From Big Sur to Drain, OR and back down the coast.

Since Oct. 2^nd I’ve driven over 1300 miles from Big Sur up into Oregon and back down into Northern California. (Pictures here -> http://picasaweb.google.com/zigelastic) My trip back north from Big Sur was supposed to land me in Vancouver, Canada, but instead left me broken down in Drain, Oregon, luckily at my friend Zach’s place. Bessie had been stalling out every day for about 5 days – from Lassen Volcanic National Park, through Redding, CA, into Redwoods National Park, up into Oregon. She gave out completely right as I rolled into Drain, Oregon as I missed the road to Zach’s house and tried to turn around. To make a month long story (and stay) short, it will suffice to say that I entered Drain on Oct. 8^th and left town on November 11^th!

Portland, Seattle, Vancouver… all just a pipe dream. $3500 worth of repairs and a few weeks on a friends couch in a town aptly named Drain was all I needed to rethink my trip plans. I’ve since decided to bag on Costa Rica, and WWOOF in the US. I’ll spare you the glorious details of waiting for 3 weeks for Bessie to be repaired, while Zach waited for his girlfriend Christina to drive across the states to meet him in their new home, in Drain. It was riveting. But seriously…

My stay with Zach was probably just as fortunate for him as it was for me since he was out in Oregon alone, working a new job, waiting for Christina, and I was, well, up the creek without my vehicle. We spent a couple weekends doing winery tours around the southern wine valley in Oregon, many a night playing billiards at the local pub / Mexican restaurant, days working (work, Bessie, and Zach’s place), Halloween in Cottage Grove, OR, and election night in the same spot. I’m very happy with the results of the election, excepting of course the Gov. in VT. More of Douglas – ugh. The $3500 of repairs consisted of: a new fuel injection pump, pump mounted driver, starter (on warranty thankfully), flywheel, injectors, and lift pump. I also discovered that the hydrogen generator cells were totally rusted out due to a lesser grade of stainless steel used in their construction, so I returned them and received a replacement. Vehicle troubles aside, I remain positive and upbeat.

Despite the break down, costly repairs, the “Gravitron” ride in Drain, and missing all points north that I originally planned, my trip has been sprinkled with a lively cast of friendly characters, good times, amazingly beautiful places, great food, and the desire to keep on trucking. I thought about throwing in the towel, but it’s the only towel I have! Upward and onward to organic farming and permaculture in the states…

My first WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farming) experience was with a wonderful family in Hoopa, CA – a Native American Indian reservation in Humboldt County. Josh, Tina, their 6-month old boy named Rio, Josh’s mother Jean and younger sister Orwi, two dogs – Duke and Lucky, chickens, turkeys, fruit trees, gardens, all nestled into a small 4 acre homestead along the beautiful Trinity River was a welcome spot for me to hang at for 10 days. I helped build a greenhouse, weeded out an 8 row strawberry patch, chop wood, spread natural fertilizers, etc… in exchange for delicious, all organic and mostly local food, good company, laughs, honest work, and a meditative atmosphere. I felt right at home and their hospitality kept that feeling going. Pomegranates, apples, figs, persimmons, peaches, plums, and walnut trees dotted their homestead. It’s a little slice of heaven in northern CA, and though I would’ve liked to stay longer, the nights are getting colder and my desire to move further south calls me.

So now I’m 4 hours south of Hoopa in a town called Willits, CA (still about 3 hours north of San Fran) and plan to be here for another week. I spent the week before Thanksgiving with an extended family on their homestead here in Willits, milking goats and building a green house out of recycled materials. The Thanksgiving meal was wonderful, as was the company of all 20 people at the feast. The family consists of a husband and wife and their two daughters, the husband’s two older daughters and their husbands and children – 3 generations of family on 5 acres living out their experiment in permaculture, community, and sustainable practice. Again, I feel right at home and cherish the experience.

Goat milking seemed to come like second nature, though it’s an early morning chore and I’m anything but an early riser. I took more to building a green house out of old plumbing pipes, but as I finished off the 5^th rib of the skeletal structure, a friend of the family offered them a 30’ by 72’ greenhouse kit! What a Thanksgiving gift! So I think I’ll be spending the next week putting that greenhouse together…

Yesterday I went hiking in two of the three coastal State parks on the Mendocino Coast – Jug Handle State Park and Russian Gulch State Park. Situated in a region of geological upheaval, the area is home to several microclimates and the beautiful Mendocino Coast – a picturesque oceanscape of jagged beaches and tidal rock islands. I hung out in the town of Mendocino last night and today I plan on hiking at Van Damme State Park before I head back to the Green Uprising at BlackBerry Bend farm in Willits.

After this week, I’m off to LeVin Winery (http://www.levinwinery.com) in Cloverdale, CA – a California Certified Organic vineyard in Northern Cali. Incidentally, the wife of the vineyard owner happens to be the daughter of the creators of Gumby! That’s right kids, I’ll be picking grapes alongside of Gumby and Pokey! Sweet. I’ve never studied Viticulture, but my wine tour experiences in Oregon prepared me for these coming two weeks and I’m psyched to be hosted by another great family while I do some honest work in exchange for good times, food, and fun. By Dec. 21^st, I’ll be in Mecca CA, down south about 50 miles from the Mexican border, working on a fruit tree farm overlooking the Salton Sea. 80 degree weather, hot springs, hiking, and fresh fruit await me… until next time… Peace and love, Sean.

Big Sur: big problems, cosmic resolutions.

