Seattle sneak-away!

I feel pretty lucky to have a husband who needs to travel professionally. This is the second time I have tagged along while he attended a conference. This year the annual SIGUCCS conference is in Seattle, Washington, a place high on our "someday" list.

 We departed on different airlines within 20 minutes of each other, and reunited in Seattle. (That is the trickiness of him purchasing airfare through work and me looking for the cheapest flight.)

I want to tell you that I flew Delta airlines, and it was such a wonderful experience. The seats were far more comfortable than those on Frontier. The head rest was adjustable, so I could make it work for my shortness instead of struggling the entire flight. Frontier no longer allows all seats to recline. Delta does. Being able to adjust the seat a few inches, make the head rest correct, and then using my Yoga Wrap meant that I was able to manage my comfort, and minimize pain during the flight.

Once we were reunited in Seattle (Dan was romantically waiting at my gate) we took the light rail from the airport to downtown. It is easy, cheap, and really was a spectacular way to be welcomed. The ride was lovely, and 30 minutes later we were finding our way through the streets of Seattle to Hotel Motif. We are on the 14th floor, facing the water. (I am writing this sitting in bed, leaning on my hotpad, watching the boats and ferries move across the water.)

At night, this is my view. Magical really!

Once we settled and I rested for a while, we walked down Pike Street hoping to find food. We found the Market of course, but were surprised that almost all of the restaurants were closed already! (6ish) We did find the Sound View Cafe, and wow the view!

We could watch the boats moving, the ferry loading and unloading, and see the tugboats moving the large barges stacked with multi-colored containers. However my eyes kept returning to this amazing rooftop garden across from us. I so wanted to see the inside of the apartment and know more about that magical place.

We returned to the Pike Street Market for breakfast, and to stroll a bit with the vendors all there. It was super crowded, and I look forward to returning on my own during the week. We chose a different restaurant that overlooked my magical balcony, and watched the water traffic even more. Trying to imagine it ever feeling ordinary to take a ferry as part of a daily commute lead to more dreaming of moving to the Pacific Northwest in the future. (However I have to document that Dan did mention moving to Spain in the same conversation. Moving internationally has long been a dream for me!)

After more wandering and then a rest back in our room, we met up with some of Dan's SIGUCCS friends for lunch at the waterfront. It was fun to put faces to some of the names in his life. We then split off and wandered near Pioneer Square, and found Dan a perfect cup of coffee at Slate Coffee. I had nitrous brewed Chai tea, and it was spectacular!

We could not resist the lure of taking an underground tour. It was really fascinating to see and hear the history of how Seattle was built, and walk through the crazy places left when they raised the level of the streets. (What was the first floor of a business then became the basement!)The above picture is one of the glass square skylights that remains in the sidewalks, allowing light to filter down to the  underground corridors along buildings. I felt like taking a later tour, with paranormal investigation equipment and guides, lights out, and slower, would have been the ideal way to explore, but 9pm start time didn't feel like a realistic option for me at the end of a busy day.

Dan went out to dinner with some of his tribe, and I thankfully retreated to our room, to recline and rest.

Today is the start of Dan's obligations with meetings, and the conference beginning tonight, so it is also the first day of my solo-while-not-entirely-solo adventures. I really feel like I could spend the day right here, reading, napping, watching the water...but I can't go all day eating bagels and peanut butter. So I am heading out in a few minutes, and will let you know what I discover!

The Journey to Totality

We had a fantastic time camping with a group of people that started as strangers and ended as friends.

We traveled to Glenrock, Wyoming, to experience the magic of seeing a total eclipse. I just want to say that it was absolutely worth it! The experience of being under totality is not something I can quite put into words, but I can share in video!

Camping, with my fibromyalgia, is a scary experience. When you don't know how you will feel from day to day, hour to hour, small comforts and logistics like being able to rest in the heat of the day  become far bigger issues than you could anticipate.

The things that I learned this trip were:

• The air mattress topped with egg crate cushion and a wool blanket really was good for sleeping! I took sheets to put on it, and topped it with a quilt. I knew I would sleep far better with sheets than with the sensation of the sleeping bag on my skin. However I was glad I stuck in a sleeping bag as a "just in case it is really chilly" topper, because we did end up putting it on top of us a couple nights.
• I need to remember a HAT for sleeping though, because my head was freezing.
• I must find a way to pee in the tent or nearby at night, because the temperature change from the warm covers to the cold night, followed by a lengthy walk to the outhouse was really miserable and painful. One night I put it off far too long, and realized I needed to squat by a bush near the tent. I lost my balance and rolled down a small hill with my pants down. I didn't hurt myself at all, but the struggle to control my hysterical giggles at 2am, in a campground with tents 10 feet from mine, was nearly impossible!
• There is no way to rest in a tent in the middle of the day. Unless you have shade, it will become a hot stuffy dome. 
• Packing a free standing hammock frame, and a lightweight hammock, was a lifesaver. I could move it to the shade and lay down in the heat of the day. It felt like a luxury to pack, but it is an essential from now on.
• Splurging on the most comfortable camp chair you can find is worth every single penny.

