"The Oasis of my Soul"... a Lifelong Journey on the road...

[beemerchef]

Moki Dugway and Valley of the Gods are good places to spend a few hours, even if you are just sitting and thinking.
Up on top of the mesa, there are some good canyons to hike in and some nice Anasazi corn cribs, buildings and such.
Another good area is Indian Creek, East of the Needles District on the Lockhart Basin road. The person that I met at the local parts store did much of the archeology in the area, he wouldn't tell me where things are. We found 4 of the 5 sites he said were there and I've already told you too much.
There are some things around Elephant Hill that we found that the rangers didn't know about, or at least didn't admit to knowing about, and again, I'm not going to tell you where they are, you need to find them yourself as we did.

There is so much for a few lifetimes as many lifetimes have lived here... Unfortunately the drilling has horrified me!

Validation of Life on the Road, Utah

Every month, week and day of the year is a good one for us. Has to be as it is a choice. But these weeks are for lack of a better expression “the meat and potatoes” of the year when we chase northbound the cooler weather staying ahead of the upcoming summer heat. It is quite a game we play. Maps in hand, three different forecast software and sometimes even some thinking!

Southern Utah including Valley of the Gods, Muley Point and Recaptured Pocket have been experienced. The digits on the thermometer went up and we moved on to the Moab area. We are spoiled avoided “hot”. The town itself is the center for all outdoor activities, so pleasant especially during the week, great food markets including my favorite butcher in the country “Old Geezer”. We did not last too long in the Arches as my patience with the “fast” tourists drove me to a certain animosity, but Kane Creek Road, La Sal Loop, Potash Road, Schaffer Trail and so much more saw us throughout this perfect time of the year.

Staying ahead we are now in Colorado. A few isolated nights around Blue Mesa Lake bringing on mid 30's again throughout the nights and now for a few days in Gunnison needing a real good Internet connection. Our book has finally been uploaded to the printer. It is in what they call “pre-media” stage. As soon as approved which I am sure it will be as the formatters helping me have been the best, a real copy will be mailed to our Editor and myself for the last of the last proofing! We are more or less at the mercy of a good mailing address and a strong connection. What a long process this has been since early October 2013, but done right.

Lake City? Lake San Cristobal? Crested Butte? Lost Lake? So much for us to wander to while we wait. It will not be long...

The photos keep piling up!


Enjoy




Till next time.

Stay well.

Ara and Spirit

8th Year, the Stars, living under them…

 

[beemerchef]

The right prescription! Colorado.

We shall be in Colorado for a while and when that time comes to exit, there will still be spaces awaiting for our next go around. The roads are endless and so are the sights. The people here are of the nicest. Relaxing by the shores of the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Gunnison, back to Lake City and Lake San Cristobal where even in bad weather we felt energized, walking around in familiar Crested Butte topped with some of the greatest fish tacos, Highway 114 to Saguache, up 285 and back on 50 through Monarch Pass, stopping map in hand discovering the so many BLM lands offering free camping, so much more.

We do not ride every day. We pick the nice ones, the ones with the big blue Colorado skies spotted with the cottonball clouds playing hide and seek with the sun. The temperatures are cool, mosquitoes are absent, this has been the definition of perfection.

I can't even tell, or maybe want to know, if we are still in springtime or has summer started? These months are promising as we are getting into this path I must say we have missed all winter.

There is nothing as good as being on the road complemented by many photos and a few videos posted on our journal even if we are here and they are dated from a recent past in Utah. It's all good.


Enjoy.


Till next time.

Stay well.

Ara and Spirit

8th Year, the Stars, living under them…

 

[photo_i]

Ara and Spirit, it was a great pleasure to meet you two today! Good luck with the book and hope to see you soon again!

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

Did I miss it somewhere? Where is a link to order a signed copy of the book??

Take my money already

 

[beemerchef]

Did I miss it somewhere? Where is a link to order a signed copy of the book??

Take my money already

Will be setting it up this weekend on our Journal. Thanks for asking. Has been a long road!
Stay well.
Ara and Spirit

 

[beemerchef]

Did I miss it somewhere? Where is a link to order a signed copy of the book??

Take my money already

Here it is...

The Birth of our Book! CO

I must say that the feeling holding your own book for the first time is unlike anything else. Almost. The ripened fruit of interminable hours spent writing, editing, proofing, on the phone with our editor and finally the logistics of formatting for soft cover and electronic devices. I forget, the cover design! Dealing with the printer, Amazon, the ISBN numbers, bar codes and... waiting. Waiting while the logistics being on the road do not make it easy for true communications, not just simple e-mail exchanges but the upload and download of documents. Yet, it is done... almost feeling as new chapters now need to start, the continuation of the past ones. They already have.

I hope I do not get in trouble announcing on this page the availability of “Freedom on Both Ends of the Leash”. There are no funds for a marketing campaign!

Our book, if wanting it autographed by the both of us, is available through the links on our Journal or simply through Amazon also as a soft cover and electronic format [Kindle]. I am sure there will be more formats besides Kindle real soon.

In the meantime, we managed to explore a bit more of this area and its richness. There are even a couple new videos on our latest Journal entry. One going up Cottonwood Pass still all white capped with snow and another one on our way to Taylor Park Reservoir. More time also in Crested Butte. How can we not within that always welcoming little town. A few more photos of Spirit clowning around as usual and that about does it for our new entry besides writing about how truly Spirit was rescued.


Yes, they are pretty exciting times and always so appreciative of your support. Enjoy.



Till next time.

Stay well.

Ara and Spirit

8th Year, the Stars, living under them…

 

[Wainiha]

What now? A new adventure and new book?

Or is time to take up the rocking chair? ... Just Kidding ... Congratulations!

 

[concretejungle]

I feel confident i passed you in Moab a few weeks ago. I had been in the needles district and was heading back up through Moab towards I-70

 

[beemerchef]

What now? A new adventure and new book?

Or is time to take up the rocking chair? ... Just Kidding ... Congratulations!

Made me nervous there with the rocking chair! Thanks...

I feel confident i passed you in Moab a few weeks ago. I had been in the needles district and was heading back up through Moab towards I-70

Probably... Stop us next time, we can chat!

Rolling this ball of Life... CO

"It's a very gentle, flowing tale, a nice mix of autobiography and travelogue. Less introspective than I anticipated, I'm having a hard time putting it down actually. The fun you had writing it certainly jumps off the page. It's poignant but not sad."

Yes, it is a comment on our Book. One of them. I cannot be the judge of it, I can only read what others think of it.

We are still in Gunnison, a few more days and on we will go once again “in the middle of nowhere”. We have had the opportunity to scout the areas and considering that 80% of the land here is public, the choices are greater than ever.

We have had Friends camp with us and their huge and beautiful 30,000lb custom built Unimog! I kind of felt like David and Goliath were on display. They fed us for two days, it was such a treat not having to cook! Always is.

A ride up and down the Black Canyon of the Gunnison from which I made a video. A couple more visits into town and best of all the weather is cooperating while staying cool as we like it with low 30's in the mornings. Perfect.

Enjoy the videos, the photos and if you read our Book let us know what you think. Spirit wants to know...



Till next time.

Stay well.

Ara and Spirit

8th Year, the Stars, living under them…

www.theoasisofmysoul.com The Journal and Book information

 

[photo_i]

Glad you liked our company and our cooking. Hope go see you two soon again somewhere down the road!

 

[beemerchef]

Glad you liked our company and our cooking. Hope go see you two soon again somewhere down the road!

What is there not to like about you two? I am sure we will cross path again... I hope it happens when I am hungry for some great food!

Stay well... Ara and Spirit

 

[photo_i]

What is there not to like about you two? I am sure we will cross path again... I hope it happens when I am hungry for some great food!

Stay well... Ara and Spirit

It's a date!

 

[Wainiha]

Just to be clear my rocking chair comment was really a joke. I have no idea how old you are and it doesn't matter anyway. I look foward to getting the book. Something about a man and his dog on a journey seems very ......uh........It makes me think and feel I guess. (I'm not a writer)

 

[beemerchef]

Just to be clear my rocking chair comment was really a joke. I have no idea how old you are and it doesn't matter anyway. I look foward to getting the book. Something about a man and his dog on a journey seems very ......uh........It makes me think and feel I guess. (I'm not a writer)

I just turned 66. Spirit 9. I do think about that rocking chair for that day... cabin on a creek... dirt road leading to it and off the grid growing my own food! I can dream... right? Texas is too hot in the summer.

Lake San Cristobal. Reconnecting with Nature. CO


“Read your book over the weekend…absolutely touched my heart & spirit!!! It is one of those rare books that make you “feel” in all the right areas of your emotions and life…thank you for sharing your travels and life with all of us!!! I felt at every page that I was right there, seeing, hearing and smelling…"

“Freedom on Both Ends of the Leash”

Thank You Chris...

I know, cheap marketing but that is all I can do, afford rightly so.

We headed to Lake San Cristobal for a week on it's cliffs taking in the view and the lack of Internet! The camping was not free this time around but the sights are worth the $15 a night. Five nights actually.

Lake City has been in a total black out with Internet and I must say it was funny to walk the streets a bit, or sit on one of the benches watching the world go around, while hearing the tourists out loud wondering what they were “now going to do?”. Comments were as “will have to walk around”, “will have to take in the sights” and on and on.

The Editor of the local Newspaper even wrote on their Facebook page that the town's sidewalks were buzzing! A sign of the times... Life without Internet must be the worst punishment I think today's society could endure. I personally know a few that will have the shakes [true story] if their Internet goes down... SAD.

The area of course was familiar to us. It is a bit of a retreat just being and finding again ourselves before heading North one more time.

More photos and comments in our Journal. Enjoy.



Till next time.

Stay well.

Ara and Spirit

8th Year, the Stars, living under them…

www.theoasisofmysoul.com The Journal and Book

www.beemerchef.smugmug.com The Photos

 

[Wainiha]

Cabin on the creek. Off the grid. Sounds good to me.