It’s coming on Christmas…a message of hope

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It’s coming on Christmas

They’re cutting down trees

They’re putting up reindeer 

Singing songs of joy and peace

Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on...

So begins “River” written by Joni Mitchell.

It’s a “Christmas song for people who are lonely at Christmas time,” Joni said in an interview in 2021.

I fell in love with Robert Downey Jr’s rendition of this classic on the Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas album, which came out in 1999.

Our daughter Claire LOVED the album’s feature artist, Vonda Shepard. She loved to sing along with many of the artist’s songs, preferring LOUD renditions, and solo. Fun memory of our little reader gone too soon.

“River” takes me back to that first Christmas in 2000 without Claire. So, so hard.

There were many times that all I wanted was to find a river I could skate away on.

Joni Mitchell’s version came on the radio yesterday morning, as I was watching a river of rain flow through our campground outside of Santa Cruz, California.

But it don’t snow here

It stays pretty green

While listening, really listening to the lyrics, the melody had its own meaning in my life. To me, the song didn’t represent loneliness. It reflected my journey through grief.

At some point in those early, hard years, I realized I no longer needed a river to skate away on.

I figured out that no matter how long that river was, I wasn’t going to be able to skate away to escape my pain.

What I really needed was a paddle to navigate the waters of grief, to face all of the emotions I was experiencing.

I wish I had a river so long

I would teach my feet to fly

Through the love and support of Brad, our kids, Kyle and Ian, family, friends, and a whole community, I paddled like hell, to the other side. They all taught my feet to fly, and my broken heart to soar.

As more time passed, I learned to toss the paddle aside and just let go. To let the current and tides take me wherever I was meant to be.

Far from being adrift, I feel as though I’ve let the shore come to me. I feel anchored.

I hope that if you are reading this, and dealing with grief in any form, that my message might offer a bit of hope.

It’s okay if you feel like you need a river to skate away on. I feel you.

It’s okay if you are feeling sad, angry, lonely or really pissed off especially during this time of year. I’ve been there.

I pray that life presents you with the guidance to steer you in the right direction.

And once you get there, that you can just let go.

It’s coming on Christmas

They’re cutting down trees

They’re putting up reindeer 

Singing songs of joy and peace

 

Photo credits: In order; BarbaraALane, Hans, and Starflames, Pixabay

 

 

 

Finding Nature’s Peace in Yosemite

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I’m still struggling to come up with the words to describe our experiences in Yosemite National Park.

Perhaps these, from the “Father of the National Parks,” John Muir, say it best.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine into trees.”

Yosemite Valley

The view on the left was the first Brad and I witnessed of the Yosemite Valley from Big Oak Flat Road. Tears stung my eyes, taking in the grandeur of it all. The view of the iconic El Capitan and Half Dome in the distance with the Merced River winding along the base of the valley is breathtaking.

As we drove further along the route, Bridalveil Fall looms in the distance, the light winter stream of water originating in Ostrander Lake (ten miles south) cascading down the mountain. In the fall, the winds carry the water sideways, creating a veil-like appearance.

Native Americans call the falls Pohono, meaning “Spirit of the Puffing Wind.”

Tunnel View

My younger brother Gordie (eight-years my junior…this comes into play later in the post) visited Yosemite with his wife Debbie several years ago. Gordie served as tour guide for our initial expeditions, strongly recommending that we take in the Tunnel View, which the photographer Ansel Adams made famous.

The view is spectacular exiting the Wawona Tunnel off State Route 41.

Just as my words could not suffice, neither could any of our pictures. This shot, found on Yosemite.com captures the incredible viewpoint.Tunnel View Yosemite

Photo credit: Yosemite.com

Vernal Fall

So this is where younger brother Gordie comes back into the story. He recommended the Yosemite Falls trail. The hike is the longest and most strenuous in the park…and can take up to eight hours to hike. I think Gordie forgets our age difference sometimes. But, in comparison, the Vernal Fall/Nevada Fall hike seemed like it would be doable.