We had hoped to fit in one more camping trip this summer, but life got busy. However the camping gear is all set and ready to load up in the spring, and we look forward to camping frequently next summer!

Wedding camping in San Luis Valley.

I just returned from a lovely weekend celebrating the marriage of friends Caitlin and Tony.

We celebrated and camped at the Everson Ranch, which in part of the Orient Land Trust. Located in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, it was simply breathtaking! The very old ranch has become a sustainable farm with permaculture, goats(yes, babies too), chickens, even a sow and piglets roaming free. (Picture a black piglet running as fast as he could across an open field. I was so glad to see that with a friend so we could laugh together!) Almost all of the food and flowers came from the land, or were from local businesses in the valley.

The wedding was dreamy, the company for the weekend delightful, and I appreciated being a part of their tribe for the weekend of their celebration!

The camping part was really big thought. It was intended to be a test run for our upcoming eclipse camping trip. After years having not camped, because staying comfortable is so complicate when you are not entirely well, I was trying it again. Unfortunately Dan was unable to come, so I had a bit more stress on my own managing gear.

Thankfully a flock of tent angels descended upon me when I arrived after dark, and I did little more than hand out the parts and watch the tent be erected. I was so thankful, because I had a stomach bug the day before. I had not thought I was going to make the trip at all until late that afternoon when I was rehydrated enough to feel determined. I started the day less than strong, and really appreciated not being on my own entirely.

However as I started putting things into my tent I realized that I had forgotten the AIR MATTRESS! I tried not to panic. Sleeping and fibromyalgia are complex bedpartners so to speak, and I have to do everything I can to sleep well. I had an egg crate foam topper and wool blanket intended to top the air mattress, a sleeping bag, a quilt, 3 full size pillows and one small pillow. (Ok, I GLAMP, not camp.) I piled them up, rearranged a few times to fit my contours, and somehow created a bed that worked for the night without tragic repercussions! That felt like a complete miracle. Thankfully we had to run into town the following day when the bride and groom were getting their hair done and I picked up a cheap twin mattress for the following night.

Caitlyn and Tony on their beautiful wedding day.

Wedding and celebration were all afternoon and evening, split up into different segments, and were fantastic! I really wanted to continue the celebration and move to a campsite up the hill at the Pleasant Valley Hot Springs like much of the wedding party were, but there were no spots I could stay. I was offered a day pass, and I had to seriously talk that decision through with Dan.

I know that soaking in the hot springs, in particular after being sick, and 2 days of camping, is nothing but wonderful for my fibromyalgia. (I respond really well to water therapy and hot soaks after it). However I also knew that even an hour soaking would really wipe me out, and I was very aware that I had a 3-4 hour drive ahead of me still that day. I was sad to recognize that the best way to take care of  my health was to skip that blissful day in the hot springs and hope I could get back soon to experience it all. 

Not ready to call my adventure quite over, I decided to head down the road a bit and check out the totally kitschy UFO Watchtower. The San Louis Valley has a long history of unexplained events, lights in the sky, and even stories of skinwalkers and shape shifting beings. I just couldn't pass up a chance to pop by!

Jason, abductee.

I ran into Jason, a man from Maine who believes has has been abducted multiple times, including once while camping in the back of his Subaru Outback. I got a picture of him, but not a picture of his car. It was fun to listen to his story, and I left him with a few pages of hand scribbled podcasts and webpages if he wanted to read more or share his story. 

The watchtower itself has old information about the UFO phenomenon, but it would be fun to help her update it with stuff that would make people curious to investigate more instead of giggle. Camping at the watchtower is cheap. ($10). It would be simple, and quite a lot of sun during the day, but the view from the platform atop the tower, there in the middle of the valley, would be the best place to starwatch!

UFO Watchtower

I made it home quite happy to not have caused my fibromyalgia to flare, to have helped Caitlyn feel a little bit more special on her wedding day, to have camped for 2 nights without disaster despite near disaster, and really excited for the next adventure in a few weeks...the 2017 total solar eclipse!

