Glimpse of Yellowstone

Boogity Boogity

I am drawn to this mountain I can't take my eyes off of; as if it was calling out to me. I stop and take a few photos and am amazed at its tone. I drive a little further and stop again to take a few more photos. I'm on my way to Boise, Idaho via Ketchum to Stanley driving up Idaho 75 in no hurry; though I am in a rush to get somewhere so that I could get cleaned up for it has been 4 days since my last shower. There I go again turning around for that one shot at a once in a lifetime view of beauty.

So, I am now going down this dirt road that I found curious just a moment ago and it leads me to a stream. Along the waters edge are some rocks forming a circle used for fire from previous campers, the charred remains attract me to start a fire of my own. The fire is blazing and cracking now with a can of clam chowder heating upon the flames. It shall be ready soon!

Now I'm standing here a pure naturalists with only my flip-flops and nothing but a smile looking out at this stream (my bath) that flows beneath this beautiful mountain.

More to come....

Civilization

It has been some time since I have updated my blog. My last entry had me in Portland. Hello Cheyne family! Continuing north from Oregon I made a visit to Mt. St. Helens to the heart of the blast zone. Life is coming back to the region slowly; it has been thirty years now and you can still see the effects of the eruption. Afterward I headed for Olympia, Washington's State Capitol sponsored by: Thorpe Chiropractic & Rehab Center. Then it was off to the Pacific Ocean one last time to compare yet another beach and test it's plushness of sand to ours back in paradise. Would you believe that as many shells that wash ashore on our beach is equal to the amount of rocks that wash ashore on Ruby Beach. Not one shell; all rocks finely grinded down over many tides. I completed my cruise up the coast on Historic 101 around Mt. Olymus and then took a ferry boat from Kingston to Everett with yet another peaceful sunset on my way to Seattle. Guess what! It rained while I was in Seattle every day at one point and to my recollection this didn't seem to bother those of the mysterious city. I am quite pleased that I got to visit some friends while in town and meet a couple of new ones. Chris, Thanks for your hospitality and taking me to Palmer's. Go Rays by the way! Brian and Cory, thanks for your hospitality as well. Ryan and Bre, always nice to see you guys. Give Sasha some loving for me. I got to see the guys throw some fish and was unsuccessful at getting a photo of one in mid air. I either must return to Seattle or upgrade to a newer and faster camera. I didn't get shanghaied or buy an umbrella; nor have a cup of coffee at the original Starbuck's. It was right there. I was intrigued is all. On my way out of town I stop to visit one of my brothers Pete. It has been a while though it seems like yesterday. Good to see you.

Next stop was Helena, Montana sponsored by Getter Done Parking located across the street from the Undertow Beach Bar when the city allows. The Undertow is of no affiliation to Getter Done Parking; just pull up and say GETTERDONE. Now comes Yellowstone Park accompanied with a drive along the Lewis & Clark Trail. Two days of elk, bison, geysers, deer, paint pots, wildfires, waterfalls, all types of birds, pines, and flowers. I drove the hole loop of 160 miles and didn't see one bear
(hey BooBoo) or moose (hey Rocky). The same for Grand Teton National Park; everything but a grizzly or a moose. Jenny Lake was an incredible experience. Thanks Don for the recommendation. After a visit to Jackson Hole and a walk around town on their wooden plank sidewalks and through the arches made of elk antlers, celebrated since 1960; I was off driving again heading west again to Boise Idaho. Getting their passing through the Craters of the Moon, then Ketchum. Dean and Leslie Brewin! You two!! Thanks for calling the Sawtooth Club and having them take care of me. It was too cool to be some where you have spoken passionately about. And the fact that Ernest Hemingway frequented the Sawtooth Club back in his heyday made it even more intriguing for me. The next day I visited his home in Ketchum and his eternal resting spot. Okay, now I am headed to Boise; but wait. What is this? A campsite on a lake that isn't crowded and rests under a few glacier mountains. Wait! What's this? I pull into the campground reaching 10,000 miles for my journey. It's settled. I must stay and celebrate. A little kayaking, cutting of the wood, and a little dinner by the fire and under a full moon and a finishing off of a fine bottle of Chivas. I rarely drink scotch; thanks Ryan. So the next morning I actually make it to Boise. Beautiful State Capitol, a five tier dome with a huge rotunda. It's a shame that this building was the only artsy construction I noticed. Their college football team is ranked third in the country and I didn't see one banner of support. Go figure!

