Before we continue our Epic Journey
Okay thank ya folks now back to Our Story
I was feelin' it the whole day
Intention
But this place really aught to be seen for one self
The View here is just so marvelous!
A Castle on Top of a Mountain
A Castle on Top of a Mountain
How about that?
It'll be a very strategic point in the area because in holding it one can have total control over The Road
Also it'd help if The Dragon could actually Breathe Fire
Far.
I started a short story here too!
Lots of people were coming and going
Lots of people were coming and going
It's quite a tourist attraction now I suppose
But it's truly inspiring too—saw a lot of kids especially having lots of fun
Probably one of the coolest places I've ever taken shelter
Kinda hard to beat a frigg'n CASTLE
I left Bishop's Castle feeling like anything was possible
The Dreams that I Want to Create with my own Hands
Are Far Away
In Time
Beyond So Many Miles
Past an incomprehensible amount of work
But They are There
Just Waiting for Me
To Set The First Stone
I am surrounded by Beauty as far as I can see
But no complaints
But this snow must accumulate at night
When it gets very Cold
Must Push and Crest and at least fly down to lower elevation
A couple thousand feet make a huge difference
Though I guess that's because there was less elevation climbing
As I am already in The Mountains
As I turned a bend and The Sangre de Cristo Mountains came into view
Tears poured from my face
Not simply because of their Beauty
But because I had gotten here
My Self
On My Bicycle
On My Bicycle
THIS is where I had brought My SELF
Rocky Mountain Roads are Rocky
Like really really Rocky
I had to ride my breaks and dodge holes and treads and large rocks the whole time
The hardest part though was just keeping my eyes on The Road!
All I wanted to do was gaze at the gorgeous surroundings in every direction I'd look
But each time I'd look up *bam*All I wanted to do was gaze at the gorgeous surroundings in every direction I'd look
It's amazing LionHeart is still in one piece
So already exhausted from the climb
We got pretty beat up riding down
Luckily I had another place to land after The Mountain
The Wolf Village
So yeah I found This Magical Wolf Sanctuary in The Mountains
Thanks again John and Sharron for guiding me here!
People also Live here
It's basically a tiny village
Nestled in The Mountains
Which promotes a very peaceful atmosphere
But they also have more than two dozen Wolves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-damz-a1s4
After the first night I moved underneath a solar panel lol
It's a Geodesic Dome Greenhouse!
It's self-powered by the solar power panels right on it
It's self-powered by the solar power panels right on it
This one has a space above and in the middle for people to rest and relax
The tubes are also connected to the large pool of water at the back of the Greenhouse
The pool supplies humidity to the space
The pool supplies humidity to the space
The water is also used to water the plants of course
Fish are in the water to supply the water itself with Nitrogen
And to help out with eating insects
And to help out with eating insects
The fish nibble at their roots and they add nutrients to the water as well
Every Plant is taking what it needs but contributing to the environment as well
If you're not gonna eat the leaf just throw it on the ground!
It'll decompose straight into the soil which'll help the plant overall more than overgrowth
But the point of growing all this food is to feed ourselves
So don't throw too much on the ground...
It'll decompose straight into the soil which'll help the plant overall more than overgrowth
But the point of growing all this food is to feed ourselves
So don't throw too much on the ground...
The beds in this one are in the shape of a Paw!
A Good Garden is a Diverse Ecosystem!
The aphids on this plant are pestsThey'll eat the leaves and harm the plant
So The Choice is Pesticide or More Ladybugs
Then there's these guys too
Pollinators
Your crops will flower and propagate by themselves!
Then it'll spread itself around
Water Etcetera
Shouldn't we ALL be doing this?
If you have a variety of plants then your flowering Greenhouse Garden will be Bountiful and Beautiful
Here's a whole bunch of Kale!
It all grew from Just One Plant!
An Abundance of Kale is a good problem to have
It all grew from Just One Plant!
An Abundance of Kale is a good problem to have
As is An Abundance of Love
Thank You again Brother Charles for sharing your wealth of knowledge with me
Sorry I couldn't teach you more
But I hope my Work was appreciated
Sorry I couldn't teach you more
But I hope my Work was appreciated
Big shout-out to Chris and Kelly too!
Thanks again Brother and Sister!
Wind knocked down the last one
I got to sleep in the tipi!
They're a real tight-knit Pack
An awesome place to Live and Be
They put me to work digging Swells
Which I learned are trenches—in this case filled with mulch—to act as a sponge in the ground to absorb and hold extra water for tree roots
The environment up here is technically arid
So these baby trees need help growing
Hard Work is a lot less painful when you look up to see THIS
The ground was rocky and hard
This area is not unlike New England
Each Swell would take about twenty minutes of Pickaxing
Then twenty minutes of shoveling
Then twenty minutes of gathering, carrying, pouring, and setting the mulch
So yeah like an hour or so each Swell
So yeah like an hour or so each Swell
The first day I dug four swells
The second day I dug seven swells
The third day I dug nine swells
The fourth day I wanted to reach my lucky number
Worked all day—dug eleven swells (;
A cow hoof...
