Extraordinary MONTANA!!! (part one)

Published on by Wildflowers Lori2 Comments
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Clark Fork River, Montana

Let me take a moment to express my feelings…..

It has taken me way too long to write about Montana but honestly I was totally bummed about being back.  I had this really crappy moment when I was leaving Glacier.  I woke up on a crisp sunlit morning, neatly packed up my tent, loaded the rest of the stuff in my car and started driving to my new found favorite spot along McDonald Creek just north of McDonald Lake.  I was just about there when I felt a strong urge to leave and move on to my next destination.  So I turned the car around and said to myself, “I don’t want to rush my time here.  I don’t want to try and see everything in one fell swoop.”  I knew I’d be coming back Glacier sooner rather than later so I felt that it was a good time to leave.  I drove along Route 2 down the south end of the park and into the east end.  The southeast end of the park is beautiful with rolling landscapes of tall grasses and subtle views (compared to the stark ones of Going To The Sun Road) and way less traveled than other parts of the park.  This long winding quiet road allowed me ample time to get lost in my thoughts and desires about this magical, humbling, nurturing place I just spent the past several days in.  Glacier is a place that resets every part of your being.  It is pure and lovely, towering and intimidating, patient and raw.  Glacier will make you fall in love, threaten you with crazy storms and then it will wrap it’s arms around you with it’s wild, raw and free loving energy.  I fell in love with Glacier…hard…I fell in love fast.  I hated to be leaving but knew it was time to go.  That wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning.

Driving down route 2 to East Glacier I just started crying, sobbing buckets of tears.  Screaming in my head, “I KNOW I AM NOT READY TO STAY BUT I AM NOT READY TO GO HOME EITHER!!!!!!!!!!”   I was just done.  DONE in every sense of the word.  I just wanted to wander off into the woods, follow the rivers, find a great place to take a nap and wake up with all the answers.  I wanted to drive back up to Bowman Lake, dive into it’s crystal clear cold waters and just SCREEEEAAAMMMM.  Scream so loud that the fish scattered and the mountains trembled.   I pulled off the road somewhere in Black Feet Nation and just sat there staring out into nothing, wishing like heck I could fast forward to the place in time where I am ready to be ready.  Five to seven years ago I would have just given my notice to my boss, had someone pack  up my apartment and just stay.  Now I am in a different place.  This place of making a life that I can take on the road.  I don’t want a house, land or permanent address.  I want the country to be my home and the landscape of this wondrous land to be my life’s work….

Now back to the beginning…

Sometimes you experience moments and are happy you are by yourself.  Then there are some moments that are so EXTRAORDINARY that you wish you had someone by your side to share it with because you want someone to feel what you just felt.  Whether that someone be a lover, friend, niece or nephew, anyone to just to soak in that moment with you.  The emotion, the beauty, the chills flowing all over your body!  I had two of those moments on my travels this past month!  TWO!  I also experienced many many other great moments…how lucky am I?!?!?! 😀

Montana:  (facts courtesy of  http://www.50states.com/facts/montana.htm, except #10….that’s mine own fact!)

  1. Montana is the only state with a triple divide allowing water to flow into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Hudson Bay. This phenomenon occurs at Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park.
  2. Home to more elk, deer and antelope than people.
  3.  Has the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48.
  4. It’s river and streams provide water for THREE oceans!!!
  5. Has the largest variety of mammals than any other state.
  6. It has the largest migratory elk herd in the United States.
  7. Montana means mountains in Spanish.
  8. At Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge it is possible to see up to 1,700 nesting pelicans.
  9. 46 out of Montana’s 56 counties are considered “frontier counties” with an average population of 6 or fewer people per square mile.
  10. So far THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STATE I have ever been to.

After I had five wonderful days with my best friend Shannon I was anxious to get on the road and travel to my homeland.  I was born in Great Falls, Montana.  I was a wee baby when we moved away but that is where I drew my first breaths and they have stayed with me all this time.

I never thought that I would be able to live in a state that is land locked.  I learned that the hard way living in Florida for a short time and although Gainesville is nice, it was torture living inland!  Never again.  And that is why when I lived in Venice and San Francisco, CA I had to be with in walking distance to the ocean or no more than a 10 minute drive.  Same goes for here in Ohio.  The country is beautiful for a little Sunday drive with its little farms and back roads but nothing is more beautiful than the wide open waters of the Pacific Ocean and Lake Erie!

