Smoke Signals and Updates...

Been kind of "out of pocket" for a few days.

We've been layin' 'round Mesa Verde for a few days... almost a week I guess. The FREE National Park week has little impact for us, since we get that every day ;) but the FREE CAMPGROUND worked for us!

The only down side was almost zero cell signal inside the park boundaries, so I've been fairly blocked from doin' any online work. Good and bad. It's not a bad thing to Step Away once in a while and catch your breath.

But, when a fella gets solidly hooked into makin' his living by way of Internet Smoke Signals... it's kinda tough to just have it ripped away for a while, cold turkey! Withdrawal is a painful thing!

It also keeps me from using my high tech ways of searching out a new camp.

This time of year in Colorado, finding a camp can be a lil' dicey. The Forest Service, having given away most all of its campgrounds to private interests, locks up those campgrounds in the off season. If the corporation can't make a dime off the public, the public is blocked from use of its OWN property.

That's compounded in the springtime by the weather. You've got to be a lil' careful, pulling back into high country in April and May... and make sure you've got fuel, water and groceries... You just might find yourself locked in camp for a bit if a late winter storm comes rippin' through...

... Ala Last year over in Flaming Gorge Recreation Area, when we had a foot of snow on Memorial Day! ;)

So, without any signal, I reverted to our "old" methods of finding a camp. Using the Delorme atlas and our four... weathered and worn eyes, we spotted a NF road on our way into Durango for a Pizza supper...

... on our way Home to the rig with our current front yard being  Mesa Verde... we took a short look-see up that road and found RV Boondocking Heaven! and strong 3G signal for us 21st century, high tech boondocking drifters too! HooYa!

Just a mile and a bit up that road is a small selection of Prime camps... most with a shining view of the snow capped peaks to the North.

We'll move there in the morning. I'm sitting in the truck bangin' out this post while Miss Heidi is in the Cortez Walmart, makin' sure we got the groceries to ride out a late winter storm at just about 9,000 feet altitude... should one come whippin' in on us! ;)

The last few days that I've had to "step away" seem to have proved profitable too... hiking/walking through the ruins ponied up with time away from keyboards to think... has me generating what I've taken to be some genuine inspiration.

Having hit a bit of a blind trail on book number three I stumbled upon the answer and that's now ready to take off a runnin' over the next couple weeks! :) I've got a few new website pages planned out and ready to whittle...

... and what looks to be the Final (Heidi can only hope) evolution of our rig refit has gotten sketched out.

Then... to make things shine a lil' bit... Google, this past week just put out an update to their system. For a lot of people it seems to have really busted their website traffic and caused a lot of pain and distress. A few emails on the subject managed to come through to my phone... but I couldn't read anything till I came in to the Wally world parking lot! ....

First thing I did was pull up my website analysis pages... to see how bad my traffic had been affected by the effort of google to deal with webscam "Stuff"... only to find that my traffic is the highest it's ever been since the update rollout! HooYa! :)

One more time doing "It" the way SBI taught me to has paid off! Suh-Wheet!

Well... the groceries are loaded and it's time to head back to our internet-less camp... with our next good camp I'll be able to catch up on our wanderings and such of the past week or so...

The Word Whittling Wandering Cowboy Biker Keeps on Rolling
Brian

The Road... or RoadLESS... Monument Valley

We had to drive in from our camp in Mesa Verde, hauling the laptop, to a place where signal lives... to take care of some of the demands of the 21st century... so I'm taking advantage of it to try and catch up a post or two.

A few days back we made that run over the Road through Monument Valley.  The thing to keep in mind there is that Navajo Indians have a different perception of what constitutes a Road... then most of the rest of us. ;)

After a morning walk along the top of the canyon above the San Juan river, as it cuts it's way past our camp and through the Goosenecks State park area, we climbed in the Dodge and headed south.

*Yucca above the San Juan River in Goosenecks State Park*

If you look close you can see the RV camp in the top right... and there in the bottom left... a camp of boats on the river...

*The San Juan River Boat Camp*

As we were rolling south I found a familiar spot... Recognize it?

*Does the Name Forrest mean anything to you?*

I was taking the photograph when I commented to Heidi that "unless I miss my guess, this is where Forrest Gump decided to head home."

The words were still hanging in the air when I turned and there behind me, just off the side of the road, was this sign...

*The spot where Forrest ended his run*

How's that for a famous spot in American History huh? ;)

OK... back to Monument Valley and the... road.

