I returned Monday night one day early from my backpacking trip to the Goat Rocks with my friend Sharon. I'm still processing everything that happened. Saturday and Sunday were wonderful days. Monday was "The Ordeal," which is what we are calling it. I will be posting my journal to www.trailjournals.com/belcher06 later this week. The following Woody Guthrie song pretty much sums up our last day. These were lyrics Woody wrote, but never put to music. Ellis Paul put them to music and does quite a job with it. Enjoy...
God's Promise
I didn't promise you skies painted blue
Not all colored flowers all your days through
I didn't promise you sun with no rain
Joys without sorrows, peace without pain.
All that I promise is strength for this day,
Rest for my worker, and light on your way.
I give you truth when you need it, my help from above,
Undying friendship, my unfailing love.
I never did promise you crowns without trials,
Food with no hard sweat, your tears without smiles,
Hot sunny days without cold wintry snows,
No vict'ry without fightin', no laughs without woes.
All that I promise is strength for this day,
Rest for my worker, my light on your way,
I give you truth when you need it, my help from above,
Undying friendship, my unfailing love.
I sure didn't say I'd give you heaven on earth,
A life with no labor no struggles no deaths,
No earthquakes no dryspells, no fire flames no droughts,
No slaving no hungers, no blizzards no blights.
All that I promise is strength for this day,
Rest for my worker, my light on your way,
I give you truth when you need it, my help from above,
Undying friendship, my unfailing love.
I promise you power, this minute this hour,
The power you need when you fall down to bleed,
I give you my peace, and my strength to pull home
My love for all races all creeds and all kinds.
My flavors my saviors my creeds of all kinds,
My love for my saviors, all colors all kinds,
My love for my races all creeders all kinds,
My saviors my flavors my dancers all kinds,
My dancers my prancers my singers all kinds,
My flavors my saviors my dancers all kinds.
New Words by Woody Guthrie
Music by Ellis Paul
Words © Copyright 2001 by Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Other Exciting Reads
On Friday, I plan on hiking the section of the PCT I skipped in 2003 due to a fire. I have to skip a section this year due to a fire. One of these days, I'm going to complete the entire freakin' trail...
I'm keeping a trailjournal. I've posted to it a few times in the past three days. This is my first advertisement of the trailjournal. However, I have had 350 hits already. People are weird. My trailjournal is not funny.
Because I no longer have school, I can finally introduce the blogs that are on my blogroll. Drumroll please...
My first blog is A Sort of Notebook by Nina Baxley. It's a fun little daily journal of my friend, who is a writer, pianist and aspiring half-marathon runner.
The second is The Adventures of Scott, AKA "Batteries Included." This is a personal blog of a fellow PCT thru-hiker living in Wisconsin. He has some amazing pictures of the PCT up there.
The Adventures of the Painted Ladies is an adventure blog that my friend Double I and I put together to log our fun and wacky adventures. We have a quite a few contributors to the blog.
My cousin Jason has two blogs. Dispatches from a lost student's mind details his thoughts and ramblings about his life in college. He'll be entering his Sophomore year at Stanford in the fall. He's brilliant and is thinking about becoming a neurosurgeon. His second blog, Hilarity, is a log of funny video clips he's found on the internet that he finds amusing. It's a blog typical of a college dude.
My friend from the AT, Bear Bag, is currently cycling across the US. He's blogging about it at Gary Buffington's Bike Ride Across America.
Letters from Lisa is a blog about issues in special education, and how to handle being a parent of a child with special needs.
What's the Point? is my brother's seemingly forgotten blog that is rather funny. I don't know if he will ever post to it again, but what's up there so far is mint.
I got A's in my last two classes and work will be over soon. I'm feeling good!
I'm keeping a trailjournal. I've posted to it a few times in the past three days. This is my first advertisement of the trailjournal. However, I have had 350 hits already. People are weird. My trailjournal is not funny.
Because I no longer have school, I can finally introduce the blogs that are on my blogroll. Drumroll please...
My first blog is A Sort of Notebook by Nina Baxley. It's a fun little daily journal of my friend, who is a writer, pianist and aspiring half-marathon runner.
The second is The Adventures of Scott, AKA "Batteries Included." This is a personal blog of a fellow PCT thru-hiker living in Wisconsin. He has some amazing pictures of the PCT up there.
The Adventures of the Painted Ladies is an adventure blog that my friend Double I and I put together to log our fun and wacky adventures. We have a quite a few contributors to the blog.
My cousin Jason has two blogs. Dispatches from a lost student's mind details his thoughts and ramblings about his life in college. He'll be entering his Sophomore year at Stanford in the fall. He's brilliant and is thinking about becoming a neurosurgeon. His second blog, Hilarity, is a log of funny video clips he's found on the internet that he finds amusing. It's a blog typical of a college dude.
My friend from the AT, Bear Bag, is currently cycling across the US. He's blogging about it at Gary Buffington's Bike Ride Across America.
