Birthday weekend

Yesterday was my birthday, I am now twenty-three years old. I never thought I would get to be this age. When people are young, they just want to grow up faster. When people are old, they wish to be young again. That is why I am just enjoying the process of growing older one year at a time, month at a time, week at a time, day at a time, hour at a time. Aging is a beautiful thing and there is no better time than now.

On Sunday, the 29th of June, I was blessed with a beautiful day to enjoy on my birthday. The sun was blazing, and we piled into the truck with our neighbors boat in tow, and headed out to nearby Mason Lake. We met with some of my roommate's friends, who had a nice little cabin right on the waterfront. We spent the day jetting around the lake; jumping off a rope swing and doing a little knee-boarding and tubing. The water was warm, but still cool enough to provide refreshment from the hot sun.


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As the day progressed, clouds began to move in. But they didn't hinder the natural beauty of the whole setting. Behind the tree line, the snow-covered peaks of the Olympic mountains jutted up towards the heavens, and were illuminated by rays of sunlight breaking through the cloud layer. It is times like this, that leave me in awe of the marvelous creations the the earth has to offer. it is certainly enough to humble anyone.

It was a good birthday.

Moving to Washington

Tiny ripples slowly pulsate across the surface of the water, setting the pace for the people's way of life here. The reflection of the tall evergreen trees is distorted by the slow-moving current. And under that, the clouds are reflected as blurry white blotches lazily floating across the light blue sky. As I sit on the back porch and gaze out across all this, I can't help but be at peace, and feel as one with the universe.

I am lucky enough to be able to experience this serene setting every single day. It clears the mind and is refreshing for the soul, to say the least. And the best part is knowing that I get to stay here for no cost at all! When an opportunity like that arises, I simply cannot ignore it. I think the two months or so that I am here, will be very productive for me. When I am not working and saving up money, I have an ideal setting for working on my own things; such as music, writing, reading, and yoga.

The night before I left, we threw a party at our house, because of my going-away and also because it was my roommate Selena's birthday. I could not have asked for anything more. Even though a couple friends could not make it, most of my close friends were there so that we could spend one last night filled with shenanigans and fun. The next day I spent packing, and we had to visit two of my favorite places in town before I left; Pizza My Heart and 99 Bottles. I just barely made my bus on time, so I didn't really get to say all the goodbyes and hug everyone like I wanted to, but no worries, I shall be back in about two months.

The bus ride up here was a long one. About twenty-two hours I believe, from Santa Cruz, CA to Longview, WA. About three hours into the trip, we made a transfer in Sacramento, CA. I stepped off the bus, walked about fifteen feet, and was subjected to a search by a seven-foot tall security guard. He said that he "smelled pot on me", and asked if I had been smoking earlier. I had smoked earlier in the day, but there was no way in hell he could have smelled it on me at that time. I am guessing they just thought I looked like I might have something on me, and were hoping I did. They took me into a back room, with me rolling my eyes and shaking my head in disbelief. They talked as if they already knew that I was hiding something, saying things like "where is it?" I just responded, "where is what? I already told you I don't have anything on me." Unfortunately, I did have a glass pipe packed in my bags somewhere. They found it and questioned me about it. "It's not illegal to have a pipe," I said. "It's illegal if it's on federal property," the seven-foot tall black man said. Then he muttered that he was keeping it. I really didn't care as long as they quite harassing me and let me go. They kept asking me stupid questions, and I just kept giving them attitude. They eventually let me go, and I sat down to wait for the bus, feeling somewhat violated.

I slept uncomfortably for most of the trip, but was pleasantly surprised by the sight of a snow-covered Mt. Reiner jutting up from the horizon early in the morning. We arrived in Longview around 3:30pm that day, and Tyler met me to pick me up from the bus stop. We got to the house and I was happy to find that the closest town in in walking distance, and the next closest town is about four miles down the road. The property that the house sits on is big and spacious, has a very big yard with lush, green grass, and resides right on the edge of the Puget Sound. We are two hours from the Pacific coast, but it is still salt water. The tides go down extremely far, and you can go out and harvest oysters when the water is low enough.


My second day here, I was told that I could go to work the next day with Tyler and his dad. They run a construction company, and were generous enough to let me work with them. For the past four days, we have been painting a remodeled house they have been working on. I don't think they will have consistent work for me right now though, so I will probably need to find another job in the near future. As of now, I am enjoying the new landscape and getting accustomed to the area. Next on the itinerary: a visit back home, then on to Burning Man!

