I've actually been able to think a little over the past two days. Quiet is hard to come by here, especially since the freaking phone is always ringing so dang loudly when I think I've finally got some peace. So I've had a few thoughts lately, and figured I would share them with all my faithful readers out there.
1. I am blessed. My life really is good. I encounter some ugly stuff, and recognize that there are a lot of people out there without Jesus who live some ugly lives. And by ugly I mean a number of things: unfulfilling, unsatisfying, depressing, dirty, nasty, super-hard. I say "super-hard" because I'm pretty sure that most of life, especially mine during the school year, is hard, but not super-hard. I tell people that I live in Springfield because it is easy, and that's pretty much true. Life is easy there. Rarely do I run across legendary jerks, and rarely do I find myself taking pity on the people I see on the street or in the many businesses I frequent. Here in NOLA, life is not easy. I don’t think I need to elaborate. I don’t think it just comes down to the fact that Springfield is easy and NOLA is hard, I know it comes down to the fact that I am blessed. And I don’t mean that other people are not blessed, but I know how much I truly dislike most of life and existence, and how much I look forward to heaven, and the fact that I’m not depressed all the time means that God is doing some very cool things in and around my life. I’m happy about this.
2. The food here in NOLA is really good. My last two trips here (Jazz Fest in April, and now this one) have solidified perspective for me when I come here. My priorities look like this: visiting family, eating my face out, sleeping and relaxing, watching soccer (and/or Tour de France, if it is July). Some things that I absolutely cannot get in Springfield: homemade red beans and rice, snowballs, beignets, po-boys, boiled seafood. All of those things are reason to visit here on a regular basis.
3. I’ve been reading Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf since I began this trip. I’ve been reading less than I’ve been blogging, which means that last night I finally actually began Beowulf. The first 40 or 50 pages where an essay, which was interesting, but tedius. Well, Beowulf is amazing. The language is absolutely beautiful; the images the words conjure are so vivid and real. I’m going to keep a running tally of my favorite lines, and then go back through to add some of them here, just to share with you all. Here are a few:
Line 7 – “A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on” – imagery and alliteration
Lines 178-180 – “That was their way,/their heathenish hope; deep in their hearts/they remembered hell. – again, imagery and alliteration
Line 310 – “Majesty lodged there” – no place would be spoken of in this way in 2009, and that makes me sad for now and long for then
4. Finally, I’ve decided that I want to buy a house and a computer. Stay tuned for (hopefully) developments.
5. The picture link is to the right. If you want to see shots from the summer, that's where to look.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
reflection: part 1
It's my first full day in New Orleans and I'm enjoying things so far. I also wish I was in Springfield, because there is quite a bit of work I could do while there, but I will work from here (behind this glowing screen) and enjoy the last few days. My thoughts are random and listlike, as usual. Good luck making sense of it.
1. I just bought new glasses today. $164.25 down the drain. Why don't things last? Or why am I going blind?
2. This morning I watched stage 18 in the Tour de France. I was yelling at the tv for Alberto Contador, a rider I don't especially like after his complete lack of tactics, to "Go kid, go!" Then I watched a replay of Barcelona vs. Valencia (that's soccer or futbol, if you're not sure). After that I was really happy. U.S. sports can't capture the history or the splendor of these athletic events; they try to complicate games and magnify the importance of it with round the clock coverage but still they fall short.
3. I'm going to eat a snowball today and twitter about it. It will be the best thing I will have eaten all summer, and it will cost me $1.00.
4. I'm going to make a list of some of my experiences, and I'm not sure how many things I will list, or how many things I will write about. Here begins it:
A. Best shower - the Rainville's new apartment. It was amazingly refreshing after helping them move. It was spacious, with great water pressure, and no one had more colorfully assorted items to use to wash my hair.
*Honorable mention goes to the Simpson's cabin. You hear "cabin" and you think, "This has running water?" But let me tell you, this place has better water pressure than my parents' house. And, after the hottest stretch of driving I had to do on the whole trip, that shower was great. It also contained more toys than I have ever seen in a tub; I was tempted but resisted.
B. Worst shower - tied between #13 at the Mesa Verde Morefield Campground and the Monticello Inn in Monticello, UT. The Morefield Campground did have free showers, which was very nice, but I can only describe this shower in one way - g r o s s. Check out the Monticello Inn website: it looks fairly nice. Well, this place is a hole in the wall, literally. The shower head was worse than the one at the free campground showers; worse than the showers at James River's campground. For the two hottest days I spent hiking, I had to return to the worst shower in the history of showers. That's all I can say.
