Nebraska!

Saying good-bye to Colorado and hello to Nebraska has been marked by continuing kindness and hospitality.  On a regular basis I find myself summing up experiences with the phrase that this or that person "...couldn't have been nicer!"  It was a modern day version of  'bunkhouse hospitality' in Holyoke, CO, in a house full of 'guy' employees of a large farming concern. They were very nice, genuine, fun, and on their best behavior! Following a serendipitous chiropractic 'tune-up', I was referred by that doctor to another farming family half-way to Imperial, NE, who welcomed me into their home.  Am now cooling my heels at a very cozy B&B in Imperial, watching it snow and glad to be inside! Sunday (tomorrow) looks more conducive to walking, and the week should be growing progressively  warmer, thank heavens(!), as I will be looking for good camping sites between here and McCook, about four days' walk.

Folks in this part of the country think about environment all the time, being farmers or in related industries. It was interesting to see a PBS piece on some northern Nebraskans investing in solar power and using cover crops instead of chemical fertilizers. For the most part, though, lifestyle seems to be driven by adaptation to the inevitability of large-scale agriculture, and loyalty to local/community networks of give-and-take. Many people are devoutly religious, generous and protective of regional values. Here, it is more my job to ask questions than it is to have opinions. Although I am willing to my share my admittedly 'city-dweller' concerns about creeping corporate control of our lives. Too bad that people have grown so suspicious of government, that it's come to seem as if corporate control is something different and better!

Though it may feel monotonous later, at this stage I can really appreciate the beauty of the plains, dotted with farmhouses, barnyards and groves of junipers/cedars and other trees.  Lilacs are blooming - much more profusely than they do on the California coast.  Wind is ever-present; when I am lucky it is coming from behind!  And as usual on this walk, I am the one having my consciousness expanded! 

 



 



 

Seen from the road...

 

Started snowing last night.

Outside my window - a squirrel trying to keep warm!

A charming and welcoming Imperial refuge.



Fits and starts - having a 'time out' in Sterling, CO

What with weather 'mood swings' and the vicissitudes of reorientation to this process, I have rested more than I have walked so far - maybe to be expected at this early point.  From here I am only about four days walk (as I see it) from a new state - Nebraska!  And shortly thereafter, a new time zone.

Already I have been blessed with amazing care and kindness by the 'road angels' of the past week: first hosted by a beautiful and talented family in Ft. Morgan (who own the Café Lotus, in case you're in town!), offered coffee in the Town Hall at Hillrose (where there were no open businesses), and taken under the wing(s) of various folks in Merino after I had gotten very wet and cold during a long afternoon of rain.  (Yes, I do have rain gear, which leaked badly due to wind direction and an unfortunate garment construction feature...) While in Merino I met a sculptor I had read about - Bradford Rhea, who has his studio there.  I was lucky enough to be invited inside for a visit, and was as impressed by his spiritual devotion as I was by his technical sensitivity and expertise.  His sculptures are decorating many of the public spaces here in Sterling, which is where I ended up on Tuesday night, credit to a Merino church group. I was also treated to a hot meal and a chance to dry my clothes!

Moments worth mentioning:  a huge field full of galloping horses, thundering along the roadway where I was walking. They ran back and forth in loops along the fence line until I had passed by - must have been more than 50 of them - very dramatic (though I was too amazed to think of taking a photo!)  Chanting consistently for the livestock on its way to the many packing plants in this area... notwithstanding the fact that I am, in any case, chanting as I walk much of the time.

Planning to set out again in the morning.  It looks as if there will be 3 or 4 decent walk days before another storm system is due.  This will make it important to plan ahead for a place to pause and wait for the weather.  I am not expecting to hit another library/computer soon.  As always, all good wishes gratefully accepted!


On the train to Ft. Morgan
 

International music festival in Ft. Morgan

Skygazers

Metamorphosis

Dream Redeemer

 

One foot out the door...

Ready or not -- departure is set for Thursday the 14th, on the Amtrak train to Ft. Morgan, CO.  Where I will re-group for a day (more or less) before setting off down the road once again, in an easterly direction.  Did I have as many 'questionable bodily sensations' last time I started out? (QBS's)  There were a few as I recall, which seemed intermittent and random.  Gradually my tendency toward hyper-vigilance resolved into a general attentiveness and basic self-care regimen, a routine that worked for upwards of 1000 miles, so I guess there's hope!