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Somewhere outside Butte, MT

Well…until I hit Montana.  Montana with it’s wide rivers, towering mountains, cloud shadows on the rolling hills and glacial lakes!  I cried when I experienced this beauty.  I was driving out of Butte, Montana when I hit a thunderstorm.  The rain was pouring down and dark clouds hovered above but all the while the sun was still shining.  A rainbow that was so bright, arced high above the mountains.  Between the rainbow and the sun the rain looked like crystals flickering to the ground.  That my friends, I have never seen anywhere else.  I cried.  I was soooooo contently happy and overcome with peace that I had to pull over just watch it for a while.  This happened many times while driving through Montana.  It really is one of the last frontier states and it’s vast openness is unsurpassed by any other state in the lower forty eight.

Montana rivers are huge.  I am talking wide, with clear rushing waters that just BEG you to go swimming in them.  One of my goals this trip was to swim in as many bodies of water as possible!  So I did!  I was driving into Montana moseying along down the road when I spotted a nice cool river to take a dip in.  Now Montana has great rivers for fishing and they have fishing access points all along the rivers.  Lots of fly fishing happening up there.  So when I came upon my first access point I pulled off and there was one camper and one car.  The only person I saw was a cute fly fisherman from Vermont (didn’t get his name…shucks!)  So I scurried down to a spot where the water pools and waded over to two giant rocks.  I saw the cute “fly” guy (hahaha) but had to wait until he made his way down stream so I could get in.  Yes, I swam in my t-shirt, bra and underwear that time and it was AWESOME!!!  Clear sparkling waters, tall pines and gorgeous river rock.  Gosh I felt SOOOO free!

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So nice to cool off after driving for several hours!

Look at that technique!  Lol…  I came up with a way to take pictures while traveling solo.  Setting a timer was not conducive to getting a decent candid shot.  I cannot pose for anything and when I try I look ridiculous!  :p  So I set up my flexible tripod ($5 on amazon), hooked my phone up, set the camera to video that way I could record and swim around for as long as I wanted.  This way I wouldn’t have to rush out trying to get in the frame and not look like a dork!    When finished, I just played the video, paused it on a shot I thought was cool and screen shot it.  Wahla!!!  Last time I traveled out west it was with a disposable camera…lol!   But hey dudes I took some great pics without knowing if they were going  to be good or not!  Technology man…it’s a love hate relationship 🙂

But with Montana….it is just pure love!

To be continued…

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

 

 

 

Oregon…We’re going down like the Titanic!…..

Published on by Wildflowers Lori1 Comment
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Oh Oregon…I like you but need a better sign!

Dudes I am writing from Glacier National Park in beautiful northern Montana!!!!  I will dedicate like a 1,000 posts to this leg of my trip a little later ;D  First up…wonderful Oregon!

I was so totally stoked to visit one of my super best friends Shannon residing in The Dalles, OR!  Shannon and I have been friends for nearly 20 years and even though we go through spouts of not seeing each other we always pick up right where we left off!

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Oh Oregon…I like you but need a better sign!  Dinner at Southland Whiskey Kitchen, Portland

Shannon moved to Oregon to take a great job and be with her boyfriend Matthew about 3 years ago and it has taken me this long to visit!  (I will not say that she never ONCE came to visit me in California!)  Oh wait… I just did…. >(

Anyways… What didn’t we do while I was in visiting?!  First off let me tell you that Shannon and Matt have a sick view from their backyard!

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Yeah….that’s from Shannon’s backyard!

 

I got to hangout, chat, workout and chill with my friend Shannon 😀  Also her friend Dave was in town for a wedding so it was a Cleveland reunion!  #216love

Here is what I didn’t know about Oregon… the eastern part of the state is dry, dry and dry!  As an Ohio gal, I thought ALL of Oregon was covered in giant towering pines and lush forest ground!  Yeah, no.  As I drove across the country I was able to see how the landscaped changed over the course of beautiful endless miles.  It’s not that I expected each state to be a certain way, I just didn’t realize that drastic of a contrast to what I had in my mind about eastern Washington and Oregon.

With that said The Dalles is beautiful!  Hood River is beautiful!  All in all it is a great chunk of land that offers endless outdoor activities to take part in.  For instance: horseback riding (we didn’t this time but Shannon has horses so it’s on the list for next time), paddleboarding, sailing, hiking Mt. Hood, jogging along the river path and SO MUCH MORE!!!

