Map of the Trip...
...met Erica and Matt Chua - couchsurfing hosts extraordinaire! One of Erica and Matt's defining experiences is their recent 3 year backpacking trip around the world, but there is so much more to their story - I was blessed to be able to be a part of their home and their lives for a few days, to share our stories, laugh, eat, and gain new friends. Also got to see a bit of the (cold) city...small shops, art gallery, coffee shops, hiking trails. A beautiful place for sure!
...before heading out I was thankful to have a resting place for a night at the home of Verlyn and Kay Hemmen, friends of my father
...reconnecting with old friends Keith and Joanne Broekhuizen, with whom I shared some wonderful years of my life in Toronto in our 20s and 30s. Lovely time to rest, work on a computer, and have family time with kids and parents. Board games like the old days, Christmas movies, and treats. And lots of love. :) |
Holland, Michigan December 24-January 16
...At my sister's! Last stop on the trip. Spent a couple weeks relaxing, having potlucks, swimming and taking walks, buying and making Christmas gifts, and celebrating a belated Christmas with Marijke and her lovely roommate Amber. Lots and lots of amazing homemade food! ...Also had the chance to reconnect with my former pastors from Toronto, Martin and Amanda Benckhuyzen, for tea and dinner in Grand Rapids.
A phonecall was placed. Could a traveling stranger stay at Bill and Jill's house the following night? She's lovely and an easy guest! Won't be any trouble! The answer was a resounding Yes! So off I went to another hospitable stranger's house for a good night's sleep, homemade beer, and gluten-free food, before heading to Chicago (...where I also didn't have any accommodation set up...).
...stayed with Olga and Stephen Shaffer, pastor-friends of my sister who have a congregation in the small mid-west town of Stout, Iowa. New boardgames, $3 movie at the theatre, and time spent taking walks down roads bordered by cornfields, cornfields, and more cornfields! |
…David Essig, a musician on Malcolm Island, responded to my Facebook request for contacts in Oklahoma by connecting me with musician/artists Jaxon and Angel, and Jaxon's parents, ex-Winnipeggers who now live on the outskirts of Oklahoma City. Arrived to be served a green smoothie, followed by beer, fabulous inspiring conversation, camaraderie, delicious homemade meals, and a bed for as long as I needed! Yay to lovely new connections! http://f5four.bandcamp.com/ http://www.thef5four.com/ http://jaxonhaldane.bandcamp.com/ |
…Two years ago I came across a link to Anima and knew that I wanted to go there someday. My chance came on this trip, and I spent a short 3 days in this beautiful and sacred canyon that one must hike into, fording streams barefoot. The Anima Sanctuary is a rewilded riparian ecosystem, founded as a preserve in 1979 by the author and teacher Jesse Wolf Hardin. Jesse and three others live a homesteading lifestyle in the canyon while dedicating their lives to teaching others about medicinal and edible herbs - they host an annual conference, publish a magazine, and are a launchpad for online courses, books, newsletters and blogs. Go to "More About People I've Met" for the story of my visit helping Elka, photos, background, and links to this amazing and sacred place (including an amazing link to herbal remedies, for those who are interested!).
…stayed with old friend Eric Jacobson…teaching colleague from Slovakia, 20 years ago. Treated to dinners out, a movie (at a theatre!), a swim in the heated pool, and time to rest and do computer work. Hiked the tallest peak in Phoenix at sunset (a one hour climb up boulders to a view of the city). Thank you, Eric, for your generosity and kindness!
...spent 2 days sleeping in coastal towns - a sidestreet in Encinitas, and a dead-end street in Del Mar with a view of the ocean out of my back window. ...visited another leading design-thinking school, Design39Campus ...the educational equivalent of the Google campus. Check out photos and my impressions of this architecturally and educationally fascinating place.
...Connected with The Connect Group School - a pilot project started up through Dr. Lee-Anne Gray and family. Immediately welcomed in with joy, encouragement, and gratitude! Was given a spot to park van and sleep by Dr.Gray's house, which enabled wonderful conversations and participating in family life. Very grateful for this opportunity to connect with a strong, conscious, thoughtful woman, to share ideas, and to learn. Please go to "More About People I've Met" to read the story and find out more. ...visited the Pasadena Waldorf School and was able to sit down for an hour with the elementary school head, Diane Lasalle, to chat about education. Waldorf creates an interesting paradox for me, as education systems go. Click here for more on this Waldorf School and my impressions of the system. ...met a guy from Hamilton ON at free yoga on the beach. Jaimz Woolvett used to work at CBC until he moved to LA. Was invited to join him and his two visiting friends from England for a sushi lunch and sharing of our stories...his was the most exciting, but I didn't find it out till later. Read more here. |
…Had the lovely opportunity to stay with Monica and Wolfgang, friends of a friend, a few hours' drive from Anima Lifeways. As I pulled up, my tire blew. Thank goodness I was in a place with kind and helpful people! More here for how to replace a tire in small town New Mexico! …stayed the next night on a side street near the university in Albuquerque, and visited Barb Hivey, owner of a wonderful cookie shop. Showed up unannounced to pass on hugs from her good friends Lisa and Sam - got free cookies and drink for the road, and made a new friend.
