Sol Duc Hot Spring

Day 37 National Park 2011

I began my day at 5am to pack out, I finish an hour later.  The misty clouds over the river and the mountain were still lingering and the sun was breaking through the rain clouds, coloring it beautifully.

I drove by Lake Crescent where the misty clouds hovered over the lake and day break was rising over the mountains, a very cool sight.  Lots of deer sightings all along the drive. 

I pulled into Sol Duc Campground Loop B around 7:15am.  I found site #65 across from the restroom.  The first thing I did was go and use the flush toilet.  My tent was very wet from yesterday’s rain.  I hoped it will dry a bit today.  The sun came through at 9am.  There are a lot of black slugs on this campsite.  Loop A is under remodeling and has vault toilet.  It is a loop for RV. 

My lungs feel really relaxed here, soft, full, and expansive.  I could just sit at this campsite and not go anywhere.  It’s pretty, everywhere is pretty and it is similar rain forest terrain at each site.  There is a creek here but that river bank I was on in Altair Campground is pretty hard to beat. 

I made split pea soup for breakfast and ate 3 rice crackers.  The sun peaked out for half an hour and then snuck away for the rest of the day. 

I met Susan from Vermont and Linda.  These two women met 20 years ago in England and kept in touch as friends ever since.  The last time they saw each other was 10 years ago.  They are both occupational therapists and taught in Waldorf Schools as teachers.  Susan just retired and is traveling in her car all over the country including Canada, covering all the national parks.  Linda is still working because she lost a lot of her money in stocks.  She signed up for Spirit Rock ten day Vipassana Retreat in August.  Susan really wanted me to go on the waterfall trail with them.  She felt the three of us are cut of the same cloth.  We just kept on chatting on chatting for two hours standing off the road.  It turns out they only stayed one night last night and had plans to meet other people in other places today.  I pulled out chocolate truffles and shared with them.  It was a lovely crossing of paths today.  Perhaps we were friends from past lives. 

I declined to join them because I have yet to meditate and do my morning ceremony.  I then went to pay for my site#65 for $14 a night.  Then I sat and marveled this thick mossy forest.  It’s like Kentucky Falls with flush toilet, potable water, electrical outlet and hot springs to soak in.  It is very quiet here.  All I want to do is meditate.

My neighbors are Sawyer and Jeb from Georgia.  They are on nine national park trek all along the west of Rocky Mountains.  They brought measuring tapes to make sure the site is big enough for their tent, super precise people, perfect in execution of things. 

Half of my tent is wet, it just won’t dry here.  It’s a good thing I have padding to separate me from the moisture.  Total downpour at 3pm, I put up an extra layer of tarp for coverage.  It’s not a rain forest without the rain.  I ended up putting all my things on top of my pad to keep the flooding level to a minimum. 

This weather is perfect for soaking in the hot springs.  I walked straight into the pool area and there was no attendant at the window.  It is easy to walk in and not pay.  However karmic side of things, it is bad.  So I went into the Lodge store and packed up a postcard along with chips.  As I went to pay, Shelby was at the cash register.  I smiled and greeted her.  I told her I was happy to be here and inquired about the hours for the hot spring, 9am-9pm.  She asked me if I was alone.  She said she is allowed to give one free admission a day and I took her up on it.  It’s a part of the lodge thing and so I got a towel too.  I was happily surprised and she was happy to give me this gift.  I offered chocolate to her and she declined.  I handed her a box of Belgium chocolate anyways and she was delighted.  I wanted to match her joy of giving, kindness, and surprise.  That was fun!  Getting it done karmic right is so much more fun.  What a beautiful way to live life.

The world greets me and rises up to wherever I am.  Sometimes I don’t realize how I am beaming high until I see it reflected, matched by others.  Many times I don’t see the down in the gutter internal state I am in and refused to acknowledge it when the world meets me down low in the hells mirroring it for me to see.         

Tom the window staff at the hot spring pools is a honest gentle folk who wouldn’t judge or be looking out for dishonest sliders on the admission.  There just is something very stable about that and him, so he stands like the mountain, strong, stable, unmoving, nurturing, and majestic.

I went for the 103 degree pool and met Gaylain and Kathleen from Maysville who took the ferry from Townsend.   I asked two boys from Kent Alex and Eddie if they could fart with their armpit in water.  They had youthful fun spirit.  Then a middle aged serious not so healthy looking man sat between us and ended it all.  The water is well maintained here and drained throughout the day and refilled.  I love this part, keeping it all clean. 

I met Marie and Judy, both in their retirement age.  Both are in their 60’s but look in their 70’s.  Marie was a disgruntle person who really doesn’t like crowds get seems to need a lot of attention and demands it.  Judy was flaunting her baggy wrinkly body at me like she was posing for a bikini magazine.  I find them strange, scary, and felt drained by them.  I did not feel safe around them.  I don’t want to continue my stay here at this campground  or in these pools in the future because I don’t want to come across them. 

