My Sexy Slinky Baggy World

Teak Grabbing a Drink An Hour Before the Blow-Out

I made a beeline for a tire store in Cortez the next morning, after purchasing one tire at the Mancos Conoco. That's all they had in my size, and Terry pointed out to me that the other tire could disintegrate any moment. Once more I took a breath and counted my blessings, as well as the numerous passes and hairpin turns I'd managed to maneuver the previous day.

My plan was to angle through Kayenta across the hot desert Res and land in the forest north of Flagstaff. I vaguely remembered a boondock spot from several years past. I turned off the highway to the correct area but everything felt hot and dusty. That's when I saw a forest service truck. I flagged it down and out jumped a perky little ranger. She told me her favorite spot was on the other side of the highway and she was headed that way so I could follow her. (Hey, this will be me in a couple of weeks! I smiled.)

My Private Space

She led me to a sweet little valley down a two-track with no name. Quiet. Beautiful, stately ponderosas and best of all, no people. Teak, Hobo and I had a great hike (yes, Hobo has taken to the trail) and settled in for the evening.

Intrepid Hikers

Monkey See, Monkey Do... Hobo Resting With Teak

 

Yes, Cats DO Pant

It was a 1/2-day drive to Prescott the next day. I took the route south from Ash Fork and headed to the Chamber of Commerce to collect brochures and information on RV Parks. Then I drove north to a lake, parked and fell asleep.

I settled on a small, shall I say flavorful, park on the edge of thousands of acres of granite rock, studded with pinyon-juniper and ponderosa. Teak and I can reach Willow Lake in a 5-minute walk. I parked, hooked up, and fell asleep. This time for 12 hours. I rose the next day and began to unpack. To revamp (TIC) the inside of the trailer and set it up for staying, as opposed to traveling. I like it. I've paid for a month, giving me time decide where I want to be once I begin work on Monday. I went by the office two days ago and picked up a pair of forest service pants and a stack of maps. I'm rested enough at this point to be excited. Next week is a big week: I begin to bond with the Prescott National Forest and I return to Colorado, Aspen to be exact, for the announcement of the Colorado Book Awards.

I'm working through the exhaustion of the past book promotion months, relieved that it's going to lessen. But then I wake up in the middle of the night in a panic that I'll forget how to write once I have a full-time job. Ultimately, I am thick with blessings. A friend from Bisbee is driving me to Aspen and back. A good friend from Dolores will also be there to root me on. I have sexy-slinky black pants for Aspen and thick cotton baggy forest green pants for Prescott. This summer and into the fall I'll be straddling two worlds. My work... and joy... is to bring their energies together in captivating ways.  For the wild. In service to the forest. Blessed Be.

First Prescott Sunset