Something you'll likely want to do is UNLOAD the big Ol' Road Bike, sitting on your truck... Before... you make that run over what is not a road... but simply a piece of dusty, rocky, desert on which all vegetation has been removed. That's about the only thing that made that piece of the Navajo Tribal Park a road...

Yeah. NOT unloading the bike and then rockin' and boppin' across that desert track was NOT the best choice I've ever made. Oh lordy... when the guy told us his story about the Tour truck getting stuck in the sand... I started to lose confidence...

When I had to put the truck into 4 wheel drive to be able to go slow enough over the rocks and holes... as my tires rolled off the pavement onto the "Navajo Road"... I knew, for sure and for certain... that "Nah, we don't need to unload it" was a mistaken Idea. ;)

So... without a bike encumbering Your truck or toad... you'd likely have a bit less... um... stressful ride. ;)

 

They were filming some sort of remake of "The Lone Ranger" when we were there. Johnny Depp? is playing the Lone Ranger? ... Now how is THAT going to work? Hopefully better than his horsemanship...

... it seems he was sitting on a horse. Not Riding a horse. The horse wasn't walking... they weren't doing a stunt... they weren't even moving from what I could gather... Ol' Johnnie was simply sitting on the horse... and WHUMP! Fell off! :) Breaking three ribs or so in the process...

Guess they'll need a Stand in Stunt man to do the Hi Ho Silver and Away! Bits... Huh? ;)

I can honestly say, I was kinda glad to be OFF of that lil' bit of dusty desert. Between the watching the bike bouncing around in the rear view mirror... and the folks in a hurry on a lane and a half, dirt track, slightly removed from 4X4 status... passing only to park in the middle as soon as they went around... to take pictures... it was an experience. ;)

Ah... but then I couldn't capture these pics without the experience right? :)

Rolled up the Moki Dugway the next day... and on up to Natural Bridges National Monument... and supper at the Swinging Steak...

But that'll have to wait for the next update...

Back into the Internetless Dark!
Brian

Dispatch From the Raider

This being Free National Park Week... Which I get every day anyway with my access card, we were passing Mesa Verde... So, I turned in.

Turns out, only one loop of the campground is open yet... But, it's Free too!

So, even though there's no usable signal, we'll park there for a few days. Free parking with a good view is always good.

Today, I HAD to get to the bank, so me and the Raider scooted over to Durango.

Stopped by the train station to send this dispatch.

See ya in a few days.

Off the Grid in Mesa Verde
Brian

I May be a Bucket Mouth... But I'm a Poor Interviewer!

I'm curious and ever watchful of the folks around me coming and going... But I guess... to be a good interviewer you've also got to be a bit "Nosey"... asking questions and being bold in poking into other folks "Business". :)

It might not seem like it... but I am actually a pretty private bucket mouth. Though I'm not often what could be called Quiet, hangin' ALL my "laundry" out in front of the world is a pretty tough thing for me to do. So... pokin' and proddin' folks for their story is just not a task I'm good at.

... and so... on to the poor interview...

... A "young" couple pulled in to our Goosenecks State Park/BLM camp combo (that info Fresh from Diane!) last night straddling the storm deck of a Ural Motorcycle Sidecar rig. A lot of folks commonly call 'em a Hack... OK... Maybe this pair has passed on by being twenty-Somethings... But... They've got fewer miles on 'em than my wore out old carcass!... and that makes 'em a Young Couple! :)

Some folks call 'em Uralistas! :)

*A Russian Ural Motorcycle Sidecar Rig - A "Hack" *

I finally invaded their camp this morning as they were loading up and makin' ready to hit the road.

They're out of upstate New York. Flew to Seattle to pick up their new Ural Hack and are in the middle of the long ride home to the East Coast... by way of the southland deserts...

Though... after pushing the hack through the wind across the Nevada desert he opined that he'd not complain if a few mountain meadows crossed their path... He was a mite weary of basting on the Seat of his sidecar scooter in the desert heat! ;) and she thought a lil' less sand and a bit more vegetation would be nice.

What makes me a poor interviewer is... The only information I ever get is pretty much what's offered. Though I'm curious to know... I'm reticent to ask... I tend toward trying to leave openings for folks to simply offer up what they want to put out. I failed to even ask their names. "He" mentioned that he'd been posting their story on the Adventure Riders forum... so I managed to find that link above. :)

Did you LOOK at that picture of the Ural?... Did you notice the background? Talk about a comparison of extremes... See the bus on the right side? With the smaller white Motorhome behind it?

