Blogs from Fort Bragg, California, United States, North America

Careless contemplation occurs when in awe of something beautiful, such as a sunset, with so many thoughts there are none left for writing later. One would think by now I would actually remember to bring my laptop with me when in this kind of awe and contemplative moment. I don't though. Yesterday, another kind of awe occurred and careless contemplation followed...I have no idea what I wanted to say about the giants along the road as I drove. What I can remember is the giants seemed to reach beyond the sky, as I could not see their tops and they blocked the sunlight to the floor of this old forest. The Redwoods remind me of Paul Bunyon and his blue ox Babe; only a lumberjack so legendary could pull a tree from these woods. Winding 34 ... read more

August 20-21: Heading south along the Pacific coast, we tried to get good shots of the ocean front, but were hampered by - FOG. THE fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. --by Carl Sandburg This was one of the few poems I remember from 4th grade—maybe, in fact, there were only a few. I just didn't get it. For one thing, it didn't rhyme--like "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Secondly, having grown up on the North Atlantic coast, I knew about fog, and in my mind it wasn't silent at all because it was always accompanied by the baleful sound of the fog horn. When it was there, it was all around us—we didn't see it as a finite thing but a ... read more

Today we went to Fort Bragg, Ca. That’s right, there is one here in Ca., not nearly as large but much nicer and no military. We went to check out the “Skunk Railroad” which runs a 22 mile stretch inland to the forest and back. We found that it had already left for the day but relaxed a little when we found it cost $47 each. Just not sure we wanted to pay that for this type of ride. Maybe we’ll find one going along the coast or somewhere exciting. BUT, we did find a really neat restaurant right up the street that also had several train engines of past years. It was a nice place for lunch and the atmosphere was pleasant. Then we finally found a place to wash the car and the dirt ... read more

Today it was time for a chill. Having said that I still managed to ride nearly 50km almost without noticing it, its funny how you just get used to being on the bike and it feels like home. I definitely overstayed my welcome in starbucks today and after I'd been in there for about 2 hours the staff were justified in giving me dirty looks but it did mean that I was able to update my blog and put some pics online for you all to see. We've had a tsunami warning tonight, apparently there has been some earthquake in the pacific so they've evacuated all the beaches just to be on the safe side. That’s fine by me I'm all cozy and wrapped up in my tent. Who wants to go on the beach in ... read more

Hello! It's hard to believe that since I last wrote on this blog, I have cycled through the whole of Oregon from top to bottom and am now in Fort Bragg, California. We are just over halfway through the trip and I have over 1000 miles on my mileometer. Hoorah! Things are going swimmingly - my bicycle is doing an excellent job of hauling me and my belongings up and down endless numbers of hills (only one puncture so far), and my body is still in one piece too. I had a couple of days of grumbling muscles and joints at about the two week mark, but my policy was to take it easy and keep riding - after all, it really wasn't an option for my legs to give up on me at that point! ... read more

I love it here. I love the redwoods. I love the ocean. I love myself. Several things have come up for me and for the first time in a long time, I haven't felt the need to bury them. I've been journaling more, dreaming more, reading more, and smiling constantly. Moon died yesterday. Thank you to everyone who contributed in her long life while I was growing up. She was well loved and she loved well.... read more