.  I purchased a beautiful bead bracelet for $1
2.  Had divine conversation with a beautiful woman as we shared our hearts with one another.   I love those moments of connection, where you are authentically seen.  I saw her, and she saw me and we hugged as we parted, total strangers only a few moments ago.       
3.  A micro-brew and good conversation with the man who brewed the beer and was also a massage therapist.
4.  A gift of some of the best fried shrimp I have ever tasted, compliments of the food vendor next to the beer brewer.    
5.  Held and snuggled a 6 week old Peek-a-Poo puppy.  Fell in love!  Maybe the dog for me?
6.  Browsed a real bookstore and more conversation, this time with the lady who owned the store.   She is loosing her sight and must cut down on her book reading.  We shared our love for books and talked about the haunting episode of the Twilight Zone where the man steps on his glasses.  If you have seen the episode, you will know which one we talked about.  Haunting!  I bought two books and a paisley patterned coloring book.
7.  An Umpqua mint chocolate chip ice cream cone.

I walked home with a pretty big smile on my face, thinking I had just experienced one of those perfect days.  I had turned my "frownie brownie" into a "smiley eyely", my heart was young and buoyant again and it no longer mattered what my old arms had to say.

'Nother Day, 'Nother State

 I had a wonderful 5 days in Crested Butte, Colorado enjoying the scenery, hiking and weather.  And I even enjoyed being parked on the frisbee golf course.  But there always comes the point when it is time to go and when that time came I drove straight into a heat wave.

My Last Hike in Crested Butte

 

It was a good 30 degrees hotter my first rest stop after leaving Crested Butte and it only got hotter the further I drove.  All I could think of was "GET ME TO THE WEST COAST!".  And so with manic desperation I pushed the Aspect and myself through Colorado, Idaho and Nevada and back into Oregon.  Yesterday it was 104 degrees in Winnemucca, NV at 5 PM.  Today in Oregon it was 90 degrees.  Still hot, but a noticeable difference.  Tomorrow I will make it to my west coast destination and the weather should be much cooler. 

The drive from Winnemucca to Klamath Falls, OR was one of the most challenging and beautiful roads I have ever driven.  For the first 200 miles I barely saw another vehicle.  It was mountainous, curvy and desolate.   And then there was this:

It was a section of a rainbow coming out of a cloud.  It was not raining, there were some clouds but I couldn't quite figure out this swath of rainbow that kept getting larger and larger.  And then I looked behind me and saw this:

WOW!  So amazing and not another soul for miles around to enjoy it.  What a wonderful way to start a new day....rainbows, mountains and cooler weather.

Welcome back to Oregon.

Crested Butte, Colorado

I have found myself in Never, Never Land, a town where the Lost Boys have taken up residence.  The name of that town is Crested Butte.

I went to college in Boulder, Colorado and I can't help but feel that I am 18 again and back in college.  So many young people live here!  Mountain bikers, hikers, kayakers, skiers...name any outdoor sport and they are here.  I am dry camping across the street from my friend and it is a parking lot for a frisbee golf course.

I get the distinct impression that no adults live here and certainly don't make the rules.  And yet there is no crime to speak of, the town is thriving and the nature that surrounds the town seems surreal because it is so beautiful.  Everyone I have met in the streets or in the stores seems so happy!

No wonder Peter Pan took up residence.

Golden Days in Golden, Colorado

I finished up my business with South Dakota and started my trek back to Colorado.  I decided to break it up into two days and stopped in Gering, NE and ended up in the most amazing park! (http://www.gering.org/rvpark.html).  Biggest site I have ever had, most cable channels I have ever had and good, fast wifi.  All for $27!!!

Now THAT is a Big Site!

My View (With 2 UFOs on the Left Side - Have No Idea Where They Came From!)

 Sometimes I don't know why I end up where I do, or for what purpose. While in Gering I needed to have my RV looked at after an exhausting day on the road. I drove to one RV repair place and no one was there and I could not reach them on their phone. After a trip back to the RV park and a trip to another RV repair guy, now totally exhausted, I met Butch. Butch fixed my problem and all he asked for in return was a hug. I guess Butch needed a hug and I needed to be there to give him one.

I was tempted to stay for several days to re-energize and take advantage of the site and the amenities but I was on a waiting list for the park in Golden, CO and when they called to let me know a site was available I opted for the road.

I heard about the park in Golden from Amy of gopetfriendly.com.  I met Amy and Rod when they stayed in Truth or Consequences, NM and knew that our routes would be similar.  Thanks again Amy for this beautiful gem of a park! http://www.cityofgolden.net/play/recreation-attractions/clear-creek-rv-park/

Amy Enjoying a Beer During First Friday in Golden, CO

Beyond That Fence is Clear Creek

Clear Creek

Kayaking Clear Creek

Tubing Clear Creek

Even Dogs Enjoy Clear Creek!

 

The creek is freezing but the temps have been in the high 90s so I have seen a lot of action on the path across from me as people head further up stream with their assortment of tubes and kayaks and the intention of floating down stream.  I hear people screaming as the rapids douse them in the frigid water which makes for good entertainment :).

There is always a waiting list for this park and 14 days is the maximum stay.  I will stay my 14 days and then move to the higher elevation of Crested Butte and hopefully cooler weather.  Who'd thought it would be so hot in Golden, Colorado!?

Whirl Wind

It has been a whirlwind lately and I can scarcely keep up with the days as they fly by.

