The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

I had been told several weeks earlier that my tires were literally falling apart. Of course, this would happen when I was 10 hours away from the nearest Discount Tire, where they were under warranty.  Rather than head south, I stayed in Montana. "You can whistle as you walk past the graveyard, or you can cross the street so you don't have to whistle," my dad said. He was not pleased with my decision. Once I got to SLC, I knew my trip was pretty much over. The weather was way too warm for hiking between there and Phoenix, and I was low on funds, so I couldn't go too far out of my way. I also just felt like it was time to get home. I wanted to bake and craft. And when I found myself lingering at IKEA and Target and Jo-Anns in SLC, I knew it was time to get back to the real world. But first, I was hoping to get in just a few more hikes in southern Utah. It was on the way, and there were some canyons I'd been wanting to see. I texted Jason to ask about weather conditi

Golden Spike NHS is in northern Utah. I enjoyed learning about the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. I did not enjoy learning about how it totally changed the Native Americans' way of life.  It was Sunday, and I was in SLC. So I decided to check out Temple Square. When in Rome, right? It was really beautiful. Some of the statues at the Visitor's Center made me laugh. But I did appreciate that they were trying to tell stories from the Bible.

I needed a place to stay as I headed south to SLC. Why not get a stamp while I was at it? City of Rocks reminded me of Joshua Tree, and I loved how the campsites were tucked back amongst the rocks. This is a rock climbing destination, and I found myself intensely jealous of the climbers, even though I actually don't like climbing.  You can see the tiny little climbers on this rock... As I was sitting at camp that night, I enjoyed listening to shouts of "Rope!" and "On belay!" View from my campsite: The rock had a neat texture: Leaving the park the next day, I stopped at the Visitor Center and chatted with a ranger.  "Do you climb?" he asked. "No, I'm a canyoneer... I go down." Wink. He didn't get it. "Oh, I love canyoneering!" he said. "Have you ever heard of Zion National Park? There are some great canyons there. There's this one called Mystery... But you should save that and do some other ones first because Myste

I couldn't leave Montana without getting a few more stamps in my Passport. This led me to Deer Lodge, home of the Grant-Kohrs ranch and also the fanciest Pizza Hut I have ever seen.  And then I stumbled on Phillipsburg... This is a town I would love to come back to! There were so many things to do. One of my favorite parts of the trip was Gem Mountain, where you pay $20 for a bucket of dirt and they teach you how to look for sapphires. This process was oddly addicting. Also, slow. They told me it takes most people 30-45 minutes to get through a bucket. It took me 2.5 hours. I was being thorough! I didn't find too many, but I'm excited to give them to Rachel for her birthday. (She makes jewelry.) Phillipsburg also has a nearby ghost town to explore: And some pretty waterfalls: And the biggest candy store I've ever seen. I wanted to get some black licorice for my mom, and this was the licorice section: This was all I bought for myself. And that, friends, is called self co

It started out simple. It always does. I hate coming home to an empty apartment after a trip. It feels lonely. So, I invited a couple friends over for the night I get back: Sia, Jason, Kristin, and her boyfriend Adam. Jason and Adam like beer, and I thought it would be fun to bring back local Montana beers that you can't buy in Phoenix. I had no idea what I was doing, so I asked for help at a few different places. At one point, an entire store was involved in my purchase. There are now eight six-packs in my car. Let's not talk about how much I've spent on beer. And I don't even like this stuff! I'm happy with Old Style or PBR! Then I thought, well, I have to serve some kind of food. What goes well with beer? Homemade pretzels. After looking at recipes, I realized I'd need to make a trip to Ikea here in Salt Lake to get some utensils. And a serving platter. Oh, and bowls. Because I can't just serve pretzels. Gotta have a cheese dip and mustard dip, too. Homem

When I left Red Lodge, I drove west through Yellowstone. I went on a beautiful hike along the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone where I encountered these guys: I love how everything at Yellowstone smells like sulphur. I do not, however, love the crowds. So I headed north for a little more peace and quiet. I visited the Missouri River Headwaters. Paula called while I was there, and we spent like, an hour talking about evil stuff that is in certain foods, especially bread. An hour later, I found this amazing place for lunch. They grow wheat. And then they make bread. And then sandwiches. Amazing and healthy. Well, I guess that cinnamon roll I got wasn't exactly healthy. But definitely amazing. Next stop was the Elkhorn ghost town. The best part was the cemetery. It was like something from the Haunted Mansion. But it was so sad, because most of the graves were from kids who died in a diphtheria epidemic, and I just kept thinking about what that must have been like for their families.  A

I think that, when I look back on this summer, one of the things that will stand out most are the direct answers to prayers I've received.  I've been praying like crazy on this trip. All that time in the car by myself... Why not? And I know that, as I have poured my heart out, God has listened. I've had revelations about deep down issues I've had for a long time but never really wanted to examine closely. And I've had prayers answered in really obvious ways.   I've made some decisions that I feel really good about. I am going to make some changes in my life, and I am eager to start those changes RIGHT NOW. (Patience has never been one of my virtues.)  Unfortunately, some of them have to wait until I get back to Phoenix.   My friend Kestelle said something brilliant the other day that has really stuck with me. We've all heard that saying about the definition of insanity- doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I've always thoug

I relapsed last week. I started talking to Bernie again.  I really was over him... And then I started feeling a little lonely. So, when he texted, I responded. I knew it was just words. I knew he hadn't changed. I even felt a little guilty for using him.  He texted me late at night on the 3rd. I responded a little while later. And his girlfriend texted me back. She was actually really nice, especially after I sent her screenshots showing how he kept saying he was still in love with me, and I asked him if he was seeing anyone, and he insisted there hadn't been anyone since me. We compared notes, and it's kind of amazing how he has said the same things to each of us. Plus there's his ex he still talks to. And the girlfriend showed me another phone number and asked if I knew who it was. So, at least four girls.  And you know, the funny thing is, I do believe he has genuine feelings for me. Someone needs to tell him that there's this thing called poly-amory, where you a

Yesterday I found out I need a new tire. Which doesn't sound like a big deal, but my tires are under warranty at Discount Tire, which is 10 hours away. My dad suggested buying a pump, but I didn't want to admit to him that I don't actually know how to put air in my tires. I told him I'd deal with it later. "Up to you," he replied. "You can either whistle as you walk past the graveyard, or cross the street so you don't have to whistle." I chose to whistle, and proceeded to drive 10 miles up an awful, rocky, unpaved road to Initial Creek campground. I went on the previously described hike and totally forgot about my tire troubles. A woodpecker shared my campsite last night, and I swear he looked just like Woody Woodpecker. It was pretty awesome. After praying all the way down that dort road that my tire wouldn't blow out, my first stop this morning was Woodbine Falls. (Third picture below... Why does Blogger publish things all crazy??) It

*I am not good with words, but this is the best I can do to describe yesterday's hike.* I am strolling down a flat, narrow path through a dense forest. The fresh scent of pine makes the air feel clean. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. Next to me, the Stillwater River rages, so much whitewater it looks like snow, rush rush rushing, so many miles to go in such a hurry. I come to a meadow. It is carpeted with all manner of wildflowers- geraniums, balsamroot, forget-me-nots, blue larkspurs, dandelions. The colors are so bright they're almost neon; only nature could create such vivid hues. Big fat bumblebees and delicate butterflies flit from flower to flower, and the butterflies are occasionally distracted and flutter off to play together. The soft cool breeze plays with my hair, which is long and flowing around my shoulders. My trusty Merrells allow my painted red toes to peek out. I stop by the river to dip my feet in and screech with shivery delight at how cold the