A Challenge to the Non-Environmentalists

Now, I need to start off by saying that I'm certainly not a card-carrying member of Greenpeace, but I have made an effort to be a little more "green" in my ways. It's certainly something that is important to me, and thanks to this little trip, it's been thrust back to the front and center.

I'm not asking everyone that's reading this to go out and wrap their arms around the nearest dogwood tree and give it a passionate kiss. What I am asking everyone to do is to just stop and think about some things for a minute or two. Quite often when I'm having a discussion with an individual that doubts our impact on Mother Earth, I'm left speechless that these folks can't see that we are all connected. Use of resources that she provides to us is one thing, AB-use of those same resources is something completely different. We all share the same breath on this planet... why not at least TRY to do things a bit differently?

I was hiking through the Redwood National Park last week, and had the opportunity to sit and simply look, listen, and feel the environment around me. These trees have been here for 2,000+ years, and it may sound silly, but it really felt like they had a voice. No, the trees weren't speaking to me in some out-of-body spiritual vision, but the sound of that forest was unmistakable. It was the sound of life. It was the sound of history. And, most importantly, it was the sound of the future. I know I've leapt off the deep end into some sort of mind-numbing rant, but tough. If you don't like it, stop reading. Actually, for that matter, if you don't like it, I INSIST that you keep reading.

I challenge anyone to walk deep into one of those magnificent arboreal cathedrals and sit down for 30 minutes. It doesn't have to be Redwood National Park. It can be the seashore, it can be the local park. Somewhere you can get away from as many sounds of modern culture as possible. Sit there for thirty minutes and do NOTHING but listen. Listen to whatever natural sounds surround you. Listen to Mother Earth's voice for just thirty minutes. Close your eyes if you have to so you can really focus on her voice. Then, open your eyes and ask yourself this question: WHY NOT? Why shouldn't I at least make an effort? Why shouldn't I at least try? Is it because of some dumb party line? Some partisan talking point that you haven't stopped to think about for yourself? Whether you believe that Global Warming is being accelerated by man's abuse of the riches that we have been given, or if you simply believe that it is a repetitive planetary cycle that we don't have the slightest effect on, again ask WHY NOT? Why shouldn't I take better care of my house? My home? My children's home? And their children's home? Why not?
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On a semi-related note: I have a question for those individuals that tell me that the earth is only 6,000 years old. Most of the time (not all the time, mind you), these individuals tend to walk a fairly straight and narrow line when it comes to politics. I mention this because many of these individuals that I'm describing also don't believe in environmental issues or the phenomenon of global warming. They state that it's simply a "cycle." So herein lies my question... If the earth is only 6,000 years old, how can global warming just be a planetary cycle that goes up and down every ten or twenty thousand years? Quick? Your answer? I didn't think so.
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Ok, next time, I promise to leave politics out of it and just post some more pretty pictures and uninspired descriptions of my travels... or... maybe not.

See ya then!

Lefty

P.S. I spent last night in Bryce Canyon National Park located in Southwestern Utah. The way to the north rim of the Grand Canyon was indeed closed, and I didn't feel like looping all the way around to the south rim, so I just headed north. And I am glad I did! Bryce Canyon yesterday and some more early this morning and then Capitol Reef National Park today. Pretty sweet stuff. I'm spending the night tonight in a motel off of I-70 in south central Utah.

I plan on heading east towards Colorado tomorrow if the weather cooperates. It's probably about time for me to head back towards home in the coming days. Not that I won't be back out here really, really soon. But the IRS won't like my excuse of "finding myself" as a reason to not pay my taxes on time.

Follow Me!

Oh, what I have seen since the last time I sat down to write! Let's see, since then I've made my way down from Montana and Idaho, across Utah and Nevada, up through the Northern California heartland, back down the California coast, seen the bright lights of Vegas, and now sit in the middle of nowhere near the north rim of the Grand Canyon! Whew! Sorry for not writing in a while! It's been a blast, and believe it or not, the experience truly is getting me closer to figuring all those things out that I set out to find. No, I haven't answered the mysteries of the universe just yet, but I think I've learned a bit more about who Lefty really is.

I thought it would be fun to put up a map of my travels, and include some interesting tidbits about each of the spots. Next time I'll post some more pictures, and boy, do I have some doozies! It really is beautiful country out here.

If you are interested, the following footnotes accompany the numbering on the map above. The numbers don't correspond with "days" or anything, just interesting things or places along the way. Click the map to open it full size.