Boise Idaho is being sponsored in the memory of  Ma Barker (Helen)-You have two potatoes-

Presently I am sitting in a cafe in Salt Lake City called Nostalgia trying to catch up with all that I have done this past week out in the wilderness. State Capitol Building tomorrow, a visit to the lake; then it is off to visit Marrit in Vail, Colorado. Are you paying attention to the state capitols Clayton Louie? I'm quizzing you when I get back and do a little show and tell with you. Be a good boy. Uncle John loves you. That goes for you too Keelie and Buttercup! We must preserve tomorrow for the little ones! It is such a beautiful place of exploration.

Dream-Create-Explore
More to come

Johnny

Weekend of Whistleblowing

Another weekend of football and I am positive that I will be scrambling for scores and updates. I know if I was back home I would be watching the West Virginia game with Scotty, maybe even Lil Bubba at the Undertow Beach Bar eating some wings and catching some island vibes with Glenn and Positive. I can hear those still drums beating across the country as I type. Now a lot of you might be planning to BBQ at home; so don't forget to go to Shaner's Land and Sea for all your supplies. There are other options up and down the beach to catch the games as well; from Sea Hags down to Riptides, then Sloppy Pelican and then the Wharf where you can get an ice cold Evander Beer. Now remember to call for your Free Beach Ride to accommodate you all safely to your destinations. For those of you who may not be sports fans take advantage of the beaches; maybe lunch or dinner at Brass Monkey or Sea Critters; both located on Pass-a-grille. If you decide to take a drive to Downtown St. Pete; stop and visit The Morean Art Center located at 719 Central Avenue or The Chihuly Collection at 400 Beach Drive. Regardless what you choose to do this football weekend have fun and be safe. Pick up The Island Reporter or The Paradise News for other great ideas. Enjoy Paradise! It is cold a lot of other places.

Let's gooooo Mountaineers!! Go Bucs!! Go Rays!!Go Steelers!!

P.S.- It is Scotty Bowers 40th Birthday on Monday. Somebody-Anybody-Everybody buy a beer for him from of course you and tell him it's from me.
Happy Birthday Scotty-Rosie-and TtoTheBtoTheOne&Only

Stay Weird Portland

Made it to Portland on Thursday and arrived at Trevor, Christy, Adie, and Max's house. Not knowing how long I was staying I just went with the flow. It was nice to sleep in a bed for the first time in a week. My sleeping buddy Ollie (boxer) snores louder than I do; but that did not deter me from sound rest. I relaxed on Friday and caught up with my laundry. On Saturday we all went downtown to the farmers market held along the riverfront and three city blocks; which is listed as one of the largest markets in the country. The weather was an added warmth that brought out the friendliness of Portland along with some great arts and crafts, food, and entertainment it all made for a fun day. The only down fall was the homeless who are welcomed in Portland; though they went about it politely. After the market we walked to Powell's Book Store. This place was huge, one whole city block with three different levels. Books galore. We drove up to Counsel Crest afterward for a view of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens both about 60 miles away. I now am fascinated with these volcanic glaciers and must get a closer look. The adults went out for a night on the town going to some wild and fascinating bars. Evander Beer would go over well here. Over a couple of beers at BOG Trevor offers a trip to Mt. Hood and a drive back through the Gorge along the Columbia River. The same river that Lewis and Clark navigated on their way to the Pacific's blue wonder. So; on Sunday after the Buccaneers victory off we went. It was a pure joy to be the passenger for a change and sit back and take it all in. Thanks again Trevor and Christy for opening your home to me and treating me with such kindness. Adie, thanks for the bottlecat charm and Max for the Batman sticker. I will see you guys soon in sunny St. Pete Beach. On Monday I packed up and off to Mt. St. Helens I went.