Joshua Tree Part 5, Journey Home.

I remember sitting in my AirBnB bed my last morning, Tuesday, feeling so satisfied, fulfilled beyond measure , and so in awe that my body had made it through all of those amazing experiences so smoothly!

I will make a post more focused on my health and management of it while on this trip later. However I will say that those days in Joshua Tree, my fibromyalgia was almost entirely absent. I know lower elevations have consistently made a big difference when traveling, and that I worked pretty hard to eat well, hydrate, all the things I have control over. However there was another factor that my husband and I have started referring to as the "secret sauce".

So there I sat, feeling really good in my body, well rested, and just satisfied. However I could not get rid of the awareness that now begins the trip home. I had been so buoyed through the trip there by excitement and eagerness, but it was a very long drive to manage alone. Suddenly I was faced with repeating it.

I love the many colors and layers in this landscape.

I planned to drive from Joshua Tree to Las Vegas, and the reassess and see if I could push on another few hours. By the time I reached the outskirts of Vegas, after crossing desert for hours and having sun beat down on me through the windshield, it all started to catch up with me. I had to get out of my car, out of the sun, and maybe crawl into a hole.

My husband helped me find a nice room on the outskirts of Las Vegas, and I collapsed onto my bed around 5pm, fully intending to get up and go to the pool right away to rehydrate my body because I felt like a dessicated sponge. I woke hours later, after dark, to an odd fluttering above me.

I turned on the light, and disbelievingly saw something quite bat-like flying back and forth across my room. (I had vaulted ceilings, but not vaulted enough for THIS!) I watched it, dodged it, tried to trap it in the bathroom, called the front desk for help (twice!), and eventually confirmed it was absolutely a bat, and not some mutant desert moth, when it clung to the curtain. Once I did get someone from maintenance up there with thick leather gloves and a bedsheet, clearly experienced at this, I felt a bit less insane. It turns out that he has to remove a few each month. People open their windows to let the desert night air in, and a bat unknowingly ends up holing up in the curtains as the sun comes up.

I never made it to the pool. It would have been really good for the growing pain, but I was so very tired. I slept fitfully, with aches. After taking advantage of my "Free breakfast buffet" I decided that I really should try my luck at the slots. Really, my entire trip had felt so charmed! I spent about $3 on penny slots, but had a huge payout ($3.04)and called it good. I went up to my room and gathered my bags for another day in the car, but feeling home getting closer.

The next day I made it as far as Glenwood Springs. I had planned to stay with my wonderful hospitable in-law's on the way home, but suddenly the extra 2 hours to my total drive time that lovely stay would have added felt absolutely impossible.

I spent that night in a lovely motel my Mother in Law helped me find, and I again slept poorly. However the last day I had less than 4 hours worth of driving. 182 miles, over the Rockies one more time. That last day was so difficult, physically, emotionally, and mentally. I had been in my car for 6 out of the previous 11 days. No amount of stretch breaks, distracting podcasts, and seat modifications really could eliminate the reality that driving for 6 days is really hard on someone with fibromyalgia. I wanted to be anywhere but in my car, with more sun beating in through the windshield.

It did take days to feel strong again, rested, to get my pain back under control from overdoing it for so long. However my spirit felt so strong! I had really accomplished something amazing. A solo trip across the southwest, finding my tribe, making some new friends, and just being immersed in something I find so exciting for a few days.

I am going to add a few more pictures from the trip in here, but have got to call this trip completely blogged! It has taken me months to wrap this up, and to really process it all. What a joy it has all been!

Roy's Motel was hauntingly desolate, but I loved this image.

I stopped and made lunch in the shade of this vintage sign.

Joshua Tree Part 4

I want to not leave a hole in my trip, in this story, but I also want to keep most of my experiences in these middle days to myself.

It has been quite a profound experience, finding my people. First, coming across the country to a giant conference I have heard about for a few years, longed for, but coming alone, is quite a stretch of my inner self. I came as a step of faith, because I was stirred. Because I just knew that I would feel at home among these people. I knew that being with them would fulfill a need in me.

Forbidden Archaeology Panel at CITD

I struggled to tell people that I was coming to a UFO conference. There are so many ways that the concept of someone believing in UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon is the updated term by the way, as not all objects may be solid objects) have been made into a caricature. We wear tinfoil hats and believe in little green men, what a joke! If something was really happening, don't you think the government would tell us? How could they keep it a secret?..I could go on.