I went sailing for the first time and whoa dude….crazy cool and crazy scary at times!  Especially when your BFF almost literally slips right into the water and you think, “yep this ship (boat) is totally going to capsize!!!!

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That’s the boat.  Some fun facts that maybe one should know before the going sailing for the first time…MATTHEW!!!!….lol!

  1. Boat’s really do not sink without human error.
  2. You can cut the power of the sail (by dropping it) if crap hits the fan.
  3. There is a 6 foot 1500lb KEEL that is preventing that effing boat from tipping so far over that is goes UNDER water!!!!
  4. Sit facing HIGH side so you’re not turned around looking LOW side and thinking, “Oh POOOOOOOOOP  we’re going to Titanic the S%#T out of this boat!
  5. You can trust some dude named Matthew….because even though he’s only been sailing for a year…he know’s his stuff.
  6. 5-6 knots feels like 100mph!

After I survived sailing…lol, the next day we kept things low key and went for a jog along the Columbia River.  Just beautiful!  Then the next next day we drove to Portland tocheck out that very cool city, hiked Mt. Hood and paddled boarded ALLLLLLLL the way to Washington!  (the Columbia River averages a mile in width so it wasn’t that far.)

Did we do some drinking…yes but it was all because we prefaced it with a great workout!

I had a fabulous time in Oregon but sadly it was time for me to wander on 😀  I said my goodbyes (why does’t that look like goodbye is spelled right? LOL) and moseyed my way to Montana!

Thank you Shannon for being such and amazing, wonderful, adventurous and crazy friend!  I miss ya already!

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Life (for a couple weeks anyways) on the road :)

Published on by Wildflowers LoriLeave a comment

 

Do you see that cloud?!  That cloud is a map of the United States, Canada and part of Mexico.  How awesome is that?!  I saw this cloud as I was driving through Montana, the state where I born.  😀  Yes, I was just a baby when we moved but none the less I can claim to be a native!

FINALLY the time has come for me to be on VACATION!!!  You know how you count down the days until your vacation starts but once it arrives it seems like some sort of dream?  That’s what it totally felt like for me.  It didn’t actually hit me that I was on vacation until I was driving out of Ohio.  This trip is taking me through the northern part of the U.S.A.  There are 2 main destinations on this trip. 1.  To see one of my very best friends Shannon and 2. To finally make it up to Glacier National Park!  Shannon lives in Oregon and even when I lived in California I never made it up to Oregon.  Although… I did almost move there post whitewater rafting accident but decided on staying in California.  Good decision?… who knows?!

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Open road and a semi buggy windshield…lol
People kept asking me, “Why don’t you just fly?”  Great question people but the answer leaves a lot of people shaking and scratching their heads in disbelief.  I actually LOVE LOVE LOVE driving across country!  People then asked, “Someone is driving with you, right?”  Nope!  I have driven across country solo a few times before so it isn’t anything new nor is it scary to me.  People say flying is so much quicker, flying is so much cheaper and my personal favorite, driving is so boring.  Okay, okay… the first two are true.  Flying is way quicker and much cheaper but the third is SO not true for me.  Then people ask me if I get lonely out on the road.  It is very seldom that I get lonely while road tripping.  Would I love to have an amazing, adventurous, spontaneous and fun loving boyfriend to travel with?  Um…yeah!  It would be so great to share experience, the cost of everything, the driving, the set up of tents, picture taking and such but I’m sure as heck not going to wait around for Mr. Right to show up just so I can travel the way I love to travel!

Driving across this amazing land is a privilege and I am so lucky to be able live here as a free citizen and experience all the different landscapes these states have to offer!  What other country in the world can you experience all the different types of climate?  Between Friday and today I drove though a temperate humid climate, desert climate and temperate rain forest climate and that took less than 5 days!

So let me start this journey with you…

I woke up Friday the 30th of July and headed out of Ohio.  I packed only what could fit in the hatchback of my car.  I like to keep things neat and tidy when I travel!  Clutter in the car equals clutter in the mind…. and me no like clutter…LOL!  Heading out of Ohio was uneventful as was Indiana and Illinois (both beautiful in their own right.)  Although it took me a while to get through both states due to construction.  I looked at google maps ahead of time and wow…what a difference 10 years makes!  10 years ago there really wasn’t a google maps.  I headed to the west coast (to live) with an actual paper map!  I still love paper maps and almost prefer them because I think paper maps take a skill that is long lost on the newer generations.  Skills such as cardinal directions, legends and topography interpretation.  Now google maps tells ya the quickest route, traffic and construction!