                       Lewis and Clark Trail

Driving Thru the Redwoods

      Like a Glove! As cheesy as it looks I went through three times. I have been out in the wilderness too long. Actually; I am enjoying the great outdoors very much. A bit more daring with each stop. After my weekend at Yosemite I headed back to San Fransisco to grab a shower at my friends and literally am out the door ready to go in minutes. Four hours of daylight left and I have yet to gaze upon a giant Redwood. Thanks again Sean and Trina!

         Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge is John Muir Park where lies a few Redwoods. Comparable to the larger parks further north; I wanted to see these beauties in masses. Passed right on by continuing on up the coast driving close to night fall. When morning arrived I found myself camped near

The Avenue of the Giants. A 16 mile drive through the Redwoods. This is where I find thee tree. I walked past it at first as if I wasn't suppose to look at it; as if it had a disease, or a deformity. Like most trees laying around in the forest this one too burned through at the base. So here I am standing inside this tree being one with the tree. Strong roots is the key to it's survival, the key to any ones survival. I feel really small at this point; physically and emotionally. The sky cries for both of us; as rain trickles down through the foliage high above. As I walk back down the path that brought me here; I look back one last time at this tree and it's place in the forest realizing now that its hardships has made it stronger than ever. Adversity at it's finest proving once again life continues. Ugliness is beautiful if you look deep within.

YOSEMITE

Olmsted Point was an absolute joy; to arrive at the park just in time for sunset was better yet. As soon as I got there the group that pulled up beside me was pointing at the stickers on the jeep and asking questions about the oil situation back home in Florida. After our discussion I passed out some brochures on the area and awarded them with a $100 Undertow gift card. In return they rewarded me with a Bass beer. Perfect for sunset! As they moved on I climbed the hill behind me for a better perch to take some photos and bask in all my freedoms.

I awoke the next morning at the end of the ahwahnee (valley in Miwok) looking up out of a box of granite abstract as the firs that cascade the cliffs above me. No plans; so I hop on the bike and allow it to find a path and take me away. Five miles later I lock up and start hiking up a trail that says Vernal Falls. Almost a mile up and I'm starting to wonder where the waterfall is. Now the trail turns into steps up the otherside of the hill. I lost count after 300 or so when the crest of the falls came into view.

 Labor Day weekend and here I am laboring up this hill. All well worth this photo alone:

The hike back didn't take long at all since it was mostly all down hill. The bike ride back to the jeep is a different story. So much of nature right there for the taking; so I took in as much as I could just riding around. Once I made it to the jeep I loaded up and was in search of a pine cone. Not just any pine cone. I decided to head south to Mariposa Grove and visit the Giant Sequoia Trees. Success! Pine cone heaven I tell you.

 I found three worth taking and headed north again to catch the sunset this time on top of Glacier Point. I am directly above where I awoke earlier this morning. I would have to drive 32 miles just to get 8,000 feet below. The view is of the east with the changing of colors upon the cliff base of Half-Dome. The whole ahwahnee soaked in the last of the sun as the trees and the mountains faded into the night. As people started heading back to their camps; I headed to the jeep to grab a quilt my great-grandmother made and a water bottle with half filled scotch (Thanks Ryan) to keep me warm underneath the audience of stars.

In the morning I picked my self off the huge rock that was my bed for the evening and decided to say good by to YOSEMITE. Three suns Two moons and One life changing adventure.

Beautiful Day To Kayak

Finally found some time to do a little kayaking on Lake Tahoe of all places. After my visits in Sacramento, Ca. and Carson City, NV; I decided to head south to Yosemite National Park to take in some outdoor activities. Knowing there is no where to kayak in Yosemite I decided to drop in about a mile out and take the stream down to the lake. Not only was there no charge to do so (parking or drop in fee) the paddle down stream was amazing and a lot easier than the paddle back up stream. A few hours later and loaded up and headed out.