And that's all for now. You can look forward to much more to come. Right now I'm going to take a nap.
1. I just bought new glasses today. $164.25 down the drain. Why don't things last? Or why am I going blind?
2. This morning I watched stage 18 in the Tour de France. I was yelling at the tv for Alberto Contador, a rider I don't especially like after his complete lack of tactics, to "Go kid, go!" Then I watched a replay of Barcelona vs. Valencia (that's soccer or futbol, if you're not sure). After that I was really happy. U.S. sports can't capture the history or the splendor of these athletic events; they try to complicate games and magnify the importance of it with round the clock coverage but still they fall short.
3. I'm going to eat a snowball today and twitter about it. It will be the best thing I will have eaten all summer, and it will cost me $1.00.
4. I'm going to make a list of some of my experiences, and I'm not sure how many things I will list, or how many things I will write about. Here begins it:
A. Best shower - the Rainville's new apartment. It was amazingly refreshing after helping them move. It was spacious, with great water pressure, and no one had more colorfully assorted items to use to wash my hair.
*Honorable mention goes to the Simpson's cabin. You hear "cabin" and you think, "This has running water?" But let me tell you, this place has better water pressure than my parents' house. And, after the hottest stretch of driving I had to do on the whole trip, that shower was great. It also contained more toys than I have ever seen in a tub; I was tempted but resisted.
B. Worst shower - tied between #13 at the Mesa Verde Morefield Campground and the Monticello Inn in Monticello, UT. The Morefield Campground did have free showers, which was very nice, but I can only describe this shower in one way - g r o s s. Check out the Monticello Inn website: it looks fairly nice. Well, this place is a hole in the wall, literally. The shower head was worse than the one at the free campground showers; worse than the showers at James River's campground. For the two hottest days I spent hiking, I had to return to the worst shower in the history of showers. That's all I can say.
And that's all for now. You can look forward to much more to come. Right now I'm going to take a nap.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I'm almost done
6,960 miles and 12 states later, I am back in Springfield, MO, but just for today. I'm cleaning and cleaning and doing some things around town that I need to take care of, then off to New Orleans tomorrow with the parents; will add 4 more states, but since I won't be driving I don't think I can count the mileage. I will be back in Springfield on July 28, and that will officially end all of my summer travels. I'm uploading pictures to the Picasa web album I've set up, and that address/link can be found in the "Welcome" section. I'm trying to organize the pictures so they'll make sense. More writing to come in New Orleans - I've got lots of ideas, I just need the time.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
it keeps coming up in everything I think about
I’m learning a lesson in perspective. How a canyon appears is constantly changing with every twist and turn. What I think a desert is – dry, sand and rock, little to no green – has changed and probably will continue to, with each new “desert” that I see and walk through.
Everybody says, “Yeah, it’s hot, but it’s a dry heat.” Well, let me tell you; I spent 5.5 hours hiking 11 miles in Canyonlands on my first day there (after 17 hours on the road the previous day) and it was probably the hottest day of my life. I’ve experienced different types of heat: stifling heat when I sat in traffic in I-44 west traveling to Tulsa, draining heat when I worked landscaping in New Orleans. This heat was like my worst enemy punching me on all sides of my head with each step. There was no shade to be had; the sun was inescapable. Yes, it was dry heat, but it was a heat purely derived in the ability of the sun to beat me down. If I could have found shade, as I did the next day, things would have been much easier. Somehow, just sneaking out of the sun for the little bits when I found shade, on my second day, saved me incredibly.
Today I hiked Angel’s Landing in Zion. It was by far the scariest hike I have ever been on in my life. I don’t quite know what it looked like or what the surrounding cliffs/mountains looked like. I kept my eyes on the rock in front of me, one hand on the chains supporting me, and the other stabilizing me. I’m quite sure I would have turned around, but my mom told me it was her favorite hike. How could I turn around on my mom’s favorite hike? This was a lesson in perspective. How could she enjoy anything about the hike? I really don’t know. 2 miles of it is paved and pretty easy uphill. Then it gets absolutely crazy scary, with sheer cliffs, sometimes on both sides. I don’t know if I have a favorite hike, really, but I know that isn’t it.
