Band-aides and Bug Spray

     Still in Albuquerque, NM.      Still 80 degrees.      5am . 








     "Those roads provided breath-taking views. There's something special about an empty road going on and on and on to the horizon where the sun burns the world away into a dancing, shimmering heat haze that reflects the crystal blue sky, literally blurring the line between heaven and earth."

~Dave Gorman

     Alright, first step is accomplished. I got off of work. Second step is to finish the cleaning that I started 3 days ago. We all know, "You can't play until you're chores are finished!" I have a long way to go. I had farewell hugs, and a bon voyage beer, so now it is time to get down to business. As the packing and cleaning commences, friends show up with cocktails and extra hands. I love my friends. 

        Weather reports threaten rains, friends' first-hand accounts promise them. I am quite looking forward to the rain. Albuquerque doesn't get nearly enough, and it will be nice to remember what a puddle is. I should take extra socks. 

     The first leg of this journey should prove to be quite interesting. You see, I have a crazy cat. This gato is literally loco. She fights with her own tail. Terribly. She has been diagnosed with OCD and Anxiety. She comes complete with a Prozac prescription. She is nuts. Apartment living can do that to you. You can't lock up a skilled huntress and expect her to not go stir-crazy. Luckily, I have a mountain friend who is willing to take Miss Crazy. She will have marmots to chase, and milk from the kitchen, and mice in the barn. Its really a dream come true for her, and getting life back for me. The only catch to this seemingly perfect plan is that I must take her to the mountains. A 6 hour drive with a basset and a crazy cat. Wish me luck. 
     Breakfast burrito and a latte? Check. A basset and a book? check. Band-aides and bug spray? Check. 




     See you at the hot spring!!

     

     

An Itch to Scratch

     Albuquerque, NM. End of July. In the present.




   
     "You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself."

     ~ Alan Alda

     Everyone says that 2012 will be the end of the world as we know it. For me, it was true. My world changed this year. It is hard to know where to begin, but maybe less is more and all you need to know is that I need to spend some time finding myself. I honestly don't know what I expect to find; that is the beauty of a vision quest. The basset hound and I have rented an SUV, we are loading a cooler with beer, and driving until the cell phone looses service. 

     The itch started some time ago. It has finally become unbearable. The city is hot. It stinks like people. Everywhere you go there is people! Work -- Let's just say it isn't called "Happy Fun Time" for a reason. Electricity pumps through your blood stream after spending too long in the city. Its been 2 years that I haven't left the city. I also haven't had the pleasure of my own vehicle since December..  ..The open road calls my name.. This vacation is long overdue. 

     I can't help it.. I am just SO excited!!! It is all I can think about, therefore all I can talk about, and I am worthless otherwise. Purposely building anxiety, I can see my friends getting excited for me as well! And I haven't even gotten to the good part yet! The destination..

      For 7 days I will tour Southwest Colorado Mining towns. Starting in a little place called Dunton Hot Springs, the tour will advance to Telluride, where my lovely mother and I have a standing brunch date for Lox Eggs Benedict and a Bloodymary. ..be jealous..  :)  Continuing north, I will stop in Montrose, the largest town on my route. Here I will recoup with Grandmothers and friends before heading into the great unknown.. Up until this part I will have company. Friends and family dot the countryside along the way, and I have alot of faces to visit! My vision quest turns solitary at this point. There is a wonderful little hot spring just before Ouray on my return trip where I can camp for the night. Did I mention it is clothing optional? Silverton is next, probably just for lunch and a visit to the miners shrine. The last night, between Silverton and Durango there is a campsite at 10,515 ft elevation where I am determined to make it through the night. It could snow. 

     "If you should, in your imagination, put together in one small group, perhaps 12 miles square, all the heights and depths, the rugged precipices and polished faces of rock, and all the sharp pinnacles and deeply indented crests, and twenty times the inaccessible summits that both of us have ever seen, you would not have a picture equal to this."

~ W.H. Holmes, describing the San Juan Mountains in 1876