About 12 years ago I drove the northern route out to the Badlands of South Dakota and then up through Wyoming and the lower part of Montana.  I took the almost the same route this time because it was the quickest and I really wanted to get out to Oregon.  I am going to mosey my way back through Washington and Montana once I leave Oregon. Wisconsin and Minnesota are so beautiful!  Rolling farms, views that go on forever and just the simplicity of the land.  Driving though those two states is very calming.

 

Minnesota and Wisconsin

I was SOOOOO excited to see Caribou Coffee that I literally screamed aloud when I saw the sign on the highway!  My girlfriends and I always used to go to Caribou when they were open in Ohio.  Caribou had such a friendly and cabin cozy atmosphere and it has yet to be rivaled by any coffee shop in the Cleveland area.  Erie Island is awesome and my new favorite but definitely not as cozy or friendly as Caribou Coffee… 😦  The giant load on the truck looks like a huge wheel of cheese and since I was stuck in a little bit of traffic in the cheese state capitol of the U.S. I thought I’d snap a funny picture!  lol…  I also love that there is a city somewhere in Minnesota called Blue Earth!  It sounds like it would be a cool place to visit!

I spent the night at a KOA in Minnesota and it was nice to wake up a take a warm shower.  Props to the KOA I stayed at because the shower heads were amazing!!!  I will say that this KOA was next to a highway and it was awfully loud.  I ended up going into my car in the middle of the night just to dampen the noise.  Ever since I started hammock camping I really dislike sleeping on the hard ground.  The car didn’t offer a better nights sleep either.  Oh well…that’s life on the road!

 

South Dakota

 

South Dakota will always be one of the most sacred and beautiful places to me.  12 years ago I traveled to The Badlands in South Dakota on a sort of spiritual pilgrimage.  I was searching for a spiritual practice and started reading a book called Black Elk Speaks.  This book opened my eyes and my heart and was the reason that I traveled to The Badlands.  The rest of that story I will keep to myself for now….I am sure I will share later!

Dudes…when you get to western Minnesota you will see your first sign for Wall Drug.  Then for the next 400 or so miles there will be a crap ton of billboards of all shapes and sizes advertising a free doughnut and a 5⊄ cup of coffee!  5⊄ cup of coffee?????? Heck YES PLEASE!!!!  Well the coffee if 5 cents if you sit down in the restaurant.  I bought mine to go as I have already wandered around Wall Drug before and it is very touristy and very crowded.  Definitely a must see if you have never been out that way!  You almost feel like a jerk if you don’t stop by because they goad you with cute and welcoming signs for 400 hundred miles!  I don’t want to dampen their efforts…so I always stop by when I am in the neighborhood 😀

After I left South Dakota I cut through the upper northeast corner of Wyoming.  Wyoming so much to see and I definitely recommend getting out there to visit but on this trip I took the quickest way to Oregon.

I am going to skip over my drive through Montana as I will be spending a majority of my time there and will write about it at length later.  I am heading out of Oregon tomorrow morning and making my way there!  I cannot wait!!!!

Next up Oregon!  To be continued….

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

 

 

 

Traveling…

Published on by Wildflowers Lori1 Comment

 

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I woke up with the sun filtering through the canopy of trees dripping with morning dew.  That morning was peaceful, beautiful and quiet with exception of the fellow forest animal and insect dwellers scurrying around.  Just how I like to wake up, with trees all around and the promise of something amazing happening that day.

Several years ago I took my first solo trip out west.  I had just read a book that inspired me to take off  to seek and explore areas of this amazing country that I never had been.  Well I am about to do that again.  This time it isn’t a book that is getting me out there.  It is the story of me.  What I believe, think, FEEL, LOVE, admire.  My desire to drive countless hours and nestle in to the backdrop of this land that I love.  I am going to different places I have never been.  I am going to wake up to new vistas, hear new sounds and meet new people.  I am going to snap pictures of beautiful places and faces.  I am going to write.  I am going to listen to the stories of the locals.  I am going to laugh with people I meet.

Most importantly I am going to meditate.  I am going to reflect upon my life and where it is going.  What I need, want, cannot live without, what I can live without.  What makes me happy.  What makes me peaceful inside.  I am going to take my trusty dirt stained yoga mat and roll it out on ridges, rocks, hills and mountains.  I am going to take in the morning air and send copious amounts of gratitude out into the universe.

