hooray for wool socks!

Yesterday I drove down to Sedona for my retreat. It was a beautiful drive. I didn’t take a map or turn on the GPS. There was no wondering how far until the next town or trying to “make good time” – I just took my time. The drive itself was a part of the retreat, just being free and on the road was the vacation. 

I must confess - having my bike on the bike rack causes me a lot of trepidation. I know that everything is secure, but I still worry that it will come loose and bounce down the highway.

I stopped at my favorite rest stop in Blanding – your base camp to adventure. It has clean, warm bathrooms open 24 hours a day and during the day it has a little museum and information. The lady there recommended I go through Monument Valley rather than Mexican Water. I had planned on it, but she was just so enthusiastic about it I decided to stop in the Valley of the Gods for lunch instead of Kayenta.

There is this place just past Bluff where you turn the corner and it is a sea of red. You think the rocks are red elsewhere, but no, this is red. The landscape is so completely red you wonder if something is wrong with your eyes, then you despair of ever seeing another color. You wonder if you stepped out of the protective shell of your car if you would be red, too. There were skid marks right off the edge of that corner. People were probably so overwhelmed that they drove right off the cliff.

I had lunch in the Valley of the Gods and took two small hikes. I didn’t want to get too far from my car with my awesome bike strapped on it. It is a stunning place. I will go back another time I think. Southern Utah is very inspiring and I wrote two poems while sitting there. They weren’t about the place, but the energy is “right” for being creative.

I passed through the optimistic town of Red Lake. They have a well marked designated “business area” which consists of a tire shop and a gas station/mini mart. Good on them for preparing for the future! A furry grey thing (I don’t know what) darted in front of my car. I guess he thought I’d be going slower because of all of the business traffic. The highway was clean when I looked in the mirror, so I guess he got away.

I had some interesting thoughts about God and various religions, but I didn’t get it all written down (as I was driving.) I need to flesh out those ideas before I write them here.

Cruise control adversely affects my gas mileage, but not as much as a ticket would affect my pocket book. The bike on the back, ruining the aerodynamic shape of the action Corolla, doesn’t help. I had to fill up in Tuba City. I went to the Navajo museum while I was there. It was very interesting. There seemed to be a shift in perspective now from when I traveled the Southwest with my Dad as a kid. Then, there seemed to be a defeatist attitude, now there is more pride and an ownership of the bad and good parts of their history. An older lady, she didn’t seem to be an employee, just hanging out, asked me if I was part Native American. I was surprised. I am part Cherokee, but I have scrutinized my face in the mirror from every angle and never saw even a hint. She said she didn’t see it in my face but in my spirit. I don’t know why that made me happy, but it did. 

I also listened to their native “in language” radio station until I lost the signal. It’s funny, foreign languages don’t sound foreign to me anymore. They are just words I don’t know yet. I know not everyone sees the world that way. To them, foreign languages are just undecipherable jibber-jabber, frustrating and strange. I guess I am just lucky. And, I am glad that we passed our view of the world as an inviting place on to our daughter.

I stopped in Flagstaff and had dinner with an old Army buddy and his family. He is going to the college there on his GI Bill. His wife made the most awesome fusion food – Vietnamese pork pot pie. It kind of sounds gross, but it was awesome. The sauce was kind of soy saucy and sweet and the crust was flakey and good. She served it with pickled vegetables, so it was like pot pie banh-mi. I am going to make it for my friends when I get home.

I got to the cabin late, so everything was dark. The place has strings of lights strung in the trees. A lot of places do that in Arizona all year around, for atmosphere. It is very pretty and I think I need to string some lights in my backyard when I get it done. The first thing I noticed, though, was the sound of rushing water. It is beautiful. I can hear it without my hearing aid in, which almost made me cry. I can’t afford to move here, which I might if only to listen to this every day, but I need to get my waterfall project done. The cabin is so cozy. I lit the fire, sipped tea and read my book on the chair by the fireplace.  

This morning I woke up early as we were off to church and to see Vortexes (I know that looks weird, but it’s how they write it here.)