I got up to pee at 5pm and then I went back to bed for
another hour. I ate leftover beans with
chips and heated up potato for breakfast.
I rested on a rock this morning.
It was warm enough to do so. I
put a blanket over my legs and it felt great to do so.
Then I cooked amaranth and quinoa with carrots and
zucchini.
Here is my camping method:
Soak it for 48 hours cuts down the cook time by 25
minutes
Fill pan halfway with presoaked, drained grains
Fill water up 2/3 of the pan with the grains in it
Cook until the white become translucent
Cover, shut off stove
Leave pot covered for the next hour in the trunk and the
gain will fluff, soften, triple the size in it’s own steam.
I tried to pedal the gas and brake with my left foot today checking to see if I can make it work safely on the road behind the wheels. I was not fully confident or convinced in practice. My right foot is not ready for any kind of driving or walking. Well, I decided I would just be as careful as I can in brake pedal with the use of left leg and give it a try and hoped for the best.
I went to Lookout Vista Point in the North Rim and that
wasn’t the highlight of the day. I met a
man from Seattle who originally was from Boston. He had a telescope pointing at an osprey bird
sitting on top of her nest on a rock point.
It was wonderful to see. It was
nice of him to share the joy and wonder of nature with the public. He took delight in seeing people experience
the delight too. He then told me of a
sight for Olympic National Park on status updates on the park etc.. He said my
two weeks here will be great. He leaves
today.
I then went to Norris Geyser Basin after a few bites of quinoa with
nori powder and nutritional yeast. I
felt like I was starving. It was a good
thing I made a pot of it. I saw geysers
at Norris and enjoyed the landscape, particularly the first loop by the visitor center. I saw a buffalo poop.
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I saw more fire devastated area of burnt trees with new
growth. It was beautiful, what an amazing
contrast. The dead trees and the
apparent destruction of the fire in the 80’s made way for beautiful healthy new
growth. I find it inspiring like a
phoenix, this land will breathe new life from ashes.
I did more geyser pullouts. I like looking at blooming wild flowers all
over Yellowstone.
At Madison I went to Jr Ranger Station and behind it was
an even more beautiful landscape set against an amazing mountain backdrop. That was enough actually. I didn’t have to go any further than that. I was tired form the pain on the right side of
my body. I found myself fading
fast.
At 2:30pm today the car felt and smelled like death and
dying choking me. I had to open the door
and hope whatever it was would vanish into the air and return to where it came
from or be transformed for some new wonderful useful life in the future.
I pulled out cinnamon bread and chocolate spread. Yum! This changed everything. I felt better. I felt full and I was still hungry too, what a very strange sensation. So I decided to drive straight back to Canyon and I stopped at the Canyon Village looking for a salad bar. It does not exist. I decided to drive back to camp and cook dal with the rest of the quinoa and expanded that pot of quinoa into another pot of food. It rained while I cooked and I had to eat inside my car to stay dry. I don’t like to eat in my tent, I don’t want animals to come and sniff my tent.
I made a cup of hot coco in celebration of the rain. Hot chocolate and rain is a wonderful dance of aroma. What would have been even better is fire wood burning mixing with the smell of the wet forest. Nope, I was not going to try to attempt to light the fire pit with fire wood in the rain. It’s got total epic fail written all over it.
It was 7:30pm when Kim my new neighbor rolled in on her
truck. I thought she was a he at
first. It felt right to pass the box of
wood along to her, the very warm sincere gift from the Italian family. I can tell she needed it even though she
brought her own wood. I felt internally
she needed the gift of the wood, what it represented, the warmth, the care, the healthy affinities, all in a simple box of fire wood. She needed someone to care for her unconditionally. It is where she was hurting. It is the reason for her trip here. She had eyed my box of wood ever since she arrived. I offered her the tarp too. She lives three and half hours east of
here. There is snow in all of
Wyoming. She said she loves to watch Old
Geyser go off and just came from there.
She is here for one night to build a fire and to cook and camp. She is to go home tomorrow. She is alone and does not mind the rain or
snow. She recommend that I come back to
this park and in the winter to stay at Mammath and go places on a snow mobile
down to Old Geyser. That it is quiet in
the winter and everything is covered in white.
She also recommend I do Bear Tooth Pass when it opens because the view
is spectacular.
Kim invited me for fire tonight and I decline. I crawled into my
tent. I felt she came to be alone, to
work some things through in nature. Through this form, she have relied on to deliver healings and insights over
and over again. I felt she had tears to
burn dry in her fire pit. She could use
support and companionship, but right now she needs solitude and quiet
silence and be safe to unleash her vulnerability. I wished her clarity, kindness to
herself, and wisdom through it all.
I had to call it a night at 8pm and it was my turn for
silence and solitude.
