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Coming into New Mexico was very distinct from all the other drives so far. I felt quietly hugged up by the earth as I drove through endless valleys of faded green hills that were polka dotted with bright green shrubbery and embraced with rusty canyon back drops. My awareness of time faded as I delighted in this drive. I’ve often heard people say that certain things make them feel close to God and this was it for me.
I entered Santé Fe early in the day and went straight to tour around the plaza. Clay colored pueblos of various sizes made up anything from houses to Native American markets to gas stations. The street names were Spanish and, therefore, wouldn’t stick in my head. This dry heat felt like it was singeing my, even most tucked away, nose hair. And I was lost. Not the scary kind of lost; more like the deliriously tired don’t have the energy to navigate, king of lost. I had no pride in letting others do the work for me. Once I made it back to my car, I headed way out into the country to my final couch surfing experience.
What a way to go out! This house was GPS inaccessible, resting on top of the beautiful desert mountains. It appeared to be built of nothing but clay and glass and was geographically designed to keep the sun out in the summers and let the sun in during the winters and therefore, needed minimal assistance from man in regulated its temperatures. It maintained the earthiness of the land so nicely that there was only a slight difference in the feeling of being out and inside. My host also perfectly preserved this earthy image with her strong yet delicate “one with nature” appeal. We sat like sisters sharing in many of the same perspectives and experiences of life.
She regretfully had to go out that evening, leaving me to the run of the house and a spectacular backyard sunset. I spent the evening in an ideally "Jill" way …cooking, resting and writing. I couldn’t wait to rise for mediation. It provided the same feelings that the drive over did. It was very difficult to peal myself away from this place and, even though my host offered me an extra day’s stay, I had to go anyways to make my way to my previous arranged commitment in Arizona.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Days 3 & 4: Texas
Texas was a real roller coaster ride for me! It started upon entry of the country …oops, I mean state (right, Dad!). It just felt different than the other places in the U.S. that I have been. It’s tough to describe, perhaps the best I can do is by saying that it felt like there is this unspoken code that one receives upon birth or perhaps some kind of initiation to the state and if you don’t have this then you just won’t get Texas (and they don’t seem to care whether you get them or not). It looks like that if one does get it then everything about the place will make the blood flow. I think I just got a glimpse and this is why I felt this roller coaster sensation while there. Either that or this state, which felt very alive, had some sort of beef with me!
The ride started slowly creeping up the rails of the track as I hit the first bit of traffic and some serious thunder storms, neither of which I had experienced since the road trip begun. I got to the top of the ride when I made it to my first Texan destination, Austin. This was by far the highlight of my couch surfing experiences to this point. This is where I stayed with Jade and Oli …one of those beautifully matched fire and wind type couples. Jade toured me around and gave me the behind the scenes scoop of Austin. There’s no way I could have come to appreciate it for what it is without her. She pointed out many unique local spots like the G’Raj Mahal Cafe (say it out load…get it?). This is an Indian restaurant, and I’m not sure what the connection is to Indian food, but they had these bikes out front that were created into various ride-able art forms, like butterflies and dragonflies. The best was a series of 10 or more bikes that were welded together underneath the form of a snake, which people actually ride through the town on particular occasions …or for no particular reason at all, I can’t really remember? The funny thing is that in Austin, it would be mainstay to see a gigantic snake just cruising the streets! As we drove around I learned about the history of their moon towers and got to see a person scaling a high city structure in the dark and learned that this is actually an organized thing that is done to commemorate particular town events. I also found out about the renegade crocheters who go around in the middle of the night and nit the coolest designs around the signs of local businesses. Apparently the new Austin fad these days is these crazy decked out trailers that people sell anything from cupcakes to…I can’t remember, probably something like talking burritos! .
I was so jazzed-up to get moving in the morning to hit up the coffee shops and a trail that Jade had pointed out. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I felt like I dropped steeply just to be catapulted back up and down a few more times as I raced around the town trying to get everything in before it was time to head out. It was fun though. I went to three coffee shops before I found “the” one where I could blog it up. Then I made my way to the greatest park where I attempted to exercise in the 20 minutes I had left before meeting up with my hosts for lunch. My exercise was consumed by a classically bizarre Austin scene of a dog repeatedly climbing trees (higher than I am probably capable of) in order to attempt to catch squirrels!
I spun around the tracks of this ride way longer than I anticipated, having a difficult time getting off. When I finally did, I busted out of control into a nauseating scheme of vehicle obstacles, including auto repair and a speeding ticket.