This month we said goodbye to Molly the cat, who was struggling with a variety of illnesses.  The house feels pretty quiet now. She often followed me around the house and I'm hoping that, unconstrained by a failing physical body, she'll want to follow me down the road and sleep on top of me at night. It wasn't easy letting go.  And this is also the start of another period of letting go as a daily practice.

Well then, here is to health and wellness all around.  The wildflowers are coming out in masses.  It will be interesting to see what is blooming in the wild places along the roadways of eastern Colorado and Nebraska this spring...

Preparation for re-launching in April!

OK - my inner Zen Buddhist practitioner and Taoist sympathizer would like a word at this point.  Call it 'equal time'.  When we last met I was caught up in despairing for humanity and the rest of creation in the midst of the toxic onslaught of crisis-news from around the world.  The tide of this daily barrage has certainly not turned hopeful, and shows no signs of doing so any time soon.

So how is it possible to feel profoundly pessimistic about mankind's chances for longterm survival and the health of the planet, and simultaneously feel an enthusiasm for this particular life and the opportunity to be a 'voice for Gaia'?  Buddhism teaches us to embrace paradox, or at least to confront the paradox of universal truths in the context of our life in the chaotic relative world.  I have just re-watched the film, 'What the Bleep do we know!?' to remind myself of the universal spiritual and scientific (according to quantum physics) truth of interconnectedness, among other things.  This film also illustrates very poetically that we create our personal reality moment by moment, through the power of our thoughts, choices and intentions.  A small, seemingly insignificant act can have a long reach.  And an open heart and mind can pave our way, as I learned over and over last year while walking east.  

My inner Buddhist says I cannot be a voice for the earth if I assume the role of passive observer (victim?) of the 'profit system', a role which is as physically debilitating as it is depressing! It seems a fundamental necessity to operate, as much as possible(!), from the position of compassionate co-creator of our  troubled/beautiful world.  How can I hold myself separate from the atrocities occurring all over the planet when I, by virtue of living a consumption-driven western lifestyle, am also benefitting every day from the results of resource exploitation, inhumane treatment of animals, people and entire cultures for the sake of profit? And how can I help to heal the wounds of the world if  I let frustration and negativity take the emotional lead?

These are some of my questions of the moment.  In this next walk phase I will try and do better at being attentive to my grief for what we have lost, and at celebrating the beauty and diversity of life on earth.  PS - The best film on environment that I have ever seen is called 'Racing Extinction' by Louie Psihoyos, the filmmaker who also made 'The Cove'.

Brown pelicans - my heroes (speaking of  'racing extinction'!)

Early results from a very fun ceramics class...

The effort of engagement...

What with ever more disturbing news from around the globe,  extreme climate events, political unrest, mass migration and horrifying acts of terrorism, the circus that has become our presidential selection process, senseless gun deaths in our very neighborhood, and etc, etc, it is understandable (I believe) that one would feel quite 'undercut' morale-wise. How does one go about one's day without resorting to denial?   It does not seem surprising that life expectancy for middle-aged white males is said to be 'shrinking' - in some views, due to despair.  New global challenges are being exposed and documented every day, thanks to the internet.  Thankfully there are many 'watch' groups set up to monitor these things.  I am grateful that passionate people are doing the important investigative work --  and I also must lapse into 'withdrawal' mode from time to time, during which I delete scads of email entreaties/requests for money, and have to work hard simply to ward off a deep desire to hide in the house!  Well... I cannot give much money nowadays, under the best of circumstances.  What I can do is volunteer and rally; put time and energy to constructive use...

What IS the use?  Sometimes I buckle under a weighty sense of futility.  But that is just where another inner voice protests, '...future outcomes (or the hope of particular outcomes) are not the reasons for action!  If we care, there is no choice!'  In a sort of mental/emotional mutiny against the tide of news from Europe and the Middle East, two cogent points have been ringing in my mind for the past few days regarding my own capabilities and activism.  First of all, for as long as I am here and able, I am determined to spend my time standing up for the planet and other beings (some of them human!) The other obvious point is to be present to appreciate the good life I have in this beautiful part of the world.  These are my most important jobs.  Is optimism necessary?  No.

A climate rally at Pacific Gas & Electric

Annie and me - at SF March for Elephants

At SFSPCA - more fuzz therapy!

From a practice walk yesterday; walk-pilgrimage set to resume April of next year.

A trip home, and the question of keeping 'pilgrim consciousness' active while waiting to resume walking (gods willing) in the spring.

Views from the train.

Back to the Bay...

That was a great train ride, if rather long!