Just what one might expect to find in the dirt of The Wolf Village...
Y'know...
We hung out a bit as I dug several swells
On my side of the fence haha
Small Feed
And a large amount twice a week
Big Feed
They look for weak or old prey to hunt
Are Huge and have evolved to Fight
They'll have (what I imagine to be) epic battles with Moose or Elk or Bears
I really appreciated the upper body work
Great opportunity to rest my knee joints and work my arms
By the end of it all I was getting pretty good at digging and designing the Swells
Pickax Proficiency Level-Up!
Thank You Everyone at Wolf Village
I learned a lot through my work there and had a really Swell Time!
It was an honor to eat with you at your table
I can feel The Blessings of The Wolves within My SpiritI learned a lot through my work there and had a really Swell Time!
It was an honor to eat with you at your table
That is something that will Never leave Me
I Wish You Love, Brother!
That was one Hell of a Dragon!
Those are The Greenhorn Mountains
I climbed over a bit North-West of there
This is all at around 7,000 feet elevation here though
This Road was so gravely and loose I actually had to Walk
But it was worth it for where I was going...
One can tell a good place when such necessities are given so generously
They have this building—The Dome—for wwoofers like me :D
Many wwoofers have come and gone
Women have even given birth in this building
This is a very Special Place
More wwoofers are to come in the coming months
But I'm the only one here for now
There are plenty of supplies
Weeks of Rice and Beans
But it's pretty messy
But I was happy setting myself up on the couch
And getting started with the cleaning!
I cooked some beans
The Dome doesn't have electricity but The Creek will keep them cool (:
This is the best spot to get Drinking Water
Rocky Mountain Natural Spring Water
Wonderful
There's plenty of Work to do here as Spring rolls in
This is Just the opportunity I've been looking for!
Just a Farm to Work and Learn on
A Place to Rest at for a bit...
Good Farming starts with Good Soil!
This hole here was filled with "Duff"Dead Plant Matter that accumulates after falling off the trees
We gather this stuff up and mix it with manure and some clay
That's where the mixing goes on
WOOOOOOOO
And swing it a bit so gravity takes it down but you have control and are aiming it as well
It's such a great core AND upper body workout!
And I'm actually doing something not just picking something up and putting it down
And if you get the timing right with your strength and you really sink the thing into the dirt it just feels soooooo good!
So yeah I really Love this tool lol
After digging out the normal dirt we replace it with a mixture of duff and manure and top soil
Planting Beans :D
It absorbs extra nutrients from the soil and
After connecting to plant roots in a symbiotic relationship
Helps put those extra nutrients into the plant
The Trees Need this stuff too
The whole idea is living in harmony with Nature
Not taking everything we can
So we collect what we Need
Pines Cones have nutrients but add acidity to the soil
We became quick Best Frens <3
Kublai!
Together they are The Khan Brothers!
I ascended on Fragrant Hill in the friendly season of spring
Not discouraged I climbed to the peak and met the Golden Face
Flowers shone bright rays and auspicious colors gleamed like a rainbow
Incense smoke wafted like mist and a blessed light emanated
Raindrops were like bubbles on jade bamboos at the edge of the big rock
The blowing wind played a song among the green pines at the mountain pass
In front of the Buddha in the temple I conducted the incense ceremony
And on the way back I rode a Blue Dragon in the royal carriage.
~By Kublai Khan
But he fights back!
They have some epic battles!
Thankfully we got doggo support to deal with these pesky goats
They think they own the place!
Then filled with a mixture of different nutrient rich soils
This shade cover over the whole area of growth helps with that
This oven is a fantastic space heater
One can cook on the top of it too
All you Need is Wood!
All you Need is Wood!
I was truly Blessed to have been guided here
Taking a break from the constant stress of going going riding riding sore muscles aches in joints where am I gonna sleep tonight it's cold I'm alone
Was Just what I Needed
Part of me doesn't Want to leaveWas Just what I Needed
But I guess I've got Mountains to Climb
They have a fire over many Sacred Rocks to heat them
A Dome is sealed off from all Light with blankets
The Hot Rocks are brought into the center of the Dome
Prayers are said and sacrament is offered
Then the opening is Closed and Water is poured on the Rocks
So it's basically a Very Hot Sauna in Pitch Dark with Intense Prayer
Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ
I hear the Dancers will fast for four days and four nights
No Food or Water
I'd Love to be a part of it...