From a Motorcycle with a side car... To a Great Big Bus... Pulling another Motorhome as their Toad! Really! That RoadTrek Sitting behind the Big Rig Motorhome... is their Toad! :)

Quite a lil' difference 'twixt the two of 'em ain't there? Opposite ends of the Road Rig Teeter Totter. I've sure been seeing the whole spectrum of ways of going the past few weeks... From Scooters to RV Road Trains. :)

Kinda nice to know that there's the right sort of rig for pretty much any drifter out there... The thing is... giving a curious Old Soldier Cowboy Biker Gypsy Rounder... so many options is NOT the way you're gonna help him make any choices! :)

I'll take one of each! ha ha!

Well... we made our run over the Road? through Monument Valley yesterday... that story is coming... along with what you might want to NOT do... if YOU are gonna make that circle. ;)

Yup... That's right. I done what a sensible person likely wouldn't, and one more time... got away with it... But then... Learning/doing things the hard way seems to be my standard operating pro-cedure don't it? I just wish I could remember all those things I keep learning... it would make life a LOT easier on that old truck of ours!

We did get a few decent photos of the Monument Valley country. My signal here is so slow it's taking forever to get pics uploaded though... and today in a bit we're gonna run the Moki Dugway/Valley of the Gods area. So... I'll be adding quite a few more pics to what I'll want to upload...

It may end up having to wait till we get to better signal to catch up... if the Cellular Gods don't relent and let my photos enter the big Photo "Cloud" in the sky! :)

We'll be moving on tomorrow I think... need to get to a place with the correct variety of bank to deal with some of that 21st century nonsense... So it looks like we'll be poking into the south west corner of Colorady some time tomorrow afternoon.

Living and Learning in the American West
Brian

From Zion to the Goosenecks in the Escalante-Staircase National Monument

We were just 'bout to leave Zion yesterday morning, when the earth started shaking and rumbling... as one of our "neighbors" pulled out...

*Small RV's don't suit some folks*

Like I said... "One size Don't fit all!" ;o)

All this wanderer needs is a mail car and a caboose! You almost expect to see a guy hanging out the side swinging a lantern and hollerin'... whatever it was those conductors used to holler!

I may have some difficulty sortin' out the next rig to replace our aging setup... but what I can say certain sure... though in the end I might not be able to get smaller is...

This is juuuust too much rig for me. He juuuuust squeezed 'tween the trees... but You go with what suits ya!

We took off in fine weather, rolled through the tunnel again and headed east along the vermilion cliffs out of Kanab... or at least another section of 'em. There is no One, vermilion cliffs. We came in along those that flank 89A... and came back east past those that run along 89 itself.

Was gonna pull over and snap a shot of the Glen Canyon Damn... but when I did they called out Stealth Drones, National Guard and the Secret Service... so I kept moving without a photo. ;)

Pokin' along like I do and having to run 250 miles or so it was running late when we passed by the most famous section of Monument Valley. I was a lil' concerned, as busy as Zion had been so early in the season that where we were planning to land might could be too... so I kept moving.

The result being that all I've got this morning is some snaps on the fly Heidi grabbed as we rumbled by...

Heading back today from this camp to try and do a proper vagabonds portrait expedition...

I was near right too... there were quite a few rigs at the Goosenecks Utah State park when we pulled in.

How many state parks have you ever heard of that were Free? Not much here other than the desert scenery... and it turns out that there's actually quite a few "spots" to park on past where we set up. It's not as "Full" as it first looked when we pulled in... We just didn't walk far enough checking it out... DOH!

It's funny to me... all this open country folks come to, to Get Away from it all... and ever'body scrunches in like if they pack close enough together the Kachina Boogeyman won't get 'em! :)

Must be eight or ten rigs, dang near bumper to bumper in a lil' section along the rim of the canyon, with the river below... and then an open mile or so of road on past with sites all along it.

We're hanging off the end of the "collection"... closer than I'd prefer... I just didn't realize that road extended as far as it does with all it's places to park on beyond us. All I could see was a narrow track out through the sage... I almost hitched back up once we discovered that and pulled on down... but, being lazy, and the rig was already level... it was hot... and that Sam Adams was calling softly from the refrigerator; "I'm Cold.... Wet... and I'm right over here... Briiiiiannnnnn..." :) What can I say... I'll be "sociable" for a night or two...

Sheesh... another lesson learned...

That's ok... we'll remember when we pass this way again.

*One of The "Goosenecks", out my door*

You can't see 'em from this angle... but straight down below the point of the gooseneck there's 6 or 8 rafts pulled up on the inside of the bend for their night camp...

