One of the reasons I returned to this area was to check out the rig of one of the people who inspired me to become a nomad. Nearly two years ago I came across Randy’s website. What caught my attention was that he had converted a cargo trailer into a stealthy RV trailer. Since he was in the northwest and I’ve been considering “downgrading” to a more stealthy vehicle, I invited myself over to check out his rig – to which he readily agreed, even though he knew nothing of me…

(more…)

I love this lifestyle. I’ve been up here on this hill outside the Olympic National Forest for about a week now, finishing up the book. Tomorrow, probably, I’ll move into a campground for a couple days to recharge the batteries, empty and fill the tanks, upload some big files to the ‘net and move on.

It’s so great to just up and go when you feel like it. The freedom. I’ve been on the road a year now, and I am so glad I made this decision.

I have absolutely no regrets. I hope each of you finds your bliss, your passion, and – when those natural “what if” fears arise – well, I hope you’re wise enough to ignore them.

I awoke last night at around 3 am, and, it being a hot night, I stumbled outside. As I was looking up at the North Star, a thought popped into my head, “There’s nothing to worry about, nothing that needs to be done – the future’s already been written and everything’s happening exactly as it should be.”

Just at that moment, a shooting star flashed across the sky and was quickly followed by three others.

I went back to bed feeling both content and blessed.

A couple of days ago, while exploring the Olympic Peninsula and while reflecting on my brother’s unusual (for him) and spontaneous decision to fly out here, the thought popped into my mind, “Jeff’s here for a reason.”…

(more…)

I like opening my front door in the morning and being surrounded by beautiful, unspoiled forest.

One of the reasons that I came up this mountain, besides to escape the heat, was to find a place in nature where it was peaceful and quiet so I could shoot some videos for my book. The videos are just me doing the talking head about HDI, but I wanted a nice, serene background. Turns out it’s a lot harder to shoot video outside because the light is constantly changing, the wind blows your papers all over the place and flies land on your nose just as you are trying to make an important point.

So I ended up shooting the videos inside. Oh well – it’s still pretty damn nice up here.

I love filling my water cans early in the morning over at the state park. I love listening to the sounds of the river: the tugs, the waves and the seagulls. I love the way the wind, channeled through the gorge, gently rocks the RV and flutters the window shades.

During creative periods of my life, whether working on an interesting project or – as I am currently doing – writing a book, I often wake up around 5 am with a powerful insight, new idea, or an answer to a problem that has troubled me. I wish I could take credit for these thoughts, but they seem to come out of nowhere – gifts from the Ethereal…

(more…)

It’s been six years since I lived in Portland. Over the last couple of days I’ve noticed two big changes: There are definitely more people here and their driving has gotten worse.

When I arrived in Portland at the end of 2001, I had to constantly remind myself to “chill” my driving down. People were very polite drivers, actually letting you in when you flicked your turn signal on – something unheard of in South Florida.

Portland drivers are still some of the most polite city drivers that I’ve ever run across, but now, with more cars on the limited roads, there is definitely a lot more stress and tension in the “life” of the traffic. A symptom of population density.

Inevitable part of life I guess. Kind of says something about our future though: Peace, whether in a city or the world, is going to get harder and harder to achieve the more people we have (not that we’re all that great at getting along with each other right now).

I’ve got the Loner Archetype bad. Always have. Jung calls an archetype a “primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors.” …

(more…)

Yesterday, Quinzelle left a comment that struck me. She often leaves comments with great quotes from great writers, yesterday’s was from Thoreau. The part that resonated with me was “and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs.”

Sometimes, rarely, you meet people who “emit a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs.” Not in their scent, but in their attitude…

(more…)

As I walk the many paths I’ve been, through forests and mountains and ocean cliffs, I often think to myself, “What a lucky man I am to have lost the fear to live.”

In my meditations, I’ve been working on seeing the the ego clearly – as the illusion that it is. I’ve been practicing so much that it is starting to affect my dreams…

(more…)

Though it was sunny at my camp, it was very foggy in San Francisco. This shot, just to the north, is of the cliff area at Muir Beach. Like the “Genesis” shot, this one too has that mysterious, churning quality. Obviously something is drawing me toward the Dark Side of the Force.

