Our ride begins in the dark, a quiet shadowy morning on the road. The chill of the morning clings to all layers and makes our noses run. We begin to climb, a consistent cadence that drives us ever forward. When we look behind us, the top of a peak glows pink, but the rest of … Continue reading
It has been important to have a mantra on this trip- a reminder of why we’re here riding all these miles, climbing up mountains, seeing new sights every day and feeling the social exertion of meeting new people at every turn. Climbing up Rainy and Washington Passes was the first big challenge we’d faced on … Continue reading
“So simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the Earth to see where your main roots run.” -Henry David Thoreau- April 20, 2017- Throughout the last three days, we’ve traveled by foot under changing skies- one moment we drip with rain, and then in another we’re pelted with hail. The … Continue reading
The bike path has come alive again and so have we. Songbirds call from tree to tree and Bear Creek roars white, frothing up the sides of its banks. My wheels kick up the beeswax musk of crushed cottonwood buds. It is almost unbelievable, this sunshine, streaming unapologetically through vapor lingering in the air. The … Continue reading
In the beginning of July, I was a lucky participant at Fishtrap’s Outpost workshop, a week-long writing workshop that takes place on the Zumwalt Prairie, owned by the Nature Conservancy as North America’s largest native grassland. This little gem of waving grass and wildflowers, bear tracks, and coyote song is nestled in the notch of … Continue reading
I do this every year- retreat into winter. It seems as though the months of shorter days and longer nights becomes a dearth of creativity, as I focus more on cooking food and drinking tea on the couch than searching for poems out in the world. I seem to neglect this blog every winter. But … Continue reading
“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting- over and over announcing your place in the family of things.” -from “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver- We come out here to escape distraction and obligation and the constant consuming life … Continue reading
We found ourselves knee-deep in water, feeling for the solid caress of the boardwalk beneath our feet. Apparently, the heavy summer rains in Southeast Alaska during June and July had left the trails of Point Bridget State Park flooded and unrecognizable. I already felt my fingers shriveling into raisins and my toes starting to grow … Continue reading
This is a continuation of a previous post detailing the first three days of my week-long bike trip through Western Washington. Day 4: 40.4 miles Dosewallips State Park Hood Canal, WA Today began on the side of a highway, hearing logging trucks roll by, engines roaring. We said our adieus to our neighbors- Jack in … Continue reading
Oh wise one, you’ve looked down on us for eons, seeing us build, frowning as we spread ourselves thin. Today I climb- up, up, out of the mist, to see you as you are. A sentinal, always watching. To read more about Mt. Hood and its history in storytelling, visit my post “In the time … Continue reading
in the midst 