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| Every climber wishes to be in such a photo (my buddy at Mt. Lemmon) |
It has been over half of a year since the last one of these, and it is only a case of serious island fever that has driven me back into the loving arms of my blog. It isn't that yours truly hasnt been getting after it. In fact I have been having so much ferkin' fun that it has been hard to find enough down time to stop and slop one of these together. Apologies in advance though. After having let so much time pass, I feel only half invested in retelling some of these tales. There have just been so many noteworthy stories that have taken place it seems overwhelming to try and explain. That being said, there is a lot of ground to cover so let's do this thing.
Behold! The many creatures of Guam!
It was in the tropical warmth of Guam that I was cradled for most of January. Having spent enough time there, I will regale you with some interesting history rather than rub it in your faces that while you were hunkered down for your winter hibernation, I was on the beach drinking pina coladas and.... oops... getting sidetracked.
Below is a picture of two lover's point. Many moons ago there was a powerful and well respected family on Guam. They had a beautiful daughter, who through an arranged marriage, was to become the wife of a Spanish captain. Distraught by the idea, she wandered the island. One day she ran into a young man that she had never seen before and the two fell instantly in love. This news reached her father and enraged him. He decided that she would marry the Spaniard at once. The girl and her love ran to the highest point on the island as they were being pursued. In an act of love, they tied their hair together and threw themselves from the cliff. If they could not be together in this life, they would be together in the next.
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| Two lovers point |
Now I imagine that a lot of you who have read my blogs for a while wonder if I ever actually work, and while I wonder the same thing sometimes, indeed I do. We were working over 60 hours a week on Guam, and my task was simple and repetitive. Such a work load will start to drive one a little mad, and oh, the many places the mind will wander. One such place my mind wandered was about my old beloved van. For those who don't know, I had been living (for the most part) in and out of my van for almost 7 years. Anyone else who has ever grown so intimate with a vehicle will know that it becomes much more than just a vehicle. Meet Apollo...
I loved Apollo. He was a champion. He was my Rocinante (some of you may have to google that reference). However, there comes a time in a man's life when he doesn't want to just hang out in the front seat in a Wal-Mart parking lot, or lay down in the back (and yes, due to the amount of stuff within, laying was the only option). I guess they call that getting older. As interests grow, so too do the amount of possessions you own. It is inevitable. It was time for an upgrade. Enter... The Mothership!
Have you ever had those moments in life where the stars align and an obvious choice is laid out before you? It seems more omen than choice. This was one of those. I could not have imagined a more perfect path to take given my hopes and desires. What was once (as near as I can tell) a plumbing workshop...
Became a home...
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| (Beautiful girl and dog sold separately) |
It was a long process to transform The Mothership from what it was into what it is, and the work is still far from over. But my god... it is so nice to be able to stand up in your own home. I acquired my ship in Phoenix, spent a few weeks doing as much of the construction as I physically could, and then hit the road. If you cant tell in the picture, there is a kitchen counter complete with two burner propane stove, foot pump sink, solar power running lights and fans, and even a sweet little ammo-can wood burning stove for help fight back the cold on those crisp mountain nights. Not a whole lot has changed in terms of my lifestyle from before. Free time is still spent chasing the good weather and mountains in between jobs, and work... is work.
So after having left Phoenix, our little pack of three took as many scenic roads as possible to countless climbing and mountain biking destinations, visiting friends along the way. I had some work in Germany and France in the midst of all of that but we played our way through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, making our way onwards to Minnesota.
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| Your favorite author on Tatoween, Zion |
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| The dirty buffalo leading us up Crack in the Cosmic Egg, Zion |
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| The Sun Dial, Wasatch Range, UT |
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| My sweetie enjoying the unique cobblestone of Maple Canyon |
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| Ellen on a sunset ride |
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| Watching comfortably as wideness battle ensues |
I wish that I could make my narrative a bit more chronological or detailed, but when life is this wild, it all starts to blur. And so here I sit on this tiny spit of land in the middle of the Atlantic, somewhere close to Africa. It has been a unique and rare opportunity to visit Ascension Island, but my heart longs for home and the adventures that await. The job is done, all the fish have been caught, I have officially swam in all of the 7 oceans, and there is nothing left to do here but wait for our flight out.
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| The cursed blackfish. Don't be fooled by their beauty |
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| Black jack at sunset on a fly rod |
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| Fresh caught lobster thanks to our Hawaiian aquaman |
I will do my best to not let another half year pass before composing another one of these. It can be hard to call forth the same level of enthusiasm for things so long gone. Upon returning to the good ol' US of A, its a quick turn around to northern MN for a trip to the Boundary Waters. And after that? Who knows. The Mothership will lead our charge back south as the days grow shorter. Be good. Have fun. And remember... don't do anything I wouldn't do!
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| Mont St Michel, Normandy, France |