After having spent a few days with friends and family (well, my sister Terry at least) I flew back to San Francisco feeling homesick and, well, sort of confused. I’m the type of person that questions every decision I make – after I make it. Sure, I think about it before hand – weigh options, consider alternatives, justify possible actions, flip a coin, ask the trees… I can’t just skip down the path I choose and accept the fate I encounter with out going back to the beginning of that path and wonder “what if I made a left?”. Well, I’m a month and a week into my trip and I’m questioning my decision. Factors, variables, parameters, pluses and minuses, waking up with a head full of questions, no answers, and a list of things I gotta get done. My ideal of a fancy free trip fueled by spent veggie oil is turning into more of a grueling gulag of grease, fixing things, cleaning, working, and figuring out my next day and night. Daily routine is everything but, and yet, seemingly always the same.

Where am I gonna get oil? Where’m I gonna sleep tonight? Oh – that road looks good! No wait, that turn-out – secluded, sort of. Gotta clean out the hydro cell system, ship back the inverter (it died again - this time caught on fire!), connect the new pump, figure out a better on board filtration system, re-install the battery isolator. That damn glove compartment box keeps popping open! Get more water. Laundry. Oh, it’s time to work again - find a coffee shop.
“Mind if I sit here and work for a few hours?"
"No, not at all."
"Cool. I'll take a mocha - double decaf please...
any good local spots that are day hikes...?”
“Does the state beach have showers...?”
"Any good local greasy spoons - ya know, fried foods...?"

I left Oakland on Tuesday morning (9/23/08), headed for the coast and Big Sur – hopefully get there by Thursday. I find some oil Monday night at a Japanese Restaurant, but couldn’t get to it since the restaurant staff parked in front of the 55 gallon barrel. “Come back tomorrow,” the owner said...7am the next day and the oil is gone! Shit!!! The regular pickup must have grabbed it late last night. My veg. is on empty, but I think I have enough to get to Half Moon Bay. Let’s see… I think I can, I think I can.... Made it!

Half moon seems like a nice little town. The road into town is lined with organic farms and farm stands, a very welcome sight! Gave me a little boost as I drove into town… I spent the week working during the day in the Half Moon Bay Coffee Company, chatting with the owner about politics and travel, enjoying the delicious mint mochas, and trying to figure out where I’m headed next. Go to the beach to listen to the ocean at dusk for clues, communing with the beach for guidance, waxing poetic with the moon hanging low and the sun setting:

I wonder how many people are staring out into the sea like me, and with me
at this moment in time, 6:59, Pacific Standard Time?
The force of the retracting wave, as it pulls away from the beach,
prevents the next wave from getting up, and crashing into me.
I feel more secure with the ebbing tide, with this brief moment of silence in time,
as the waves build up, and the next rush comes in.
It’s almost eerie how there’s a sort of placidness to the ocean in a brief moment.
Can’t see the true brute force of the ocean from where I am
but I can see the channels dug into the bluff walls behind me. Strength.
The skyline beckons all with eyes to view its peach hue.
Clouds call out “follow my tail, rise up with me!”
“Follow me into the sky; into the sunset; into the mountains. Away with me!”
A random tennis ball on the beach reminds me of human filings,
the build up and release, the day to day mundane trappings.
That which I pull myself away from.
Allow my brain to take a rest, walk on the beach,
feel the sand, get closer to the ground, feel the earth.
Use the feathers in my hand, that I’ve picked up in my travels,
to fly myself away, to release myself for brief moments,
to enjoy my time while I’m here, where millions of others have walked before.
Recognize the feelings I’m trolling through… I’ve felt before… and so too have many others.
Another man with a cell phone tinkers, pushing buttons, taking pictures,
listening to pre-recorded messages from his past as I record mine.
Somewhere there’s some odd chaotic, mathematic reasoning behind all of this.
All that I’m experiencing. Right now though, I just don’t understand
and my mind rolls back to the tasks at hand:
Trying, searching, wondering, failing…
Thinking, designing, engineering, succeeding.
Is this trip a beginning of a life anew; a new experience?
Or an ending of a life I’ve failed in? Fail to understand completely.
Possibilities which are possibly both realities:
closing one door and opening another.
And as I walk through it, this beach walk reminds me of a past experience of myself,
that I hate, that I carry with me, that I want to drop off into the ocean…
An answer: The sign reads “Sunset at 7:04 tonight - Move your vehicle or it will be towed,
and there will be no exceptions!” Seems like it’s time to move on…

Wednesday night (9/24/08) I pull about 20 gallons of oil from a Taqueria, though the oil looks shady, I think to myself "SWEET!!" I decide to forgo pumping directly into my tank, bypass my filter, and pump into 5 gallon containers – I’ll filter it into my tank tomorrow. I have time. Oil obtained. Rest.

Fuck. Why won’t this oil filter out!?? Damn Taqueria oil! I knew it looked too thick! - Two new filters and many hours of frustration and nothing to show for it. $50 on parts at Ace hardware - try making my own filter out of sheets and bug screen and see what happens... Nothing happens. Nothing. This oil is shit. Give up. Get rid of it. Find another source. Get outta here, man! Get back on the road. You’re stuck in a rut, man. Move on! ...Feel paralyzed… move your legs, get in the driver’s seat. GO!

After convincing myself to keep moving south to Big Sur I realized that stagnation, for me, is a buzz kill. I can’t sit in one town for more than a couple days. If I do, I start feeling familiar with the surroundings… settling in, sort of. I need to see things shift, time and place, the excitement of all anew. I feel frenetic. Keep rollin’. Head down to Santa Cruz and see what happens… at least I got maybe two gallons of that shit oil pumped into my tank... at least... shit oil. shit!