I felt the sore spots along my lower back around my spine.  I saw they were round golf ball size in burnt blood red, black, and purple colors.  I just wanted to take a vacuum and suck those pockets of balls out of there so my life can resume in full force.   I soaked for four hours. 

The showers composed of group shower heads.  It had a sensory touch that keeps the water on and off.  This day feels like

I learned the Neah Tribe is under lots of drug issues.  I am glad I opted to skip that area.  In one day I came across a lot of single retired women, all of whom found themselves in such position unwillingly.  The ones who knew how to feed themselves and make themselves comfortable in the basics of sleep and food are making healthy adjustments.  The troubled ones, are miserable, and a bit strange and scary.  They are the ones with really bad attitudes too.  I don’t feel safe around such people. 

The rain continued all afternoon and the rest of the night.  The fog rolled in and hovered over the mountain and wrapped around the trees, just smoky lovely.  I had a great time.  At 10pm the blanket of overcast below the moon light kept the camp well lit. 

I Was the Happiest Person He'd Ever Seen

Day 3 National Parks 2011

Heard cars pull off in the parking lot and the mechanics shop open for business.  I didn’t want to get up and roll off.  I really want to sleep some more but it was sunny and the city was awake and bustling.  I finally got up at 8:30am and went to Subway to use their restroom.  It had not been cleaned up from the day before or restocked.  I had to use brown paper towel instead of TP.  I found a moth on my return to the car.  Of which I tried to liberate but it didn’t want to leave and wanted a ride to Rocky Mountain National Park.  

Colorado has a completely different terrain.  Everything is green and there are river running through everywhere, just pretty. 

I got to Glenwood Springs at 10:30am.  It was a 30 mile drive.  I went to visitor center and Joseph the staff helped me on the Map Quest to route out Rocky Mountain National Park and made reservations for Moraine Campground for me.  Sunday was the first availability and today is Wednesday.  It was all full.  Joseph was really nice and helpful. 

Went to the hot spring and soaked.  I felt toxins come out of my left toe and arm.  My head cleared.  I soaked from 11am to 12:40pm.  It was hot.  It felt really good to have those toxins come out, they were painful sitting in my body.  

I asked whether it’s the owners who commissioned the healings or is it the spirit of the hot springs that seek out human guardians to oversee the healings within the water.  It’s the later one, that was the answer I got.  I parked under the bridge to stay cool and to keep the chocolate cool.  The Spa Resort staff who spoke with an accent was nice to help me pick out a parking spot. 

I drove to City Market to buy fresh produce.  I picked out zucchini, red bell pepper, tomato, corn, key lime, and avocado.  Then I picked up a small bowl of spinach salad with alfalfa sprouts, marinated artichoke, grapes, blue cheese, olives, poppy seed dressing at the bar for $2.29.  I loved this salad.   

Then I went to get gas at a gas station.  At the pump a man showed up to do my windshield, I just love this service.  We don’t have this in California.  I asked the man about the way to Granby Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park.  I thought it would be best to check with a local since my Map Quest directions experience really haven’t panned out well so far.  He asked me which way I want to go.  I said i40 with i70E.  He commented on how I looked worried.  So he went and got a map from the shop and pointed to me how that would be the best for me to take i131 and skip the ski resort mountain passes.  Yes it showed up on the map and we both agreed how it would be difficult driving for me in this car.  I was grateful for the advice.  I asked for a change of ones in a $20. 

I did get onto i131 and somehow I missed my connection after that.  I ended up turning too early and got onto double parallel black lines on the map, which means the road is unmaintained and may be gravel road.  I ended up going on a scenic drive to the countryside of Colorado.  It was what I had imaged Colorado would be, vast mountain meadows and valleys,with river and rolling hills.  There were people who lived here and it was sparse, with lots of land and sky.  It was an a amazing tour.  I was worried about driving on the bumpy gravel road.  I drove slow and it had to be slow because I was looking more at the scenery than the road.  What a beautiful drive!  Some missed turns are a blessing.  This was just amazing.  I am glad I took the turn that seemed wrong, a mistake and it was the right one, the one I needed to be on. 

I passed through Lake Granby and the National Forest Parks and Grand Lake.  I was not interested in the National Forest Land, it was not what I had imagined for me as a place to be.  I was also unimpressed by the Hot Sulphur Springs area.  It is an old town, abandoned looking, strange and ghostly.  I stopped at Lake Granby for gas because there was no gas station beyond the i131 and i70 connection.  I feared Rocky Mountain National Park would not have a gas station either.  

