Author: alohawild

I rose around 7 and remembered it was Pride Day in Beaverton and that First United Methodist Church was surrounded by activities. Leadership decided to have church anyway. We present and record the service online, and it would be a shame, I think, to skip when so many watch online. I would later park more than five blocks away to allow for the few available slots (once you managed to get past the police and a slightly confused attendant and identify as church folks, you could use one of the few available ones).

I wrote most of the blog, but was going slowly and did the usual things that made me doubt there was any justice left, such as reading the news, checking my email, and working on transactions in Quicken. Some days seem filled with despair when I read the obvious lies, failures, and cruelty in the news and social media. I find, as I return to my home from a trip, that sadness is not difficult to find, but happiness comes from coffee (liberal), watching the squirrels, seeing the hummingbirds searching my backyard for a meal (and finding it), and cutting my roses to give to others (with the thorns reminding me that one must keep focused on one’s task). Deborah brings me endless happiness as we resume our long-distance love and communication, and we are counting down to our next adventure in Michigan in July (another ten days together). Also, doing the laundry, paying bills, writing, and cooking meals all seem to give a sense of control (possibly delusional, but it still works for me). Board games and role-playing games all give me a chance to push my mind and imagination. I find my way back from the grays and to the colors of life.

With the blog not completed, I head to the shower, do the usual, but return to the creams as my flakes (psoriasis) are returning. The creams are on for two weeks and off for two. I try to correspond these times to travel. I pick a Pride Tie, green sweater vest, and dress shirt. I added dress shoes (which would result in some discomfort later). Leaving my blog unfinished and my computer behind in my office, I boarded Air VW the Gray and headed to Beaverton.

I walked to the church, and the area was filled with rainbow colors. It was a happy day in Beverton. I was welcomed to church and supplied Dondrea and Z with various trinkets from my travels. Dondrea loved the shot glass from San Juan Capistrano, a ‘swallow,’ for those who know the song (here).

I spent the rest of the morning ushering and listening to Ken’s sermon (and singing poorly): “El Roi: The God Who Sees.” This talk was based on the Hebrew Scriptures Genesis 16:13: וַתִּקְרָ֤א שֵׁם־יְהוָה֙ הַדֹּבֵ֣ר אֵלֶ֔יהָ אַתָּ֖ה אֵ֣ל רֳאִ֑י כִּ֣י אָֽמְרָ֗ה הֲגַ֥ם הֲלֹ֛ם רָאִ֖יתִי אַחֲרֵ֥י רֹאִֽי׃. NIV: “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.'”

Ken reminds us in his sermon that a slave Egyptian woman, running away, gives this name to God, El Roi, and receives the same promise that was given to Abram. Hagar calls God the God that Sees Me. Being seen by people (and God) is one of the strongest human desires, in my experience. The dollar I give is important to the person at a stoplight, but looking the person in the eyes and wishing them well seems just as important in the moment. They have been seen. Again, I wish people on benches well as I walk through parks in Portland. My smile and seeing them has them asking me questions, not for more money or food, but how I am doing. Sadly, my treating them as equals makes them assume that I am too homeless and living on benches. I am one of them and can see them. Of course, there are other words that are inappropriate from many who are ill or desperate, but most are happy to be seen and welcome to their unseen community.

On Pride Day in Beaverton, in this church, Ken reminds us that the outcast, the unseen, people who are different from us, immigrants, are seen by God and have always been seen, and gave God a name. We must serve all communities and people.

I was tired and my feet hurt. I am still tired from traveling and playing hard. I skipped the Pride Day booths, but I did find my EV. Though I found a gray ID.4 just before it, it was not mine. They do look the same! I checked my Maps and realized I was not near my car, smiled, and moved on to it. Oops.

I was tired and decided to head to Red Robin for lunch. They were a bit confused, and someone finally let me sit at the bar. The bartender had three or more tables. I was told that the ice cream machine was down and the bartender had to fix it and serve. I seldom spoke to the bartender again as their duties kept them from providing much service. My lunch was good, and my side of Red Robin’s fries ruined the good calorie and carb numbers of my ensalada chicken platter. I had it with iced tea. I did ask other servers for silverware and napkins. No refills of my drink or fries were offered, and I thought it best to use their terminal and leave. I did leave a full tip (20%).

Returning home in the EV, I learned, as I started my research on what to do with my 2-year lease ending for the EV, that VW had abandoned the ID.4 and most of its EV business (with the ID.Buzz skipping a model year due to poor sales). Looks like my decision to not risk more than a 2-year lease was good. I will talk to Herzog-Myers sales on Friday to see what options they offer. I am leaning towards selling it to the dealer.