Santa Cruz, Thursday night (9/25/08), I’m starting to think I’m gonna be stranded in Santa Cruz for the weekend, or have to spend $100 on diesel to get to Big Sur and back up the coast. Take a deep breath. Try to find more oil. Call every place in town. No dice. Get some food, ice, and chill... Sleep on it.

Friday (9/26/08)– a day off from work! Nice. Get some stuff done on the van. Figure out new filtration, try to deal with the solar inverter, the isolator, the hydro cell - bite off more than I can chew... Add a T pipe and a stop valve to the pump hose so I can redirect oil into jugs when I want too, as well as directly into the filter. Nice - it works perfectly…. Another $65, but worth it. Add the receipt to the pile. Bessie is an expensive companion.
Hop down to the Natural Bridges State Beach and grab a shower... ah.

Friday night: Try a new method of getting oil: Wait until 9pm when cell phone calls are free, use "the Google" and search for Chinese and Japanese restaurants, call until at least 3 of them say I can pick up… Shogun Japanese, Mei Garden, and China Express – all yes! Pick up 20 gallons at Mei Garden, dump the Taqueria oil in their vat and ROLL TO BIG SUR!!! My emotional state picks up like a plane taking off! Whoooooosh! I’m off…

Saturday (9/27/08): My last week on the road has been a combination of contemplation and stress about fuel and the van. I realized today as I hiked through Andrew Molera State Park that the Universe is listening and no amount of pushing and struggling is gonna move those stars into alignment. Wait for it… it’ll happen. Be patient. Be smart. Be mindful. Be thankful.

Ah, the coast is beautiful. The waves speak to me in slushy rhythms that sing to my soul. I feel at one with the ocean, the flotsam and jetsam on the beach, the battered rocks that line the coast. I could sit here until I’m washed away with the tide. Or… until I get hungry!

Big Sur is a wash. No back country trails are open at ANY of the state parks! – all burned out from fire. No hot springs to be seen now! Can’t even get into the Henry Miller Library! – concert took it over (Peggy Young – Neil’s daughter) and no tickets to be had. Where's the silver lining? Patience…

Sunday (9/28/09): Wake up with positive intention. Make the sun shine. Move into the light. Forget the hiking trails – bike! Biking along I find an ecstatic dance! I dance for two hours with one other person, the woman holding the dance - She and I lose ourselves in our bodies. A Rumi poem tops the experience – so apropos! A small hike to end the day and then the bike ride back to Bessie. Night - stumble onto a fascinating hangout called the “Spirit Garden” behind a bakery/restaurant – a performance! 3 musicians playing multiple instruments – tabla, flute, didgeridoo, jaw harp, nguni, thumb piano – a feast of world music! Sip hot cider and lose myself in music next to an open fire. How sweet! Top the night off with a bath in hot springs at a local spa called Esalen at 1am in the morning - only time they let the general public in, by reservation, for $20... and it was worth it. What a day! Amazing what a positive mind can do!

Monday (9/29/08): Short hike in the morning, work for the day and head out of Big Sur back north, and decide to give the Big Sur Roadhouse a try for some oil... Bingo! Wendy and Kevin, the new owners (of three weeks), are thrilled to recycle the grease and lead me to their drum. 30 gallons, an awesome burger and fries, some great conversation, and I'm back on the road north, full in my belly and Bessies! Next week’s plan forms... Back up the coast is the blurry blueprint. Head north – Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Canada… keep moving – and fast. It’s getting’ cold out there!

Pictures: Ken and Stacy's wedding, Half Moon Bay, the road to Big Sur, Andrew Molera State Park, Big Sur, "Spirit Garden", the performance...

Peace and love.

To Yosemite and beyond!!

Being back home briefly for the weekend was like a trip into a Bacchanalian festival. In the three days I was back in Burlington, I ate, drank, and took part in merriment that I haven’t yet experienced on my trip – excepting some aspects of Burning Man. Ken and Stacy’s wedding was perhaps the best wedding I’ve ever been to, and my Sunday morning hang over was certainly proof that I enjoyed every minute of it. My daily intake on the road has consisted of trail mix and a smoothie (onboard blender) for breakfast, a muffin or trail mix for lunch, and a turkey and cheese tortilla wrap for dinner. Some nights I actually splurged and got a sandwich at a grocery store or a burger at a pub! So having spent three days gorging on wonderfully prepared food and drink was a nice change of pace. Albeit, a short one. It was also really sweet to see so many people I miss. Some, I didn’t get to see, and I regret that.
Been on the road for a month – time flies! Even though I was “home,” I was still on the road, so to say. The last week and a couple of days, mostly in Yosemite, were truly amazing, and my mind keeps going back there. Haven’t spent this much time alone, I think, in my entire life… getting’ closer to myself, and allowing myself to retrace some areas in my life that I haven’t returned to in a long time. Simultaneously, trace new areas of my life as I hike and bike in some of America’s most beautiful places.
I keep thinking, “make your posts short, so people don’t get bored” but I find it hard every week to cram a week worth of travel to unfamiliar places meeting new people and combing the recesses of my mind into a few measly paragraphs. So for those of you who hang with this (and I do see the comments dwindling already), I appreciate your interest, but know that this is probably more for me than it is for you… what’s left of my formatively drug-abused mind and its wonderful memory won’t remember this trip otherwise (at least, a few months from now). That said, on to Yosemite!
“Yeah man. I’m gonna bring the Goddess down here Wednesday night, Kev.”“Oh yeah? I’ll finally get to meet her, eh Guido?”“Right, man. You haven’t met her yet! She’s outta site, man… I gotta go down to my claim tomorrow and check on this ladder I found up in this one dig…”After hanging with the two burnt out hippies at “The Tub” outside Mammoth Lake, I decided to clean out the van and head back north to Lee Vining to get online and work…
Clean the van, man. French fries. Dirt and dust. Laundry. Stuff piling up. Paperwork. Gotta do the ‘Making of Bessie’ video. Make a list, Sean…
- Fix Battery Isolator
- Return 1000 watt solar inverter
- Flush Hydro cell
- Clean veg filters
- Refuel veg.
- Fix 90-watt inverter hum
- Get yogurt and soy milk
- Mail out tire recall notification
- Etc…
Before getting online and working, my daily routine consists of waking up in Bessie’s belly, evacuating (I’ll spare the details), exercising, whipping up a quick banana-protein yogurt smoothie, and checking all van systems before take off. I’ve already become accustomed to not showering on a daily basis – it’s now closer to a weekly basis – so lastly I rub down with some lavender scented lotion to hide the French-fry laden body odor and replace it with some semblance of feeling and smelling “fresh”.
Lee Vining is a charming little town to the west, and directly on the banks of, Mono Lake; a massive, salt water lake that contains two islands in the center of it. The people were very friendly, and I enjoyed working at the Latte Da café while planning my route through Yosemite. Apart from working every day, dealing with Bessie’s newfangled energy systems have been taking the most time away from otherwise pleasurable pursuits – not to say playing with fry grease for hours on end isn’t, well, “fun”. Getting oil, however, was a piece of cake in Lee Vining since the Mobil Restaurant (yes folks, MOBIL has a restaurant in Lee Vining!) and the Mono Cone ice cream stand generously donated a total of twenty-five gallons of freshly cooked veg oil! Sweet. Needless to say, the mess in the back of my van mounts like the grease patches in an obese McDonald’s customer’s arteries.
Our ascent into Yosemite from Lee Vining was at a blistering pace of 20 miles per hour. Bessie is a heavy girl (baby’s got back!) at a weight of close to 9,000 pounds when full of veg. oil! Regardless, I made it to Yosemite Valley, the center of the park, within 2.5 hours, all on veg. oil!
“Yeah, it runs on veg. oil, a hydrogen double cell, and solar for interior electric,” I tell the National Park Ranger as I pass him a check for $80. “Where do you get the oil,” he asks as he hands me my annual National Park Pass. I almost feel as though I should have a little card of information I hand people when someone starts questioning my vehicle and trip… “I just pulled 25 gallons from the Mono Cone and Mobil Restaurant back in Lee Vining…,” I quip back, “pretty much anywhere I can.” I continued on into Yosemite Valley, the tourist destination in Yosemite NP. Later that night… 11:22pm… in the ‘day’ parking lot…
Bang, bang, bang… … “Hello in there…” “Hey. You can’t sleep here.”
(Shit. What time is it. Is it morning already? Don’t say anything. Don’t move. Just wait… wait… don’t breathe heavy… wait.)
Bang. Bang. Bang… “Hello? Anyone in there?” … “Yeah, we have a Vermont plate, white van – painted hand prints on the back, bike rack…”
(Stay still. Head down. Don’t breathe too heavy. Stay calm. Wait for it… wait for it… where am I going to go? Shit! It’s ok, I’ll find something, somewhere. Ok, it’s been at least a couple minutes. Let’s roll!)
I jump into the driver’s seat and scan the outside for rangers, then start Bessie up and roll out of the day parking lot – 11:22pm. I guess Yosemite Valley rangers aren’t kidding about the ‘no sleeping in vehicles’ warnings posted everywhere. After a half an hour of driving around, I finally find a seemingly good spot to pull over and crash at near some construction just before the Wawona Tunnel off the southern entrance road. I nestled Bessie between some construction vehicles and called it a night. While walking around looking for a good spot to piss, I noticed a trailhead sign that pointed out to my delight that I was at the foot of the Inspiration Point trail. Perfect place to crash for the night and wake to a nice hike in the morning.
My second night in the valley I decided to race up the Nevada Fall trail at a breakneck pace after work so that I could catch an 8pm performance at the Yosemite Theatre. The hike was a 7.5 mile, 2900 foot ascent up the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. I cruised up and back in 2 hours and 45 minutes and made it to the performance with minutes to spare and a shirt full of sweat. The hike was breath taking – beauty and shear work out alike. The show - a performance by a local outdoor’s man who played the legendary John Muir; naturalist, conservationist, and all around environmentalist of the early 1900’s who is honored with natural namesakes all over the west - allowed me to ‘see’ the rest of the park and some of its history via the tales of John Muir in his own words based on his early writings. In retrospect, this sort of topped off my experience for the rest of the park without knowing it at the time.
