NBL WEST COAST TOUR COMPLETE AND ARRIVAL AT THE MUD HUT

POST # 173

It's over.  The NBL tour that is, and it has been a wonderful journey with my friend Guy, travelling the west coast from Vancouver BC through to our final whistle stop in Portland Oregon.  I find it hard to believe how fast the time has gone by, and that might be partly a result of my age, but I think a bigger part is the fact that we had fun on this journey, and that makes all the difference in the world.
At least I had fun, but I can't speak for Guy.  However, he seemed to be laughing a lot along the way so I think he had a good time.  Or perhaps it was the volume of ice cream that was made available that made the trip so easy.

We had a pretty decent sized crowd when Guy presented in Olympia at Traditions café.

However, the largest crowd by far was in Eugene, with an audience of about 150 people.

We had many hosts along the way, and one of my favourite places to stay was on the outskirts of Eugene at Patty and Deb's place in the woods.

I was very lucky to have the wwoofer's shack for a couple of nights here.

Included in the shack at no extra charge was "Sugar" the furball.

 

As well as doing presentations in front of crowds, Guy had the opportunity to do the occasional interview on radio as well, like here in Portland at K-BOO radio.

 

Portland was the last stop on the tour, and I had an unusual place to sleep compared to the other locations.  Fortunately for me, it was the coolest place to be as the temperature in Portland was 100 degrees F. on the last day.

 

 

 

 

 

We had a free day, and with the temperature so high, we hightailed it to Cannon Beach which is about an hour and a half west of Portland, and about 30 or more degrees cooler.

There was time to take a stroll along the beach.

 

 

And because the lecture tour was over, Guy finally had the chance to relax.

We left Portland the next morning very early with our scheduled flight to Phoenix at 5:20am, however it was late departing, and then it was a scramble to get to our gate in Phoenix for the short flight to Tucson.  However, due to a light bulb malfunction on the emergency exit sign, that flight was also delayed.
We arrived at Tucson about two hours later than expected, picked up Guy's car there and drove the final distance to the Mud Hut, arriving about 5pm local time. 
Arriving on a Sunday, meant that it was potluck dinner at the land trust about a mile up the road.  Guy, Sheila, Mike and Karen and Mike's parents Mike and Lynn and I walked over and spent a lovely evening with good food and wonderful people.

It had been a very long day, so by the time we were back at the Mud Hut, we had a little more time to visit, before heading off to bed.
And so ends the NBL west coast tour.  It has been such a wonderful experience, and I count myself very fortunate indeed to have had the opportunity to go along for the ride and help out my friend Guy.

Happy Trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

IN TRANSIT

POST# 172
I am in transit today with Guy from Portland Oregon to the Mud Hut in New Mexico so I may not be able to do a regular post for a day or two.
Happy trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE NATURE BATS LAST TOUR CONTINUES

POST # 171

GUY COULDN'T DO THIS WORK WITHOUT ICE CREAM

The Nature Bats Last road show continues on its merry way down the west coast. Today, we find ourselves in Olympia, WA.  Since last week, Guy has done presentations in Duncan BC, followed by ones in Bremerton, Seattle, Bainbridge Island and Tacoma WA. Tomorrow night he presents here in Olympia at Traditions Cafe, and if it is anything like his last visit here, it should be a packed house. Packed houses were the order of the day during our time in Canada, however, since arriving here in the USA, the crowds have been significantly smaller. Perhaps Americans are even more complacent when it comes to the topics of abrupt climate change and near term extinction than Canadians are?  What I think is more likely is that these are difficult topics to wrap your head around, so the easiest option is to avoid them from the get go.
We have certainly met some interesting people along the way, and stayed in some unique places. One of those was in Bremerton at a lady named Jean's house. She has the most amazing fruit and vegetable garden, that I've ever seen on a suburban lot. We had ample time to gorge on cherries, raspberries, and snow peas.

JEAN'S PLACE: L TO R  DAHR JAMAIL JEAN, GUY (Jean is holding a copy of Guy's latest book, co-authored with Carolyn Baker, titled: EXTINCTION DIALOGS-How to live with death in mind)

TWO VIEWS OF JEAN'S GARDEN




Yesterday, we had a memorable drive from Bremerton to Tacoma which isn't too far, however when you have three adult males crammed into the cab of a small Toyota truck with a gear shift, it's an uncomfortable ride, especially if you happen to be the personal assistant, squeezed into the middle.
But some of the tough travel times provide the most memorable experiences.

PRESENTATION IN TACOMA AT KING'S BOOK STORE


We are now past the half way mark on the tour, and aside from a few glitches along the way, it seems to have gone quite smoothly up to this point. I've even had three opportunities to introduce  Guy prior to his talk, which has been a rewarding experience.   I've made a few errors along the way, but hey, it's my first time as a personal assistant, so "the boss" has cut me some slack. Like he says many times in his talks, "mistakes have been made."
It's time to go out for a walk and get some fresh air, so I will bring this entry to a close. No doubt, there will be more stories to tell by this time next week.  By then, the tour will be complete.

Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

NATURE BATS LAST TOUR HAS BEGUN

POST # 170
I've borrowed a computer to write today's blog, and I will keep it short, because now that the tour has begun, my life is much busier than the life I have become accustomed to as a pet sitter.
I met up with my friend Guy around noon on Friday, for his first lecture at SFU at harbour centre in Downtown Vancouver.  The house was full with about 60 people, and the lecture was well received.
Spent the afternoon with others involved in organizing this whole thing in Vancouver, including John, Rea, and Zak, and then moved on to the Heartwood Cafe on Broadway for the evening lecture. It was a packed house, standing room only which was probably about 85 people.

GUY, IN FRONT OF THE HEARTWOOD CAFE

Yesterday, I met Guy at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal to continue our journey, arriving in Nanaimo  about 2:30pm.  We were met by Dan and Linda and drove to their home in Ladysmith. Later,  three other guests arrived for dinner including Wayne and Debbie, and Eva who is helping to organize this tour.  A pleasant evening was had by all, despite the subject matter that we talked about.  There was plenty of laughter to go around.

My guest accommodation is in Maple Bay, a place where I have house sat in the past.

Today, Sunday June 14th, Guy will present his talk in Duncan, and I've been asked to introduce him this afternoon.  It's not the normal role for a pet sitter, however I imagine that I will get through it fine.

It's really quite amazing to see just how many people are involved in arranging this speaking tour, and we've only just begun.  Tomorrow, we will be delivered to the ferry terminal in downtown Victoria in order to board the ferry to Port Angeles.  The next scheduled talk is in Bremerton WA. tomorrow evening.

The time is just flying by.

More updates in a week.

Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

BIKING AROUND ORCAS, "GREEN" ENERGY, AND THE NATURE BATS LAST WEST COAST TOUR

POST # 169

My time on Orcas is quickly coming to an end and it seems like time is speeding up these days.  I suppose it's just one of the things that happens as one ages.

Since arriving here I have been fortunate to have the use of a bike, and I've made sure to go out for at least one ride each day, but usually two.  Here is a photo of the bike.

I haven't had the chance to ride much in the past six months or so, and the lack of exercise combined with the usual amount of calorie intake, has left me with an energy surplus, which is a polite way of saying that I have a larger waistline  than before.  Energy in, energy out.  It's really a simple formula, but simple doesn't imply easy.

There are always plenty of places to ride to, and things to see along the way.  One of my favourite places to spend time is at the beach at East Sound.  This photo was taken quite a few days ago, when we had some cloud cover, but it's long gone now, and each day has provided an abundance of sunshine since then.  The grass is "crunchy" dry which isn't normal for this neck of the woods, but it's becoming the norm nowadays.

On my journey yesterday, I rode through the town, and as it was Saturday, it was very busy.  I happened to come across an event at the main park where they were promoting all sorts of "green" energy "solutions" to our fossil fuel predicament.  Here are a few of the things that I saw.

Now I could have started a conversation with people at any one of these displays and if I had,  I probably would have begun by asking, " How exactly are the materials used in solar panels and cars acquired?"   It wouldn't be the type of question that any of the participants would be expecting.  Of course, it doesn't take an Einstein to work out, that it requires a tremendous amount of fossil fuel energy to mine the materials needed to produce these items in the first place, so you can now throw out the term "green" and you may as well throw out the word "sustainable" as well.
Yes, I could have started plenty of conversations, but I already know that I would be wasting my time, and spoiling their dreams.  As a society, we are extremely reluctant to give up on the notion that new technology will be the solution to the predicaments we find ourselves in, but it is technology that has helped to paint us into this corner, without an exit strategy.
So instead I just wandered around and took a few photos.  Even if everyone on Orcas Island had solar panels on their properties, and they all drove around in Tesla and BMW cars, it still wouldn't make any difference, now that we are in the era of abrupt climate change.

I continued on my ride and came across this old relic from a by gone era.  Sometime in the future, there may be the rusted out remnants of a Tesla here on Orcas, however by the time that happens,  I wonder if there will be anyone here to see it?  I know I won't be.

As the day progressed I took time out in the garden, to pick through the strawberry patch, and enjoy some of the sweetest strawberries ever.  Here is one, just prior to popping it in my mouth.

The tiny house in the background, is called the Raven house, and it is where I am spending my evenings while here.  It's cozy, but I like cozy.

Finally, I pedaled down to the beach at the north end of the island which is only a  few minutes from here.  I came across some little creatures in the sand, which made me think that I was looking at popcorn popping.  Look closely.

Then, just after 9pm, the sun was setting over Saturna Island, and as luck would have it, there happened to be a man further along the beach who was playing a flute.  It was a pleasant combination of sight and sound.

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NBL WEST COAST TOUR

After I depart Orcas this week, I will be accompanying my friend Guy, as he starts his Pacific Northwest tour, which kicks off in Vancouver on June 12th, and finishes in Portland Oregon on June 26th.  During this time I may or may not have the use of a computer to write my blog on the 14th or 21st.   Tour details can be found at this link:

http://guymcpherson.com/coming-events/

Happy trails,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer