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I had a great time off..I had almost three weeks off from April 10th through the 28th.
I spent a few days in Boise with friends, watching the BillyGoats play some, went four wheeling with a bunch of co-workers(I'll add pics later) and going to the Komyozan Dojo to practice Aikido. I needed some alone time and my Aikido Sensei (teacher) suggested I visit Leslie Gulch, which is in Oregon, but it's only an hour and a half away from Boise.
I got direction from my buddy Ty and headed out. I camped there for two nights in the dry campground that was near lake Owyhee. The gulch was amazing as you entered it there were signs warning of flash flood danger because the road went down the middle of the gulch and was the only way out. The gulch was deep and full of sage brush and juniper. The rocks were beautiful. Formed of different lava formation each was unique. Some looked like a honeycomb of small caves from the size of your fist to the size of a VW Bug. Others were huge columns that often looked like castles. It was a sacred place and I enjoyed
being the only one for a night and most of a day.
THen a few other campers showed up. I dayhiked and explored the side canyons. Practicing an Aikido Jo Kata during my breaks.
The morning I was planning on leaving a fellow camper with a nice camera wandered to my site and asked if I would talk to him. He was a reporter from the Idaho Statesman (a newspaper) and asked if he would take my picture and talke to me about spring desert camping. I agreed and talked to him for a few minutes. You can find the whole story here:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/273/story/373903.html
It's small and the quotes he used from me are less than impressive, but there it is none the less.
After that went back to Boise for an Earth Day festival that my friends were playing in and we camped for a couple of nights in a huge tree nursery that had an outdoor amphitheater and a barn that was turned into a music venue. It was fun. There were several co-workers and we all drank and danced until the wee hours of the morning.
Next I was off to the Tsubaki
Grand Shrine of America in Granite Falls, Waching, but first I stopped in Bend Oregon where my friend Corey recently moved to. I drove there and spent a couple of nights there. We visited the Mirror Pond (which is THE Mirror Pond the beer is named after). Corey and I hiked Dalton Falls and worked on snare traps for a little while. I met Corey's roommate Pablo, who is an Argentinian Ex-marine who been practicing Shaolin Kung Fu and Yang style Tai'Chi for 20 years. We went to Sara's house for a little party she was throwing (she used to work with me) and met a bunch of really nice people.
I met a fellow named Matt and through our conversation I found out he lived in New Zealand for 10 months. My plan is to go to New Zealand in Jan-March of 2009 so meeting Matt was great. He told me of specific places to go to and specific people to talk to get places to stay and tons of other insider information about New Zealand, it was great! Then I was off to the biggest Shinto Shrine in AMerica to practice Aikido with my Sensei's Sensei for
three days.
Granite Falls is a really small town NE of Seattle. It's hilly with huge trees everywhere. Driving down the gravel road of the shrine is like going into another time. The trees crowd over the road and open up to a shrine that looks like it was picked up from Japan and put in America. I cannot explain the feelings I had except to compare them to the same feelings you get when you walk into a beautiful church. This was a place of respect, prayer, and Aikido (Harmony with Life).
I met Reverend Koichi Barrish and American Shinto Priest and my Sensei's Sensei. He is an amicable man wih a deep laugh and a big smile. I was extremely nervous to be there, especially when all of the other Aikidoka (people who practice Aikido) showed up. Many were Rev. Barrish's older students from across the country who were all there to commemorate the passing of O'Sensei (Great Sense), Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido.
That first nigh we practiced Aikido for about 4 hours, it was amazing. The session started with Shinto ceremony honoring the Kami (gods/essences) of AikidoThe grace, fluidity, and strength of Barrish Sensei was unfathomable and his older students were astounding. Everyone was friendly and helpful. There were a few other new students so I wasn't completely alone in that regard.
Over the next few days I participated in several Shinto ceremonies, including Misogi. Which is ritual purification in cold water. ANd I mean cold water. It was snow runnoff in a fast moving river wearing only a funodhosh (spelling?) which is basically a thin loincloth. We sat for about a minute which is long enough to purify just about anything in you.
I was very honored to be at the retreat and made friends with Aikidoka from around the country (mostly west coast). I was invited to practice with them at their dojos whenever I was in their town. We ate and drank and talked in the evenings and lunches. Even though everyone had different lifestyles there was something other than Aikido that we all had in common, a peacefulness and gentleness that was very comforting, and creates an amazing community that I am proud to now be a part of.
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