Friday morning I hit the bike trail to take in the valley floor and hopefully see some wildlife other than the thousands of touristas milling about. No dice, unfortunately, save for the dozens of squirrels scampering about looking for some stupid tourist sitting next to a “DO NOT FEED WILDLIFE” sign to hand the cute little varmint a cracker… “You’re really not supposed to feed the wildlife,” I scold as I walk by. Silly humans.
The full moon is coming. Have to plan my weekend hike accordingly. Gotta get ice today. Block not crushed – lasts longer.
“No. Sorry. No more permits for Half Dome today (Friday). You’ll have to come back before 8am tomorrow and wait in line for a unreserved spot. You’ll probably get one, but try to get here by 6am if you can… they go fast.” 6am. Hmph. Well, if I don’t get one, I’ll just day hike it I guess… off to work.
Work these days consists of sitting on my computer at any number of unfamiliar locations of my choosing – as long as it’s close to a Verizon wireless tower and some electric. I keep thinking I should’ve invested in a little solar powered charger for my laptop. Put it on the shopping list… Since Yosemite Lodge was the closest thing to Internet (since there are NO Verizon towers in Yosemite) I sat outside at the Lodge Amphitheatre and plugged away at tech. support requests for 4 hours before getting back onto the trails.
“Do you want me to take a group photo?” I asked the 25+ person gaggle of Bay Area-ers as I walked by their congregation on the rocks in front of Yosemite Fall. “If you stop by the Ahwahnee lounge later we’ll buy you a pint” someone shouted back – how could I refuse? After the beer, they invited me to dinner, and I had the pleasure of meeting a few other outdoorsy folks and tell them the tale of my sordid trip. It was fun, but I realized again that I really need to find a Kinko’s and print up some cards… One of the guys I met was a cyclist who replied in kind with stories of his bike ride through the Canadian Rockies. Another told of their ride across country in a VW bus. Kindred spirits were abound. Nice. The night ended after dinner as the group broke to head to sleep at 9pm, since they had to be up at 5am, and I once again made the drive up to Wawona tunnel. Tonight the construction crew blocked the entrances to the look outs. “Fuckers,” I thought to myself as I passed. “I’ll just pull off past the tunnel.”
Oddly enough, past the tunnel there were no signs shunning overnight camping in the pull offs. No Rangers driving around looking for stragglers. Nothing but scenic escapes large enough for a few cars and the tourists in tow. Perfect. Looks like home to me. Night two and three spent on Route 41 just beyond the Wawona Tunnel – why pay $12 a night to camp, right?
“Sorry we just gave out the last permit to Half Dome and Little Yosemite,” the ranger droned. “Wait, is it just you?” the other ranger asked as he pointed out that they had one more solo permit.
“Yeah, just me,” I say excitedly.
“Ok, but you have to go in from Glacier Point – about an hour drive from here. It’s 7 miles from Glacier Point to Nevada Fall, then 1.5 to camp, then about 4 up to Half Dome,” the first ranger said almost monotone. “Good enough, man. I’ll take it!” I retorted.
So I got to spend my entire day Saturday hiking from Glacier Point – to the west of Yosemite Valley – down to Illiuette Falls, up to Nevada Falls, up to Half Dome – a huge solid granite mountain in the center of Yosemite Valley – and that night hanging with good folks at the backpackers campground just below Half Dome. At the camp I ran into some guys I met the day before at the permitting office who were really helpful with Yosemite info, and eager to have me head down to L.A. to check out some scenes there. I brought my backpacker guitar with me to the camp and struck out some tunes until the ranger who was policing the camp (mildly, but still keeping the peace) asked me to stop playing. Everyone enjoyed the tunes and I was given ¾ of a bottle of cabernet as a tip. I pleasantly accepted.
So I have to stop here to mention that if anyone out there – and you know who you are – are looking for any sordid tales involving ‘sampling of the flesh’ or Bacchanalian type tales of all night partying to full moons, blasting P-Funk, and getting giddy on liquor… well, it ain’t happening. Sorry. I’m just enjoying things naturally, seeing things I’ve never scene, places I’ve never been, and doing it celibate and mostly sober. This experience is about growth and wanderlust. Sure, from time to time I might partake in some deep conversation, political banter, the occasional beer or wine and local fare, but that’s really about as intense as this blog is going to get folks. I’m not Hunter S. Thompson, and I’m not claiming to be.
That said, hiking in Yosemite was super sweet. I took it as a challenge for myself physically, as much as I took it as an exploration into nature, and I have to say Saturday’s hike kicked my ass physically and spiritually, and I loved every minute of it. Sunday was a quick 8.5 mile hike back to Glacier Point, where Bessie was eagerly awaiting for me, and I in turn was eager to climb into her and take off. We headed to Mariposa, to the sequoia groves, only to be thwarted by the pack of tourists at the entrance. “Fuck it,” I thought to myself. “I’ll see sequoias and redwoods in other places. Today’s not the day.” My decision was based more in shear hunger than anything else really, and I headed on to Oakhurst CA to grab some tasty BBQ, hopefully some oil, and directions to Oakland.
The next few days were spent hanging with my friends Mike and Janine and their dog Crypto (namesaked after Superman’s dog I came to learn) at their house in Oakland. Interestingly enough, Janine and Michael are facing a life-altering adventure themselves as Janine has landed a job in INDONESIA for like 6 months – WOOHOO! SO cool to cross paths with other people who are about to embark on a trip where work and pleasure can be compatibly combined. Nice! Thank you both, again, for your hospitality! I really appreciate it.
I mostly worked in Oakland since my hours are now up to 30 (from 20) and didn’t see much. We did enjoy a tasty meal together, and some good conversation, but my time was short there. Mike and Janine were gracious enough to let me keep Bessie out in front of their house (I later find out the neighbors, rather than being peeved as Mike suspected, were interested and pleased by Bessie! Nice.)
I have to say that I’ve been pretty lonely thus far on my trip. Spending nights alone in Bessie’s belly has proven a true test of my resolve on this trip. But the fated contact I’ve had with people during the day has balanced out this loneliness to some degree – and the phone calls and emails from family and friends. (On that note, I have to add that I am once again blessed with the honor and responsibility of being an uncle, as my sister Beth has birthed my newest niece, Logan. Congrats again Beth and John!) I’m feeling a little more homesick since I was just there, and a little confused about my trip. Maybe it’s just the smell of french fries making me delirious?
Until next time… much love.
Omitted Tales: Veg oil pump broke and I called it in on warranty. Hydro cell is having a rusty well issue due to using non-Iron Depleted Distilled water – have to buy a filter for it. Solar inverter was cross shipped, installed, and working again, but has since again died – this time it caught on fire!
Burning Man moment: Learning EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) from an angel in a group of unknowns. It was really mind blowing.

