Prescott, Sedona, Grand Canyon May 2015

In Beaver, Utah on a rainy night.....

Hoover Dam

Visiting my dear friend Christy

The red rocks of Sedona

Bell Rock trail

Bell Rock Vortex

Sedona church

Sedona art

Petroglyphs near Sedona

Ancient Petroglyphs

Picnic at the art studio

The grandest of canyons

What an amazing view!

Grand Canyon

Loved being there!

The Desert Watchtower at Grand Canyon

Inside the Watchtower

Ancient Indian apartment building

Jerome, Arizona

The Journey

In the dark of night

in the light of day

under the lush moon

The voice teaches me

whispers......

There is no "I"

We are all one

A kaleidoscope of color

rainbow neon

moving 

flashing

flying

beckoning

inviting me in

to dance

As ancient as the stars

there is no time

The profound 

sadness

grief

tears

devastation

of the planet

passes through my being

Mama Gaia

I hold it in my arms

witness it

feel it

rocking it like a child

With an exhale as old

and wide as the planets

I let it go

Dissolving

into LOVE

 

Northern Thailand

Unfamilar birds call
Incense wafts
Butterflies dance
Monks chant
Leaves float softly to the ground 
Goats trim the banana tree
The sacred mountain 
stands guard over me
While my body gently sways 
for hours
in the green hammock
Rocking me like a child 
Profound peace 
permeates 
Every cell
Of my being

Captain's Blog - Santa Fe, New Mexico

Tuesday, October 7

Alex calls me from work and suggests that we leave today for Santa Fe and the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque. After a quick check of the calender, I say "Sure. Why not?" We are getting really good at quickly collecting our gear and hitting the road. We drive to Moab and arrive around 9 pm. It's a beautiful night and the town is hopping with people. We slip quietly behind a local hotel and bed down for the night. At 3 am I wake and look out the window to see a beautiful lunar eclipse happening over the warm October sky. What a wonderful gift. 

Wednesday, October 8

We drive south through Monticello then to Cortez, Durango and Pagosa Springs (a place I definitely want to spend more time in!) in Colorado and over the border into New Mexico. I have never been to New Mexico before and the drive is amazing. The Fall colors are bursting and my eyes almost cannot take so much beauty... we arrive in Santa Fe in the early evening and go to Aunt Claudina's house. She is a relative of Alex's, on his mother's Spanish side.

  Claudina is 87 years young and such a hoot. When I am introduced to her she looks at me and says "oh honey, I look like such a tramp. I wasn't expecting company." I am in love with her instantly. We take her out to dinner at her favorite Mexican place where everyone knows her. She has a huge smile on her face and is proud to be there with friends. We get seated and she looks across the table. "Are you going to drink tequila with me?" Of course I am. We order margaritas and delicious food and we have a great time. We take Claudina home, where she has lived for more than 50 years and spend time with her son Benny and his son Lauren, looking at old photos and chatting away. We decide to drive to Albuquerque (Or ABQ as the locals call it) so we can be near the festival grounds for the balloon festival. The balloons start to rise around 5 am. 

It starts to rain as we near ABQ and scout for a spot. We have trouble locating a good place because there are so many people around for the huge balloon festival. We end up parking under an awning of a closed up gas station, which is good for us because we suffer from a few leaks in the van during heavy rains.

Thursday October 9

We wake very early and see a police cruiser parked next to us.  Alex gets out to walk Bailey and the policemen in the car pay no attention to him. Seems they are there to direct traffic for the Balloon Fest. Whew. I'm having a hard time getting myself awake, so Alex drives while I lay in bed gathering myself and my thoughts.

We drive about 2 miles to the gate and as we get to the parking lot we see them. Hundreds of balloons beginning to float in the clear early morning sky. They are as big as skyscrapers. They are in every shape and color of the universe. It's like being inside of a saturday morning cartoon. Sharks, bees, ships, fairies, horses, birds, dolls. They are in all stages of coming to life. Some are floating high in the sky, others are just getting their hot air pumped into them and rising from the grass field. It's amazing. So magical. We are smiling and laughing and running around like kids. It's one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed. 

We stay for several hours and it feels like a state fair. There are a lot of booths containing food, games, trinkets, posters, and all things in the world of the hot air balloon.