My last day of work in Truth or Consequences was Thursday, May 30th and I left the next day and headed to Santa Fe for the night.  The winds blew me into Santa Fe Skies RV Park (http://www.santafeskiesrvpark.com/) which was a very nice park but the winds made it impossible to do anything other than stay in my RV.  When I left the next morning I drove through the smoke from the Pecos fire which at that time was 0% contained.  The area was so beautiful and green after my many months on the desert and I wondered how much damage was being done to those trees as I sped through 20 miles of smoke.  It was a bit unsettling but as soon as I got through the smoke the roads opened up and it was a beautiful day to be driving and listening to my new love...Sirius radio.  How did I ever live without it????

Now That's An Open Road!

Not Often You Find a Tribute to Women

Next stop was Colorado and a two night stop at the Garden of the Gods RV Resort (http://www.rvcoutdoors.com/gardenofthegods-colorado/).  I wasn't that impressed with the park but my neighbors from Leaf Verde RV Park (which was just awarded the Arizona RV Park of the year award) are workamping there and I wanted to stop and visit.  Jean and I had a wonderful day together in Manitou Springs where we ate, drank and shopped.  Oh, and I just had to visit one of the medicinal marijuana dispensaries.  It is not as open and available as I thought it would be but come January 2014 there will be no problem walking in and sampling the many varieties.  They told me to come back in January:).

Manitou Springs, CO

Lunch at the Keg

Best Strawberry Margarita I Ever Sipped

Gotta Have Your Paperwork

This Cowboy Bell Woke Me Far Too Many Times!!!!  The RV Park Served Dinner and Pancake Breakfast on Sunday Morning.....Who Wants to Hear This Thing on a Sunday Morning at 8:00 AM?????

But the Bar-B-Que Was Delicious and Those Were True Southern Greenbeans

After two nights in Colorado I drove north and spent the night in Cheyenne, WY.  I got in just ahead of a storm that blew 50 mph winds and when I saw those nasty dark clouds rolling in I pulled in my slide.  I have learned my lesson and when I start to experience winds that strong I just roll in my slide and take no chances on another ripped awning.  Dang all this wind!

And now I am in Rapid City, SD with more wind!   Once again I got in just ahead of the strongest gusts but 22-25 mph winds seem to be my new normal.  I am in Rapid City because I have finally gotten around to changing residency and I now have a new address and as of tomorrow will have a South Dakota driver's license and will soon have new vehicle plates.  America's Mailbox (http://www.americas-mailbox.com/) makes it extremely easy to walk through the process and with only one night's stay, although I am staying two nights, you can become a resident and no longer pay tax on your personal income.  Sorry Oregon, I loved you, but your 9% tax was just too much. 

After South Dakota I have around a month to fill before joining the Kaypacha Festival (http://kaypachahealingfest.com/) so I will be heading back to Colorado to hang for awhile.  I love Colorado and am excited about a longer visit.

Pikes Peak Way In the Distance With Very Strange Cloud Above It

And now even though it is only 8:30 PM, I am exhausted and ready for bed.  The whirl and the wind have had their way with me.

Oh What a Day

Serving Coffee During a Work Day

For the last three years I have worked Memorial Day weekend.  I watched the crowds, the families and the crazies from behind a front desk as I checked in the multiple RVers and vacationers out for their first summer weekend.  For me it was the beginning of a long workamping summer and I just wanted to get through that initial weekend and survive to tell the tale.  Well, not this year.  This year I get to be one of the crazies.

Rio Running

They opened up the dam and the Rio Grande came flowing through.  It started as an initial flush which brought all sorts of debris (bales of hay, tree limbs, bottles, cans, pillows) but by Friday most of the accumulated refuse had floated downstream and the river was now fast, deep, cold and totally enticing.  And then what should show up but the invite to float down the river in float tubes, kayaks or rafts.  Count me in!!!!

River Trip with Turtle Back Mountain in the Distance

Joan Ready to Go

Our group ended up being four of us...me and Joan, Ken and Jake (the manager of Riverbend) and an extra inner tube for the cooler of beer.  Because no one wanted to be too far from the cooler we tied our tubes together and had an absolute blast!  It took about 2 hours to float back down to Riverbend which was just the perfect amount of time.  Once back at Riverbend we hopped into the the hot springs and chased away the chill of the mighty Rio.

Jake and Joan with Captain Bob getting the van ready

Ken was in Charge of the Cooler

What a day what a day.   It was such a good day, we are going to do it all over again tomorrow...:)

The River's Flow

I haven't posted much lately.  Life has been too full and too busy.  And even though lately the heat has kept me mostly indoors on my days off, my need, want or desire to write seems to have gone on hiatus.

Today was one of my three days off.  I spent early morning soaking in hot mineral springs while idly watching a school of carp circling in the Rio Grande.  My plan was to take a picture of this carp dance but as I was lazing about one of the dams in the Rio was released and now the carp have all retreated to mud holes or puddles wherever they can find them.

The water mark on the deck piling shows the decrease in water level

You can now see the shore across the river

The carp have mostly disappeared

I didn't take this picture but this is similar to what it looked like before the dam was released

My understanding is the smell will be quite strong for a few weeks and then the Elephant Butte Dam will release its water and the Rio will rise to its full glory.  That is when there will be kayaking, tubing and floating...something I have never seen since I have never stayed here during the summer months.  My workamping job ends May 30th.  Do I want to stay a few more days to see the majesty of the Rio Grande as she freely flows downstream?  Can I bear a few more days of this 90+ degree weather?  Guess I will just have to play that one day by day.

What I have decided is that this will be my last workamping job.  I have unsubscribed from the daily "worker wanted" emails and will not renew when my workamping membership expires in August.  That's it, I am done.  It's been an experience, but I will no longer be enticed into working for my keep.  I don't wanna work!  

 I sold my interest in the land owned by my former spouse and that will give me enough money to live on.  At the end of the year I will file for social security which will add even more monthly income.  At least enough money that with my simple life, I can simply live.

Picture of me at my last workamping job