Letters from Lisa is a blog about issues in special education, and how to handle being a parent of a child with special needs.
What's the Point? is my brother's seemingly forgotten blog that is rather funny. I don't know if he will ever post to it again, but what's up there so far is mint.
I got A's in my last two classes and work will be over soon. I'm feeling good!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
This Is Bad
I just read my Google Horoscope. It's bad when your Google Horoscope is correct. This must mean the world is about to end. Here's my Google Horoscope:
You are on a pendulum now, swinging back and forth between the responsibilities in your life and your desire to escape from them. Hopefully you aren't planning on a day of easy relaxation, for your life can now be fraught with complicated choices, especially about relationships. Your sense of identity is being challenged but if you just act with kindness, others will accept you.
I want to escape from Hell, Part 2. I have just a few more classes left, but still. It sucks. I'm ready for my backpacking trip.
You are on a pendulum now, swinging back and forth between the responsibilities in your life and your desire to escape from them. Hopefully you aren't planning on a day of easy relaxation, for your life can now be fraught with complicated choices, especially about relationships. Your sense of identity is being challenged but if you just act with kindness, others will accept you.
I want to escape from Hell, Part 2. I have just a few more classes left, but still. It sucks. I'm ready for my backpacking trip.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Hey Asshole in the silver Mazda!!
Sometimes I wish I had a horn on my bike. Not one of those silly bells, but a horn that's as loud (or louder) than a car horn. Maybe one that says "HEY ASSHOLE" since that's usually what I scream at the people who make me feel like my life may end when I'm riding my bike.
For instance, I was on the scary bridge on Barbur Blvd. today. It is scary in that there is no bike lane and the sidewalk is raised and the width of my rear end. There is a big yellow sign that boldly cautions the cars travelling at 45+ mph that bikes are on the bridge since it is obvious that it is too dangerous to ride a bike on the elevated sidewalk. There are two lanes travelling the same direction on this bridge. It seems obvious to me that if there was a slow-moving vehicle in the right-hand lane, I would get into the left-hand lane to go around said slow-moving vehicle. For some reason, people who drive cars at 45+ mph on this bridge think that it's quite alright and safe to pass the slow-moving vehicle with six inches (or less) of space between them.
That is why I wish I had a big horn. Right now, I scream, but my voice is not as strong as most car horns. In fact, I doubt that it's a strong as a bicycle bell.
What would be even better would be a bicycle horn that had more than one "beep" that you could program yourself to say different things. It could be on your handlebars, close to your gear shifters so you wouldn't have to move too much to blow it. Imagine if with a flick of your thumb, you could have your horn say "Hey buddy, that's a parking lane, not a bike lane. I'm obeying the law! What about you?" or "Yeah, I have a horn too. However, your horn doesn't tell me that you're about to cut me off, so maybe you should just wait two seconds you stupid Tri-Met bus driver!" or "Yes, I may be stopped, but you don't have the right to pull into my lane to make a right hand turn in front of me. Back it up shithead!"
Maybe it's the stress of school rubbing off. Maybe it's because I generally suffer from road rage and since I don't drive much anymore, it's translating to my cycling. Either way, I wish I had a third arm so I could just give people the finger while I'm riding. That would make my commute so much better.
For instance, I was on the scary bridge on Barbur Blvd. today. It is scary in that there is no bike lane and the sidewalk is raised and the width of my rear end. There is a big yellow sign that boldly cautions the cars travelling at 45+ mph that bikes are on the bridge since it is obvious that it is too dangerous to ride a bike on the elevated sidewalk. There are two lanes travelling the same direction on this bridge. It seems obvious to me that if there was a slow-moving vehicle in the right-hand lane, I would get into the left-hand lane to go around said slow-moving vehicle. For some reason, people who drive cars at 45+ mph on this bridge think that it's quite alright and safe to pass the slow-moving vehicle with six inches (or less) of space between them.
That is why I wish I had a big horn. Right now, I scream, but my voice is not as strong as most car horns. In fact, I doubt that it's a strong as a bicycle bell.
What would be even better would be a bicycle horn that had more than one "beep" that you could program yourself to say different things. It could be on your handlebars, close to your gear shifters so you wouldn't have to move too much to blow it. Imagine if with a flick of your thumb, you could have your horn say "Hey buddy, that's a parking lane, not a bike lane. I'm obeying the law! What about you?" or "Yeah, I have a horn too. However, your horn doesn't tell me that you're about to cut me off, so maybe you should just wait two seconds you stupid Tri-Met bus driver!" or "Yes, I may be stopped, but you don't have the right to pull into my lane to make a right hand turn in front of me. Back it up shithead!"
Maybe it's the stress of school rubbing off. Maybe it's because I generally suffer from road rage and since I don't drive much anymore, it's translating to my cycling. Either way, I wish I had a third arm so I could just give people the finger while I'm riding. That would make my commute so much better.
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