It’s a good thing that the roads of Texas are long and desolate because, by this point, I REALLY needed some space. I drove for hours into the pitch-black night, which was occasionally lit by the headlights of a fellow driver on this two-lane, 75 mph highway. I wearily made it to my final Texan location in Lubbock …apparently the place that inspires depressing country songs. My host sweetly waited up for me and made me as comfortable as possible but the urgency to run as far away from Texas as I could didn’t really afford me the chance to get to know her or Lubbock very well. Funny thing is, I never saw any signs that indicated my departure from Texas but it was like I could literally feel it release me. Now it may sound like I loath this place when I use statements like, “running away from” to describe my experience. This is why the analogy of the rollercoaster is so well suited to depict this experience. Because, as much as rollercoaster’s may be hated while riding them, there is typically some twisted love for them will that has the ability to bring the rider back for more!
The ride started slowly creeping up the rails of the track as I hit the first bit of traffic and some serious thunder storms, neither of which I had experienced since the road trip begun. I got to the top of the ride when I made it to my first Texan destination, Austin. This was by far the highlight of my couch surfing experiences to this point. This is where I stayed with Jade and Oli …one of those beautifully matched fire and wind type couples. Jade toured me around and gave me the behind the scenes scoop of Austin. There’s no way I could have come to appreciate it for what it is without her. She pointed out many unique local spots like the G’Raj Mahal Cafe (say it out load…get it?). This is an Indian restaurant, and I’m not sure what the connection is to Indian food, but they had these bikes out front that were created into various ride-able art forms, like butterflies and dragonflies. The best was a series of 10 or more bikes that were welded together underneath the form of a snake, which people actually ride through the town on particular occasions …or for no particular reason at all, I can’t really remember? The funny thing is that in Austin, it would be mainstay to see a gigantic snake just cruising the streets! As we drove around I learned about the history of their moon towers and got to see a person scaling a high city structure in the dark and learned that this is actually an organized thing that is done to commemorate particular town events. I also found out about the renegade crocheters who go around in the middle of the night and nit the coolest designs around the signs of local businesses. Apparently the new Austin fad these days is these crazy decked out trailers that people sell anything from cupcakes to…I can’t remember, probably something like talking burritos! .
I was so jazzed-up to get moving in the morning to hit up the coffee shops and a trail that Jade had pointed out. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I felt like I dropped steeply just to be catapulted back up and down a few more times as I raced around the town trying to get everything in before it was time to head out. It was fun though. I went to three coffee shops before I found “the” one where I could blog it up. Then I made my way to the greatest park where I attempted to exercise in the 20 minutes I had left before meeting up with my hosts for lunch. My exercise was consumed by a classically bizarre Austin scene of a dog repeatedly climbing trees (higher than I am probably capable of) in order to attempt to catch squirrels!
I spun around the tracks of this ride way longer than I anticipated, having a difficult time getting off. When I finally did, I busted out of control into a nauseating scheme of vehicle obstacles, including auto repair and a speeding ticket.
It’s a good thing that the roads of Texas are long and desolate because, by this point, I REALLY needed some space. I drove for hours into the pitch-black night, which was occasionally lit by the headlights of a fellow driver on this two-lane, 75 mph highway. I wearily made it to my final Texan location in Lubbock …apparently the place that inspires depressing country songs. My host sweetly waited up for me and made me as comfortable as possible but the urgency to run as far away from Texas as I could didn’t really afford me the chance to get to know her or Lubbock very well. Funny thing is, I never saw any signs that indicated my departure from Texas but it was like I could literally feel it release me. Now it may sound like I loath this place when I use statements like, “running away from” to describe my experience. This is why the analogy of the rollercoaster is so well suited to depict this experience. Because, as much as rollercoaster’s may be hated while riding them, there is typically some twisted love for them will that has the ability to bring the rider back for more!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Day 2: Baton Rouge
My next day started out wonderfully as I played and relaxed on the fluff mash potato-like Panama City Beach. After packing my stuff up, I cruised for a while and then stopped and spent some time in the charming city of Mobile Alabama where I felt like I slipped back into the 50’s when I found the historic Three Georges candy shop, which provided an inspirational setting for my first blog post.
Upon completing my second couch surfing adventure, I am beginning to wonder if the ghost of Christmas past has come to teach me some sort of lesson. Obviously my first lesson was an internal one and it appears that my second is external. This leads me to day two: Baton Rouge …or should I say, “Little India meets the Bronks!”
My first impression upon pulling into the town was shaped by beautiful green foliage, adorning rolling hill-like roads, which accompanied a lake where people happily exercised around it in various ways. I smiled as a drove by thinking that I had found my new cardio spot! That smile slowly faded as I made my way to my next nights stay, that I was conveniently able to find, thanks to the cops that were so comfortably staked out around it. “Interesting”, I thought. “Well at least I’ll be safe!” My host was already waiting for me outside so it was sort of difficult to back out without explanation now. Anyways, I really liked my host and wanted to gather the facts before I decided one way or the other.
So, I went into her apartment and felt like I entered little India. Concrete walls were sparsely decorated with some Asian rice paper paintings. Everything was on the floor, even the mattresses. Windows were open, to allow a nice breeze and some noise pollution to flow through, and the doorways emphasized this breeze with there use of curtains instead of standard doors. Even though I long for American ways when in Indian, this little reminder sparked something in my heart that convinced me to stay. So I did.
Little did I know I was going to be accompanied by more than just my host. As I settled in and my host headed to bed, I met the first co-host …a creepy little German cockroach. “Lovely”, I thought. Luckily that was the only one I “saw” before going to bed. In the morning I awoke to many more German encounters. I will spare you the details but paint you the visual of me moving a light speed holding stead fast to this awareness of being the soul who’s protected by this body, as I scoured every article I brought with me to assure I wasn’t taking along a pet. I bolted by 8 am and hit a local coffee shopped where I unleashed the creepiness of that stay into this article that I bring you.
Upon completing my second couch surfing adventure, I am beginning to wonder if the ghost of Christmas past has come to teach me some sort of lesson. Obviously my first lesson was an internal one and it appears that my second is external. This leads me to day two: Baton Rouge …or should I say, “Little India meets the Bronks!”
My first impression upon pulling into the town was shaped by beautiful green foliage, adorning rolling hill-like roads, which accompanied a lake where people happily exercised around it in various ways. I smiled as a drove by thinking that I had found my new cardio spot! That smile slowly faded as I made my way to my next nights stay, that I was conveniently able to find, thanks to the cops that were so comfortably staked out around it. “Interesting”, I thought. “Well at least I’ll be safe!” My host was already waiting for me outside so it was sort of difficult to back out without explanation now. Anyways, I really liked my host and wanted to gather the facts before I decided one way or the other.
So, I went into her apartment and felt like I entered little India. Concrete walls were sparsely decorated with some Asian rice paper paintings. Everything was on the floor, even the mattresses. Windows were open, to allow a nice breeze and some noise pollution to flow through, and the doorways emphasized this breeze with there use of curtains instead of standard doors. Even though I long for American ways when in Indian, this little reminder sparked something in my heart that convinced me to stay. So I did.
Little did I know I was going to be accompanied by more than just my host. As I settled in and my host headed to bed, I met the first co-host …a creepy little German cockroach. “Lovely”, I thought. Luckily that was the only one I “saw” before going to bed. In the morning I awoke to many more German encounters. I will spare you the details but paint you the visual of me moving a light speed holding stead fast to this awareness of being the soul who’s protected by this body, as I scoured every article I brought with me to assure I wasn’t taking along a pet. I bolted by 8 am and hit a local coffee shopped where I unleashed the creepiness of that stay into this article that I bring you.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Day One: Panama City
After four months of planning and many touching goodbyes, I finally hit the road for Cali. First stop Panama City…so I thought! Well I had already planned on stopping in Gainesville for coffee with an old friend but I didn’t plan on spending too much time there. Life always has its own plans though, right? My new buddy the GPS froze right before I got to Gainesville and it just so happened that the coffee shop my friend directed me to was right across from a Best Buy, so I was able to go and seamlessly switch out my defective GPS for a new one.
So I was back in business and able to hit the road again. Problem is that I hadn’t established a relationship of trust with my new friend yet. She initially had me getting off on one exist toward PC and then, after stopping at a gas station and starting her back up again, she had me getting off at a new exit. I decided to take the old exit anyways. Turns out the new exit was probably more efficient. Apparently I took the scenic route. It may have been longer but it provided some nice visuals to pass the time. I got to go down some old country roads, past massive corn fields and saw some flowers I had never seen before. The highlight was going over, what appeared to be an antique trestle, which spanned the Apache River. I didn’t know bridges like that still existed and, if I had time to think about it, probably wouldn’t have crossed it!
When I arrived at my fist couch surfing accommodation, I immediately got that “I want my mommy feeling” as I pulled up to house with a lawn that appeared to be decorated with garbage and had a couple crouching on the stoop whom very well could be the driving force behind posted signs on businesses that read “No shirt. No shoes. No business!” I was ready to take flight upon the mere thought of sleeping at this place. This overwhelmingly vacant, abandonment feeling started to boil inside. I knew this feeling all too well. This is the same feeling that kept me awake at sleepovers as a little girl and, although less powerful over time, generally tries to tag along any of my independent adventures away from home. But I’ve made a vow to myself not to let this panicky force dictate my future, so I continued to proceed ahead…with caution, of course! My spiritual endeavors came to serve me at this time as I heard a moving meditation commentary going on inside that was a mixture of spiritual teachings, conversations with friends and previous experiences, which sounded something like this… “Relax and observe. Just let this intensity move through you. Don’t feed it with week thoughts. You don’t have to stay here, if you don’t want to. Something else will work out. You’ve experienced this feeling before. It’s not the scene, it’s you. Just see it out and then decide what you want to do. Relax, and let this emotion die under observation.” In a few moments, I met my host, who fit this scene, but was darn nice and provided some kind of warmth, just by being. After a tour and a little chit chat, I quickly opted to go for a bike ride while she did some yard work.
This is where things started looking up. I made my way down by the bay, which provided the comfort of home with its similarity to the Bayshore Blvd. set up…ritzy houses across a busy street from a bay. The only difference was this bay wasn’t enclosed with a wall but was open like a beach. So, I allowed nature to sooth me as I took a long bike ride and enjoyed a waterside meditation. Even though I had already scoped out my back-up digs, I was ready to go back and check the place out again. When I got back, the original greeters, who turned out to be handy men, were gone. I pulled up to see my host working on her latest art piece in the backyard and realized that all that stuff that I originally wrote off as trash in the yard was actually her artistic creation. Funny what the mind creates based on fears, previous bad experiences, whatever…
Later that evening, we delighted in some simple chat about art and travel as she watch her movie and I played around on the computer. Then I laid myself down with some sense of accomplishment in my heart and had what was probably one of the best night sleeps I had in a long time.
So I was back in business and able to hit the road again. Problem is that I hadn’t established a relationship of trust with my new friend yet. She initially had me getting off on one exist toward PC and then, after stopping at a gas station and starting her back up again, she had me getting off at a new exit. I decided to take the old exit anyways. Turns out the new exit was probably more efficient. Apparently I took the scenic route. It may have been longer but it provided some nice visuals to pass the time. I got to go down some old country roads, past massive corn fields and saw some flowers I had never seen before. The highlight was going over, what appeared to be an antique trestle, which spanned the Apache River. I didn’t know bridges like that still existed and, if I had time to think about it, probably wouldn’t have crossed it!
When I arrived at my fist couch surfing accommodation, I immediately got that “I want my mommy feeling” as I pulled up to house with a lawn that appeared to be decorated with garbage and had a couple crouching on the stoop whom very well could be the driving force behind posted signs on businesses that read “No shirt. No shoes. No business!” I was ready to take flight upon the mere thought of sleeping at this place. This overwhelmingly vacant, abandonment feeling started to boil inside. I knew this feeling all too well. This is the same feeling that kept me awake at sleepovers as a little girl and, although less powerful over time, generally tries to tag along any of my independent adventures away from home. But I’ve made a vow to myself not to let this panicky force dictate my future, so I continued to proceed ahead…with caution, of course! My spiritual endeavors came to serve me at this time as I heard a moving meditation commentary going on inside that was a mixture of spiritual teachings, conversations with friends and previous experiences, which sounded something like this… “Relax and observe. Just let this intensity move through you. Don’t feed it with week thoughts. You don’t have to stay here, if you don’t want to. Something else will work out. You’ve experienced this feeling before. It’s not the scene, it’s you. Just see it out and then decide what you want to do. Relax, and let this emotion die under observation.” In a few moments, I met my host, who fit this scene, but was darn nice and provided some kind of warmth, just by being. After a tour and a little chit chat, I quickly opted to go for a bike ride while she did some yard work.
This is where things started looking up. I made my way down by the bay, which provided the comfort of home with its similarity to the Bayshore Blvd. set up…ritzy houses across a busy street from a bay. The only difference was this bay wasn’t enclosed with a wall but was open like a beach. So, I allowed nature to sooth me as I took a long bike ride and enjoyed a waterside meditation. Even though I had already scoped out my back-up digs, I was ready to go back and check the place out again. When I got back, the original greeters, who turned out to be handy men, were gone. I pulled up to see my host working on her latest art piece in the backyard and realized that all that stuff that I originally wrote off as trash in the yard was actually her artistic creation. Funny what the mind creates based on fears, previous bad experiences, whatever…
Later that evening, we delighted in some simple chat about art and travel as she watch her movie and I played around on the computer. Then I laid myself down with some sense of accomplishment in my heart and had what was probably one of the best night sleeps I had in a long time.
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