“The Midwestern landscape is abstract, and our response to the geology of the region might be similar to our response to the contemporary walls of paint in Museums. We are forced to live in our eye.” ~ Michael Martone

We sure turned the slate around. Big time. We had, to use a long time cliché, the good, the bad and the ugly. Of course with my positive constant on the alert thinking, (yes?), the good tonight as we sit in Missoula prevailed. Would it be more therapeutically fit to write about the bad and the ugly? Not really. There is enough of it to make it go around this Universe without harping on it. Just the couple facts a bit on below.

Coming up from a dark corner in a somber cage, only a couple days away from death row, only 5 years later, 4 of those against much trials and tribulations of discussion by so many Pit Bull owners for the danger of being on the road in the open, Spirit is named the AmbassaDog for National Dog Day coming up soon, August 26th. His task? Carry the Torch. My task? Buy him that black chrome Hummer he is now requesting along with an appointment book. Long gone are, he says, the freebie days of photo shoots. I already today saw and felt the change while watching him ride in his present car. This non descript he says sidecar. Of course this is BIG. This is National, these news might even reach some ears on other Continents. My thoughts? A few days of primitive camping up Gravelly Range Rd soon will curve his sudden upscale desires.

That is where we are headed. Away. The bad and the ugly? My Debit Visa card was as they said "compromised". Stuck for now or till we find a Bank of America. I sure hope hackers are having fun at this, at our expense. Who are they? Why? Does this go back to our unforgiving Human Nature? The ugly was being stung twice by a wasp having found refuge under two layers of clothing including my jacket, while riding down the Freeway. I had never tested the brakes and the handling of the rig in such manner.

It takes so long to know oneself, if one really wants to know and not go through Life as through a pathway resembling the hole of a glazed donut. One knows what they like to eat, one knows the Friends they like to be surrounded with, one knows much, and yet there is more and always will be. The discovery is daily, by the hour, by the minute, specially when riding. I am realizing it all these days having had to compromise my mental and physical path for "musts" which needed to be done, taking care off. I realized it even more as soon as the Big Skies of Montana opened up ahead of us. They are big in Texas, they are big in many other States, I started wondering why they are bigger here?

Is it physical, mental. Is it the inner space that suddenly opens up chasing away the traffic jams the urban jungle has been creating within my mind? There is a calmness that descends on me, all is then becomes just fine allowing me to embrace the moments present and renew a bond with Mother Nature I have so much been missing. It is true we create our own destiny by our own decisions, but destiny itself is of many faces and colors. Destiny here is wide open, there is no veil, there is no weight, it is the Earth and myself as there is simply nothing else.

There has not been a single moment of a plain blue sky since we have been here. Subjected to all he variations the weather can throw at us, it is as a constant game going though the many phases being of the day while moving on, while standing still, as the knowledge that a cold torrential rain will soon turn into a steamy hot arena and vice versa and all in between. It is covering up for the wet, it is taking it off for the dry, it is loosing a few rounds being too late for the change of costume as Nature itself always seems to be one step ahead and just a bit faster than I am.

I don’t remember if I had ever thought before as here being my summer Oasis. I think I have. Circumstances brought me here to wait out for my mail while visiting my Friends Teri and Ron, those two free Spirits who fell in Love last year and are still pulling each other’s hair, with much passion and respect. It is Karma and my Faith of my realizations that finds us here, a magnet like pull drew me here, I knew I would find again what I am looking for, what I cannot unfortunately have always as compromises are also the one key Life itself dangles on it’s key chain. We simply took Highway 90 all the way from Seattle and forgot all the plans in mind to drop south on different routes. The only detour was from Drummond back to 90 before Butte, Hwy 1, a beautiful scenic road. I don’t think we ever moved so fast, it was traveling versus living on the road. I needed to be here, we are now and all is well, all is so majestic and beautiful and more peaceful than ever.

It is a dosage of serenity much needed before we soon head back to Lander, sadly part with Spirit, ride on to Denver to catch a plane for Munich and spend a much needed time with my Mother. I know I will be constantly looking down over my shoulder for my crazy buddy! I know he will miss me also, sometimes the choice is just not present. It will all work out and I will be back before he ever knows it…

Be well, always.

Ara & Spirit

If you find yourself perusing this site extensively, please, consider purchasing Prints, Merchandise or making a contribution above to help us with Internet costs.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 9:24 am and is filed under travel, spirituality, pit bull, sidecar, motorcycle, cooking, photography, riding, homeless. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.