Tahoe, hikes, grease, the road, on to Yosemite…

So if you read the title as a sentence – tahoe hikes grease the road on to Yosemite – it pretty much sums up my last week…

The first two days in Tahoe consisted of cleaning my van out from Burning Man dust, laundry (yes, dust), working 4 hours a day (which I have to say is sweet), and trying to squeeze in hikes around Lake Tahoe – a large area. I lost Tuesday and Wed. to cleaning and work, but did manage to get in a nice 6 mile hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail right in Tahoe City on Wed. morning, and a nice bike ride Wed. night on the bike trail in Tahoe City.

Thursday I had to find veg. oil, since I had about 5 gallons in my tank, and maybe 5 extra in storage waiting to be filtered. I spent two mornings working out of the Dam Café in Tahoe City, and one of the guys working there suggested McDonalds as a source for oil. I thought it would be pointless, but gave it a shot anyway and drove away with 25 gallons of pretty good fuel.
The filtration process took about 3 hours – first filter from their tank into a 5 gallon pail using a 5 micron filter, then from the pail into a 5 gallon jug using a 5 to 1 micron filter, then into my tank using another 5 to 1 micron filter. Messy to say the least, but I had a blast doing it – knowing all along that I’m getting about $125 worth of fuel for free, and NOT giving that $125 to the blood sucking oil giants. I mean, I still have to use Diesel to start up and shut down, but I’m rolling on mostly veg, and it feels great, apart from greasy. Most people gave me funny looks, but a select few knew what I was doing and nodded with approval. Nice.

Bessie is doing great. She sprung a small leak in one of the tire valve stems on Thursday (right when I started getting oil at McD’s!) but I caulked the leak with some silicon and brought her to a Chevron station down the street on Friday. A new stem, an oil change, and a new air filter (had to, due to the dust from Burning Man!) and she was good to go again!
I rolled out of Tahoe City on Friday and on down to South Tahoe for the night. On my way, I caught a quick 4 mile hike at the Rubicon Trail and Lighthouse Trail in DL Bliss National Park, and then a 2 mile hike down to “Vikingsholm” in Emerald Bay park. “Vikingsholm” is this beautiful, but sort of ridiculous summer home that some old rich lady had built in the early 1900’s – I don’t remember the story, but you can just imagine some old hag with lots of money and nothing more to do than build an EXACT replica of a Swedish style chalet, complete with antique furniture pieces from art auctions and museums, and of course when she couldn’t buy the pieces she had them made to exact detail – including scratches! Must be nice to have money falling out of your ass…

Onward to route 50 and beyond the Tahoe region! I decided to stop into a ranger station and ask about the wilderness areas off route 89 and was promptly directed to the Desolation Wilderness area just south of South Tahoe. For $5 I bought an overnight back country permit and headed out to Aloha Lake. The hike into Aloha affords some of the most amazing views of the Desolation Wilderness lakes region. The trailhead starts at lower Echo Lake, passes upper Echo Lake, and then spurs off to Triangle Lake, Lake of the Woods, Lake Lucille, and Tamarack Lake to name a few.

I ended up at Aloha Lake around 4pm (I think) and decided to swim and take a power nap. The water at the lakes here is crystal and cold, and man did it look and feel great! After my brief slumber, I figured I’d try to hike around the lake, find a spot to camp, and call it a night. Little did I know that Aloha lake consists of a lot of granite rock out croppings, which 1) make the lake look small and 2) make a hike around it incredibly tedious because at almost every turn of the lake there’s another granite finger sticking out which has to be navigated. My pictures don’t show this well, but I’ll just end by saying the lake hike took about 4 more hours! If I had known, I would of pitched camp first and not brought my pack long. It was a great bit of exercise and I was exhausted and joyous when I found my camp – a nice little nook near a small lily pad laden pond just off of the lake.
Dinner consisted of fat free Healthy Valley veggie soup and a packet of Pepper Salmon – Bumble Bee brand. Dinner was fabulous, and so was sleep! I hiked out this morning at 7am, made it back to Bessie by 10:30am, took a quick dip in lower Echo Lake, and hit the road for Yosemite. The road was pretty desolate, hence the Desolation Wilderness – they’re not joking folks, there’s NOTHING out here – but I kept myself going with my iPod and frequent stops to take pictures of the mountains and valleys. I ended up in a town called Bridgeport around 3pm, made some calls to touch base with the fam, and as fate would have it my buddy Joe calls me and tells me of a hot spring just a mile away! A quick 5 minute ride and I’m at one of the nicest hot springs I’ve ever been to, talking with some older naked hippie guy who frequents hot springs all over the west. (No pics of the naked guy, ladies… sorry!)
I stayed and chatted for about an hour and got directions to another sweet hot springs – “The Tub” outside of Lee Vining, CA, where I write this blog post forthwith. I met two guys at “The Tub” – burnt out hippie hot spring camper bums who seem to traipse around this area and stay at various BLM areas, camp grounds, and hot springs. Funny to listen to ‘em. Scary to think that might be me someday… kidding, just kidding. I’m going home at some point, really. Seriously……… On to Yosemite!!
Well, if you made it this far. Damn, you have focus! Enjoy the latest round of pics, and I’ll blog again soon. I swear I’m going to blog about the making of Bessie soon. It’s just gonna be SO MUCH work – just as she was…
On that note, a quick thanks to everyone who helped: Aaron – man, I couldn’t have done this without you!, Jason and the guys at Full Circle Automotive, Warren at Hydrogen Full Tech., my wonderful sister Terry for the stained glass windows and packing help, Lyn for too many things to list (the muffins stick out the most!), Sky for being the best landlord and all around jack of all tradesman, William, Joe, Patrick and everyone who helped paint the murals, Paul – the paint job looks rad man!, Dad for the help with the spray painting and lights, Jon for the 85 gallons of veg to get me on my way, Mom for the last minute details on the interior, Quentin Clark out in Bath, NY for the incredible help getting Bessie going after she broke down 8 hours from home, Toby Nichols in Kansas for the 100 gallons of fuel half way through my trip, and everyone else that had any hand in helping me, coaching me, coaxing me, and allowing me to realize this dream.
Until next time… much love, Sean.

Quick Burning Man memory: Being ‘brainwashed’ at the CLEU camp. A beautiful and hokey experience.

Burning Man, the aftermath, the cleaning, and the Java Hut

Burning Man. Hmmm... where to begin. As I left off in my last post...

Tuesday and Wednesday (Aug. 26th and 27th) consisted of driving. I'll spare you the amazing details of sitting behind the wheel of a 9,000 pound behemoth, barreling down route 70 across Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada. Suffice it to say, I wasn't editing video this time.

I made it to the Burning Man festival on Wednesday night at about 11pm and finally rolled into a permanent spot at around midnight. "Hey - you need a drink!" was shouted from 4:20 and K-Car (street names) and I promptly pulled over to have that drink. After sitting in my van for two days straight, driving in what seemed an endless daze, this man was correct. I needed to pull over, stop driving, and partake in a tasty beverage. To make a long story short, I found my camp and it was at 4:20 and K-Car that Bessie and I would make home for the next 4 nights. The people at Break It Down Camp were awesome. Gracious, fun, and open - we had a great time together playing music, talking, partying, and jst having a good time!

The pictures I've posted here don't do justice to Burning Man. They don't even give a cursory view of the festival. In fact, let me just say my picture taking was limited and I'm sorry if you're looking for something juicy that I didn't catch on film. I have some video also, and while it will get posted soon, it too doesn't do justice. You just have to go to really experience the festival, the community, the sharing, the art, the music, the insanity and splendor (oh, and DUST - lots of DUST) that is Burning Man.

I walked around the night I arrived - for about 5 hours on my own, in the dark, - not knowing anything other then a few landmarks near Bessie. Suffice it to say that I was, in a stupor from driving, completely and utterly fascinated, excited, dumbfounded, and dead tired. My brain was in sensory overload and it was amazing. Lights everywhere. Glowing mutant vehicles driving around. People on bicycles lit up with strobes, x-mas lights, glow sticks, flashers – you name it. Discos at the turn of every street. Live music every few blocks. Free food and drink. People reveling in life and happiness and music and each other. It was beautiful and chaotic all at the same time.

Apart from going out on hikes during the day to see the various art installations, art cars, and theme camps (9 square miles of interesting things to see!), I basically just hung around Center Camp and listened to live music (performed on Sunday myself – been asked to perform next year!), read rants, and drank Mochas while talking to interesting people. My time was relatively low key.

The burn on Saturday night (the night they burn the Man) was climatic and anti-climatic at the same time. It was the largest spot of communal gathering the entire week/weekend and it was sweet, yet it seemed like a senseless act also – my environmental side was screaming the whole week and seeing the man burn was more like a roar inside. Originally the burn was a celebration of the solstice, but it now seems to be more about the celebration of human spirit, ingenuity, self reliance, art, and community, with a WHOLE LOT of partying involved. Everyone, everywhere was partying and dancing, and generally just enjoying life. It was this that kept my mind coming back to letting go of the environmental devastation and bombacity that ensued.

I decided to stay Sunday night also, even though my van was a totally mess, filled with dust, and I was pretty tired of being in the desert. Sunday, while at the Jazz Café, a super hip spot right off Center Camp, I met up with a couple people needing a ride to Reno and was more than happy to oblige. Having some road company sounded great to me after traveling 3,000 miles alone. Tamra, Eric, Christine, Ben, and a couple people whose names I forget, and I hung out all day walking around to theme camps, and finally trying to all meet up for the Temple burn (yes, the burn something else – Sunday night the Temple is burned). The Temple is a spot in the desert where they place a building which symbolizes the essence of self expression. People place gifts, letters, words, poems, art, symbols, ideas, music, lyrics, and anything else meaningful to them and their life. It was truly amazing to see it all.

After the temple burn, Tamra and I, having been separated from everyone else, tried to find Christine and Eric, etc… to begin our journey out of Burning Man and back to civilization. The ride to Reno – most of which was sitting in a road of dead stop traffic for a few hours – was long and tedious, but also really enjoyable with the company I had (and I was so happy to have company for the trip!) Tamra was gracious enough to let me take a hot shower and crash on her couch for the night before heading to Lake Tahoe. She even took me on a really sweet hike outside of Reno Monday, which was SO needed after my lungs had been pelted with the Black Rock desert dust and silt (I’ll be cleaning it out of my van for weeks!) Thanks again, Tamra! After the hike I rolled down to Tahoe – a 1 hour drive, thankfully – and crashed on the side of the road in Tahoe City.