I love the open road…to be continued..

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may better than you dare to think.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

Keep on keepin’ on…

Published on by Wildflowers LoriLeave a comment

Sometimes decisions are hard.  I have had to make a few of them in the past couple of weeks.

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quotesaboutmovingonn.blogspot.com
Dudes….sometimes ya just gotta let it alllllll GO!  And I mean let it GO!  I have fantasies about taking a hammer to my iPhone.  Like one day I wake up and instead of checking my email I just take a hammer and smash the heck out of it.  I have fantasies of having nothing but a land line.  I daydream about having the day to myself and not being tied to a rectangular box that makes me “feel” complete…waiting with bated breath while you can actually SEE someone texting you back in real time….the little dots doing the wave…you wait with anticipation…”What will they say???????”   Screw all of it.  The job, the arrogant people in your circle, the men who want their cake and to eat it too.  I just want to go, breathe and take in my surroundings.

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http://www.budgettravel.com
Breathe….take it all in… and let it all out.  What will be will be.  Make mistakes, erase bad karma, be positive, learn, grow and just be yourself.  Do not apologize for you are good as long as you learn and grow from your mistakes.  Treat others well.  Take deep breaths.  LOVE LIKE NO OTHER.  Wear your heart on your sleeve.  Live in the moment but in the back of your mind be aware of the ripples of your actions.  Be the best person for yourself and the others involved in your life.  Say what you feel as long as you are not disrespectful.  Do not be afraid…. DO NOT BE AFRAID.  Love and love and love and love until…well forever.

Love,

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

Vegan Part 1…why and how? New blog name?!

Published on by Wildflowers Lori2 Comments

Hey folks!

I changed the name of my blog…not sure how I feel about it yet but any feedback is welcome.  I really liked a happier human but people have started to call me by my Facebook handle Wild Flowers Lori and I think I kinda like it.    As I sit typing I am eating a veggie hummus bowl from my favorite coffee shoppe!  Yep you guessed it, Erie Island Coffee 😀

Okay dudes (ladies and gents)… so on April 25th I decided that I wanted to go vegan again.   Again meaning I was vegan for a while when I lived in San Francisco.  I had already been vegetarian for a bit and after not too much time and thought I decided that I wanted to go vegan.  IT WAS SO EASY TO DO IN SAN FRANCISCO!!!! Almost every place is vegan friendly and you can find great variety of veggies and fruits ALL year long!  Plus people out there are totally accepting of your dietary choices. I could take “ribs” to a BBQ and no one even blinked an eye or grilled me with tons of questions.  Number one question here in Ohio is, “Where do you get your protein?”  California is pretty progressive when it comes to healthy living and I miss that sometimes when I am grocery shopping back here in the mid west.  I heart CLE though!  😀  I will say this though, I can go to ANY restaurant and find something to eat on the menu.  Even a steak house.  I am not preacher nor an “Eeew I can’t eat there” kind of gal!  We all make lifestyle choices that suit us.

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photo courtesy of plenteousveg.com

When I was vegan living in California I was in the best shape of my life, my climbing progressed as did my swimming.  Mental clarity was DA BOMB!  I was never in a fog nor did I have days where I felt like I was dragging butt.  Sure I had days where I was tired from working myself too hard but normal days were AWESOME!   So I kept with it…until I moved back to Ohio.  Then it was just soooo hard to maintain.  Dairy is the basis of every food family and friend get together.  Appetizers, main dishes,  desserts, breakfasts etc.  It wasn’t long before I was eating my way through all of it.  I felt overloaded and defeated and bloated.  So I gave in for years,  4.5 years to be exact.  I tried to go vegan about a year ago and it wasn’t the right time for me I guess.  I was taking on a lot of things and being vegan wasn’t at the forefront of life.

There are a few different types of veganism.  Here is where I am at.  I don’t eat meat, dairy or eggs. I used to eat the eggs from my friend Ginger’s pet chickens but I don’t anymore.  For a while she was known as my “egg dealer” as I would slip her some cash in her pocket at work all incognito! Hahaha :p  I don’t buy leather goods whenever possible.  (A lot of tennis shoes have leather accents.  So if you know of any vegan running shoes let me know!)  I did not throw out any of my leather goods I already had.  I paid the money and will get my use out of them.  I am not going to beat myself up if I have a cannoli once in a blue moon from Gallucci’s Italian Foods and Market on E. 66th and Euclid.  I have been going here with my family since I was in diapers and somethings are sacred…like fresh filled cannoli’s.  (I will thank and pay homage to the animals before I eat it.)  I am not a crazy hard core vegan.  I know I will have slips and cave in at some point.  I am doing what I feel is the best thing for MY body, mind, soul and welfare of the animals.

