It is a time of great change for me personally on top of the great changes taking place here in the United States at this time. A lot of things have been happening that make the future more uncertain.
This is the time of year I move from the desert southwest to the Pacific Northwest, with a stop in San Diego County on the way to vist my friend Mike. I’ve been coming to the desert since 2017, but things are really changing there, none for the better, so I left this year with no desire to go back.
Extreme weather, ecological disaster and government corruption make this a place you don’t want to visit.
With another part of the country that used to be good, but isn’t any longer, in the rear view mirror, I headed west across the southern California desert. I got to the Laguna Mountains in San Diego County when…..
Only in California. A small earthquake pretty close to where I was. I didn’t feel anything. I pulled over, just another day.
When I got to Mike’s house, I noticed an injury to my lower leg that did not seem to be healing. About a week before, I walked into a desert bush in the dark and a branch stabbed my leg. At least that’s what I thought happened. Turns out that a piece of the branch broke off and was buried in my leg.
A quick trip to a very busy urgent care in Oceanside CA, where the stick was removed and back to Mike’s house for dinner after a long day.
Mike is a good cook so we did a lot of quality eating. I don’t get to eat like this too often so it’s a real special occasion for me.
We got a chance to watch some old fishing and mountain bike videos and look at old photos. Some things have not changed, but many things have changed a great deal.
Mike has a lot of plants and flowers in his backyard including a healthy yellow rose plant in full bloom.
In the concrete jungle of Southern California, the animals adapt to survive, like this hummingbird nest in a potted palm.
I left San Diego County and headed north on a trip I have made many times. It’s a long drive that’s become more dangerous and stressful due to the large numbers of semi trucks. On I-5 northbound, day or night, the right lane was bumper to bumper semis and the left lane was semis trying to pass them. Too many trucks.
Made it back to the Columbia River Gorge and have been hanging out in Eastern Oregon, where the weather has been very nice.
I will be heading into the mountains tomorrow where the weather won’t be quite as nice. I don’t expect to see 60° for a week or two. It takes a while to get settled in, but I will be back at work here at ronbarbish.com and watermanatwork.com shortly.