The quiet... and dark... last night... Nice.

*In far country... the tribulations fade away*

... I surreptitiously caught a neighbor soaking up a bit of the quiet at sunset...

This is the kind of place you can just sit and watch... and just 'bout, consciously, feel the pressure releasing... your breathing coming slower and easier... the prodding to roll softening...

Maybe I'll make another pot of coffee, and run another album of Bob Seeger through the Ipod... 'fore we head out to Monument Valley...

Taking it Slow
Brian

From Zion to Bryce and Back Again

We've been all around the park the past few days. Took the Raider on a ride up to Bryce, three days ago, about 90 miles distant or so.

The weather man said it would be up near 70 and sunny. I guess he changed his mind after we left... I don't know as it got to fifty... and that bit of white stuff spittin' at us had me wonderin'.

*Bryce National Park*

It's another place I have some difficulty photographing. You're up above the scene for the most part and looking down in is sometimes a tough angle. It's another awful pretty place though.

But being higher, it might not be the best for an early spring visit on a motorcycle for some gals that are a mite thinner blooded than I am. ;)

*Stormy Weather over Bryce National Park*

Then the next day we took a hike... 4 or 5 miles up on the east rim of Zion Canyon. We started out too late so we didn't make it all the way from the trailhead to the rim... but we still got to see a thing or two that most others here missed...

Not long after we stepped off along the trail we encountered signs that weren't painted...

These partic'lar signs were left by what I took to be a "gal" and somewhat bigger than the one we saw down in Arizona...

This one had what I took to be a "yearling" walkin' along with her...

*Cat Track in Zion*

We followed this pair for about a mile or so up the trail... Takin' a SWAG, I'd put her at somewhere around 150 lbs. Maybe even a touch heavier.

Yesterday we left the protected shelter of the canyon...

... and took a run up the west side of the park...

Drove the truck up Kolob Terrace road to Kolob Reservoir.

I'm not sure how high that gets to be... but... once we climbed up there, it was but 60 degrees while down here in the canyon it was still warmin' up to 82.

*Kolob Terrace Road... A GOOD Motorcycle Road! ;) *

It's a narrow winding road running up there... and until a day or so ago much of it was still snow covered from the last storm they told us...

Up at the top it was muddy! Put the Ol' Dodge in four by and waddled on through... Ate our lunch of cheese and crackers sitting in the cab in the cool high country watching a Hawk hunting for his...

In the evening, while everyone else was choosing to take their supper we rode the tram up to The Temple of Sinawava to take a sunset stroll up the river walk...

It's a nice time then. Few folks around... The Turkeys and the Deer stand quiet just off the path as you walk by.

The sounds and scents of the canyon are clear to be heard... without having to "zone out" the sounds of other "spectators"...

...awful nice...

One of the nicest parts is, you can capture a few shots that can't be taken at any other time of the day...

*Temple of Sinawava in Zion Canyon at Dusk*

We'll be spending much of the day today cleaning up and packing up... gonna be pulling out and turning back toward the east some time tomorrow...

... Bound for? ... We think we know... but we're never quite sure...

Yondering down the Road
Brian

Tragedy in Zion - a Popular Blogger Has Vanished

The popular blogger, writer and ne'er do well, BK Gore, Vanished last evening while on a hike in the Temple of Sinawava area of Zion National Park with his wife. Little is known and His wife was found wandering aimlessly and in a deep shock.

Our contacts tell us that Park Officials are confused and suspicious. They have asked that everyone remain calm while the investigation proceeds.

Local Police and Park Rangers patrolled the area throughout the night and found only a camera and a bloody boot several yards from where the man was last seen.

While police stated they do suspect foul play, they will make no further statement until the investigation has been completed. Their final statement was that they have made no arrests, have few leads, and have as yet not found Mr. Gore.

The only real evidence of what may have occurred was in the camera officers found soon after arriving at the scene. It is believed that the camera they located may have recorded the doomed mans final, terror filled moments...

Reports of several brutal and mysterious attacks throughout the area by an unknown and as yet unidentified and never seen creature are being described by authorities as "Total Fabrications and the crazy ramblings of loony Bigfoot fanatics".

The contents of this video seem to argue otherwise.

Officials are warning all campers to keep their doors locked and those sleeping in tents have been advised that they may wish to evacuate until it is known what actually occurred and what the situation in the Park is.

~ On the Scene in Zion

Goin' Down the Road... In Search of Better Ways...