We'll have to see if I return
But after about 3 weeks of Rest and Work it was time for me to go
I'd been go-go-going since Austin really with seldom more than a day to Rest
Everything you have Needs taking care of
Including Your Self
The more things you have the more Upkeep you have
Careful not to cement yourself into the trap of having so many things you no longer have the time or space to take care of Your Self
So a place where I could Just Be and not have to worry about where I'm going to sleep that Night were Everything I Needed
And then it was time for the Next Mountain
I'm not complaining I swear
But My God
These Sandy Rocky Roads
The elevation isn't bothering me as much as the first mountain
But I still get light-headed way easier than ever before
Like this sudden Birch Forest
This was actually the hardest part of the whole climb
But that's 'cause I was riding-mostly-pushing 60+ pounds of bicycle
I like how the Mountain Peaks loom above in the distance
Finally at the top of The Road
Time to hike in on foot!
I Have Discovered a Majestic Place
The trail was insanely fun
Navigating streams and overflows
Though more than once I thought
"Is this really the trail?"
This is all fresh mountain spring water!
And I thought I was spoiled at Atzlan Village
This Water is Magic
Even out of Water
I Won't Let Go
That's only one of the reasons I know
I'm exactly where I'm meant to be
There were a few different trails
I wasn't actually sure how to get there
All I knew was to get there I Needed to Go Up
Like
"Hey that's a large Beautiful Rock but it isn't that big"
One realizes that this place is massive
And that The Mountains are Very Big
This was definitely the best trail I've ever hiked on in my life
A Waterfall is a good sign
I think we're almost there...
Going Up
And The Wind is Fierce and The Rocks are Tumbly and The Trail isn't Quite Clear
The Beauty of the Environment
Is Juxtaposed by its Harshness
Even Bears won't climb this far up
I was so Blessed to be here
To have made it here
Top of Mount. Blanca there
Thank you for all your help and your Love Brother
Surviving the endeavor
Reaching The Goal
It's Not for Pride
For Some maybe
But Pride only gets one so far
I hear it'll often lead to some nasty Falls too
No—one must Want to climb for another reason
A Higher Reason
I Came Here For Love
I didn't think about it
I didn't even question it
I Just knew I had to come here
I Know I Will Be
Did I mention this Water was Magic?
It's All Just Waiting for You
Got this goin' with Just One Match!
It smells so nice!
Camp Fire nights are The Best
Yes I am too close here
No I Don't Care
I Love The Fire
And I couldn't pass up seeing that
He also gave me a day's supply of food
So this whole Day is thanks to him!
Thanks again Mr. Troy!
Your Love and Passion for this place were Beautiful and Inspiring
Though I guess I have My Self to Thank for this Day too
I chose to Hike instead of leave
But it's an easy decision for me
It's Just Beautiful Everywhere!
Today we're going Left
I Love the challenges they present in every little stretch
Obstacles to Navigate
Oooooo you gotta climb over this stuff and the trail goes to the Right
So every step is a test of ones Balance and Stability
It's Just so much fun!
I didn't bring a flashlight
But Thanks to a wonderful couple named Joe and Patricia
I had a new camera to take photos with!
The camera that I've had since the start of the adventure has unfortunately stopped working ):
There was a thick layer of ice on the ground around the entrance so one had to squat to fit in
Around this bend it was pitch dark
It actually wasn't too far
This is the end
I felt around in the Dark and grabbed the first rock I touched
Then I took a photo and grabbed a rock based on what I was looking at
Finally I picked up a large rock and hit at the ground the with it
A Rock came loose and I wedged it out and Mined that too :D
With Flash
There's apparently another Mine somewhere with mining equipment
I wanted to find it but another Hiker told me I was on the trail to Mt. Lindsey
So I figured
Already came this far
Might as well keep going and climb the Mountain
No Big Deal
I had only brought one granola bar with me lol
After a while of hiking I got worried I wasn't on the right trail anymore
Another friendly Hiker informed me
"Yeah this is the trail to Mt. Lindsey
That's a 14er y'know?"
No I Did Not."
It Just keeps going up
Checkpoint before the difficulty level increased
The grass pretty much ends here and then it's just Rock
I found this HUGE Quartz stone
Mined a chunk off :D
The Trail just sort of disappears at this point
It's like sort of there but is not terribly clear
It doesn't matter though
'cause the summit is right there
Hard to get lost if you're headed for The Top
Then you gotta start using your Hands
Finding ones own path up is much more fun
Gotta go around!
Would not want to be up here at Night
Especially Not Alone
The Peak
Quartz I found during the ascent
The Three Rocks I Mined from the Cave
The one I broke out myself I carried it in my palm the entire way up
To charge it with Energy!
North
Guess I'm a Mountain Man now!
But way more difficult
And more taxing on your body
And Dangerous
Hey!