I do love the VW, and it is great to drive, but it is technology and not really transport. Tech has quick dead ends, and multinationals and events driving decisions that you have no input into. It is easy to take a loss when retaining older tech. I am moving to divest now, but $ is the deciding factor. More to come.

I watched more of The Agency, finishing the season after Dungeons & Dragons at M@’s place at 5:30. I enjoyed the second season, mostly binging it. We were down a player for D&D, and I missed the previous session. I cannot disclose the material, but I can say we were on edge all night. Our usual tactic of non-violence and trying to sneak our way in and out with whatever we need to get did not serve us well. Instead, we had beasts and other unrelenting enemies to defeat. My character summoned aid and kept my character out of harm’s way to prevent losing my character’s concentration on the spell. I was then able to direct my summoned creature and cast spells, having almost two turns per round. Scott continued to use his character’s non-violent running and carrying to save and to endanger party members, grabbing and carrying enemies away. My character burned almost every spell slot (I had one first-level and one second-level left) and expended all my sorcerer points.

Before tonight, I had noticed that I was not really using all my capabilities and was concerned I was playing wrong, but Sunday night’s three back-to-back battles convinced me that I had the correct build and play for Carter the Great, Sorcerer/Bard. I held back one high-level slot and used it to heal Scott’s monk 2/3 through the battles, as his character had been chewed on.

While playing, Deborah called, and we chatted for a moment. We like to start, even when at long distances, and end our days together. I said good night and later replied to her text, letting her know I was going to bed. All day we keep in contact.

It was a hard drive back as I was now very tired. I arrived home, had a carrot as a snack, and soon was in bed after finishing this season of The Agency.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

I rose around 7, late for me while traveling, but I was home. Change can be hard, and the mundane wrapped around me like an old blanket, slightly tattered. A quilt of things that need to be done and about being home again. Shopping for groceries, paying bills, watching the squirrels in the backyard, greeting the neighbors, and the gray and rainy of the Pacific Northwest, which has surprisingly hung on at the end of June. I was living alone, no longer playing house with Deborah in a hotel room, and I missed her. Still, it is good to be back in the happy familiarity of Beaverton.

I returned to unpacking and began my laundry while writing the blog. Breakfast was again, as it was while traveling, a nuts-and-sticks cereal from Costco with shelf-stable milk, cooled to make it more palatable. I like milk with my cereal, and yes, it warms quickly when poured over the flakes and crispies, but something seems off about pouring room-temperature milk onto my cereal (of course, the unused milk must go in the fridge). There was no fruit, and even the milk was from the trip. Shopping is moving up on the priority list.

I opened the windows to air out the house, and the sixty-degree temperatures felt pleasant. The blog, while not exciting, covered a day of driving and was still long, taking much of the morning to complete. The coughing and sneezing of Oregon returned as the desert of California had reduced the moss and mold that haunts me here in Beaverton. I mopped another floor and returned to my shower, which was not as dangerous as a tall tube and did not require stepping over. I enjoyed the familiar process and the warm water at predictable temperatures.

Dressed and laundry finishing up (I have not yet folded it and put it away, nor unloaded the dishwasher). I decided on lunch out. The other choice was to find lunch at various grocery stores and then, after returning home, assemble the elements into something to satisfy my hunger. Hmmm. Nope.

I headed to McMenimen’s Cornilus Pass Roadhouse and Imbre Hall for lunch. It was raining now, and I brought one of my new board games, Rebel Tide, with me, kept it dry, and read the rules while I had some local beer and salad. I had a Cobb salad with chicken. This is a new Civil War wargame that uses abstraction, card play, dice rolling for results (with sliding columns representing various factors), and resource management to recreate most stages of the Civil War. I have played other card-including games for Civil War battles, and thought them excellent. The card play allows for those inexplicable moments in the historical battles (“Lost orders” card, for example, preventing an enemy unit from attacking at a critical moment) that are really impossible to recreate in older all-unit and dice games. The Tide system is used in other wargames covering other periods; if I like it, I might have to get more. But at the moment, I am awash in new unplayed Civil War wargames and will stop purchasing more (though it is hard to resist Kickstarter).

I start towards home, but Bruce Catton’s book The Civil War is highly recommended, and I turn to Beaverton’s Powell’s store and see if they have a used copy for a few bucks. It is a pleasure to be back to driving in Beaverton, not LA or the nothingness of Northern/Central California. It is also pouring rain, a welcoming baptism (though only minutes before I had washed the grime off the EV in the car washer — I forgot to turn off the windshield washers, but no harm), and soon, slightly dampened, I returned to Powell’s and discovered that the Civil War section has moved to the American History section (someone must have noticed finally that there are mutiple civil wars — including the English one — and moved the books). On a near-bottom shelf was the cheaper trade paperback, just under $10, and that, along with some postcards, went home with me.