The reason for this post is because as I emerge as a vegan people are asking questions.  They hear me ordering no dairy at a restaurant and want to know why.  So in following posts I will be talking about animal welfare, nutrition and cooking.  I am not a nutritionist.  My views, thoughts and ideas are mine and mine alone.  You should consult your physician before making any major dietary changes.

I hope you all have had a great week so far!  Tomorrow night my best friend Sara and I are going to a Cinco de Mayo (yes I know it’s a day late) wine tasting and food testing at a local health food store.  I am so excited as all the food featured will be vegan!

Let me know your thoughts and opinions about the blog name change and veganism!

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

 

Sun and Inspiration

Published on by Wildflowers Lori2 Comments

Truth is, I haven’t been inspired to write anything for a while now.  Not sure if it was a lack of adventure in the winter time, endless days of no sun or a combination of both.  Combination of both.  I cannot say that I did a whole lot of adventuring lately.  Anyways today is the first day in a long time that I have felt like writing anything.

I woke up Saturday morning and the sun was shining bright through my apartment warming the floors and my inner sense of peace.   I did my usual routine of dusting the sleep out of my eyes, washing dishes and putting the kettle on to brew coffee in the french press.  I did some yoga while waiting for the kettle to whistle (dudes I am stiff!)  I also flipped through a couple of pages of the latest Patagonia catalog.  Inspiration can always be found in there and this time it lit a little bit of a fire inside of me.  Sometimes I rip out a few pages and put them on my fridge.  When I lose inspiration I have a couple of reminders staring me in the face of what I love about my life and what I aspire to.  😀

 

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I started back rock climbing a couple of months ago.  Starting back out was humbling as all get out.  My arms were like wet noodles and muscles that I had forgotten existed were screaming at me, but over time I have been getting a little stronger and stronger and that has been feeling real good.  Friday my friend Jon and I climbed outside for the first time this year and it was awesome!  The sun was warm, the rock was dry and it was quiet.  I LOVE climbing outside as you get to pick your own route and you can climb the same area a million different ways.  Just now as I type, I checked in with my buddy Dave and he sent me a photo of him and a few others gearing up to climb at the New River Gorge in West Virginia.  I couldn’t make it this weekend due to prior obligations but I am sooooooo jealous right now!  It is cool though because next weekend we are heading down to the Red River Gorge, KY!

By no means am I good climber right now.  I am weak, stiff and I get pumped (pumped is when your forearms burn out) so easy.  Most of all my breathing is total crap as I climb.  I get anxious and my breathing becomes erratic.  Shane the manager at Cleveland Rock Gym was helping me with this one particular bouldering problem a few weeks back and as soon as I got off the wall his advice for me was not foot placement nor hand placement but he said, “You have to breathe Lori.”  Since then I have been trying to do just that.

I miss climbing in California.  The weather is almost always perfect and you can climb outside all year long.  The climbing gyms open up at 6:30am so you can get your climb on before work which I totally love because I am waaaay better in the mornings than in the evenings.  My energy is full throttle when I wake up most mornings and I usually pewter out about 5pm.

You don’t have to climb rocks or backpack through the woods.  Just being out in nature will erase tension and worries.

This weekend in Cleveland was just awesome.  Bright sun, warm temps and endless things to do outside.  I was fortunate enough to hang out with new friend I met through my backpacking group.  🙂  Luda and her husband came to an event a couple of weeks ago and her and I were able to connect and get together for some girl talk and coffee on Sunday.  She is a pretty cool person and I looking forward to hanging out and having new fun workout friend!

Friday my best friend Sara and I went to the listen to the Cleveland Orchestra and hung out again Sunday morning with her 2 girls at the beach and playground!  Saturday my niece Kelly and I went for a bike ride/jog in the park.  We hiked up to a spot where we could watch the planes fly over really low upon landing.  Kelly thought is was super cool and I NEVER EVER get tired of it!  I also hung out with my awesome folks too.  All in all this weekend was pretty darn awesome!

Life seems fuller right now and it feels good.  There are some things on the horizon that are going to be challenging but beneficial.  It feels good to put words on the page again.  Inspiration is blooming!