Two words keep rattling around in my head... What If?

There are two Best Circles that we've made over the years, that stand out in my mind.

The first, we just traveled in a truck with a campershell, Sleeping in a tent in good weather, the shell when necessary, and hitting a motel once a week or when the weather was really rough. That was 'bout a month long bit of Joyous wandering. The other was the Solo trip to Alaska. Just a bike and a tent.

Just following our/my nose... 

In both cases, about as light an outfit as you could do. Shelter, cooking, clothes and transportation. How much else is really necessary? How much of what we consider necessary... is? How much is just convenience we convince ourselves we can't live without?

I look ahead... at my Bucket List of places I'd like to wander... and ways... and I have difficulty seeing this old fiver... or any other fiver this size or bigger... squeezing up that trail... along with, fitting the cost of moving such a rig into my lil' budget.

I think of how Easy and light, some others travel. Their rigs don't get in the way of the wandering. They NEVER have to say... "it would be nice to go there... but the rig won't fit." Hell, they're Shipping their rigs all over the world!

Just coming here to Zion, we have to stop on the east side, pay an extra fee so they can close the tunnel... so we can run our too wide, too tall trailer through... Hell, we have to do that for just our Dually...

How many camps are we kept out of... by our oversized need for "Convenience"? What If?

These folks have rolled across Africa with their Diesel VW van...

... and are now on their way to Alaska. They're something older than I am...

This young couple... maybe mid twenties?... are near the end of their current journey. They started in Argentina in 2010... are now on the way to Yellowstone and will end somewhere around Vegas I guess... before selling their "Rover", and flying home...

*2takearest.com*

They refer to this lil' rig, in their website as their "Home"... We stumbled across the rig in the parking lot in Zion... and passed them riding the bike on a day trip up to  Bryce National Park...

And then... Here in South Campground is another young couple... proven by their not much more than toddler kids...

Another European rig... Proven by the plates... another VW Van... and What a Tent! It's carrying an Outwell tag on it...

Somehow... these folks that are out for extended periods of time... and look to be having the time of their lives... are doing it fine!

There's a lesson here to be learned I think...

Go down the road in a vehicle that eliminates the stress piled on by size and weight. A huge reduction in the stress of fuel expense...

A bed to sleep on overnight in roadsides if necessary... and when you get to the place for your camp... enough room for a family!

Even in "Hard Side" camps... where the big fuzzy buggers cause trouble... with a Van... you've got your hard side for sleeping... yet no shortage of "Living Space" During the day or even bouts of foul weather.

... and there's plenty of room for adjustments to your own personal tastes...

It's just an intriguing way of going... How much shinier would these views along the way gleam... if the Way itself was lighter and easier?

*Through the Grotto*

  

*In The Sanctuary of Zion*

Consider this... If... the places you go, soothe a bruised and weary soul... what if... the stress and work of pushing a large and heavy rig down the narrow roads, was largely removed?  If the cost of maintenance and just moving the rig was a lot lighter on your life? What if you STARTED from a higher, lighter, better place? How High could you soar?

What If... Without a care, you could stop at those curious little places, where you WISH you could... but can't... because there's nowhere to get your truck and 36' rig off the road...

... so you tell yourself you'll drive back once you get camped... but never do. What If?

What If you had a smaller rig going down the road... that opened up into something you could stretch out in... when you got stopped.

I'm not breaking any new ground here. Too many have gone before... but maybe, just maybe... rather than pointing my own idea of "the way"... it's time for this grumpy buster to listen to and be reminded of a few higher priorities... learned from the lessons of others.

It's not, and never will be a One Size Fits All life out here... but... There are a lot of Options for Vagabonds and Yonderers...

A lighter Pack Can Make for Shining Times
Brian

Somewhere in My Soul is a Valley... "and a River Runs Through it"

Sometimes the plans work out... Sometimes they don't. This time... ? 

You get to see some parts of a place only when the weather is being not so gentle. We got here in time for the storm... The only problem was, it was a lil' too much storm for any photography of it. The clouds and mists too low. They swallowed up the mountains and the light... at least for a piker of my photographic ability...

It's one of those times where though a place is as Soul Filling as ever, to the eyes and to the heart, rain lashing and snow falling, cold wind blowing... It escapes the camera.

It takes a far better photog than this buster to capture it on film... or electronic digits. ;) Maybe that's not a bad thing. Could be, once in a while a fella needs to just put his camera, his laptop and his pen and paper away... and See. Just... Be... Just breathe, In such a place as this.