The exhaustion and mental tiredness came on strong. Also, when I return home, I find some sadness as Susie is not here. I find I cannot escape the sadness, but it seems to be fading, I think. Deborah detects it sometimes before I recognize it.

The Agency is my favorite binge at the moment. I like complex spy and space opera stories, and season two works for me. I especially like Jeffrey Wright’s character, and he is always an actor who dispels any disbelief and feels real to me. I just watched this for a while. I then got back in the Air VW the Gray, stopped by the 185th Corner Veggie place, and got a supply of veggies. There, a family was selling tamales, and I got a supply for $20 and had some for dinner. I continued to bingle The Agency and read also. My reading is Radiant Star by Ann Leckie, who returned to the space opera Imperial Radch universe with this standalone book.

I went to bed, which feels wonderful and so snuggly. Deciding my brain was mush, my feelings confused, and my body tired of it all, I slept. I did not wake until after sunrise. I was tired.

Thanks for reading.

I am writing this Saturday morning about Friday’s ten-plus-hour drive back from California.

I started at Chester, California, near a lovely lake and only 25 miles from Lassen Volcanic Park. This time, I took Nav to swing around the park and headed in a vaguely northwestern direction to reconnect to Highway 5 near Redding. The locals had shared with me that they use the same path, skipping the National Park or the scenic route that passes by the entrance and continues to Chester in a mostly west-to-east direction. I checked with Nav using an app and the built-in Nav in Air VW the Gray (this Nav is connected with the charging of the EV), and the same results appeared. I was later disappointed that Nav added 90 minutes to my trip, about 1/3 of the way in. Hmmm.

I rose early, before my alarm, and risked another use of the claw-foot tub for a shower. I managed to not slip and get clean. I shaved, dressed, and all that. I packed up, loaded the EV, and took my laptop to the parlor. Another person from the Fort Bragg area of California was using the table. There was a small writing desk. I sat there this time and wrote postcards and then the blog. Soon, another guest joined, making a pair, and they, too, were waiting for breakfast, and they asked me about my driving and my home to pass the time. I took a few moments to answer and be friendly. It was nice this time to have folks who knew how to address strangers and be good guests. Excellent. Other guests, looking well-heeled, were less friendly and rude to the staff.

Aside: I always try to play the role of an older, well-traveled, friendly, and innocuous guest when traveling alone. Deborah is likely eye-rolling as she reads that. I did say ‘try.’ But it is always the innocuous side character in the murder mystery who is actually the culprit.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with some cheese, goat again, over toast. Rather light, but I had a lot of driving to do, and it worked for me. With my key returned, I headed out and thanked the manager. I did, not sure she cared, covered how I made the EV work if she has another customer (unlikely) to show up with one. And with that, I headed into where nothing is found in California’s northeast corner.

No cell service, and even the EV lost contact with its mothership, and I was happy for the overcast to keep the glare down. It was lovely, and I did climb to over 5,000 feet again. I have never done a 7% decline before, and I suspect it was 7.4% as it was steep. There were only a few towns and no EV charging services anywhere, let alone cell service.

The landscape was pine trees, most burned and dead, and volcanic boulders filling the fields, with some piled into little hills. Patches of the trees had survived the fire. The area was filled with burned tree trucks from salvage lumbering of the burned and charred trees. I would climb up in the EV and then descend, regenerating some of the energy used. This happened over and over. I passed an observatory in Hat Creek and thought there was no light pollution in that valley for their observations, but I later learned that it was SETI, and they are listening. I suspect there is little electronic noise there either (here).

I finally came down to 1,000 feet and then connected with Highway 5. I then tried to find the correct charge station with 18%, and there were some mistakes, horns from indignant California drivers, but the local Arco station just off of Highway 5 worked, and after 45 minutes, 100% was reached.

(Yes, that blurry picture is the Oregon sign)

I did not reach the Oregon border until after 2, and that meant about a 7:20 arrival time at home. The endless passes followed and sharp curves for hours. The trees started to return to familiar shapes (no fire damage) after an hour in Oregon, and it rained.

My only charge in Oregon was at the familiar Seven Feathers Truck Stop, and after 45 minutes, I was again at 100%, which was enough to reach home (though at 19% on arrival). It was raining there, and I put on the felt hat and my Columbia jacket and truly felt like I was home. Deborah commented in a text that Michael had returned to his natural environment when seeing a photo of me in the rain near the EV.