Life is not black and white.  We have to constantly move forward and explore aspects of our lives that may seem scary.  I believe that is how we set an example of love, adventure and continuous learning.  Sometimes things ARE meant to come to an end.  Not because you didn’t try hard enough, just simply because things have run their course.  I don’t have a desire to be stagnant/complacent.  Not at the expense of myself or the people I love, it wouldn’t do anyone any good in the long run.  Love yourself first… get to know yourself.

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

 

California…2006…getting there.

Published on by Wildflowers Lori2 Comments

(a multi-part series)

Let me dive right in…but let’s back up a few years…lol

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( not my photo, gauleyrafting.net)

It was early fall, I was laying across the side of the raft, my face toward the warm sun, drifting through a calm section of the Upper Gauley (a river that boasts class V+ rapids in the fall), staring up at the lush green mountains and listening to the water lap across the side of the raft as it carried my friends and I down the river.  I thought to myself, how does one make a living being out here all the time.  How can I do this?  It was the late 90’s and I barely had any college under my belt.  I had zero clue as to what I wanted to do with my life.  All I knew was that I wanted to work outside on the water and among the trees and mountains.  My friends and I had been rafting the Upper Gauley for years.    Each year I asked myself the same question.  I come from a town where you go to college, get a degree, settle down and have a family.  I didn’t know of a family that did anything super adventurous.  The guidance counselor at my high school was pretty much worthless in helping a student recognize, let alone follow through on a dream that deferred from the small town norm so I was on my own to figure it out and find a way.

It took many years of monumental mistakes, wrong turns, changing majors several times and chasing after a career I had absolutely zero desire to pursue in order to make the decision to just follow my own path.

The year that I decided to change my life was 2006.  It was a beautiful February day.  I was sitting in math class at the local community college attempting nursing school for the ump-teenth time.  Staring out the window I could see big beautiful snow flakes falling outside in the courtyard.  Snow flakes so big and fluffy that they need their own zip code.  These flakes fell so slow like they were in slow motion and were dancing their way down from the sky.   I thought to myself, I don’t want to be in an effing classroom.  I don’t want to be a nurse, I don’t want to live out my life in Ohio without experiencing something bigger first.  I had dreams damn it and I needed to make them happen!  So I promptly stood up and started walking out of the classroom.  The professor stopped me and asked, “Where are you going?  We have a quiz at the end of class.”  I responded, “I understand.  Good luck everyone.”  And with that I walked straight to the registrars office and withdrew from all my classes.  I NEVER EVER felt so free in my entire life.  I drove home and immediately started planning my move out west to become a whitewater rafting guide.

I wanted to go somewhere I had never been before.  I wanted to experience new attitudes, people, places, natural areas and different ways of living.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my mid-west values of hard work and family but my ideals never aligned with the closed mindedness of small town USA.  I craved new ideas and fresh faces.

As I was searching the internet I came across a rafting company in Colorado.  I have always wanted to live in Colorado.  Everything about the place is exciting and beautiful to me.  Huge mountains, rushing rivers and cute mountain men!  Sign me up!  The whitewater training school I found was  DVORAK’S RAFTING.  This place sounded very intense to me.  Just what I wanted!  But then thoughts from years ago started drifting in and out of my head of conversations I had with my neighbor David  when I was living in Columbus attending Ohio State.  David was an older gentleman who traveled a lot.  When he was gone my sister and I would cat sit for him and in turn he would bring us home little gifts.  I remember telling him how I always wanted to live in California.  I dreamed of Yosemite, Joshua Tree and the Pacific Ocean.  He said he was leaving on a trip there soon and I was so envious.  Upon his return he brought me back postcards that showed different parts of the state.  Little did I know but the seed was planted.

My guide school search continued until I found a great friendly company on the Kings River near Sequoia National Park.  Zephyr Whitewater.  California won out in the end.  I saved money to pay for guide school and two months later with only belongings that could fit in the trunk of my car and $500 I set off for the mountains out west.  My dreams of living on the river among the trees were becoming a reality!!!  The sun would shine upon my face everyday and my “office view” would be amazing.  I had never in my life felt so sure of anything, ever.

