It rained most of yesterday, last night and this morning. Since the campsite I had picked out on the BLM land is only accessible by dirt roads, I was concerned about getting the RV stuck in mud. So I smooth-talked my way into staying here (Catalina State Park) for another week.

I’m working on giving this blog a facelift - to make it more focused, useful, search engine friendly, and possibly profitable (via ads). Hopefully you’ll see some changes in a day or two.

I’ve been here in Catalina State Park for two weeks now. That’s the longest most parks allow you to stay and fits in well with my nature. Two weeks is usually long enough for me. I checked out some BLM locations yesterday, so maybe I’ll do a little boondocking starting tomorrow.

In regards to my focus - I’ll be making a few changes here and there…

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As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ve been waiting for my focus to clarify. What I want, need and feel I’m supposed to be doing. I set my mental alarm clock last night for 6 am, and at 6:01 this morning, my focus became clear…

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I’ve been contemplating my “focus” over the last few days. What I should be focusing my attention on. What my message should be. What direction I want to take my work. 2008 was full of changes for me, a lot of things happened - and in a lot of different directions.

I hope to find more clarity of purpose in 2009, to open up to the stillness and allow more flow and harmony into this strange and nomadic life.

The quote above was made by the late professor Randy Pausch during his “Last Lecture” at Carnegie Mellon University after having been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Sadly, some people reading this will not live to see 2010. It’s just a fact of life. Could be you - could be me. In the Buddhist tradition, I contemplate my own death at least once a week. Probably won’t hurt you to consider this once a year or so…

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Often, particularly when I am out shooting pictures on a busy trail, I notice people hurrying by me - their gait giving away their busy minds…

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Yesterday, I bought a long thin piece of metal from Home Depot and attached it with zip ties to my TV antenna. I then mounted my Sprint Air card on the end and attached a couple USB cables. I then covered the card with a plastic test-tube-like container to weather proof it. Now my Air card sits 18 feet in the air.

My Internet connection went from 1 weak bar to a strong 4 bars.

We had a light snowfall here in Tucson - it melted as soon as it hit the ground at my campsite, but I could see it up in the hills, so I grabbed my camera and headed to the trail head that led upward…

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Took the new camera for a stroll up into the hills behind my campsite. Here are a few of the shots…

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I bought myself a Christmas present yesterday…

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I arrived in Tucson, AZ last night. I’ve only seen a little of it, but I really like Tucson. It’s a very clean city, modern, and friendly. Just outside of town are these big beautiful mountains.

I started eating again. For a Taoist, finding a balance within yourself is very important. Two weeks of denying yourself solid food just makes you think about solid food all the more. My slightly modified, but more balanced plan…

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Took a little road trip today. Headed up to Cloudcroft, NM, then over to White Sands National Monument. Got some great shots at White Sands - or so I thought - but when I went to pull them from the storage card, the ones I was really looking forward to (at the end of the “roll”) were gone. Miserable. This shot is of the Sacramento Mountains between Cloudcroft and Alamogordo, NM.

I arrived in El Paso, TX yesterday evening. Paid for a week so I could have some time to explore the area. This morning, I walked into Juarez, Mexico (and “no,” Mom, I didn’t see a single drug cartel or gang member). Very nice people. Strolled down to the local outdoor market to get a feel for the flavor of Mexico. Very cool. I only wish I was eating as I love mexican food. Oh well. The above shot is of the Guadalupe Mission.

For more on the juice fast, see my notes after the break…

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Life is hard in the desert. Spikes cover all the vegetation, rain rarely falls, and the wind - constant and relentless - blows for days and days.

The wind buffets and rocks the RV, making her feel more like a sailboat than a land vehicle. The gusts reaching speeds over 65 miles an hour. The dried brown grass and shrubs bend to the northeast from the force of the moving air. The two hawks, a mated pair, who have soared the skies daily near camp, have gone to ground and the roadrunners - ever present - are nowhere to be seen. I run into town for more water, filling two jerry cans for the next couple days. It would be foolish to drive the RV in winds like these. I hunker down - like the hawks - waiting for Nature’s approval to leave.

(I was reading Hemingway on my Kindle today, if you haven’t figured it out by now).

The boondocking in the desert has revealed a couple little problems with the RV, so I’ve spent the last few days doing maintenance and upgrades. I’ve also run out of fresh water in my holding tanks so it looks like I may be moving on tomorrow.

I’ve fixed two water leaks, swapped out my old house battery which wasn’t holding a charge any longer and added a new stand-alone house battery, inverter and battery charger to give me a bit more time without having to use the generator so often.

All of these problems weren’t apparent until I was operating in self-contained mode, so it was a good experience.

Just above my campsite, in the middle of the high mountain desert, is this mysterious box. Yesterday, as I was hiking back down the hill from my morning meditation, I saw a man poking around inside it…

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I drove up to Sitting Bull Falls yesterday. Not crazy about the shots I got, but I did get a chance to talk to the caretaker there…

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Snowing in the desert. Who would have thought it? Not me…

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Day 2 of the fast. Hunger comes and goes. Much easier than the water fast. I’ve moved camp to up in the hills outside of Carlsbad, NM. The “Location” link shows my exact spot (click the title above). Wide open spaces, privacy, and free. I haven’t seen that in years.

Caverns have got to be one of the hardest places to get a good photo, especially when you have tourists kicking your tripod as they pass by. Not their fault though, caverns are one of the darkest places too. Funny how I don’t consider myself a tourist - what’s with that?

Day One of my juice fast. Hungry. I’ve never done a juice fast before, only water fasts. Curious to see if the hunger goes away after the third day (as it does with a water fast).

I drove to the local BLM (Bureau of Land Management) to pick up some maps of the area. I’ve decided to do some boondocking and wanted to know where I could stay. They are closed Saturdays, but as luck would have it, a ranger pulled into the lot just as I was about to leave…

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I’ve been getting a lot of flak lately that I’m not posting enough. One of my self imposed rules, was that I’d post a photo for each entry, but that has been restricting me from posting when I had something important (yeah right) to say.

So I’m going to start breaking that rule right now. No photo today.

Over the last two days, I’ve driven over 1200 miles. Last night, I camped out overnight in a Flying J parking lot on the border of Louisiana and Texas. Today, I drove clear across Texas and am now camped in an RV park in Carlsbad, NM.

I’m tired. I’m stinky and I have no clue what time it really is. But the West is where I’m supposed to be. Feels right. The light, the wide open places, the long empty roads.

I’m starting a juice fast come Sunday. Most of my adult life, I’ve been deeply spiritual but mostly from a mental / philosophical / meditative level. Part of this long jaunt across the country is to start living it physically too. I’ve been eating about 50 grams of fiber a day the last couple of days (Oroweat Double fiber bread - just add butter) to help clean out the pipes in preparation.

Tomorrow, I’m going to scout the area to try to find a place that is conducive to what I’m trying to do. Something about deserts inspires transformation.

This is a photo by Doug Coone, whom I’ve been staying with for the last couple days. They got some snow up here in Alabama while I was down in Florida. You can see my RV experiencing her first snow.

Today I’m heading out for parts unknown. West, but unknown.

Here are some photos from Savannah, GA. I only walked around the downtown area about two hours before heading to Powell, Alabama where I’m keeping my RV at my buddy Doug’s place.

I was stationed outside Savannah most of my three years in the Army. Brought back a lot of memories, none of which I’m particularly proud of, but good memories nonetheless.

More photos below…

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