#1 - The starting point of Lefty's trail... Jensen Beach, Florida. Some serious memories here. Some good, some not so pleasant... including the reason I started this little journey.
#2 - Beaufort, SC: Wanted to visit an old friend and say goodbye. I've had a tough time letting go of her, but it was good to see her one last time. I don't think she checks in and reads this blog, even though she was the one that said "I'll stay in touch. We can be friends, and I'd hate to think of life without you as friend." Yeah. Uh-huh. That's why she hasn't initiated contact in 5 months. Karen, if you do read this, sorry, but that's the truth. Ok, I digress... sorry about that folks. While on this # on the map, note the curiously incorrect placements by this cartographer of Augusta and Savannah, GA. They put Augusta where Savannah is, and put Savannah down the coast where Brunswick is supposed to be!
#3 - A quick stop at my Uncle Bill's place before "heading west"!
#4 - Christmas & New Year's in Little Rock! Simply the best. Thanks for it all you two!
#5 - Some time in Tunica, Mississippi proving to myself that I'm actually a decent poker player.
#6 - Iowa City, IA... home to my dear friends Ann and Bishop. Thanks for the hospitality! I hope it works out for me to loop back that way on my return trip.
#7 - The "frozen tundra of Lambeau Field", also home to my friend Greg. What's happening Schmitty!!!
#8 - Snow started to fall really heavily here in southern Minnesota, so I darted back south in an effort to stay out of the worst of it... HA! That didn't work out to well after spending a couple of days stuck in Ames, IA. Oh well... found a great little Mexican restaurant there. You know me.
#9 - Omaha, NE: Not much to mention here, so I won't. hehe.
#10 - Sioux Falls, SD: Spent the night here and felt like I was finally on the road. No old friends in front of me, no security blankets. Just me, the road, new people and places, and life waiting to be lived.
#11 - Badlands National Park, SD - You already know about my camping trip here. So far, one of the best memories of the trail.
#12 - Buffalo, WY - First attempt at heading to Yellowstone - road closed.
#13 - Sheridan, WY - Second attempt at heading to Yellowstone - ditto.
#14 - Billings, MT - My third attempt at heading to Yellowstone - uh-huh... you guessed it.
#15 - Livingston, MT - Finally an open portal to the park! Stocked up on supplies for camping.
#16 - Mammoth Springs Campground & Yankee Canyon Campground. Spent some wonderful nights here. Went for my first "Vision Quest" on a mountain top. Although nothing was more powerful than that morning in the Badlands. More about that quest another time.
#17 - Drove across Yellowstone to where the road would have come in from Billings. Highest elevation that I've been at on this trip - 8,000+ ft. above sea level. Elk, Bison, Coyote.
#18 - Butte, MT: Along with Missoula, Butte became a second home for me as I traveled in this region. I looped around a couple of areas, but weather seemed to force me back to Butte or Missoula more often than it cooperated.
#19 - Watched the Superbowl in a hotel in Missoula. Thank GOD the Patriots lost!!! Also, after finding out that two of the campgrounds in Glacier National Park were open for "winter" camping, I stocked up on supplies here and then headed north.
#20 - Couer d'Alene, ID: Actually, this stop came before I headed to Glacier. I went up and down that stretch of I-90 a couple of times.
#21 - Glacier National Park: I spent three nights here. It wasn't nearly as cold as it was in the Badlands. Actually, even though there was a TON of snow, the temp was a balmy 26 - 35. Not bad, really. Some beautiful country up here, at least West of the Continental Divide. I was amazed at how much it changed as soon as I went over it here on the east side of the park. Quite a contrast compared to other places that I've crossed it before. It went from alpine terrain to "high plain" or even "desert". Very interesting.
#22 - Crossed the border back into Idaho... this time Southern Idaho. Some really interesting landscapes up here, and quite high in elevation. Near white out conditions from snow, fog and blowing snow. Found out that it takes awhile to get anywhere moving 5 mph!
