Day 49 National Park 2011
I woke up at 4am and packed up camp. I headed out for Battle Rock for
sunrise. I decided I would go straight
to Bandon after and not return to Humbug that I needed to be at Bandon's Bullards beach campground no later than 9am. I stopped
by the restroom and made tea for sunrise.
I parked at the parking lot and saw fog blanket everything. It was beautiful, and not what I thought for
a colorful red sunrise. I sat and just
drank tea and looked out the horizon.
I contemplated about karma, how it is still the same
regardless who notices, who approves or disapproves, who recognizes or
not. It can’t be taken away because of
this person’s story or spin on things.
None of it matters.
Then I felt a depression, a weight on my chest and my
mind drifted into dreams of drama, my mind wanders out of fear and reacts in
the form of control. This is movement of
darkness within the mind. The weight
lifted when I realized this thing encourages harm and fear, not fearlessness,
safe stability and peace. So I stopped
and the weight lifted from my chest.
I stopped at the grocery store to get rosemary La Brae
bread and I didn’t really like it. I
rolled into the campground at 9:14am.
Bob at the kiosk highlighted six sites on the map for me to choose
from. I asked for his recommendation so
I didn’t have to do the run around. He
said out of these choices he liked B41 because there are neighbors to the left
and right of the campsite. He insisted I
check it out and verify it before committing because people haven’t checked out
from site B41 and I can’t register yet.
I drove to look at it and confirmed it.
It’s all tight sites here and packed in like parking lot spots. People brought their giant RV and are holding
their extended family reunions in these sites hanging Christmas lights and Dish
TV etc.. I sat until 11am when I was
able to finally set up the tent. It was
good I got to the kiosk early because the line got popular and long after
me.
I also visited yurts, I saw each yurt had three beds with heat and no cooking is allowed inside, it’s just $36 a night, what a steal. The volunteer grounds crew said they reserve the yurt 50 people conference room once a month for volunteers potluck. What a good idea. This is a popular campground and there is a lot of staff keeping the place tidy and fast.
While I sat in my car waiting for my site to vacate, I
saw a big plump dog walk by. In my mind
I wondered if it was a dog or a pet mini pig.
I thought, “fat” and then felt the hit in my stomach. The dog heard that and snapped back, threw
crap in my third chakra. All of it was
true, I wasn’t mocking it.
I set up my tent and hammock. I moved the picnic table to a nice spot. I am so excited about the hook up box. I plugged my long extension chord in and
heated the water and charged everything.
I used the induction stove all day.
I cooked napa cabbage in hot and sour sauce then the mung bean noodles
in sate sauce.
I saw a tiny little green frog the size of toe nail on a
neighbor’s hook up box. It was
beautiful. When I drove around the loop,
I saw lots of little children on their bikes circling around the loop. I watched how the older child upon seeing a
car will stop, drop his bike and move to roll the little one out of the road in
quick urgency. I find it amazing and
beautiful to see.
I was so tired I took a nap from 2pm-5:45pm. It was a great nap
My next door neighbor is from El Dorado County, a German
man named Harold and his Korean Kauian wife Kim and their two dogs. Kim gave me seaweed from Oregon beach. I sat in their campfire and we chatted all
over , Harold and I. Seriously, I can
like be silent for months and then I can just jump from that and chat
nonstop. I gave them a box of beautiful
delicious Belgium chocolate but I found out Kim was allergic so I gave then
cherries instead and Kim said she was hopping for cherries to begin with. Harold told me about berries to pick in the
area.
Oregon for the past few days was a good public, crowd,
community, assimilation. I am okay, I am
not feeling too overwhelmed. I do
appreciate 10pm quiet hours. It is too
much all day long, human noise, human activities and all the chatter and
interaction. I was stuffed at 10pm and
so I decide to write postcards, all nine of them to send and I charged my
batteries. It was after midnight when I
was done. I went for my shower. It felt cool for the cold evening ocean
temperature. I had goose bumps and
shivered as I showered. The sensory
light went off part way and I tried not be scared during the shower and I
was. I just jumped out of the shower and
turn my headlight on. The sensory light
kicked back in. I hope to not get sick
over this. Shower is included in the
camping fee too.
At 1am, April, John and Dad and the rest of the family
were still talking. It’s good that they
have good relationships like that to bond over family. Sharon, the sister complained yesterday of
the quiet hour volunteer patrol who came by to remind them it was quiet hour. She connected to when she was six years old
and in Yosemite, she happily set up a squirrel trap on the trail and a ranger
on his horse told her it was illegal.
That shock crushed her and she still has issues of park authorities
today. I can’t believe in her 50’s, that
she is still carrying that and said she still has issues with authority over
it.
Then I wondered what issues do I still carry? How am I like Sharon this way?