I woke up Tuesday morning in disbelief at how trashed my van was. The dust and silt of the Black Rock Desert (granite silt) was in and on EVERYTHING. I was told by someone at the burn that the silt is deadly to car engines - great! Just what I need... at least everything seems a-ok with Bessie right now.

Tuesday morning brought me to the car wash, the laundry mat, and the Java Hut in King's Beach CA, where I now sit typing this blog post. I met up with some gracious people here who let me use their electric so I could vacuum out my van. I have to say, taking jst about everything out of my van and cleaning it all was a nice way to end a week and a half of driving and desert camping – sort of like a re-examination of my life, the stuff I have with me, and my living space. I’m so much happier with a clean van, and clean things. I had to do 7 loads of laundry – washed EVERYTHING - washed the outside of the van three times, and vacuumed twice, and I’m still not sure I’m happy with the outcome in the van, but I’m comfy again and that makes me happy.

I worked yesterday and today, and now having cleaned, I’ll be heading out tomorrow for hikes around Lake Tahoe – which is unbelievably gorgeous!

Enjoy the pics from Burning Man (on the right side). I’ll have some video up soon, and pics of Tahoe – once I take some. Missing home, but having a blast. Much love.

The journey begins...

Some video: http://www.youtube.com/v/j4HomYtGAu0

There's something about flying down the road at 75 miles per hour, hauling 9,000 pounds and blowing out a back tire that makes you go WHOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY SHIT!!!!!

So, I'm taking this moment to relax. Reflect on my life now that it's flashed before my eyes again. Reflect on the 1,500+ miles I've driven, the break downs,
the people I've met, the people I miss, and what's to come...

Wednesday...
I left late. In a rush. Van complete, but far from finished.Mind racing. Veg oil pumping."Service Engine Soon" light at Montpelier - not even 35 minutes into my trip!Stop and see Kim.

Thursday...Take the van to an RV shop in Guilford, VT. They say it's the waste gate vacuum. I call Jason, the owner of Full Circle Automotive - the guy who installed the veg system.Great person - highly recommend him to anyone considering veg, or in need of a great mechanic! (http://www.vtvegcar.com/)Stop at mom's. Drop storage and the cat. Keep working on the interior.

Friday...Mom helps with the curtains and shades.Keep working on the interior. Little details. I decide to stay the night again and get more things done.The solar battery isolator breaks. Fuck. Fix it up with some plastic epoxy and leave it out for the time being.

Saturday...Load up and head out from Mom's. Keep on trucking through New York.Exit in Bath, NY for energy drinks - van dies.Luck shows up, named Quentin Clark. Happens to be a diesel mechanic who knows veg systems!Thankful to say the least... really great person. Puts my faith back into people and random acts of kindness.Take another 24 hours to work on the van while I wait... sleep, it feels good.

Sunday...Shop for some items for the van interior.Quentin hooks me up and I'm back on the road. Turned out to be 'vapor lock' - I switched to diesel on a deccelaration, bad idea apparently.Make it through NY, PA, and into OH. Met up with my friend Sean and had dinner at Fat Fish Blue's in Cleveland (nice place, good food). Apparently it was my
birthday - thanks Sean! :)Try to score some oil from two restaurants but my pump dies. Keep on trucking Sean, you'll figure it out tomorrow!Stop for 2 hours sleep at a truckstop at 3am. 5am wake up - gotta keep moving...

Monday...Make it through rest of OH, IN, IL, IA, and into KS.Stop and fix pump - turned out to be an exposed wire inside te pump housing causing a short.Drop the last 15 gals of veg into my tank and keep going.Contact a guy I found online to see about getting some oil. Sounds possible, but not sure.Met up with Toby Nichols for oil. Nice guy. Quite the setup - 700 gal pull behind veg tank, plus a garage full of 55 gal drums, pumps, tools, and 4 yearsof experience on veg. Help him out prepare for a meeting with a fire marshall (neighbor thinks he's got combustibles).Toby hooks me up with about 100 gals of filtered oil. Nice.Load the van up and drive about an hour. Pull off to sleep.

Tuesday...Get up in a panic - I slept for 6 hours! Shit. GET MOVING!Rush back onto the road. Tire blows at 75mph while I'm editing video on my computer. Heart attack. Deep breathe. Unload the back, change the tire, take the
hint. Time to slow down... oh, look - a Walmart right here at this exit. Tires!

So here I am at a Walmart outside of Lawrence, Kansas, getting new tires all around, finally taking time to write in my blog.The last three months have been an amazing feat of dreaming, doing, being, preparing, fixing, breaking, constructing, planning, re-planning, learning,
learning, learning, growing. I'm tired, excited, hungry, skinny, oily, thankful, happy.There's a fine shine of oil on almost everything I own and I smell like a deep fryer. My hands look like the surface of Mars. Like a mechanics hands.My living space is in total disarray and I love it.Once I get to Reno, Nevada I'll organize and prepare for the last 3 hours to Burning Man.I'm two days late to Burning Man, but I'm alive and thankful for the twists of fate along the way.When I have time next week, I'll put up some video of the van conversion process. The gutting, cutting, welding, wiring, re-lighting, tooling, painting, and
installs... almost 3 months of tireless work to get to where I am. To get to a place that is placeless, constantly shifting, endlessly changing and unfolding
as the roadway whizzes on by...