Sometimes... You have to just Feed your Soul.

After a storm passes, here at Zion, waterfalls are running that ONLY run after a good storm. Those that do run, flow stronger... So, if you're not there, you don't get to see 'em. It's something for which there aren't words... The waters speaks words that you can't put on a page. They speak words that only your Soul can hear.

Waterfalls are a difficulty of mine when it comes to photography. I keep on trying. Every once in a while I capture a nice shot... A Photograph that Speaks.

... like the water pouring out of that Culvert last year up in Montana...

*a Montana Culvert*

But most times... I just can't capture what my eyes and soul see in that moving water... and put it in a photograph... I suppose a bit of it is that You Have to BE There... sort of thing... but still, I'd sure like to get better at it... I'd like to be better able to share it...

Possibly... it's a fear or a shyness to just say what the waters have spoken...

I've been trying here in Zion... to Collect a bit of that Spirit... Found in Moving water...

Have you ever seen the film; "A River Runs Through It" ? There's a monologue in it... been so long now I don't remember if it was the introduction or the closing of the movie... but it talked about Moving Water... and the way it spoke to something inside a man...

*The Virgin River in Zion*

I don't know... Maybe it's due to having grown up a kid in the desert.. I Love water... flowing, Free Running water, it's kind of odd I guess, that I don't care much for swimming ;) ... The crashing surf is awesome... but... the thing that reaches out and touches my Soul... is to sit quiet on the bank of a river... The Blackfoot, The Clearwater, the Virgin... or just some tiny high mountain stream...

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters.”
― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories 

 Like the Rivers, I keep on Moving. As the river carves on the banks confining it's journey and writing new history... I chip away at the limitations that guide my life, always striving to overcome, to find new, to grow, to learn... and am always thankful... For the Waters.

Following the Rivers
Brian

Zion Was Calling... We Had to Go...

We only spent a single night at Lee's Ferry... Wanted to be in Zion for the bad weather ;) Some of the best pics come from stormy weather...

*Climbing back up out of Lee's Ferry*

So... after the hellatious wind we had the night before, when we got up to hit the road... the day broke off pretty darn nice!

Just up the road a short ways there was an interesting place... A woman traveling through around 1927 or there-about broke her car and had to stop here for a bit... Decided she liked the area, bought some land and built an awesome homestead... The sort of house ever'body dreams of... Aw wouldn't it be sweet to be able to put wheels on a rock House like this'un?

How-some-ever...there's something there I've always wondered about... maybe a shortcoming in my upbringin'?

Now... I'm a fairly sociable guy... But socializin', at least for me has its limits...

This here place is the remains of a small "Facility" on the homestead... I've seen such before...

Inside... the evidence of its purpose becomes pretty darn clear...

Which... is what brings up my wonderin'...

um... am I missing something? Or, am I some sort of  ogre?

Cuz I gotta share a lil' secret with ya'll... I just don't have a pair of friends for whom my affection is so great that I've got any burning desire to share a Three Holer with 'em... know what I mean? ;)


We left that question settin' out there in the desert and rolled on toward Zion... We hooked around through Hurricane last time through. This trip I opted to go up through Kanab and come in through the tunnel that's the eastern Portal to Zion National Park...

This whole part of Utah has its own personality... but I have to say I prefer this eastern approach to coming around and back east through Hurricane and Virgin... I tried to do a small video... but my karma was thumping me so I couldn't get my hardware to co-operate...

I've said it before... this kind of country is my "church"... There's no interpretation or politicin' required. It's places such as this where I have difficulty accepting the assertions of some folks that all of this is just some cosmic prank... a strange and glorious accident...

To me this is the definition of a guiding, creative force... yet one I don't understand... and simply listen to... Hopefully picking up the lessons that are there to learn... if you keep your mind and your heart open to 'em.

It's Shining Times... even with weather coming in after a short respite as I write. The blue sky is gone now, the rain and cold is comin' along, yet another personality of Zion... and The memories of other times endure... along with the sure and certain knowledge that the sun will return...

This place... these Desert Canyons, feed some creative energy... as sure as the Timbered High Country.

I'm sittin' here in a weathered and worn rig, faded jeans and thin wallet... I'm Warm and dry. Coffee and beans in the cupboard. Propane and diesel in the tanks... and the views above out my window... or in my mind... knowing the future holds more of the same... no matter what comes we'll find the road over, around or through it...

I'm as rich as I ever dreamed of...

My eyes are filled each day with visons of Cowboy Heaven on Earth.
Brian