We decide to drive back to Santa Fe and explore downtown. This is our only day here - we have to begin our drive back in the morning. We go to Santa Fe and love walking around. So many art galleries, shops, restaurants and things to see. The people are going crazy over Bailey, Alex's miniature Schnauzer. Everyone wants to pet her and talk to her. Santa Fe is definitely a dog friendly kinda place. We have a nice lunch on a patio - although the food turned out to be not so good. 

No love in the food or in the service. Ah well....probably an off day...

Back to Benny's house to take a shower and over to Aunt Claudina's for a visit. I wasn't feeling so well from the no-love food so I chilled in the van for a while while they eat pizza and have a chat. We sleep in Benny's driveway that night in the pouring rain. It's quite cozy and I have a good sleep and pleasant dreams.  I feel as if I'm going through a major healing process on this trip.

Friday, October 10th

After a lovely breakfast with Claudina and some sweet good-byes, we hit the road. We drive all day and arrive in Moab around 8 pm. We have a good sleep behind our favorite motel and head north after fueling with coffee and bagels. We arrive in Orem, Utah in time for my family reunion (which is another chapter...). 

A smooth, peaceful trip to New Mexico. I can't wait to return and spend much more time in Santa Fe, Taos and ABQ!

Captain's Blog - The Black Hills - Part 3

Tuesday, September 9
We drive from Sturgis to Cody, Wyoming. A long and windy drive. I am lulled by the road and the miles drifting by, when suddenly a group of 8 antelope runs across the road in front of us. Alex sees them first and quickly wakes me from my thoughts. I hit the brakes and everything that's not locked down comes flying forward in the van. They scamper across the road and we barely miss blasting through the middle of their antelope tribe. From then on, my senses are on high alert.

We cruise into Cody and find a campground in town, have a walk around as the rain comes down and end up at a brew pub for pizza and salad before tucking in for a brisk night in the van.

Wednesday, September 10
We have a beautiful drive through Yellowstone, stopping for a couple of wonderful hikes through steaming geysers, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and around Yellowstone Lake. We cruise through Grand Teton Park and check out campgrounds there which are all completely full. We end up staying in a very large campground outside of Jackson, called Gros Venture. As we are setting up camp, a big mama moose and her baby come wandering through the camp. They don't seem to be bothered at all by the large number of people watching her.

Thursday, September 11
Another chilly night, but we stay warm and cozy in the van. Our propane heater works well, but is rather noisy and doesn't make for a very deep sleep. In the morning we hear people milling around and look out to see about 20 people gathered with cameras and binoculars just across from our site. There are 3 very large moose eating and playing in the field. Soon the park police are there telling people to stay back. Those animals are huge and powerful and I certainly wouldn't want to be in their way, should they change directions....

We clean up our campsite and decide to drive over to Teton Park again and have breakfast at Jenny Lake Lodge. It's a place I've heard about for years and always wanted to have a meal there. It's a sweet, old place with tons of charm. What I didn't know was that is is a higher end restaurant, with breakfast costing $25. We decided to treat ourselves in honor of two years since the day we met. And I have to say, it definitely was the most amazing breakfast I might have ever had. We started with fresh berries and yogurt, along with the most delicious coffee in the universe. Next was huevos rancheros. A nice small portion, everything perfectly balanced. Then came french toast and potatoes. OMG. Everything was made very fresh with local ingredients and lots of love. I enjoy every bite and feel so blessed on this morning as we look at the Grand Tetons through the window. Soft snowflakes begin to fall as we finish our meal.

We drive through Jackson, Snake River Canyon, my hometown of Star Valley, Bear Lake and Logan on the way back to Ogden. The Fall leaves are on fire with red and gold all the way home.

It was a glorious and sacred journey and I am incredibly grateful for this life and experiences that I am in the process of creating. I read a quote recently that talked about travel, and that when we travel, everything is new so we only see the beauty around us. That feels very true for me. Every day is such a gift.....

Captains Blog - The Black Hills - Part 2

Sunday, September 7
We sleep in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Convention Center and in the morning when Alex gets out of the van to walk Bailey, he comes back to tell me that there is a ceremony happening on the hillside behind the hotel. "I don't know what they're doing, but I know you will want to be there" he tells me.