I’m kind of glad I didn’t research the trail too much before our hike. I discovered after our hike that Backpacker magazine rates the Mist Trail as one of the 10 most dangerous hikes. The trail can be slippery, but that’s not the real issue. Hikers can be idiots sometimes, not paying attention to barriers or understanding the power of the Merced River, which flows below both falls.

Having offered this, I would not discourage anyone from considering hiking the trail. Just be smart. And prepared.

The hike lulls you into a false sense of security with its fairly leisurely .08 mile hike to the footbridge at the base of the falls. Note the chart below. The start of the hike winds you gradually up the trail, then seems to take a vertical leap up to the top of the falls for the the remaining 1.2 miles.

Did I mention there were over 600 steps leading to the top?

I must admit to a bit of whining as we hoisted ourselves up the trail. It took a bunch of hits of water (H2O as Brad kept reminding me) and the site of young whippersnapper kids behind us nearly skipping up the steps to keep me going.

It was all worth it…

The Mist Trail and John Muir Trail overlaid side by side

Nevada Fall

Okay, so look back at that graphic above. Note how much steeper the trail gets to the top of Nevada Fall.

Much steeper.

Brad and I were at an impasse. Despite my Pilates/yoga/walking/biking/kayaking/golfing fitness level, my quads and calves were screaming at me. And they weren’t screaming for more…

Brad, on the other hand, was up for the challenge. More whining ensued. More deals were being made.

Did I mention we were the oldest hikers on the trail?

Thank goodness for a much younger hiker who seemed to be breezing his way back down the Nevada Fall trail.  He informed us that by hiking up a bit we’d find an outcropping that we could get a great view of the falls without hiking to the top. I could have kissed him.

Note my happy face below.

Two days later I’m still sore.

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Lower Yosemite Falls Trail

The next day we ventured back into the park from our campground about an hour away. We hit Yosemite Village, first stop: the Welcome Center. Probably just as well we didn’t go there the first day, for when I asked the young forester about hikes, he offered the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail and the Cook’s Meadow trail.

When I told the forester that we’d hiked the Vernal Fall trail and to the base of Nevada Falls the day before, he raised his eyebrows in surprise and suggested that we might want to also consider the Valley Loop Trail, which although relatively flat, hikers can go up to 11.5 miles on.

After a stop at the Ansel Adams gallery and the Yosemite Museum, we roamed the Lower Yosemite Falls trail, enjoyed our packed picnic lunch, then ventured on.

 Mirror Lake Trail

This easy trail runs along Tenaya Creek and was quiet and peaceful. Most visitors opt for the paved trail that heads back to the lake (which is more like a pond this time of year), so we were pretty much roaming the woods among the boulders on our own for the two-mile hike.

Our feet and legs had just enough from the two days of hiking, so we didn’t venture further on the Valley Loop Trail.

Next time…

The Ahwahnee Hotel

Our last stop was the beautiful Ahwahnee Hotel built in the 192o’s for wealthy clientele. One look at the room rates and Brad and I observed that not much has changed over the years. It was fun people-watching in the lobby during our brief stop. Little sisters dressed in pajamas in the late afternoon, accompanied by grandfather to the Sweet Shop. Young couples gathered around the huge fireplace. Friends hanging out in the lobby bar, toasting one another.

Brad and I both agreed it would have been fun to grab a glass of wine to toast our visit, but the curvy hour-long road home awaited.

We also both agreed that we were done walking for the day, so caught one of the Yosemite complimentary shuttles back to our car in the Welcome Center parking lot. You can catch shuttles at many different locations at the park.

To wrap, Ansel Adams famously stated, “I knew my destiny when I first experienced Yosemite.”

As Brad and I both have had Yosemite on our bucket lists, it was our destiny to finally visit. Fate would have it that even though we traveled to the national park in December, although the Tioga Pass and the John Muir trail were closed for the winter, the weather was perfect. Snow in the distant mountains, but not on the roads. Cold in the mornings, but warm in the afternoons. Perfect hiking and exploring weather.

We highly encourage you to put it on your bucket list, and let “nature’s peace flow into you.”