As I hiked Angel’s Landing I met two other guys who were also solo hiking. One actually snuck up part of the trail to sleep on the trail so that he wouldn’t have to pay the $16 for the camping fee. He didn’t even know what hike it was, he just found one that was deserted the night before. He told me he’d spent $3 the previous 3 days on food and lodging – sleeping wherever he could and eating Saltine crackers and peanut butter. He had stories from hostels, homeless shelters, and a Mormon ranch where he worked for a week to make some money to make it this far. I’m pretty sure the other guy I met had done time. He, like the other guy, was traveling on a motorcycle, and was totally sold out on the advantages. He said he had spent $44 in the past 5 days on lodging and food – between camping and “Top Ramen” (which might be different than the kind I prefer to eat dry). Meanwhile, I was paying upwards of $90 a night in my comfy hotel room, with my air conditioning, flat screen TV, mini fridge, and free wireless internet. I really like the idea of the trip that I’m on – going at it alone to visit friends and see the desert American west, but really, compared to these guys, I’m not doing much. It all depends on how you look at things – perspective.
Enjoy more pictures.
Everybody says, “Yeah, it’s hot, but it’s a dry heat.” Well, let me tell you; I spent 5.5 hours hiking 11 miles in Canyonlands on my first day there (after 17 hours on the road the previous day) and it was probably the hottest day of my life. I’ve experienced different types of heat: stifling heat when I sat in traffic in I-44 west traveling to Tulsa, draining heat when I worked landscaping in New Orleans. This heat was like my worst enemy punching me on all sides of my head with each step. There was no shade to be had; the sun was inescapable. Yes, it was dry heat, but it was a heat purely derived in the ability of the sun to beat me down. If I could have found shade, as I did the next day, things would have been much easier. Somehow, just sneaking out of the sun for the little bits when I found shade, on my second day, saved me incredibly.
Today I hiked Angel’s Landing in Zion. It was by far the scariest hike I have ever been on in my life. I don’t quite know what it looked like or what the surrounding cliffs/mountains looked like. I kept my eyes on the rock in front of me, one hand on the chains supporting me, and the other stabilizing me. I’m quite sure I would have turned around, but my mom told me it was her favorite hike. How could I turn around on my mom’s favorite hike? This was a lesson in perspective. How could she enjoy anything about the hike? I really don’t know. 2 miles of it is paved and pretty easy uphill. Then it gets absolutely crazy scary, with sheer cliffs, sometimes on both sides. I don’t know if I have a favorite hike, really, but I know that isn’t it.
As I hiked Angel’s Landing I met two other guys who were also solo hiking. One actually snuck up part of the trail to sleep on the trail so that he wouldn’t have to pay the $16 for the camping fee. He didn’t even know what hike it was, he just found one that was deserted the night before. He told me he’d spent $3 the previous 3 days on food and lodging – sleeping wherever he could and eating Saltine crackers and peanut butter. He had stories from hostels, homeless shelters, and a Mormon ranch where he worked for a week to make some money to make it this far. I’m pretty sure the other guy I met had done time. He, like the other guy, was traveling on a motorcycle, and was totally sold out on the advantages. He said he had spent $44 in the past 5 days on lodging and food – between camping and “Top Ramen” (which might be different than the kind I prefer to eat dry). Meanwhile, I was paying upwards of $90 a night in my comfy hotel room, with my air conditioning, flat screen TV, mini fridge, and free wireless internet. I really like the idea of the trip that I’m on – going at it alone to visit friends and see the desert American west, but really, compared to these guys, I’m not doing much. It all depends on how you look at things – perspective.
Enjoy more pictures.
On the 
A trail sign in Chesler Park.
Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, around sunset, from the upper overlook.
Entrance to Zion. What a great day.
On Angel's Landing, scared out of my mind. All I could do was smile and hold on.
Zion overlook. I really got up the courage to stand there. Angel's Landing helped.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
pictures and captions - I need to go to sleep
I haven't updated in a while, and I really want to, but I also want to sleep so that I can enjoy this trip. So here are way more pictures than I originally planned.
The Watson's 
The Hatleys 
The Hatleys, version 2
I drove for 17 hours on Sunday. This is the best picture I took out of my window. 
This was the only hiker I saw on the trail all day. I was hiking the Confluence Overlook trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. It wasn't as expectedly eerie being that alone out on the trail when it was hotter than I've ever been in my life.
Me, at the Confluence Overlook. To my left is the Green River, and to my right is the Colorado River. It's pretty amazing how the water mixed when the rivers met. 
I was just proud of this picture. Taken at the Needles Overlook in Canyonlands. 
Another one I'm pretty proud of. 
The Needles are an absolutely amazing place. 
What else can I say? The lighting even cooperated.
That's just from Tulsa (not much), the drive (just one), and my first day in Canyonlands. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have more up, and take the time to write.On a side note, I hate the html in blogs so much, especially when inserting pictures, that I'm pretty sure after I do this I will never use blogger again.
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