I gotta go-I hear Banjo music

Nevada Sponsored by: Big Al And Ryan-Thanks for the provisions guys

Given My Freedom

Hello Friends,

      It has been a while since my last entry and I do apologize for the wait. It wasn't easy doing hard time; but I am free now. We put ourselves in our own prison at times. We get so hard on ourselves for no reason. Once you realize that there is nothing holding you back you can go anywhere and do everything your heart desires. After my early release I said good bye to Trina and Sean who were very good to me during my time in San Fransisco. Thanks Trenebean! Thanks Sean!
      Next stop Sacramento!

 I had to thank Arnold for granting me a pardon; but not before a visit to Redwood City to see an old friend Bill Keating and his wife Emy. After a great BBQ in the back yard we spoke of my journey; but mostly we just caught up and reminessed about the good old days back on St. Pete Beach in the early nineties. Driving onward to Sacramento I find myself overwhelmed with all the kindness I have witnessed thus far and the graciousness of homes I have been welcomed in. Everywhere I have stayed so far was all due to the fact that I met them back home in St. Pete Beach or through a friend. An extension of Paradise I'd like to think.
    

 California Sponsored by: Free Beach Ride @ 727-776-7553 or http://www.freebeachride.com/

Life on the Rock

I'm innocent I tell you; I did nothing wrong. How does one right a wrong? How do you forgive yourself when nobody else does? Forgiveness or the act of forgiving. I personally need to work on this form of acceptance when someone or something wrongs what I believe to be good and pure. The spirits and voices before me that still echo from this rock; I wonder if they found their forgiveness for their crimes and shortcomings from within, from the victims families, their own families, society as it was back then. Was their faith forgiving; their God?

Here I am sitting on the top step of the recreation yard and just over what's remaining of the barbed wire fence is an outline of the Golden Gate Bridge. Who of the prisoners was privileged to have such a great perch and view of life passing them by? I laid back and allowed the sun to caress my face and thoughts of my freedom brought a smile about.

Escape from Alcatraz is one of my all time favorite movies. I have wanted to visit the rock for some time now and I must say I wasn't disappointed. I walked around freely for about three hours following an audio tour that was intuitive of time served here. It was weird sitting in the cells, walking into solitary confinement. Free I am wandering about where authority was ruler! I decided to go back to the yard one last time and glance out at what was freedom. A place in our own hearts where we find forgiveness.

Gate To The Gold

Here I am on the Golden Gate Bridge. Trina and I walked across to the other side and back through fog that was so thick we could see maybe twenty yards in front of us. All we could hear was traffic passing by and the fog horn below summoning to the vessels at bay. At its own pace the fog slowly dissipated creating an incredible view of the city upon clouds. After our near four mile walk we headed to the Gold Dust to quench our thirst. The people here seem happy all the time; everyone has a smile as they go about their day whether they are on the trolley, biking, walking, running or taking the ferry. Must be something in the water. Everything has a cost. It is an expensive place to live with parking being the biggest commodity. The diversity of food and people makes for an exciting experience. I will be taking a ferry over to Alcatraz. I was given five years to life.

Coastal Cruising

  

 I left L.A. after only staying one night late Sunday afternoon. I was in L.A. earlier in the week and got to see and experience a lot of the popular places. I was ready to continue on with my journey. I depart around 5:30pm and go over the Topanga Canyon Trail and take the Pacific Coast Highway north up the coastline. Along the way I was in the right place at the right time to watch the sunset. I found an odd rock formation that I climbed to get a better view.

I drove just a little further and found a place to camp for the night. The next day was a continuation of yesterday's drive with breath taking views around every curve. I didn't keep count; but I know I must have pulled over at least 50 times to take photos. I cruised all the way from L.A. to

San Francisco without turning on the radio. Mother Nature was my DJ for this part of the trip allowing me to slow dance up the coast. I arrived safely in San Francisco about 7:30pm Monday. More updates to come.......

T.K.O. in L.A.

After starting the day in Mexico I head north to visit my friend Brian in L.A. who is having some friends over to watch the UCF Championship. I arrived just in time for the first bout. It's been a while since I last watched a UCF fight so my knowledge of the fighters was slim to none. I thought I was about to take one on the chin considering the company I was with.

 
                  Kimbo Slice with my book