I See You There!
What Do You Think You're Doing!?
Yeah I'm talkin' to You!¡
It really felt like I was in Heaven
The whole area is a Masterpiece
Hard to Hike
My Eyes did not Want to Stay on The Trail
Honesty And Sincerity
I'll Bring You Here One Day
Group Hike
At some point climbing down I realized that if I was out here
(Without my gear)
At Night it'd be impossible to move and I'd actually be in a lot of trouble
Or near impossible at Night
Once that Sun sets behind the Mountain
It starts to get cold very fast
But Even with Light Fading
I'm gonna stop to Appreciate these Flowers <3
I started losing the trail in the dark
Everything looks different
Luckily I made it to the stream so it was hard to get lost
It was hard to walk but I was Bike free from here
Thanks again to Mr. Troy for them!
And for your Knowledge and Passion of this Magical Place!
Though my glutes were pretty sore
I planned to hike the next mountain—Zapata!
So I packed my things up and Raced the Rain down the Rocky Road to the base of Zapata and set up my Camp
When I started my way up Zapata it started to downpour
I decided it Unwise to climb a mountain in a downpour with dwindling supplies and just my cycling gear
So I turned around...
Which was the right thing to do
This is my lap with an e-Blanket over it
Huddled inside a plastic poncho
I'm cold and wet
Everything got wet
If I wasn't there securing my camp it'd of been a lot worse
Rough Night
Even skipped my morning workout the next day
But I Survived The Storm
Luckily The Sun came out the next morning
I laid Everything out and dried it all
The Storm brought Snow to the top of Mount. Zapata
My food was nearly gone and honestly another Storm hitting me like that would not leave me in a healthy state
So I retreated from the Mountains without climbing Zapata
I don't like to give up
But when I thought about returning here one day in Loving Company
Then leaving made sense
Definitely added safety by way of strategic fortifications against many manner of varmints and Beasts
And Just felt pretty cool to sleep in too!
Bicycles aren't allowed on this trail lol
But Hey!
Tell that to the person who said
"Oh you can take Mosca Pass through the Mountain!"
I'm tryin' to get to The Great Sand Dunes and this is the only way to go without riding days around The Mountain!
Parking at either the top or bottom of the trail
and Hiking Forth and Back
I guess it felt cool using the Pass as an actual Pass
haha
Descending about 1,800 feet
(Thankfully—Going Up here would take like two DAYS)
Those are stairs
There were a couple spots where I'd coast a bit
But it was mostly Rocks and Bumps and even a couple Hurdles
This trail was NOT made for bicycles haha
Yeah
Almost died on this one
There were plenty of cliffs
Didn't see a Rock in a Shadow
Hit it suddenly head-on which destabilized me
Started to fall off the cliff
Luckily I know how to Fall so rather then lean to the Left
Which would have sent me and LionHeart toppling down the cliff to our Untimely Deaths
I leaned to the Right
So the mass of My Self and My Bicycle pressed against the steep downhill
Which stopped all our Momentum
Some gals walked by right after I pulled us all back up on the trail
"Hey we heard you yell, are you okay?"
"Yup!
Here's My Blog!!"
So that was incredibly difficult
But we made it through Mosca Pass to...
A Shadow
Rescinding
I knew what I'd be doing that Evening
And when I heard the Name of The Largest Dune
I knew where I'd be Sleeping that Evening
The Triple Spiral!
Valuable Advice
No idea what kind it is but it's probably a gift
So I brought it With Me
Can't Just walk up 'em
You Gotta Climb
I would lift my right leg then my right arm just after
To Knee my sleeping bag which I was holding in my right hand
That would help be more efficient with my energy
Then I'd quickly scoop out Sand with my left hand
Raise my left leg and move my hand out of the way just as my foot was entering the scoop I made
The scooping was essential to give me the angle against the sand to push forward-up with enough force to carry through that motion to the motion of my right foot
When I was in the Flow and had a rhythm going I wouldn't stop
Just move continuously
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Smooth and Cool
I think it's a Hawk?
And I found... Fulgurite!
How Dope is this!?
And across the Lake
I Could See...
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When you've been on nothing but ROCKS and SAND and MILES OF UPHILL for DAYS
What do you Birbs think you're doing!?
Back to The Mountains!
Just sitting in the middle of The Road
We Named 'em Shooting Star!
But then out of no where
Our little fren just hopped up on the handle bars
Then flew off!
...And subsequently crashed into this bush
I approached to retrieve the birb
As I planned to water and feed it and set it up somewhere nice and safe
But my new fren just hopped away into the larger bush in the back
I surrounded the area with some soft doggo treats that I hoped it would eat
And kept going
Praying for its safety
It's my own fault for singing Glitch Mob I think
Wigged the poor little creature out