Huge crowds at the biggest venue at CITD, the amphitheater.

However being surrounded by people who believe, who know either because of personal experience or they believe because of research is such a balm for my soul. I don't have to explain anything, try to justify or rationalize in order to have a conversation. I am not judged for what I believe to be true, I am welcomed and invited to add my experiences to the mix.

Live Broadcast of Fade to Black at CITD

I struggle with "woo-woo" aspects of things like this, but the energy here is amazing. Walking around feels like a hug, and if you turn and say something to the person next to you they are happy about that. The entire experience of unity, of shared excitement, has been such a balm for my soul.

Impromptu jam at Faderhouse. I love this because there was impromptu dancing and singing.

Then...there are the Fadernauts. This lovely group of people I found by way of a radio show, and connected with over Twitter, they are just amazing.  It truly is a warm family. Corralled by Jimmy and Rita, these people come together in a really fantastic way.

Fadernaut compound..Jimmy and Rita are in the center in blue.

Last night I was at the Fadercompound for the big party. That was an honor! After sitting there for hours with my women friends, who I really came here to hang out with, the last session was over and cars poured in. I sat at my spot at the table and watched the enlightened, the experienced and the seeking all meld together. I watched speakers playing in impromptu jam sessions, I watched part of a podcast live broadcast going on in the back room. (Shift Happens. Cortana (one of the hosts) has adopted me as one of her mother's. She has many here) I sat and listened with big ears, to the amazing conversations going on around me.

Shift Happens live broadcast

It was FANTASTIC!

I could insert here a list of all of the speakers I chatted with, or eavesdropped on. I could tell you a whose-who list of last night, but I am not going to. I could tell you the stories I heard and the theories tossed around, but I will not. In part because "What happens at the FADERHOUSE stays at the Faderhouse" , but mostly because I was not there as a novice blogger wanting to share that incredible experience with the world. I sort of want to keep that night for myself!

However if you are someone who studies this phenomenon, you might recognize some faces in the crowd of my pictures.

So it is my last day here, and after a "breakfast for lunch" gathering at the diner, I have a workshop to volunteer at. Then, the quiet will descend and I will spend my last night in this lovely room.

Tomorrow the journey home begins. I don't want to make that drive already, and I don't want to leave my people.

Edited to add pictures of that last breakfast with my friends!

Me with Jimmy Church, my favorite podcaster.

 

These are just some of the friends I made!

Joshua Tree Adventure, Part 3 actually in Joshua Tree!

Well at this very moment, I am sitting in a lovely bed. exhausted from the most incredible but overly long day. I am worn out, really aching everywhere but in particular my back. My drive today from Flagstaff Arizona to Joshua Tree CA was 350 miles. That translates to being in the car 7.5 hours. That is a very long time for healthy bodies.

However the challenge of a body that tends to be in pain for no good reason, and doing all you can to mitigate that while stuck in the car for 7.5 hours is really tricky. At rest stops I was the strange woman walking laps around the informational display, and with by butt up in the air as I was stretching my back out in a "downward facing dog" position. I really think that the lack of bad weather (barometric pressure changes hurt!) helped make the eternal drive more tolerable.

I made it to my lovely AirBnB room around 5:30pm. That gave me just enough time to unload my car and gaze wistfully at the bed, then scamper down to the Meditation and Retreat Center for volunteer orientation. A quick glimpse around my home away from home shows me a lovely, peaceful home. It is situated high up on a hill above Joshua Tree, with a view that is pretty impressive. I can sit on a couch under the back porch and watch the stars if I wanted to stay here. It is a lovely place to be. There are 3 other "guests", one couple attending CITD and a woman from Holland here for a Music Festival.

I had originally signed up to volunteer every day of the conference in exchange for a free pass. Then as my trip evolved, and I was working so hard to make it do able  for my body, I woke up to the fact that committing 4 hours each day to "working" could really impact the rest of my experience. Some days that could be all I would be up to doing, and I would spend all of my precious "spoons" on working with nothing left over. So I resigned that position, bought my own pass, but am still scheduled to help with one workshop on Monday as a volunteer.

I really enjoyed connecting with a few people at the training, and having great conversations over the meal we were provided, and am glad that I am still volunteering in a tiny way. I just enjoy being a part of things, and helping with the event I am participating in. It helps me experience it more deeply I realize.

My retreat, at El Corazon del Desierto. 

 Sitting in my bed, this is what I see.
 How can this stay not be transforming?

After the drive, and the training, I returned to my room and really REALLY wanted to crawl into that bed!

