The last months have been pretty eventful. Well, that is to
say...eventful for my relatively uneventful life ;) I've still been reading
plenty but recently have had limited time to do it. For my own sake of memory,
I'll do a documentation of what's been happening.
I was laid off from my job at the start of
summer 2013. This turned out to be a “blessing” in disguise and probably the
best thing that could have happened this summer. I liked the job. It was very
easy, had time to read/study on the job, and the pay was okay with what I was
doing. Upon being laid off, I promptly looked into 2 things: 1) unemployment
and 2) going on a trip to the west coast. This proposed trip included making
significant stops at various destinations in the american southwest, as well as
Montana. Boy, am I glad I did. After a month of lazing around (I guess some
moderate planning as well), I departed for Roswell, NM. From there, I traveled
to Colorado, then to Utah where I spent a good amount of time. Roswell
was…interesting. It was hot. Very fucking hot. I slept under the stars at
Bottomless Lakes State Park which is either 12 or 18 miles out of town. The
park itself is pretty neat. Like an oasis of various lakes, ranging from a feet
in deepness to over 90 feet. I wasn’t sure how crowded it would be (4th
of July weekend) so I made reservations at a large campsite which was dominated
primarily by a myriad of recreational vehicles. Side note- fuck RV’s. Some are
cool, yes. But these modern-day eyesores drive me insane. I come to these
places to become acquainted with the land and environment, not your fucking
goddamn gas-guzzling home-on-wheels. Oh well, what can I say? I am a hypocrite.
Anyways, after sleeping at this state park, I decided to walk over to downtown
Roswell, as the Roswell UFO festival was taking place. The idea of having a
festival entirely based around aliens is awesome. And what can I say? I love
E.B.E.’s. The festival itself was more mediocre than anything else. But while
the UFO festival was lacking, other parts of NM made up for it. Being down
there reinforced my appreciation for the atmosphere and landscape associated
with the state. Bottomless lakes was pretty cool as well. It was nice out the
first night, so I slept with the stars in plain sight. It was a little eerie,
however, because while the sky was clear where I was, I could observe a
significant storm several miles in the distance. It was far enough away so I
couldn’t hear any thunder, but I was able to watch as sheets of lightening
illuminate the darkened sky above me. As I lay there watching the sky, I felt a
slight chill knowing that if I were to yell out, nobody would hear me. And then
my mind went forth to start dreaming about alien abductions in the New Mexican
desert. It wasn’t aliens (or animals, for that matter) that creeped me out. It
was the idea that somebody could come up to where I lay asleep, vulnerable as a
man upon a cross, and kill me. A little ridiculous? Perhaps. Because of my
horrible ideas of what could happen, I slept with knife and pepperspray
enclosed in my fists. I was awakened in the night by the sound of what I can
only assume were desert coyotes howling at the waning crescent moon. I was
reminded that it was only me out here, smiled, and went back to sleep. Fortunately
(or unfortunately), I was not abducted and woke up with all my limbs intact the
next morning. I caught the bus up to Grand Junction, Colorado, which was
probably the best bus ride of the trip due to the great scenery surrounding the
highways.
Once in Grand Junction, I rented a car and
headed straight towards Utah’s beautiful national parks. I camped along the
same campsite that Shawn and I had camped at 4 years previously and was happy to
report that little had changed. Man, I love the atmosphere out there. I cannot
say enough good things about the Canyonlands. I hope it stays protected. The
last thing that place needs is more development. I went to Arches in the morning
and will report that it was pretty crowded. I would love to have seen Arches
National Monument as Edward Abbey saw it. Or Glen Canyon before a Dam existed.
Thinking about these things makes me nostalgic for a time when I wasn't even
alive. I probably get a little too emotional thinking about it. Then again,
probably not. That area is one that I will continue to spend as much time in as
long as I have the time and means to do so. As Mr. Abbey had put it, it is “the
most weird and wonderful place on earth. There’s no other place like it.” I
visited Isle in the Sky district of Canyonlands Nat’l Park. What a beautiful
place. The air was so still, the atmosphere so tranquil. Given a choice, I’d
welcome the opportunity to die in a place like that versus a hospital bed. I
also realize that the tranquility in out there can change in an instant. God is
apathetic towards the outcome of the humans (greetings, Vonnegut). A warm
peaceful day can turn into a scorching hellfire where heatstroke and
dehydration are the only plausible outcomes of a person’s fate. Furthermore,
there exists the possibility of storms producing flash floods, sweeping away
everything in its path. These things are relentless. Maybe that’s part of the
reason why I love it so much. It is, by all means, a fortress of majestic
solitude with dark undertones.