My family threw me a going away party and gave me gifts including $300 in BP gas card money.  (little did any of us know that there aren’t any BP gas stations west of Indiana…at least not then…hahaha)

Finally the day after I turned 29 I packed up the last of my things into my car.  I had said good bye to everyone.  My mom and I had a moment before she left for work so it was my dad who was the last one to see me get on the road.  I get my adventurous spirit from him I guess.  When I wake up in the wee hours of the morning and take off on a random road trips, that is my dad.  I remember not being able to let go of him.  Crying and crying because I would miss him so much and desperately wanting him to go on that cross country adventure with me…  after all I am my father’s daughter when it comes to road tripping, among other things.  😀  My fearlessness and take no bull attitude comes from my mother and her mother, Italians…

Finally my dad crying and chuckling said, “You can’t leave if you don’t let go.”  So I let go…

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

 

Great weekend even if I’m not able to do the 1/2!

Published on by Wildflowers LoriLeave a comment

Hello beautiful people!

I had a really great weekend!  The weather was amazing, the conversations were insightful and I was able to spend all day Saturday with my niece Sydney 😀  Friday I had an appointment with Dr. Sean Cupp, an orthopedic physician.  We went over my symptoms and he ended up putting an air cast on my lower leg to stabilize the muscles and bones.  I have 4 weeks with the cast and four weeks of physical therapy.  The air cast isn’t all that bad but I am not allowed to do any “land cardio”, not even yoga for the next four weeks.  A bit of a bummer but at least I’m not in a boot or on crutches!  Whooooo hooooo!  But it also means no 1/2 marathon in the Grand Tetons.  By the time I am fully up and running again there will not be enough time to train properly for it.  So I will focus my efforts on the Tow Path 1/2 marathon in September/October!  So for now it is all about upper body and core.  Not super excited but hey, I did it to myself and I knew better than to go full throttle into the 1/2 training and over exert myself.  LESSON LEARNED!!!  Again…

 

Friday night one of my best friends and I got together for a delicious dinner at El Carnicero in Lakewood.

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Lakewood has some amazing restaurants and slowly I am trying each one!  The menu was pretty diverse and the really nice thing is that it is NOT your run of the mill Mexican joint.  The food is fresh, unique and will challenge your taste buds in good way.  I started off with a house margarita (happy hour at the bar 4-7) and it was really good.  The margarita could have use a bit more salt around the rim but the drink itself was very scrumptious!  My friend Sara had tequila, straight, rough week at work!)  We both ordered the Wild Boar Nachos (mine were vegetarian of course) and the goat cheese guacamole. The nachos were pretty good but the goat cheese guacamole was insanely delicious.  Very heavy though and it sat heavy in my stomach well into the following morning.  It was a delectable night out!  The best part was that my friend of 29 years and I had a chance to just sit and talk and talk and talk!   We don’t get together as often as we’d like so when we do we make sure it is for good food and tasty drinks.

Saturday morning I awoke to warm sunny skies and so of course I headed down to the beach with coffee in hand to snap a few pics and meditate out on the rocks that extend well into the lake.  😀

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I am sooo tall!

Ice covered 2/3’s of the rocks but I was able to find a nice sunny spot and just soaked up the warm sun, beautiful views and the sounds of birds chirping away.  It was perfect…

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I soon received a text from my brother inviting me to join him and his youngest Sydney for breakfast.  I was like, “Um yeah!”  So we discovered a “new to us” diner in Bay Village called Bay Diner.  The staff was friendly and the food was pretty darn good too.  A definite return spot.  😛  I asked Sydney if she wanted to spend the day with me and she said yeah!  She is the smartest 9 year old I know!  I call her Little Miss Regional Manager!  We spent the day doing little home improvement projects around my apartment.  We must have went to Home Depot and Lowe’s a 1/2 dozen times.  She helped me replace outlet covers, change out ceiling fan pull cords and find the right size screws for the drawer pulls I bought a while ago!  She was a great help!  We also went to Books a Million and I bought her a National Geographic Weird But True book.

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It contains 300 weird but true random facts about humans, animals, insects and the planet.  Annnnnd since I am a lover of all random facts like she is, we finished the entire book in about 2 hours!  Then we re-read it to see if we could remember the ones in the beginning!  So fun dudes!!!  All in all it was a fantastic day!

Today so far has been pretty good too.  I met my friend Bill for coffee and breakfast and then I am on my way to a benefit for a co-worker who is fighting stage 2-3 colon cancer.  We are hoping for a great turnout for the spaghetti dinner!  She is a fabulous nurse and co-worker!

I hope you all have a fabulous Sunday!  Enjoy the sun my friends!

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow