Paragraphs of Daily Thoughts and much Mental Therapy. Photos. Sometimes Videos. Published Weekly or so.

"One of the gladdest moments of human life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of habit, the leaden weight of routine, the cloak of many cares and the slavery of home, man feels once more happy."
~ Sir Richard Burton ~

It is no secret as my close Friends know, that I am having a hard time. "This too shall pass" I tell myself daily, sometimes more often. "We shall adapt" to this sudden emptiness and a stage with ongoing new feelings. And we will. They are new as exchanging conversations with a Friend who lost his own Mother the same time as mine, "Insecurity" is the word we have been using even if it does not quite describe the moment. There is a channel, a line cut off. 65 years of companionship, love, caring and so much more, now only filled with memories of voices and conversations exchanged. "Insecurity" is truly not the right word. I don’t know which one describes these passing moments. I will keep searching for the right word.

A few days in St Helen after our fishing days at Priest River. Fourth of July is creeping up on us and we need to move on quickly to find a spot, isolated as much as possible throughout those times when the outdoor gets filled up pretty quickly with campers and RV’s. The instinct will make us find such a space. I do not worry about such destination. The clues are always all along the back roads, BLM lands, National Forest and Friends writing. Those spaces tucked away, the ones I must admit are getting harder to find yet still there.

We landed in Stanley, Idaho. A long ways for us, but I knew we would find "this". Near Lake Stanley, thanks to a good Friend who gave us directions, a nice primitive space. Fairly secluded even though I can hear some cars passing by when the wind channels the sounds our way, and a few flies which keep Spirit occupied while buzzing around. A little warm it has been. The riding, the shade, water and wet bandanna or "turban" as I call it, will help. This day is ending and already coolness is dropping.

The road this morning was hard on the mind and emotions. Sundays were always the days we managed to talk and talk. The images from that morning at the Hospital in Munich kept playing as an endless slide show. There is no shutting down the show when it happens. Only the strength to endure it including getting pissed off at Life and it’s ways to torture us. I felt as the destination was absent as rolling in towards a cliff which was itself moving on unable to be reached. All is calm now. I just want to put my head down and sleep. They are the valleys we must traverse before reaching another peak as this space put us on.

We stopped at the Visitors Center for a change wondering why I had never taken that step before. They are always run by locals and the best way to learn and find out the interesting aspects. Only 60 people live here full time. Smaller than Terlingua! The sign said 63, but she corrected me as 3 have moved. It is the coldest area in Idaho for the winter times getting down to – 40 degrees sometimes. They have never seen a tourist throughout those months and if one showed up to camp the town will not allow it as too dangerous. Maps galore, fishing everywhere, scenic trails and roads like never seen before on a map. We might be here for a while. My helpful Friend was not joking when he wrote to the fact that he could spend all summer here.

Truly a great night sleep waking up to almost cold weather not needing a wool hat and jacket but wore one anyhow while brewing that first one cup of coffee the stove sounding like a jet cutting through the existing silence. The tent is up, Crusty has warmed up, boots on and Spirit harnessed, it was time to find the important lay of the town. Bakery came first, of course, Library for Wi-Fi, showers and Laundromat. Done. We now feel at home. That is how Life on the road is done.

We met a couple locals. Spirit, my door opener, is really the one that met them, and they were kind enough with map on hand show us the good fishing spots. I didn’t do so well this time around, and no wonder as we left "Mormon Bend" no one else was fishing. Probably too hot. Many components have to come together when I fish. Unlike Photography. Must be able to park, must have shade for Spirit, be able to get to the water and last but not least must have fish in the water. We will (I will) try a different spot in a bit unless the present and menacing storm above us decides to come alive.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim because it was grassy and wanted wear, though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same, and both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I marked the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
~ Robert Frost ~

Stay well, stay strong.
                                 Ara and Spirit

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013 at 12:09 pm 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.