From Utah, I went to the bay area where I
visited my sisters, went up north to visit my Dad and other younger siblings,
and traveled over to Yosemite for a couple days. There's no denying that
Yosemite is a monumental park with spectacular sites. However, the development
and the vast amount of people made for a less enjoyable experience. Did some
nice climbing on several different trails and got to the apex of the tallest
free-flowing waterfall in the United States. Would a trip like this be as fun
if I had the company of other people? I know the answer to this question
because I've been on a trip like this with other people. Going solo is a
totally different experience.
Out of California, I went over north and
traveled east to Montana where I got a backcountry permit to do some quick two
day hiking. I met two very nice girls who were from Portland and were doing a
Glacier Nat'l Park hiking trip. I gotta say, I was a little jealous, as their
route sounded great. They also had more time to spend there than I did. The
first night in Glacier was okay. Fairly uneventful. I stayed in a group
campsite where some other bicyclists were staying as well. They were nice but I
kept to myself mostly. The next morning, I headed out onto the trail and was
met head on with a deer. Considering that was the first sign of how this trek
was going to be, I was sure to tighten my laces and keep eyes/ears open for any
signs of other wildlife- mainly bears. If it's one thing that I have in common with
bears, it's the fact that we both enjoy our solitude. Although a bear attack
would be quite rare to happen, they do exist. The event that prompted strict
restrictions on backcountry camping is known as "Night of the
Grizzlies" in which 2 different people were killed by two different
Grizzly bears in 2 different areas of the park. I did spot some scat on the
trail, no bear sightings however. I camped in my solo tent the next night and
hiked out about fifteen miles because I made good time to my intended
destination. I felt like completing it all in one go. I did have a little scare
as I was on the side of a mountain. I was hiking along a steep incline covered
with snow in the absence of a trail. I slipped and slid down the slope a few
feet before I managed to catch myself. A little scary, but not
life-threatening. That night and the subsequent nights on the train were a
little sad because it marked an ending to what was undoubtedly one of the best
experiences of my life. I arrived in Detroit pretty late where my friends met
me with smiling faces. Can't wait to do it again.
During my time traveling, I was accepted into
WSU's anatomic pathologists' assistant program, for which I had interviewed in
June. It was great news, however, a pretty tough decision. Another two years to
dedicate to studying and school. Then I figured that the good outweighed the
bad. I would be studying pathology- an awesome subject filled with a massive
amount of interesting information. If I apply myself correctly, I can get a job
right out of graduation with great starting salary wages. Yes, this is where it
sounds like I sell out for the money. Eh...maybe that's true to some extent. I
told myself once that I will take my time trying to find alternative ways of
"living". But in the meantime, if I am to be part of a system that
makes me work to live, I'd rather make it count. Have a job that I like doing
for a decent amount of money versus having a job that I hate doing for dollars
and quarters. That was a decision after working my first job at Salvation Army
for a year and half at minimum wage. I hated it.
On top of the solo traveling and school stuff,
I had some band stuff happening. We played in Chicago for Ragnarokkr festival.
I had the amazing opportunity of sharing the stage with Winterhawk, who's album
"Revival" is among the best hard rock albums EVER recorded. No
exaggerations whatsoever. Amazing. Plus Ashbury played the previous night,
which was an incredible experience. Finally, Oz closed out the second night
with an exceptionally rocking set. Those 3 bands in particular really blew me
away and made the entire weekend worth it. That festival was with Demon Bitch.
On the more extreme side of things, Isenblast also played a show out in
Maryland in front of a bunch of crazy metalheads. The show was itself was okay.
It was more fun traveling in the van and partying with some guys from the show
afterwards. Went to sleep at 7am to wake up at 9am. Always a great choice.
I started the APA program in late August and as soon
as that started up again, I got a call from my previous job asking if I wanted
to come back to work. Whoa. I accepted and am now fully immersed in the program
and working part-time. I'll do it as long as I can before I have to voluntarily
quit.
Here's a list of books that I read starting
from June until now:
-Desert Solitaire
-My First Summer in the Sierra
-Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
-Confessions of a Barbarian
-Heavy Liquid
-Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
-God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian
-Where White Men Fear to Tread: The Autobiography of Russell Means
-Earth Apples: Collected Poems
-The Monkey Wrench Gang
-A Wrinkle in Time
-The Giver
-Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Book 1
-The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
-The Fool's Progress
-The Illustrated Man
-I Am a Barbarian
-Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian
Movement
-A Princess of Mars
-Orbiter
-Watchmen
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