#23 - Idaho Falls, ID. Again, nothing too special other than another Super 8 Motel.
#24 - Salt Lake City, UT - Would have been some beautiful country here, but I discovered what happens to the best that Mother Nature can provide if too many people and too much industry comes around. So much air pollution that I could hardly see the lake. Ugh! Maybe another day would be different, but this was quite disappointing.
#25 - Bonneville Salt Flats - I neared the world land speed record of 600+mph while driving on I-80... haha... just kidding... kind of.
#26 - Reno, NV - Got stuck here for a night 'cause Donner Pass into California was closed. I managed to find some entertainment at Harrah's Hotel and Casino. Imagine that!
#27 - Mount Shasta area, California. This was some cool country. After coming through some of the valleys at sea level or just above, there was this 14,000+ft. behemoth in front of me. Spent some time hiking near Lake Shasta. Was going to camp here, but those crazy Californians don't like the people with national park passes, so I moved on up the road. Saw that I was relatively close to Redwood, so moved on.
#28 - Starting point of a great week. Headed west from Grant's Pass, Oregon, down US 199 towards Redwood National Park. I had NO IDEA that I would run into one of my NEW favorite places! Smith River National Recreation Area. Wow! Stunning views, a pristine river, trout that bit no matter what you had on the end of a line (thanks Bill!!!), and some incredible mountain drives. I spent three days and two nights in this wonderland just soaking it in. I will be back!
#29 - Smith River Campground - Really, starting a campfire with damp wood is not as easy as you'd think, even with the right "stuff". But once it's going... AHHH!
#30 - Redwood National Park - Simply amazing. I challenge anyone to walk through these forests and not come out without a greater appreciation of the environment. More on that topic next time...
#31 - Started down the scenic "Shoreline Highway"... Also known as California Highway 1. Stunning views, sheer cliffs, hairpin turns that really do make your hair stand on end, and some awesome photographic opportunities.
#32 - Spent the night on a bluff overlooking the Pacific with huge surf thundering against the rocks below... slept like a baby.
#33 - San Francisco, CA - Very cool city, but too many people for me. The Golden Gate Bridge was cool.
#34 - Monterey Peninsula & Carmel Bay - Interesting. One minute you are in fairly dry, barren land... grassland mostly, then all of the sudden, "boom"! I guess everyone in Central CA was here though since it was the weekend and beautiful weather. Got out and strolled around for a awhile. Didn't want to pay 11 dollars to take the scenic 17 mile drive though. Maybe next time. There were just too many people and too much traffic!
#35 - Death Valley - Again, too many people. I guess I need to plan on visiting parks in off seasons, like I did with Yellowstone and Glacier. It was beautiful, especially with some of the wildflowers in bloom, but again, just too many darn people. I'll go to Death Valley again in July. That should be interesting!
#36 - Vegas - Come on, you really didn't think that I'd come all the way out here and not at least stop in, did you? All told, a successful venture at the Bellagio, walking away $600 up at the $2-$5 no-limit hold-em table... RUN while you can, Lefty!
#37 - Zion National Park - Stunning! Again, some great photos. Still a lot of people, even for a Monday. I guess a lot of people heading out of Vegas after the long weekend stopped in here.
#38 - Here I am in a little town named Kanab. I'm going to head towards the North Rim of the Grand Canyon tomorrow, but I've been told that there's a lot of snow. It's 54 degrees here in Kanab, but it's only at 4,500 feet. The road to North Rim goes over 7,000 and close to 8,000. So I may not be able to go that way. The back-up plan is to head north from here to Bryce Canyon National Park, then north up 89 to I-70. From there, head East into Colorado.