The traffic was light, and there were no events or much construction for the rest of the trip. I have driven it many times and found it quite easy for the next four hours. Nothing like driving in LA! I was soon home.

I will leave out a bit (it is someone else’s story to tell), but eventually I was in bed, after unpacking and mopping the floor, and soon was asleep.

Thanks for reading.

Thursday morning started wtih me packing everything in my room and loading it back into Air VW the Gray with a 67% charge. I gave my keys to the manager of The Bidwell House in case I get stuck somewhere and can’t get back. It was unlikely, but there are no charging locations within 50 miles of the B&B that could charge the EV in less than 8 hours. But I believed I would be OK and that I had a plan that should work.

I rose early, had breakfast at 8:30, packed, then wrote postcards and my usual doomscrolling as the Supreme Court gave more away to the President. The court ruled again that even a dangerous product that is then approved by the Feds cannot be properly declared deadly in the US states. Ugh! Deadly should be deadly, but not today in the US. The usual states’ rights can be ignored when Big Chemical makes a deadly product, and the Feds approve it anyway. Hmmm. And then, gun rights in Hawaii should be evaluated against the historical context of the time when the 2nd Amendment was written (so said the Supreme Court previously), and they do not include the historical fact that the King of Hawaii banned all weapons in the Kingdom of Hawaii at that time. Thus, guns can be banned in some settings, but that was declared unconstitutional. Hmmm. But I digress.

Please consider the following: And for my 2nd Amendment defenders, I simply don’t agree with much of what the court has recently decided regarding the Right to Bear Arms, but I understand your points. No, really, I do. 

Breakfast started as I wrote, but I found all the place settings full except for one quite set, and I asked where to sit and then never saw them again. Hmmm (lots of Hmmm’s on Thursday). I returned to the place setting and was then acknowledged. Breakfast was soon offered wtih coffee. It was an olmet and toast. The veggies were all fresh from a local garden. I took it as presented and thought later that goat cheese and ham are not a fine mix, but still, it was fresh and well executed.

With that inside of me and my plans set (with a tiny possibility of being stranded), I headed to the Lassen Volcanic National Park. It was 25 miles away, with a small change in altitude (Chester, where I stayed, is already at 4,100), and I reached the entrance and parked at the ranger station with 51% charge. I remembered my homemade stamp book and stamped it while sporting the T-shirt for the park.

I skipped a return to the Sulfur Works and thought to see the bubbling lake. The drive to over 8,000 feet was breathtaking, but the road had no shoulder and, at points, was a near-straight drop of at least a couple of thousand feet. I white-knuckled a few times, and I had to keep all my attention on the curves and not look over at the amazing, wonderful view, as it would likely mean I would keep going that way, and while the view would be good for a few seconds more, the ending would be too impactful.

I can’t find words to describe the stark wonders of Lassen Peak. I will be back, but never when there is snow and ice up there. I stopped at a few lakes and views near the top. I don’t hike, and I was alone, and phones stopped working. I did start one trail near the bubbling lake, but it went straight up (I might have been on the wrong one), and I realized my lack of balance, lack of practice, and the 7,000+ altitude made me return after only a few minutes. I was breathless too. Back to the car and just photos of interesting places, most from the EV.

I enjoyed the drive and the views (now no longer on roads somehow pasted to a cliff). I found the exit and museum at the North Entrance/Exit, got more stamps (different ones), and then drove for more than an hour, but only using 1% to 47%. I then drove to get lunch (chili from Wendy’s with fries) and then charged.

I was now at 98°F after 60°F in the park (it was afternoon now, too). The car took a 100% charge (just checking it was still doing that, it was), and I headed North to Shasta Lake and the Caverns. More roads with no shoulder and great views followed as I left Highway 5 and took the interesting path to the Caverns.

I was surprised by the number of stairs down to the lake, and after a 15-minute wait, I joined seven others for a tour (a small group, I was told). We took a pontoon boat to the other side and then a shuttle bus up another 800 feet to the caves. These were reworked for tours and were full of wet cement stairs and flattened floors. I have never done so many stairs; 25 flights was the count on my Apple Watch at the end of the day. We climbed, I think, about another 500 feet or more in the caverns.

It was only 70°F instead of the usual mid-sixties, and my coat was warm, and the humidity oppressive. I was tired by the end and found myself yawning and needing a nap. But this was no place for a rest! Bryce, our tour guide, was good at filling us in and knew every step. But it seemed endless at times, and I kept thinking of Tolkien, The Hobbit, and its Goblintown. I would recommend the visit if you are comfortable with many uneven steps. I had my boots on.