RoadTraveledLess.com

I now feel as if my blog is official....the new address for the blog is RoadTraveledLess.com! Less letters and easier to remember. Keep an eye out in the future, as this blog will serve as my outlet for writing about my adventures as I travel around.

Some other places to find me on the web:

My photo collection on Flickr

My CouchSurfing profile

MySpace

Traveling footwear...

So I am trying to decide on what kind of shoes I am going to bring with me for traveling. I was really hoping that I would only need two pairs total, but now I am thinking I will most definitely need three. Without a doubt, I will need a pair of boots for hiking and work. And a pair of sandals without question...I will be in Latin America, surrounded by two oceans for God's sake. But I think I will also need a pair of normal shoes for going out to clubs/bars, or doing sports, or things around town. I don't want to be trodding around in huge boots all the time, and there are some occasions where sandals just do not cut it.

I have always been attracted to a wide variety of activities, and my gear needs to accommodate for that. So along with hiking boots, I will probably end up getting a pair of shoes, but something that is light and doesn't take up much room. Does anybody have any advice or tips concerning this?

Skating my way through life

It's about 10am and my phone rings. I pick it up and my buddy is on the other end. "Dude, we are going to drop LSD and go longboarding. Come over." "For real?", I ask. "Alright, let me grab some breakfast and I'll be right over." I throw some bacon on the stove and eat a banana while I'm waiting because it's all I have to eat. Then I grab my skateboard and head out the door.

This is how I live my life. Always living in the present moment and taking things as they come. I always feel like I am sort of stumbling through life, but it has worked out for me thus far.

Little did we know, that day was to be one of the hottest days of the year so far. But let me tell you, there are few things more liberating than flying down a hill at 30MPH with nothing but a plank of wood under your feet and the hot asphalt rushing by, and experiencing a feeling of oneness with the world around you. It has been about a year since I last did acid, or any other psychedelic drug for that matter. And it was exactly what I needed. During that hot, sun and acid-drenched day, I once again was able to get in touch with my true nature. There is something about psychedelics and adrenaline that mix very well.

Now it is often very difficult to convey ideas that emerge during a trip to other people. Sometimes those ideas or realizations will stay with you after the trip, and sometimes they fade away along with the dose. I had a couple self-realizations that stuck with me after this trip. I realized that my dreadlocks are not just hair, but a symbol of my resistance towards society, or Babylon. And likewise, a symbol signifying the acceptance of my alternative lifestyle.

During my trip, I was also able to sort of step back and look at my life as if viewed from a different perspective. It was almost as if I was seeing my life as a story. I was the main character and this was yet another chapter in the book. Because that's all that life really is, right? It's one big story, and it's up to you to write the story. I ask you this....when the story is over, is it a story that you or other people would be interested in reading?

Time Well Spent

There I lay, wide awake in bed at about 2 o'clock in the morning. I tried to drown out the thoughts that kept bubbling up to the surface in my head so that I could get some rest, but my brain would not let me. Memories of the last nine or so months and future ambitions were swirling around in my head.

As well as getting all my belongings prepared for the move North, I am also getting prepared mentally. It is astounding to think I only have a few weeks left in Santa Cruz. I have grown a fond connection to this place, and I have done a lot of self-reflecting and self-improvement whilst here. But I have been starting to feel myself trapped in a routine once again. It seems as though six months is maybe the longest I can stay in a place. Six months seems a good amount of time to spend in one place....long enough to get acquainted with the area and make some friends, and yet not long enough to become too attached.

So it is set. I will migrate North to Washington in mid-June. I've had some amazing times here and I have met some awesome people and I will miss it greatly, but I have a feeling I will be back someday...

To go or no to go....

The question that has been occupying my mind recently, is whether I should move up to Washington state or stay in Santa Cruz for the summer. I would really love to stay in Santa Cruz for the summer, but my gut instinct is telling me that I should go North. If I stayed here, I would have to find a job and I would continue paying rent, all the while trying to save up for my travels. If I moved up there, I would have a free room, and a very good chance of having work already lined up for me. It just seems like I would be an idiot to not take this opportunity.

I will be able to pay this month's rent, but after that, I would have to find alternative sources of income. I am waiting on my $600 tax rebate check, which should be arriving sometime this month or early June. I am first going to use $200-300 of the check to purchase a ticket to Burning Man. The rest I will just save. My one college class finishes up around the first week of June, so I have until then to decide what I am going to do. But as of now, it looks like the winds are pushing me North...