 

 

 

 

Angel’s Share, a Master Cooper, and other tales from Napa

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We’ve been blessed to visit Napa several times in the past, but this week-long visit gave us the opportunity to explore more than ever before. Wine tasting was at the heart of our activities, but we also snuck in a round of golf, a kayak run on the Napa River, and a bike ride from Napa to Yountville.

We made some new friends and had visits with one of my dear writing friends along the way.

Most of all, we learned so much about wine-making and wine-makers during our visit.

Angel’s Share

Our first tasting was at Rombauer Wines, just north of Napa in St. Helena. We chose the vineyard because of its beautiful family history, its reputation for producing yummy Chardonnays, and the awesome hilltop setting. Carrie was our server and did a fabulous job teaching us about the wines they produce.

As our curiosity intrigued Carrie, she was kind enough to give us a tour of their wine caves. While there, I noted a barrel presumably seeping red wine onto the outside of the French Oak barrel. Carrie offered that as the oak barrels are porous, that through the oxidation process, the tannins from the stems, seeds and the grapes seep out of the barrels.

Way back in the day, when cellar masters discovered the product disappearing from barrels, they determined that angels were enjoying their share from heaven. The term, “la part des anges”  or “angels share” refers to the missing portion from the barrels. Wine makers will regularly check their barrels, from a few days to a few weeks, and fill the barrel from the top bung hole to replace the Angel’s Share.

Even the golf courses have wine-related names!

We had a lovely round at Eagle’s Vine Golf.  There was a foursome of younger guys in front of us, who were kind enough to let us through on the first par 3. I came within 5 inches of a hole-in-one, as they cheered the ball toward the cup. I nearly beat Brad straight up on the front side, but he found his stride on the back. Really fun round.

Off the beaten path…or waterfront

We finally got back out on our kayaks on this segment of our travels. We were directed to Fagan Marsh on the Napa River. A great site for bird watching, we took in hawks, yellow-rumped Warblers, ducks, and egrets. We maneuvered through the marsh until the natural channel got us caught up in the reeds. We got kind of messy in the process.

Photo credit: cricketsblog

Cheers to old friends and new trails

I met author Nancy Hudgins a number of years ago at a Highlights writing workshop. We’ve kept in touch ever since, visiting each other twice in our hometowns. Here we are celebrating the sale of her first book, a biography of famed children’s book editor Ursula Nordstrom. I’m so proud of Nancy! Brad, Luna and I enjoyed lots of time with Nancy and her little pup, Buddy. (Who is cuddled on her lap in the photo.)

Brad and I made it back to Frank Family wines again on this trip. Yummy reds and beautiful setting for the afternoon wine tasting. We took a nap after.

Tempting as it was, we didn’t stop at any of the wineries along the route of our 12 mile bike ride on the Vine Trail, from Kennedy Park to Yountville.

Fun fact: George C. Yount planted the first grapevines in Napa Valley. Way back in 1839.

A Master Cooper and Sharing Angels

Ahh…the beauty of Facebook. A college friend of Brad’s encouraged us to check out Caldwell Vineyard.

We’re so grateful for the recommendation.

What started as a private tasting in the wine caves turned into a personal sharing of our own angel stories with Ramiro, the Master Cooper.

Ramiro makes all 350 barrels for the vineyard. Most vineyards buy their barrels from a cooperage. We were mesmerized by Ramiro’s tales of growing up in the region, his passion for, and dreams of playing soccer professionally, then fate (and his nose…very important for toasting the barrels just right!) intervened and he became one of only several dozen master coopers in the world. Here’s a great article on Ramiro.

Caldwell’s website header reads, “For us, it’s personal.”

Our experience with Ramiro became quite personal and spiritual as we shared our mutual losses. It was an incredible “Angel Share” experience.

And the wine was pretty incredible too.

Cheers, Napa.

We can’t wait to get back.

At Caldwell Vineyards Wine Caves Tasting, Caldwell barrel handmade by Ramiro, master cooper, view from the Caldwell hilltop. Breathtaking experience and views.

Eureka! We Found Giants!

