A Place To Dwell

Last year I took a Deep Ecology course through the Northwest Earth Institute. At the beginning of the first class the mediator had us describe a place that our spirit would haunt or dwell when we die. It was a great way to introduce ourselves and bring nature into the conversation.

At the time, living in Oregon through the rainy winter, I really missed the snow, ice, and cold of Lake Superior. I decided to select a little-known sandy beach amongst the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior. However, reflecting on the question now, I would pick a new location.

Oswald West State Park on the Oregon coast is where I would like my spirit to roam. Why? A few reasons;

*The scenery is breathtaking. Old growth, lovely ocean cove, waterfall, an impressive cape, wooden hiking bridges, tidepools, a small coastal mountain, rocky cliffs...I could go on.

Sorry these pics aren't mine, I found them online. I couldn't dig up any that I took of Oswald West.

*The location has special meaning for Moh and I.

*It's a protected park. No fear of a Condo being placed on my turf.

*There are places to seek solitude, but also places to observe families, surfers, and people enjoying nature (In case I got a bit lonely). I could also use my haunting powers to those inclined to litter or vandalise. Put a little fear of God into 'em.

*Awesome sunsets.

*The rain wouldn't bother me as a spirit.

*I'm sure the other spirits that chose this location would have similar values-kindred spirits.

*Dogs are allowed (not like National Parks).

*Beach fires. What's more comforting than a driftwood fire on the ocean?

*I'm sure there are more reasons, but these are convincing enough.



So, just out of curiosity, if you were posed with the question of Where would our spirit dwell after your death, where would you choose?

Midwest Roadside Attractions

Who says we don't have culture here in the Midwest? Below is the Leaning Silo of Coleta, built by Illinoians instead of Italians.


Wisconsin gives us an intersection composed by someone from WDOT with a sense of humor.


And finally, a rastafarian's delight- The Bong Museum up here in the Northwoods.

Name that Location Part 2

Two more random photos out of my collection. These were taken in May of last year.

Name That Location

Okay, can anyone guess this location?

Looking West

Looking East

Emma: My Great Travel Companion

The other day I was going through some pictures and was struck by how many different photos I have of Emma around the country. She has been coast to coast and from Canada to the desert Southwest. Truely a great companion. Here are a couple (Sorry if you have dial-up)
Cooling off in SW Colorado
Base Camp: near Moab, Utah

A Day at the Beach-Washington Coast
The Giant Sitka- Olympic Peninsula, WA
Cave Dog: Nine Mile Canyon, Utah
Montana Mountains
Olympic Rainforest, WA
Cape Lookout Oregon Coast

Locations of My Soul (part 2)

Goldbug Hotsprings outside Salmon, ID for healing

One of the several pools at Goldbug
What could be more healing than soaking naked in a natural hotspring high in the mountains? Not much. Goldbug is one of those special places that my mind returns to in order to feel the hot healing mountain water. The springs are located in a fairly steep canyon. The hike is pretty short, maybe two miles, but steep. I visited there in April of 2005 (also when these pictures were taken). It was a chilly day, but once in the 100 degree plus water, I warmed right up. The pools are fairly private because of the steepness and shrubs, so it makes for a nice private soak even if there are a couple other people up there. Natural hotsprings are one of the things that I miss most about living in the west.
Emma on the trail up the canyon
An old building skeleton next to the trail

Locations Of My Soul (part 1)

Porcupine Mountains, UP Michigan for calmness
Lake of the Clouds-the heart of the park

I believe that our experiences add to the depth of our personalities. Where we have traveled, whom we have known, what we have learned all become part of our lives forever. Locations are especially important because we remember them for the profound experiences we had while there. Categories of the positive experiences tend to be memories (like the spot of first kissing ones lover), spiritual epiphanies, or just being overtaken by natural beauty. These special locations become part of our soul. They are especially important for me because I find myself returning there in my mind in times of turmoil to find solace. I use different locations to achieve different feelings.

The Porcupine Mountains State Park in the UP of Michigan is where I go to find calming energy. In the case of this week, I literally went there to find calmness (hence the idea for this post). I rented a backcountry cabin on Lake Superior for the evening. My partner was planning to go, but decided against it at the last moment. I guess hiking back to a little cabin in below freezing temps being seven months pregnant ended up not being appealing. Anyhow, the area was so quiet I was able to focus on nature and myself. I did a lot of reflecting on the upcoming birth, my job hunting and all of the other stressors I am currently experiencing. The experience was so healing for me that in the future I will be able to focus on the certain spots in the Porcupine Mts. to help me through times of chaos.
Lake Superior just below the cabin I rented

The Cabin through the Birch Trees

The Big Carp River

Emma on the Government Peak Trail

Hunting for Agates on Minnesota's North Shore

Lake Superior has some of the most scenic coast line I've seen. This weekend I made a trip north of Duluth to do some hiking and beach combing. Beaver Bay is an ideal place to hunt for agates.

Much of the time I just spent sitting on some drifwood watching the waves and looking for agates among the stones.

Within a few minutes I had a few agates and other interesting stones to take home and put in my polisher.

Emma enjoyed playing fetch with sticks and trying to herd the waves.

A few miles to the south is a picturesque lighthouse called Split Rock.

Now if I can just get up to the Boundary Waters this year I'll be happy.