So, there you have it. Lefty's Trail. At least the physical side of it. The more interesting side is the spiritual and non-tangible side that I've been able to connect with. It's been a blast and I'm looking forward to a few more days before I head back East.

Next time, another photo update and some thoughts about what you can't see.

'till then.

Lefty

All Pictures: More Yellowstone, Coeur d'Alene, Lookout Pass, Glacier National Park, Helena

Between Helena and Great Falls, Montana

Glacier National Park

Blackfoot Indian Reservation

Lookout Pass and Lolo Campground

Coeur d'Alene





Yellowstone

Some Unedited Ramblings...

I am discovering that time spent in solitude is indeed, by definition, lonely. But this was only my initial reaction, and it has quickly passed. Although I haven't resorted to talking to a volleyball, a la Tom Hanks in Castaway, I have spent many nights cozy in my sleeping bag, staring at the stars, and thinking. Sometimes about the past... sometimes about the future. But what I've found are the most peaceful are the times when I think about nothing but the present moment.

"Wow, those stars are beautiful and mysterious."

"Listen to that wind whistling through the pines. It sounds as though Mother Earth is trying to talk to me. If I listen closely, I'll bet that I can figure out what she is saying."

"Was that a coyote, or just the wind?" (speaking of coyotes, I can't wait until I can upload some pictures, 'cause I got a few great ones of a coyote that seemed to be following me as I drove through Yellowstone the other day)

"I've never noticed how beautiful some pine needles and a pinecone can be when they are scattered in the snow."

"My goodness, this coffee is good!"

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that thought, in and of itself, becomes a powerful companion. Sometimes I feel as though I've done more thinking in the last 34 days than I've done in my entire 34 years on this planet. Good grief! When I put it like that... "34 years" I can't help but wonder what the hell I've been doing for all of it! Ah-ha! Another topic for another day! But I digress...

This was the "conversation" that I had with my mind the other night as I slept in my truck, tucked amongst boulders, trees, and snow:

Now, I find myself feeling more and more "at home" here in the West. I know, deep down, that I'm supposed to be out here, whatever it is that I end up "doing". What I've come to realize, and look forward to exploring further, is that what I "do" does NOT define who I am. A good friend of mine told me that repeatedly, but the truth is, sometimes one has to discover these truisms themselves.

Hearing it leads to believing it, but living it leads to KNOWING it. What does that mean? Well, simply this: We can be told many things in our lives, and we chose to believe what we like. But experiencing life itself leads to knowledge. For instance, you can tell me all you want that your cherry pie tastes great, and I'll surely believe you. But do I KNOW what it tastes like? Not until I eat it. In other words, once I actually experience something, only then can my belief morph into knowledge.

This, invariably, leads to a discussion on faith and trust. Sure, I can take it on faith that your piece of pie is scrumptous. It looks good... It smells good, and I can see the reaction on your face as you eat it. But do I yet KNOW what it tastes like? For that matter, what might be "scrumptuous" to you is only mediocre to me. My perception of the same knowledge might end up being different than yours. Is mine right and yours wrong? Or the other way around? Or is there such a thing as right and wrong?

So again I ask, how can I know what it tastes like until I experience it for myself? The truth is, I can't.

Can one believe in things that they can't see, hear, smell, taste, or feel? Absolutely! That is what faith and belief are all about. But is it knowledge? I'm not trying to imply that knowledge is superior to faith. But simply that it is a different animal entirely, and they each have their place and their limitations. As discussed before, I can't know something without experiencing it, but on the flip side, I can't experience everything, so some things must be taken on faith. But herein lies the rub... what do I chose to experience, and what do I chose to take on faith?

Uh-oh...I feel a major theological rambling coming on... I better settle down for now.

All these thoughts! Well, without TV or a Playstation, what did you expect? Its kind of fun letting your mind be your entertainment!

Through the Lower Passes

Greetings from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho! I made it throught the passes on the Montana/Idaho border today (Friday, Febuary 1st) and arrived at this paradise this evening. It was an unbelievable trip up and over these snow-covered passes today on I-90. For those of you who aren't familiar with Idaho geography, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho is about 60 miles east of Spokane, Washington in the northern tip of the state.

We all lined up single-file and went over the passes at about 10 miles an hour. I've never seen snow come down as heavy as it was this afternoon! Interestingly, the snow itself has changed since leaving the Yellowstone area. Once I got west of Missoula, Montana, the snow became wet and heavy instead of the dry powder that I had gotten used to.

The topography changed again too. The canyons seemed more narrow, and the mountains were steep and covered with spruce, fir, and pine instead of the cedar and sagebrush of southwestern Montana. With the heavy, wet snow piling up on them, it looked like something out of a child's fairy tale. I wish I could show you some pictures tonight, but the website is giving me difficulty with uploading images. Next time I'll give you an all-picture update of more from Yellowstone and some of the shots I got today in the passes. They're beautiful. Perhaps I'll be able to get them up in the next day or two.

Oh yeah... I almost forgot! We've had a sweet tea sighting in Butte, Montana. A little place called "Red's Country Club". I couldn't believe my ears when the waitress responded that "sure, we've got sweet tea!" Have my ears deceived me? Here? In western Montana? Excellent! Bring me goblets of the magical elixir! The food was good... some country fried steak and mashed potatoes, but to wash all that down with some honest-to-goodness sweet tea was beyond description. Now, compared to the tea that I'm used to back home, this brew left a bit to be desired. It was sweet, but they obviously were rationing the sugar as they could have "taken it up a few more notches" to be sure. But since I haven't had any in quite awhile, the perception was better than the reality. Overall, it was a 3-ah glass of tea at the most. But considering the lack of availability out here, Red deserves at least a 4-ah rating simply for going against the flow!