Although I had been feeling 'beaten' in some ways, there are certainly many ‘up-sides’ to being at home for the present; things I am appreciating right now include:  hanging out with family and friends (both the two and four-legged ones); messing about in a kitchen, and of course - California produce!

...San Francisco’s open-minded culture; parks; close proximity of art and music.  Some of my favorite panoramas.

J.M.W. Turner exhibit at the deYoung Museum

I was invited back to my weekly job(s) at the Farmers' Market, which is a great gift.  Working with so many local and area farmers, it is easy to forget that, for most of the US, the production and sale of food is just business...

Soon after resuming walking in the spring, I will cross into Nebraska.  Traveling in the agri-business belt of the US (as I have been for a number of days already, and which will be the theme for miles ahead), leads me to frame my questions about it in some obvious ways. To wit, is this (mono-culture) the best/only model for feeding and otherwise providing for our planet’s population in the 2000’s?  Why are certain corporate practices even legal?  (Monsanto comes to mind.) Why is the merging of business and government any less objectionable than the ‘church and state’ alliances that our forebears were fleeing a couple of centuries ago?  And, ps - why is population no longer mentioned (along with disproportionate exploitation of resources by wealthy nations) when we’re talking about the carrying capacity of a finite planet?  (A sticky one, that question, and maybe not so politically correct these day.) It has been interesting to see how much diversity there is in people’s views on environment and politics, more than I would have guessed, and much more than is reflected through media sources.  Maybe Fox News has not yet achieved total control of public opinion.  I am curious about the political ‘comfort zone’ of the Midwest, generally speaking, as seen/heard face to face.

Now then, what will I be doing to take care of ‘pilgrim mind’ over these next 6 or 7 months?   Walking, for sure, even if it means walking in circles around the city of SF, and over the bridge to the north.  Looking at ways of making offerings of various types.  Continuing to explore gratitude from the perspectives of 'not taking for granted', and interconnectedness.   Recently I was given a book called 'Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in Without Going Crazy' (Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone, 2012).  Once again I feel vindicated in my long-held view that despair and depression, anger and frustration (in measured amounts) are natural and appropriate responses  to the enormity of global environmental degradation and waste.  Most usually, political/social activism does not allow a place for exploring these emotions, let alone offering ways of coping with them and transforming them into something life-affirming and creative.  So, as I cannot seem to find anything of the sort going on, I am wondering about initiating a 'grief support' series of gatherings specifically about environment, and based upon the ideas and exercises described in the aforementioned book.   We shall see what comes of it.

In the meantime, let me (as best I can) take  care of my relationships and my sense of humor!  Updates as they occur...

Difficult decision -- suspending this trip for the rest of the year.

Hello again, from another Colorado 'fort'; this one is called Ft. Morgan, an agricultural community in northeastern Colorado and on the western side of the Great Plains.

Handy that there is an Amtrak stop in this town.  It looks as if I will be boarding a train for home this week, for medical reasons!  In response to a few inquiries I will say that, yes, I am OK.  The issue that developed is related to (but not quite as simple as) insufficient hydration.  The treatment requires 'flushing' with IV fluids and follow-up blood chemistry checks.  In my case the blood work did not show satisfactory improvement in a single day, indicating a need for more recovery time than it is practical to take here in the heart of 'agri-business', Colorado. My decision to suspend walking at this point was based upon a combination of this medical event (together with a couple of related findings), and a look at the daily weather forecasts (temperatures, specifically) over the coming week(s), since heat was one of the factors contributing to this inconvenient medical diagnosis.  Although I know that heading for home is the right decision at this point, it still has an unsatisfying, 'wimping out' sort of feeling.

Ft. Morgan is not quite the place I would have chosen as a stopping point while waiting for my home-bound train.  The Great Western Sugar Company, a 100-year old sugar beet processing plant, with its multi-silo storage tank is the most prominent feature of the town.  The hum of this huge factory and accompanying whine of the interstate can be heard throughout the night. On the plus side, there are a few decent coffee shops, a museum of interest, a good bicycle shop and a riverside park.  I've rented a bicycle and this morning took a ride along the S. Platte River, before it got too hot to be comfortable. 

If circumstances permit I will return to this point next year in the spring, to resume walking.  In the meantime, any recent donations will be returned, with great thanks to all for the unstinting support!  Plan updates will be forthcoming.  And hey - here is an opportunity for others to think about joining the walk (or a part of it) next year!

Rainbow Arch Bridge (circa 1922) over the S. Platte River.  GW Sugar plant in the distance.