However my motivation for driving 1100 miles was not just to attend a conference. I was coming to meet my people!  I am part of a community around a podcast called Fade to Black. (Check out www.JimmyChurchRadio.com ) and this serves as their gathering point each year. I had "friends" messaging me from the bar, telling me that the party would not start until I got there. Well THAT is a new experience for this homebody.

So I bravely drove down to the Joshua Tree Saloon, and walked into a busy bar, hoping I would find my people.  I have to say that I had so much fun, stayed much longer than I anticipated, and I hugged a whole lot of people I was quite happy to be meeting! I was really touched when Rita, sort of the mama bird to the Fadernauts, pulled me aside and told me that she has read my blog.

While sitting in the bar I started chatting with a young couple across from me, who were just traveling through and not attending the conference. When I started telling them about CITD, and another person told them his abduction experience, it was so much fun to watch them discover that not only are there really cool, energetically awesome people all gathered to learn about the UFO phenomenon, but that there is so much to learn about it. Unless you have watched videos, read books and listened to speakers, you are probably quite conditioned to roll your eyes at the mention of UFO's and silly little green men.
They were both really excited, and considering staying in town to attend at least one day of the conference.

I slept the sleep of the exhausted, and let myself sleep in knowing tonight will be a late night too. I am going to get dressed, and go down to the venue to see what the day holds for me!

Today is a good day. A very very good day. I am open to receiving what it brings!

Joshua Tree Part 2

I am officially in new territory now!

My entire day was spent driving. I left my in-laws house around 8:30, and drove until almost 12 hours later. There were some stops to use the restroom, or to walk laps around a Kroger store since it was pouring outside and I needed to move a bit.

I chose a more winding route from Paonia to Flagstaff.( I will later insert a map here) I went south, creeping my way up and down mountains, around valleys and sneaking through small forgotten towns. I traveled through the Uncompahgre National Forest and the San Juan National Forest. I crept past little towns like Ames and Rico, skirting just past Telluride.

Uncompahagre National Park. Driving towards that snow covered peak in the distance.

I had every single weather possibility as well. In fact as a Coloradoan, I appreciated the constant moisture pouring down, but really would have rather not driven through hours of blowing rain, sleet, snow, and gloominess.

This is the light snow I stopped in after 20 minutes near white out conditions. In late May.

I think I observed every possible landscape as well. I started with some mesa type open expanses, moved to near timberline snow covered peaks, back through green lush valleys with small farms tucked in, eventually to the vast openness of the American Southwest. I marveled at miles and miles of what seemed to be just rolling expanses, waves almost, of a sea of rock.( I did not find a safe pull off point to get a picture of that, but it will linger in my mind.) There were endless proud jutting rock sculptures that were named for what they resemble.

I am so curious about geology when driving past pillars such as these.
 Why did it remain when everything around it eroded?

I did not stop to enjoy the different environments as I had planned because as I said, I had rain the entire way. Even when I did stop at Four Corners,  paying my $5 in order to park and then brave the wind and rain to plant my body in that spot. The many vendors were packing up when I arrived, as the wind had just worsened.

Here I lie in 4 states..

It was so windy, and stinging drizzle was hitting my face. But I persisted..

When I had been in the car around 9 hours I really started hating it. I felt like I just could not stand to be driving any longer. I was so tired, my back was so sore from 2 days in the drivers seat. I stopped at a City Market, changed into warm clothes in the bathroom, and then literally walked laps in the store for about 30 minutes, just to be moving. I had planned the long day with many stops to enjoy the outdoors. The weather sure foiled that great intention.

I pulled in to my Flagstaff Motel around 7:45, and was so happy to open the door to my quaint original Route 66 motel room!

I was far more exhausted than in pain. I had worn my TENS unit all day, and used my Yoga Strap back support off and on to get some relief from my back pain. My legs were sure aching, so I did a lot of stretching and walking whenever I stopped. I did have to use my rescue pain medication in the evening, but that is why I brought it along. Thankfully my exhaustion lead to a pretty good nights sleep. That is going to be key in today.

So I am about to drive out of Flagstaff, after finding a good breakfast somewhere. I have about 5 1/2 hours to Joshua Tree. I need to be at a Volunteer Training session at 6, and then to the Joshua Tree Saloon for the pre-conference party with the Fadernauts. (Finally getting to meet online friends!) I need to have steam to keep going far longer than usual. I am hopeful that I can get to my AirBnB in time to lay down for an hour, and that the elevation change and my excitement will carry me when my body is pooped.

So, with a click, here I go!