Winter in the desert
I really was not prepared for winter in the desert. I went from lush green effervescent life everywhere in the North West to the desert with little life & nothing resembling lush.
It was a challenging adjustment. I moved around a bit. It was tough to find things to do when the weather was not too chilly or windy. So windy. I spent a lot of time indoors whereas last year I wintered in FL. A.K.A. Free America. Obviously, there are lots of things to do there. To be honest it set me into kind of a funk. I never get depressed but it was similar without the sadness. Just like my energy levels tanked. I had hung out with some friends that had been vaccinated & I wondered if I was not experiencing shedding from them. Either way I started to detox hard again & I did start to feel better within a few days. So who knows? I focused on maintaining the up energy & things also improved. I guess this winter has felt more like I am just passing time rather than really living & that bothers me a little.
I prefer to camp on or near water when I can & that is a challenge in the desert but I did find this sweet spot on the Colorado River on the AZ. side of the river with Cali being on the other side. I must say the air taste better on this side. Taste more like freedom. ;)
I was able to catch some nice fish & give the kayak a good workout as well.
The desert in winter lacks life, and You don't see many birds or animals unless you are near water. After a while, you start to miss the sound of birds.
There is the section of reeds that is home to a variety of birds & waterfowl singing a broken concerto of nature's song. I found it very soothing & connecting with nature. Something I really needed. I would sit in my chair watching the river flow by & considering the connection all life has. I love feeling a part of this grand concert. As it turns out birds, as well as cricket songs, have an effect on humans even on a gentic level. We were never meant to cut ourselves off from nature & we have all paid the price for this transgression in one form or another.
My Buddy Mac came for a visit. It takes some adjustment to go from not interacting with another human to being in a small space but we managed with few murder attempts.
I did have some frequent visitors from time to time, usually in the middle of the night. These guys must not have liked me in their spot because they would make such a fuss at 3 am right outside my window. AZ has many wild burros & camels, although I have not seen any of those yet.
Well, Spring is about to well um... spring & I can hardly wait. I'm making a quick trip back to CO to see my daughter's latest theater event. I'm super excited to see my little bestie. A 1060 mile drive in my Smart car each way & is worth every mile.
Happy trails fellow Lost boys & girls.
Second star to the right & straight on till morning.
I will leave with a little bit of beauty from a quick timelapse at sunset.
Drake Ryder
Astoria is a fabulous little city. Wonderful seafood everywhere. I searched in vain for a place that had these incredible crab-stuffed mushrooms 4 or 5 years ago. I have dreamt of those shrooms. Tried to replicate them in vain. Whether they went out of business from COVID as so many have or I just could not remember where it was, I'm not sure. So I settled for some fish & chips at this landmark shack made from an old fishing troller.
Now you could spend a few days here easily & I have in the past. The old downtown section is worth the trip alone. I plan on putting together a video just for Astoria soon. So onward down the coast. I spent a few weeks in Seaside. An adorable little town with great beach access & a nice big free area to park Daisy. Only a block fromt the beach.
As I moved farther south I found this sweet spot to camp for free.
I headed on south to end out my waning days of fall in Gold Beach. There is this place I have camped for years. Just feet from the beautiful Rogue River. But first I have to stop at my favorite seafood shack Griffs on the dock.
I headed on south to end out my waning days of fall in Gold Beach. There is this place I have camped for years—just feet from the beautiful Rogue River. But first I have to stop at my favorite seafood shack Griffs on the dock.
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I spent a few weeks here before the days became too short, windy & chilled.
I would bid farewell to one of my favorite spots on the planet with a bit of sadness while looking forward to the next time when spring will have sprung & I will return like the migrating soul I am.
Thank you for joining me.
Drake Ryder