The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

Leisa and I had dinner last week, and I tried to articulate how I've been feeling lately. "I'm preparing to move across the country by myself for the third time. I have to pack. I have to get rid of stuff. I have to budget. I have to figure out how my stuff is getting to Phoenix, and who's going to help me move my furniture. I have to figure out the logistics of an 8 week road trip. I have to say goodbye to my family and and friends and city I love. I'm feeling very much alone in all this. And it's not that I want someone to take care of everything for me..." "But you're asking yourself, 'Where's my f-ing partner?'" Leisa finished. "It's a 'Where's my f-ing partner?'" moment. And that's the perfect way to say it. I don't need someone to take care of me. But it would be so nice to be in this with someone else. Even if I was still handling all the logistics and planning on my own, it would be

After poring over the Kelsey book, Nancy and I decided to do this 8 mile loop hike in the San Rafael Swell. I will never forget how Nancy grew more and more quiet as we drove further west on 70. I could tell she was slightly panicked when we passed the sign that stated the next services were in 40 miles, and that panic increased as we exited the highway and we lost cell phone reception. By the time we turned on a dirt road, she was pretty much silent. We started by ascending Bell Canyon. There was one moment where we had to climb up a rock... I scrambled up it easily, but Nancy said, "I can't do it." Nancy has longer legs than me and was in better shape. She absolutely could do it. But her attempts failed, and I realized it was all about her confidence. This was a revelation to me as I thought about how I often I look at obstacles in canyons and think, "I can't do it." Attitude makes a world of difference. I also had sympathy for my friends- now I understa

Our first day of travel took us through Monument Valley to Moab, UT. I must confess, I wanted to kill Nancy because she was texting with her ex and I knew they were going to get back together. And she knew I was annoyed, which made things awkward. But we pushed through this and managed to enjoy the beauty of Moab. We spent one day driving through Arches and Canyonlands. I pointed out the 8 mile trail I wanted to hike at Canyonlands, and it was Nancy's turn to look like she wanted to stab me. It was pretty hot that day.  (An... interesting rock formation at Arches)    (Balance Rock at Arches)   We wanted an adventure for the next day. Moab Adventure Center is a really great place if you don't have technical skills but want to experience something awesome. I wanted to sign up for their canyoneering experience, but Nancy refused to do anything that involved rappelling.  We compromised on whitewater rafting on the Colorado River.   The funny thing was,

So, I never wrote about what it was like to move away from Phoenix. I've been thinking about it a lot now that I'm preparing for another move. Thank God for Nancy f-ing Novak. She flew out to meet me in Phoenix. Amanda and I met her at the airport. (Amanda and I wanted to spend as much time together as possible, and I knew she and Nancy would be instant BFF's. they totally were.) We grabbed brunch at one of my favorite Phoenix restaurants , then drove out on the Apache Trail so Nancy could experience the open desert. (Funny- I used to freak out about driving on that road and usually turned around after the pavement ended. Now I know that that's when things get good- there are lots of canyons off that road.) I don't remember everything else we did while  Nancy was there. I know she temporarily gave up her vegetarian status to experience an In 'n' Out burger, and we went swimming at Mico's parents' house while they were out of town.