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We discovered Giants in nature, art, architecture and industry in our adventures through Northern California.

Nature’s Giants

We had a relatively beautiful day weather-wise to venture into the land of the Redwoods. I loved driving the Avenue of the Giants, a tight, slightly 31-mile drive that parallels Highway 101 just south of where we were staying in Fortuna, California.

We hiked the Drury-Chaney Loop trail fairly early on in the drive. At the start of the trail, we met a woman who lost her wallet somewhere on the trail. I tried to keep my eyes on the trail, which helped with the appreciation of the gorgeous sorrel the blanketed the ground. But, when amongst these giants, all you can do is look up. And up.

I told Brad that I kept expecting dinosaurs to come charging through the forests, as they used to do. More than a hundred million years ago, redwood forests redwood forests dominated the Northern Hemisphere.

We were in awe at the fallen giants, their root structures small compared to the massive size of the trees. We were rather curious as to how this was possible. Then lo and behold, we came upon a sign explaining how the redwoods balance themselves out.

Our Jeep duck points the way through the Redwood Forest. Standing next to a fallen giant, and explanation of the science of the root structure.

Our hike was peaceful. We only  saw one other couple during our time on the trail, and a handful of foresters who were reinforcing some of the trails to meet ADA standards.

The floor of the forest was beautiful, with ferns and edible sorrel. Redwoods are resistant to insects, disease and fires. New trees sprout from the roots of old trees. Brad marveled at the massive width of the giants.

This is the Shrine drive-thru tree along the Avenue of the Giants. The height restriction was 7’7″…our kayaks were on top of the Jeep, so we wouldn’t have made it through. As much as I loved the overall drive, I’m not sure I would have come out from under the tree without a few scrapes.

Eureka Architecture

The next day we spent the afternoon in Eureka. As was so much of the west, Eureka (Greek for “I have found it!) was settled by those chasing dreams during the Gold Rush. We loved walking around the downtown area, which has over 20 building in the National Historic Registry.

Driving around Eureka we discovered the amazing diversity of the well-preserved homes in the city, from Tudors, to craftsmen and bungalows.

At the far edge of town is the Carson Mansion, built in 1884 by employees of lumber magnate William Carson. It is considered the most-photographed Victorian mansion in California, possibly the country. It is a private club primarily to preserve the iconic structure.

The Carson mansion

The Artist and the Automotive Enthusiast

While strolling the streets of downtown Eureka, we discovered this beautiful storefront display of the work of Romano Gabriel. To learn more about this Italian artist who made Eureka his home, click here.

Then, we stumbled into Carl’s Car World, a unique collection of automotive memorabilia created by Carl Schneider, a car racer, enthusiast and influencer in the automotive world. We loved learning about early automotive history, even seeing original drawings by Ferdinand Porsche.

#CarlsCarWorld #packard #bugatti #vw #Classiccars #Mercedesbenz #artistoninstagram #classiccar

And of course, a bookstore

I loved finding a perfect gift for a friend amongst the stacks at the adorable Eureka Books.

It was the perfect ending to a week filled with new discoveries.

E

Elemental

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The elements come into play on our travels, whether motoring from one locale to another, or while we are camped out for any period of time.

Such has been the case in traversing from Idaho to Oregon, and then from our stop in Bend to our destination along the coast, Coos Bay.

Our timing on both legs couldn’t have been better. We missed storms moving into Idaho after we left, and we jumped ahead of storms moving through the mountains outside of Bend as we made our way to the ocean.

Idaho Ready: What you need to know about the chain up law ...How to put tire chains on a semi-truckO

Photo credit: Idaho Transportation Department and Schneider Truck website

In the mountains, one is always at risk of snow and ice. The signs along the way, noting “Chains Required When Flashing” are a bit disconcerting. Chains help vehicles grab the ice and snow for traction. Kind of like crampons for huge trucks. Fortunately we never had the warning flashing lights, for we didn’t invest in chains.

We would have had to turn back.

