a trip to the Sierras and beyond

If you are going to do something illegal keep your teeth in your head.- My trip to the Sierras and the Mojave Desert

Sun. 8/10/03

90 degrees, the cool breeze was refreshing up on a cliff overlooking five mountain ranges that began in rolling hills. Hidden safely by a small golden bluff, took a relaxing bathroom break in the wilds, but it was cut short when I was a bit unnerved by a sudden outburst on the nearby road, coming from a passing assemblage of bikers. After that, it was almost all downhill, with a couple of reprieves. For one thing, walking back to the car, I was not sure what the holes in the ground were, and recalled my daughter who lives out here, once pointing out a rattlesnake head in a similar cavity on mount Diablo. And due no doubt to the rude interruption, I also noticed a long stalk of golden grass up where it should not have been. Pulling the durn thingie out, my bathing suit bottom slipped in the crack that the leaves had only partially swathed. But by the time I got to the car, my faith was renewed by discovering an excellent medicine organizer lying there on the ground. I could use that. Also, I must add that from the car, I did stop for once to take the time to pluck my facial hairs—the view was magnificent!

Monday, 6.AMish

Slept in a hay-covered dried out river bed, unsure if it was legal or not but reminding myself that it’s sometimes easier to beg forgiveness than to find permission. This was one of those times when I was too exhausted to care from a long drive through the Mojave Desert and a search for Hot Springs, after which I stopped in Kernsville for Mexican food sitting outside near a guy who helped my ego by telling me after I’d called myself a vagabond, "Yer a gypsy, not a vagabond!" His advice however, to get back to Sequoia National Park was a bit off and that landed me in Bakersfield, some several hours off course.
Was woken from my river bed by some guy shouting what sounded like, "Hey- Plenty! YOU!" Raised my head just in time to knock my partial (teeth) into the deep hay to be forever lost, as he demanded, "Waddaya doin’ here? This is private property!" "You want some money?" I asked sleepily, faking that this was certainly a normal request of a normal person in a common situation. He did a double or triple wince, seemed unsure how to respond then lowered his voice timidly and said, "No, just you get yourself all packed up and then you can go, Kay?" Thought maybe he was mistaking me for Kay, whoever she was, by the change in his demeanor.

7AM same morning. I went to this amazing little café/bookstore in Three Eivers and read couple of pages of a best seller about a woman who climbed into a redwood and stayed there for two years to protect it from being cut down. I was heartened because I noticed that it had the worst grammar I’ve ever witnessed in print. Went back to hunt for my teeth. Said to myself, "you aren’t going home without them," but lacked my usual conviction, no doubt from lack of sleep, not humiliation, oh no.

After looking for a partial in a haystack, took a break….Walking back to the café, felt deflated until a man came walking up the deserted road behind me, addressing me thus: " So you just up and started over again?"
I said, "wha?"
He said, "I saw you at the café. You just left everything and started your life over again?"
Even I was stunned and I talk like he does sometimes. "Uh yeah…. How did you know that?"
"Could tell," he says. "Your speech."
"My speech?"
"Yeah your timing is off. Not like everyone who is going by the clock. Your like you just dropped out of somewhere, like someone who is starting her whole life over."
"Wow," I said.
"Well I just want to tell you that that took SOME courage! He says, offering a handshake. You want to spend the day together."
"I actually think I do," I said.

So we went to this amazing rock with what amounted to some kind of alien looking hieroglyphics on it and then we just interpreted them like a dream.
Oh, and another way he knew about me that he later let me in on: "The voices tell me these things."

Now one other thing about this person: turns out he lives by that hayfield I lost my teeth in, says he’ll find em with a metal detector. I’m still waiting, three weeks later.

Anyhow learned a big lesson from my mistakes: If you are going to do something illegal keep your teeth in your head.



ps: Mom, just kidding about the ditch: see they have these places where you CAN just camp off the road, but this did not happen to be one of them, though it looked to be so...and of course I wouldn't REALLY have gotten stuff stuck in my bathing suit.