This image, which I shot in Yosemite today, reminds me of the beginning of Time. Ironically, today is my birthday AND I am working on a theory that explains the beginning of the Universe – the Big Bang – as well as Quantum Entanglement, Dark Matter, Animal Instincts, the Human Soul and pretty much everything in between – one simple, easy to demonstrate theory that explains it all. This shot might make a good book cover for it.

What I look like and who I am are two totally different people. Inside, there is almost no one left. At times I feel nothing but this radiating flowing outward (no nouns, just verbs). But what people see on the outside is almost completely different…

(more…)

As I strolled through Yosemite’s “Happy Isles,” a mysteriously magical set of “islands” in the middle of a rushing river, I thought to myself, “In all my travels, this is the most beautiful place that I have ever been.”

Because of the mist and rainy drizzle, I found myself alone on the trail. As I walked among the new, lush growth of Spring, I half expected to come across an Elf or Wood Nymph who would snap me out of the trance I had fallen into – waking me from a dream.

If you’ve never been to Yosemite – go there. Be sure to take the time and explore the trails of this magical place.

I am John Locke but I act like Jack Shepard. Jack’s the rational guy. John’s the man of faith…

(more…)

On my hike yesterday, I came across this plot of rocks in the desert that reminded me of a Zen garden.

Also, if you like this blog, then please take a moment and vote for it here. Thanks!

A lone cactus in a desert of juniper. I saw no other cacti in my morning walk. Barely two inches across and struggling in this world amidst the hard, dry rocks.

If we only take the time to look, we would find beauty in the most unexpected places. Watch this video for a perfect example. Around the 3:30 mark, my eyes started to mist over and a smile gently awoke upon my face.

All last night and all today, an icy north wind blasted my rig, making it feel more like a sailboat than a land vehicle. The bitter cold and constant rocking discouraged me from working. I bundled up and tinkered and read and meditated.

As I went about my day, I took the advice of a practice from Ask and It Is Given and spent much of my time appreciating my surroundings – no matter where I was. I immediately fell into “the zone” – something I often experience while shooting photos or feeling spiritually one. Though I had not realized this before, during those times I am always in this mode of appreciation, but feeling it was more of a gift than anything I could consciously perform. Today I learned you can put yourself into “the zone” simply by taking your time and seeing the beauty and wonder of anything in your vicinity.

Try it. Let me know your experiences.

I’m reading Ask and It Is Given and I’m surprised how much I’m liking it. Because I’ve been thinking on these things well before I read the book, I decided to make this month’s habit: Positive Thinking.

(more…)

I love it when the alarm on my phone goes off to wake me up but I’m already out in the woods taking pictures.

I announced a couple days ago on my mailing list and my blog about CareCause. With only a couple of days left on the offer for a free, one year subscription to CareCause charity support websites, I thought I’d show you the results of only four days of traffic brought in by my personal CareCause sites sponsored by my blog. See the chart above.

As you see, it has over 6,500 hits in only four days. These hits are from me simply subscribing to CareCause, adding the supplied widgets to my blog, announcing it on my mailing list and letting readers copy and paste them onto their own sites. Each of those widgets, when someone clicks on them, takes the visitor directly to one of my CareCause sites branded with the “Blog of Wayne Wirs” logo.

I know it’s a little confusing, but here is a breakdown of what happens when you sign up for a CareCause site of your own:

• When you sign up, two charity support websites are automatically created for you. One which helps find missing children, and one which helps bring attention to endangered wildlife.
• If you then place the widgets that come with your new websites on your blog, business website or Myspace-type page, others will see these widgets and copy them to their own websites.
• When web surfers come across one of your widgets and click on them, they are taken to your CareCause charity support site.
• Each of your CareCause sites provides widgets, photos, your logo, your name, direct links to the charity’s newsletter and donation page, and a page of their latest news – all updated automatically.

Just today, Sandra Cruz-Francisco, an infant, was abducted from a health clinic in Plant City, FL. Her photo automatically showed up on the Blog of Wayne Wirs CareCause Missing Children site and all the missing children widgets now floating around the Internet. Later today, she was recovered, and her photo was automatically removed from the site and the widgets since she was no longer in danger.

Wouldn’t it be something if it was one of your sites or widgets that helped find one of these missing kids?

That’s what I mean by a holistic approach to charity support.

The missing children get exposure. The endangered animals get exposure. The charities get exposure. Your business or blog gets exposure. Everyone wins.

Sign up by Friday and it’s even free. See this page for details.