A park service truck parked in front of me at the gas station.  I so needed to pee so I went to pee first and saw that I am to talk to them and telepath them to wait for me.  I ran out and chatted with the female service worker who upon seeing me smiled brightly.  We chatted and she told me the Rocky Mountain National Park is just around the corner and that I am to get info from the ranger station.  We then parted in joy. 

I was amazed I was there so close to the park already.  It was just a little after 5pm when I made it to the visitor center.  I stopped at the visitor center but it was closed.  I stood outside looking at the bulletin for information.  A man, a ranger who had clocked out for the day, took the time to walk back from where ever far he had walked to come and ask me if he could help me.  That was so nice of him.  He inquired with concern and care.  Suggested I go forward to the park gate and get info there on getting a map and campground etc. .  He didn’t have to walk all the way back for me but he did.  Now that is professional work ethic and someone with who lives with an awaken heart.    

I pulled up to the West Gate entrance, handed my National Park pass and inquired about campsites etc… The ranger was shocked to see how much energy and joy I had.  He said I was the happiest person he’s ever seen cross these gates.  I told him that I had been driving since Monday 7am. 

And it was in this moment, it was all clear, that nothing is wrong with me.  Nothing precious was broken or dead, destroyed within me.  My light was whole and shining brightly.  I am simply in toxic environments that I find suffocating and not nurturing.  The happy excitement,full of sunshine within, has not disappeared, has not abandoned me.  I have come alive, awaken again.  I have missed me.  I am so glad to discover me again.  It's good to have me back!

I proceeded and checked out the left side of the road and moose was everywhere feeding over the marshy Timber Creek area, all the way into Beaver Pond.  I stopped to see some with antler growing for the season.  I knew I needed to make it to the east side  of the park before sundown, for driving safety issues.  So I told myself I will come back and camp at Timber Creek campground on my way back out.  Colorado is as east as I will go on this trip.  The site looked beautiful, set against the marshy creek and mountains for the backdrop.  It’s just so beautiful to me.  Hardly anyone at the Timber Creek campground, not full at all. 

This road was cleared two days before my arrival. 

I drove past the continental divide and up 12,000 feet in elevation on Trail Ridge Road.  The drive was just beautiful the entire way, snow at the top and lots of it.  Snow dressed the mountain tops and made it very beautiful.  The clouds made an amazing touch.  It was super cold in that elevation, icy cold.  At the top, the wind and the curves made it a difficult driving experience.  The snow on the walls were over 20 feet.  Melting snow underneath ran like foods on the road, making it a very wet road and I found it scary to drive on it.  It was all just very beautiful.  I am beauty sensory happy.        

I used lower gear on the curves.  I also saw elk along the road tonight on the highway into Moraine Campground.  Feels good to be out here, these mountains are so beautiful and I saw these peaks from the Sierra Pass.  I didn’t know it then, back on Monday when I pointed to it and said I am going there.  What said that?  Who knew that?  Who didn’t know that?  Interesting!

I pulled into Moraine Campground at 7pm.  Ranger Mychala was there and I was so happy and she said she found my joy entertaining, that I had so much energy and happiness.  I said I think I was born with it.  I told her I was a Sagittarian.  She said she was a libra.  She gave me the option of driving around to pick  my own site.  I asked her to pick one out for me.  She wanted to know if I wanted one with a view.  She picked #101 and gave me the low down on the wait list process for the next few days.

The wait list show up at 7am and I am to sign up by the office door.  That 6am is not too early to wait for the wait list at the office door.  There are bears and that I am too keep all my things in my car trunk and to cover everything so that bears can’t tell whether it’s a cooler or a backpack. 

I found my site and rushed to pitch my tent.  I actually forgot how to put my tent up.  Either that or I was disoriented or both.  I raced against daylight.  The clouds moved in and there was a thunder show for the entire night.  In fact, I ate my dinner in the sprinkling rain watching the thunder lightening show in the sky. 




I had split pea soup.  I heated it up with the induction stove in the restroom.  I lit my picnic table with tea candle in a pink Ikea lantern.  I also had Bao Chong tea with a scoop of chocolate spread.  It was already 10pm when I finished my soup.  I washed and called it a night.  

The coyotes howled all night, if only the pack of coyotes harmonized with the thunder, rain and wind, then it would have been a great and beautiful symphony.  I guess they didn't get the memo.       

I liked this site.  It had clean chi and was clear chi.  I contemplated putting up a tarp for the rain etc…  I didn’t want to work under such conditions and in the dark.  I just prayed my rainfly worked in this nonstop downpour.  I feel so good about being here.  I am so glad I am here.  I am grateful I made it.  So it begins like this.  The wind and rain was so strong I had to put on ear plugs to sleep.  The sound of each drop of rain was strong and crystal clear, plus the wind, thunder, and coyotes.

      

Glenwood Springs via i11 and i1 was 125 miles

Lake Grand to park gate was 7 miles.