Bryce and I talked when we were outside, on the stairs down that were cemented to the side of the mountain, about Dungeons & Dragons. He is a new player and enjoys playing and DM-ing. I gave him my card and told him to contact me if he wanted to try something online.

The rest of the day was spent charging and driving back to Chester. I stopped at the same charge station in Red Bluffs and had coffee (and lemon cake) at the same Starbucks. Got to 100% and then drove to Chester, arriving with a safe 63% charge.

Dinner was at Aslan’s Grill (with a lion emblem suggesting the Chronicles of Narnia) and had Greek food. I was hungry, and it was good. I sat outside and had excellent Turkish coffee.

After that, I returned to my room at The Bidwell House, read, and slept early. The driving, stairs, and altitude had me very tired.

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday started according to plan, with me rising early and checking out of yet another IHG Hotel. Breakfast was the usual industrial version, but the omelets were pushed too close together, and I ended up with a plateful instead of my usual one. I stuck to one cup of coffee, as I noticed it was upsetting my tummy of late. I had only my Gym bag and had showered before breakfast, and soon was in the EV, headed to my first charge.

I argued with Air VW the Gray about charging, overrode it, and took it to the first good charging location (i.e., Fast and over 350kW), a Love Truckstop, where I charged to 100% in twenty minutes. This prevented dropping into the teens later. I would again override and use the Sacramento International Airport for another charge, but only up to 80%. Lastly, I was thrilled to find a 400kW Mercedes charge station and charge to 97% (the charger said it got a bad code at 97%, but I also restarted the car and think I tripped it) at a Starbucks. I got a coffee and a glass of ice, then made my own iced coffee because I wanted their 1971 brew, not their premade iced coffee liquid. It is about time to get one near a coffee shop. Now, if we could get a bookstore and something like a bike shop or a Vegan food shop, we would be going full Liberal then. Maybe someday (Walmart, casinos, bowling alleys, and Targets seem the usual choices). And the coffee and the charge were the usual prices! Yay!

Going back a bit, it is hard to cover the driving, as it is just point-and-go in an EV with excellent cruise control that automatically adjusts up and down, and lane correction. The traffic would increase around cities and nearly disappear between with an occasional random clumping of slowness. It was neither difficult nor boring. California is lovely to watch go by. From various plants, to grapes, to trees filled with nuts or olives, and from damp to dry and literally scorched by fire.

Lunch was at the Olive Pit in Corning, California. I had the muffaletta burger, which uses their jarred olive and pickled veggie spread (some of which I acquired for personal use), and it was excellent (after I removed the top and cut it up like what is served in New Orleans, though it would be cold cuts there). I got some olives and olive oil. Unless you love olives and are comfortable tasting them out of a bottle (I did not try any), it is not much different than what you get elsewhere, but I try to stick to local stuff. I got about 1/2 a case of stuff (some for Dondrea to remember NOLA to Donna and Z — $10 for a huge jar of the muffaletta stuff, had to get spare).

The drive to the national park, National Lassen Volcanic Monument, was fun and cost me 30%, which is not bad, as it was over a 5,000-foot climb. I have my annual pass (I have a card that goes over the President, who put his picture on it! ) and just went in. It was about 3ish when I arrived. The drive was fun, but with all the fire damage, it is now clear how steep the road’s sides are! I learned that the Sulfur Works (Bumpass Hell trail is still closed by snow) was easy, and drove a few miles into the park to reach it and park there. It was wonderful, with the bubbling sulfurous mud and smelly geysers. I left the park at 4ish and reached Chester, only to learn there are no good charging stations. My maps were wrong, and when I rechecked them, it appears I confused this area with another Chester with charge stations. Puke!

I managed to use the Antler Hotel’s basic chargers (about the same power I have in my garage) and add 15% over a few hours. I ate dinner slowly and read at a local place. The food was 1950s with industrial flavors and heavy salt. Also, the recommended item was burned and covered with extra gravy to make it less obvious. No names, as it is not fair to the place. Another was recommended, and I will try that on Thursday night, my last night in California.

Yes, I am going home (starting singing that Rocky Horror Picture Show song in the pool) soon.

At the B&B, no AC, but the ceiling fans work, and it never got over 80°F here. An older guy asked me who I was and where I was from, and then said Oregon was ruined and a terrible place. I objected, and I had the feeling he was not used to being denied. He made a few cracks and then ignored me. Not feeling any warm fuzzies here.

The park, on the other hand, was excellent, and the rangers and maps were great. It is lovely everywhere. Just stay at an IHG and plan your EV to drive in and out of the park, and then charge. All worth it; even the B&B without good chargers (don’t do the meatloaf! Ever).

Thanks for reading