On our travels from Bend to Coos Bay, Route 58 between Route 97 and State Highway 5 was an absolutely beautiful trek, with Odell Lake and the Willamette River running alongside. Willamette Pass was a little nerve-wracking, with a decent amount of snow on the ground. But the roads were clear and dry.

Here is a glimpse at how the elements came into play on our adventures in Oregon…

Fire

Any opportunity to jump into our kayaks and paddle is a blessing, and such was the case in Bend. The kind folks at the outfitter, Tumalo Creek, directed us to a nice launching dock on the Deschutes River. They instructed us to paddle our way a couple of miles up river, then enjoy the current on the way back.

So what does a fun paddle on the Deschutes have to do with fire? In 1990, the Awbrey Hall Fire burned along the western flank of the city, jumping three major highways and destroying 22 homes and 3500 acres. Had we been able to continue paddling up river, we would have been near the Deschutes River Woods division that suffered the most damage.

We had a lovely evening catching up with a high school friend of Brad’s, Eric Davenport and his wife, Lynn. We visited them over ten years ago while traveling through Bend with our kids. The years dropped away as we hiked their property with Eric. In the distance, the view was hazy, from prescribed fires set to manage the forests. The photo below is from a Facebook page keeping residents advised of both controlled burns and wildfires.

After the hike we enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by Eric, then warmed by their Russian fireplace in the center of their beautiful open family room/kitchen. The fireplace is highly efficient and beautiful. I sat on the hearth for a bit…it was quite toasty. The fun evening ended entirely too soon, but we were leaving early the next morning for Coos Bay.

Air

We’ve been blessed to be hunkering down at the Sun Outdoors Campground in Coos Bay. Our site is just 50 yards from the beach and ocean. It has rained the entire time we’ve been here, and the winds have been a gusting! The motorhome is shaking as I’m writing this, the winds howling up to 45 miles an hour.

We haven’t let the stationery front stop our fun…enjoying hikes on the beach in the mornings with Luna, and exploring the towns and coast over the last few days. We even took in a fun “Wine Walk” sponsored by the local Rotary Club in Coos Bay.

But, oh that wind. And Rain! This photo doesn’t nearly capture how angry the elements seem to be…the air howling, the waves crashing, the sand and rain drops pelting our skin. But hey, it could be snowing, right?

Water 

I never tire of being by water. The ocean, especially in storms, takes water to a whole different level. We marveled at a brave paddle boarder navigating the waves in a cove near our campground. The waves crashing against rocks at Cape Arago State Park at the tail-end of Route 540 were mesmerizing.

But, water can be deadly. We learned about King Tides, which occur along the Oregon coast when the Earth, sun, and moon are all aligned. The huge tidal waves occur about once a month…we just missed them when we arrived. A woman we met on the beach intrigued us with stories of people being swept out to sea from king tides. Note to self…don’t turn your back on the water during king tides. Yikes.

Earth

From water to earth…we were fascinated by the huge Bull Kelp that washed up on the beach near the campground. We could see the “holdfasts” that attach to submerged rocks out in the ocean. They reminded me of characters in the Pirates of the Caribbean! The stranded jelly fish always make me a bit sad…and we saw our fair share on the beach as a result of the rollicking tides. Luna was wise to avoid them on our beach hikes.

The last picture, of the Stellar, or Northern Sea Lions hanging out on the rock and in the waters along the coast of Cape Arango State Park, has a story. Or rather, what you don’t see in the picture offers story.

The tide was coming in as we watched the sea lions, captivated by their defiance of the force of water. The sea creatures were barking and crying away…trying to avoid losing their position on the rock to the hundreds waiting in the water. I thought it was a territorial thing, until I looked to where they kept casting their gaze.

There, on a rock below them, still, motionless was another Stellar sea lion. This creature did not move for the fifteen minutes we stood and watched. But the other sea lions did, seemingly agitated, moving back and forth on that rock, looking to the sea, then back to their newly departed friend.

Through my experiences and research in the past, I knew in my heart what was going on.

I looked up at Brad with tears in my eyes and said, “I think they are grieving.”

Brad squeezed my hand and gave me a big hug.

A touching end to adventures that provided us with many goosebump moments among the elements.