One more month...

One more month, this roadtrip will be over. Trying to make it home for my Mom's wedding. Got pulled over really late last night in Sioux Falls for speeding and since I lost my driver's license in NY's Penn Station (really long story. I ordered a new one).... they separated Matt and I to make sure we were not dangerous. "Are you smuggling drugs? Do you have any weapons in your car? What are you doing in South Dakota?" They seperated us. I sat in the police car and Matt in the mustang. Matthew was almost in tears. I've never been in a cop car before so that was interesting. We had nothing to hide and other than Burning Man, neither of us does drugs - so all is well. What else? Ooooh, Chinese Buffets. Matt and I have been hitting up the China Star restaurants... so if cops could label Won-ton soup as a drug, we are guilty as charged. Work is picking up. I have an incredible amount of work over the next 3 weeks. We joined Planet Fitness so we can shower and workout. It has actually been a lot of fun.

Bison vs Buffalo...

In the past three days we have put over twelve hundred miles on the mustang. That is approximately six to seven hours of driving every day - Packed up from Portland and drove to Spokane, West Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and eventually to Thermopolis. Not sure how we ended up here in Thermopolis.

Oh, I found Matt in Portland - if you did not already pick that up. He made lots of friends while I was gone. Yellowstone was amazing - Grand Tetons were 10 times better...... today we are headed North to Gillette, where a nice photographer booked a room for us.... Figure we will stop at the local Hot Spring Bath-house on the way out of town.... heard it is a big historical must-see site..... Last useless

fact you might need to know: A Continental Divide forms a border between two watersheds where water falling on one side of the line eventually travels to one ocean or body of water, and water on the other side travels to another ocean or body of water.... and Matt and I got to walk on it while we were in Yellowstone.

Spokane? Boise? Could mean a memory...

First off.... Portland, here I am!! On my way back to Portland.Sat next to a guy on the plane that is old chums with a mobster in the Philippines. He told me stories that were unbelievable - I do not even care if they were true - they were so entertaining, I have never been so entertained on a flight before.... He ate Macaroni and Cheese, only to find out they were cow entrails... and he saw a chicken rodeo in Wyoming... he went golfing on a Volcano in Bali. Memo sent me some new photos... !!!

Cow Harbor Day....

Worked with this guy in the city today - Mr. Potter. And he makes this crazy giant artwork from tracing models on canvas. Basically the model chooses different objects (rocks, seashells, ext) and lays them on the canvas in a way that is very particular.... it represents them.

He made ginger tea and a tomato salad that was to die for - and then traced me in blue sticky tape (on right)... and he read me his poetry, which is created for each canvas, based on the model's name. If I can get this right, my letters would be L O N D A R E W S... which of many words, one of them he says, spells Wanders.... perhaps it was the name that led me to wander so much. : )

Random note... Today is Cow Harbor Day. It is a celebration held in Northport Long Island which celebrates cows being shipped across the seas, into port, and onto steakhouse plates.... I have never seen so many little kids running around at knee height. I have been having dreams of sun, lots of empty land, millions of new places to see, the top down on the mustang. I want to get back to Portland. It's time to get back on the road!

Love that....

... Brian D. Nelson's portrait of me... is me..... cracking up.
Ha. He's a great guy - you should go check out his blog.

NY.... Ny.... ny

So after a mental breakdown (if you didn't catch that)
I managed to make it into NY alive....
It took five flights, over 20 hours of airtime,
and a night of "sleeping" in a room
that smelled like unfiltered cigarettes and AIDS.

I keep hoping that Matt is OK in Portland, I gave him $400 and a bunch of numbers
of people that he can stay with while I'm here in NY. But he doesn't drive and isn't used to be alone.... Lets all hope he has the time of his life, meets his soulmate and finds his way in life... oh Matt

Topic of Photography!!! I love Bob Coulter..... nuff said.

Whirlwind of a week....

First off, I have no idea how to start this entry - so much has happened since I wrote you last....

My life changed a lot at BurningMan
Matt's life changed a lot at BurningMan
I am going to be flying out to NYC this weekend
because I need some me-time
and my me-time can only be found in NY
Matt either has the choice to either stay here
in Portland at a local hostel for 10 days or
he can move back in with Teddy in NY......
.....I am not sure what he will be doing,
Of course, I am hoping he will stay on the roadtrip
but either way - Strange bunch of events, huh?

So BurningMan... Can you really say anything about a place that doesn't really exist? It is a city. Black Rock City (just put the sticker on my car). Imagine a city full of bars, with a post office, an internet cafe, a playground, a yoga school, a noodle shop, a dance school, a taco shop, a pancake house, an airport, a tea house, animal control, clubs, ninjas, couches, water slides, mutant vehicles......the place is insane. Everything is free - and everyone wants to help you - everyone respects everyone - and life is just full of art and hugs. I have never experienced anything like it before. With luck, hope, and an RV - perhaps I'll be able to attend next year, we'll see.

Matt got lost for two days, on a bike, in his underwear, in the desert (sounds like some kind of twiested nightmare, huh?) The people of BRC took care of him, gave him clothes, food, sunscreen, water, good stories, campfires - and eventually, through a computer system in center camp, we located eachother again. The man burnt early - they rebuilt the man, I talked to the guy who spent four months in the desert building art installations, we danced in a duststorm, and watched the sky burn with great friends ...... the week was madness - it's unable to be described - so lets just leave it at that.

Matt was so happy - he jumped on trampolines and ate tacos at the Boring Camp

Now we're in Portland. We did the Redwoods. We did the OR coast. We slept in a town where the Circle K was the place to be.... they rode horses to the Gas Station. It was awesome.

As for Portland, the photographer we're staying with, Jim, is lovely. He made us dinner and gave us our own little room with a deck! Which is where I am, typing this blog. It's pretty cold here, but I don't care, I love Portland. I want to live here someday.... the air is still fresh and the city is so full of music and life. This is such a great place to stay.......

So tonight's blog is going to end like this:
BurningMan changed a lot of things....
And it will be good to take some time off from the roadtrip
.... if only for awhile.