I quickly brush my hair, throw on some clothes and follow the many people gathering near a large teepee as the sun is rising. There is a fire going in the middle of the gathering and all of the Grandmothers are arranged at one side, under an awning for shade.

Grandmother Aama Bombo from Nepal is sitting near the fire and a blessing ceremony is underway. She is dressed in her ceremonial clothing - long white robes and a head dress of colorful feathers. She is chanting and singing at the fire and an assistant holds a microphone near her so we can all hear. The ceremony lasts for almost two hours. I sit enchanted and held in the rhythm of her song. I watch as she goes further into a trance and is speaking a language I don't understand. But I know something very special is happening. I watch as she sings and dances and then the sacred water is produced and she goes around the circle of people (mostly women) and blesses everyone with drops of water and a beautiful song. She blesses each Grandmother and places a khata around each of their necks.

When it is over, I feel as though my soul has been blasted wide open. I am so honored to be a part of this gathering and can't believe I'm sitting here on a hillside in North Dakota.....the rest of the day I am so emotional and can't stop the tears from falling.

After saying a tearful goodbye to Grandmother Agnes and her daughter Nadine, Alex and I go and get breakfast in Spearfish and then head out to the Black Hills once more. We drive though Spearfish Canyon ~ one of the most beautiful drives ever....and we wind up at the Crazy Horse Memorial site. Such an incredible place. The grounds are beautiful and I loved the museum. The carving of Crazy Horse on his horse will be about 50 times larger than Mt. Rushmore when it is completed.We watch as a Native American man dances in full costume with his two sons and daughter. I am entranced by the story they tell as they move and sing. Afterwards the father says he would like to talk with me. We sit for a while and converse. He tells me about life on the reservation and he asks me what I'm doing there. "Are you a healer?" he asks. "I can see that you are on a sacred journey. You must visit Bear Butte - The most sacred Native American site in this area." I ask him where it is and he says with a smile "you will find it."

That night we camp in Custer State Park next to Sylvan Lake. It's beautiful and quiet there in a campground of about 20 sites. We build a fire and I make pasta in the van. Later we get out the drum and the rainstick and make music together as the flames burn into the night. We have a very restful sleep and in the morning I lounge in bed while Alex takes Bailey on a long walk around the lake.

Monday, September 8
We drive to Blue Bell Lodge and have the most memorable, delicious breakfast of the whole trip (for me, anyway). Home-made biscuits and gravy - so soft and flaky and the gravy is delicious and perfectly balanced. Over medium eggs with breakfast potatoes and hot coffee with cream and sugar. Oh yeah...

We spend the day driving through Custer State Park and loving it. We are more quiet and reflective today. We keep the stereo off as I drive, lost in thoughts of all that's happened over the last few days.

We end up in Rapid City at the end of the day and we're both starving. We walk around the downtown and enjoy the beautiful buildings and sweet shops. We sit outside and have a nice meal with delicious cold chardonnay. It's happy hour - two for one and since Alex doesn't drink, that means two for me :-)  We sit looking at the old hotel Alex Johnson across from us and wonder about its history. Our kind server fills us in on the fact that it is VERY haunted and tells us crazy stories of several people dying in room 812 over the years. Of course we have to go and check it out so we take the elevator to the 8th floor and stand in front of room 812. It feels creepy weird and cold and I don't want to stay too long....

We look at the map to see where Bear Butte is and we find out that it's not far away - just east of Sturgis, so we head in that direction. We cruise through Sturgis, famous for the motorcycle rallies that take place there, bringing thousands of people to this now quiet little town. We get to Bear Butte near sunset and marvel at the beautiful mountain in the middle of flat lands. It looks much like Devil's Tower but in miniature. It feels so calm and peaceful there with buffalo roaming around the base of the mountain. We decide that we will find a camp spot and come back in the morning to explore more.

It is the night of the full super moon and we sit outside at our campsite and are in absolute awe of the huge yellow light hanging in the sky, its reflection in the lake almost blinding us with brilliant, healing energy. We go to sleep with coyotes howling us into crazy cool dreams and wonderful insights....

Captain's Blog - The Black Hills - Part 1

Thursday, September 4
Alex and I set out for South Dakota. We know we won't make it all the way there in one day so we plan to spend the night in Gillette, Wyoming. It's a pretty unremarkable drive through Rock Springs, Rawlins and a quick stop in Wright, Wyoming to snap a photo. I didn't know that it existed before driving through it!

We arrive in Gillette around 6 pm and find a great park in the middle of town. We go for a long walk with Bailey  (Alex's dog)and then make some dinner in the van. We also get our bed made up so we can quietly park behind the Best Western for the night. The hotel is full of gas line workers and turns out to be not so quiet - but we sleep pretty well despite the trains and trucks roaring past us.

Friday, September 5
We have breakfast at a freaky cafe across from the Best Western. It's a huge place but feels unfinished and ghost town like. There are only a few hunter type guys there getting their fill of meat and eggs. Breakfast is just ok but the coffee sure tastes good. We both love having a good breakfast on the road and it's usually the only meal we take in a restaurant while traveling.

We drive to Devil's Tower - a place I have always wanted to see in person. It has always seemed sort of ghostly and huge in pictures and of course we relate it to alien visits ever since Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  I didn't realize that it was such a sacred spot to Native people until today.  We spend a few hours there and take the walk that goes all the way around the tower - about 3/4 of a mile. I am amazed at the smoothness of the rock and height of the tower. We watch people climbing the tower with ropes and pulleys. Apparently this is not a welcome activity to the Native people. It seems to go against the sacredness of the place. There are prayer bundles tied to many trees around the tower left as offerings to the spirits of the place. I love seeing the bundles of tobacco tied with colored fabric that represents the four directions.

It's not a long drive to Spearfish, South Dakota from Gillette and we arrive in the afternoon. We scout out a campground that looks good in town and then head over to the Holiday Inn where the gathering of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers is being held. I had no idea what to expect but when we arrive there are about 300 people in a large conference room and some speakers on stage just finishing a session. They announce that Grandmother Agnes will do a water blessing ceremony in a few minutes. So perfect because Grandma Aggie is who I came to see. I was blessed to know her through organizing the Dalai Lama event earlier this year. She was one of our wonderful speakers.

The International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers is an international alliance of indigenous female elders that focuses on issues such as the environment, internationalism, and human rights. They gather once a year in some part of the world to talk about these issues and it feels like a huge honor to get to be there. 

I speak with Grandma Aggie and her daughter Nadine and they are so happy and surprised to see me there. We stay for the beautiful water blessing and then go to check in at the campground. They tell us there is a music and food festival in downtown Spearfish so we go and check it out. There is a really good feeling in this town. I like it here already. 

Saturday, September 6
We have a wonderful evening and a good sleep at Chris' Campground. The next morning we have a hot shower and I make eggs with toast and coffee in the van before we head out to the Black Hills. We have a great day exploring sweet historic little towns like Deadwood, Lead, Hill City and then on to Mt. Rushmore. I loved seeing it for the first time. It's rather surreal....those 4 faces carved into a mountain high above...there have of course been all sorts of touristy things set up around it - motels, ziplines, helicopter tours, cute little stores selling Native American wares (probably made in China). The scene at Mt Rushmore is interesting. It feels like an international gallery as you walk though a huge open air hallway with flags of each state represented. A real American stopping place. There is a great museum with all the interesting history of how and why this monument was created. I enjoy myself very much there. The weather was gorgeous and I felt happy to be alive and on the road having adventures. 

We make a beeline back to Spearfish so we can be there in time for the evening Pow Wow at the Grandmothers gathering. We arrive for the Navajo taco dinner and the pow wow starts around 8 pm. We meet interesting people as we wait together and when

the pow wow starts it feels exciting and very special. The drums play and the men sing a deep rich song that makes my heart beat in time with the voices. The All Nations Dance is announced and all Native Americans come into the circle and dance together. So beautiful to watch.....later just the woman are asked to dance with the Grandmothers leading. They invite all the women in the room to join and of course I do. What an amazing experience to be there, dancing with all these people - here for the same reason. To unite in the spirit of peace and community and take in the wisdom of the 13 indigenous grandmothers. Wow...