…spent an afternoon driving through the stunning scenery of Sedona, Arizona - a small town in a canyon of red sandstone formations that many believe is a center of energy vortexes. Sedona attracts the spiritual, mystics, healers, and those just wanting to immerse themselves in beauty. Click the photo above for more pics of this stunningly beautiful place! …kept going to Flagstaff, and slept in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant that allows overnight parking
...mountains, rocks, sand, cacti, tumbleweeds - not a landscape I'm used to! ...was invited to park and sleep in the parking lot of the Chamber of Commerce in the old gold-mining town of Julian, AZ ...went to the hot-spring fed swimming pools in the state park (for $3!) where I met Ray, an older gentleman from BC camping in the back of his skookum :) pick-up truck ...slept in the van on the side of a desert pond outside Yuma AZ where you can camp for free for 10 days. Woke up with a flat tire. Limped into Phoenix the next day.
...went to spend some time with the community of The Twelve Tribes (see earlier post down below of my original encounter with The Twelve Tribes on Vancouver Island). Visited the AMAZING Yellow Deli that they run...perhaps the awesomest cafe I've ever been in, and I have high standards. Then spent a night and day with the brothers and sisters as they observed Sabbath. "Fascinating" is an understatement. So is "challenging". And yes I did folk- dancing. Please check out my personal struggles with being on this hippy/earthy Mennonite-like commune (or cult, as some would have it) - go to "More About People I've Met". ...left early (couldn't hack 2 nights), and slept in my van on a sidestreet in Corona, CA |
- San Fran to L.A. November 2-8
…slept beside a golf course in the town of Aptos
…Big Sur: was able to find one of the well-known local overnight spots which involved driving up a vertical dirt road with loose gravel and winding through blind turns with no guardrails before coming to a pull-off spot with a view down the mountain over the ocean. Fell asleep to the sound of seals and sea lions moaning somewhere down below.
…on the drive the next day, drove by a turn-out with boardwalks overlooking a beach covered in hundreds, HUNDREDS, of elephant seals!!! Young males, who surface and hibernate on the beach for a month twice a year. Talked to a volunteer guide and learned lots about these massive creatures. Click here for cool pics!!!
…the next evening slept in Arroso Grande in the driveway of Jerry Sanger, a retired hypnotherapist and psychology/sociology/history teacher. Interesting discussions, a hot shower, and a gourmet breakfast! Go to "More About People I've Met" for pics and story.
…the town of Solvang, a piece of Denmark dropped into the middle of California, and Monty Roberts’ ranch!!!. The original horse whisperer! About whom the movie was made! I read his autobiography last year! WHAAT??! Click here for pics of Monty’s horse training facility and links, and the story of how I got there.
…side-street sleeping in Carpinteria, an hour or so outside of L.A…a block and a half from a beach of white sand. Swimming in ocean (“world’s safest beach”!) and beautiful sunsets. Set off to find my first hot-springs. Google led me in completely wrong direction. Ended up in Ojai, CA. Click here for story of serendipity kicking in once more with a crazy coincidence, and the story of me illegally camping and hiding from the rangers.
...met up with Michael Goldberg. In a ridiculous synchronistic event, I met up with Michael, who is touring the US researching alternative education and hitting many of the schools I'm hitting. I emailed Michael last week and it turned out he was spending two weeks in…that's right, San Francisco. So we met for coffee and toured Brightworks School together. For more about Michael, a link to his amazing blog and research on the schools he's visited, as well as information and pics from the incredible, inventive, creative setting of Brightworks School, click HERE!
...after being kicked out of the free RV parking at a mall parking lot because my lidded bucket didn't meet the "contained toilet" requirements, I slept in a church parking lot and then spent 2 nights on sidestreets in a gentrified ex-hippy neighbourhood. Click here for a story of infiltrating an upscale fitness club to take a shower! ...came across a Shaman Healing Circle and was able to visit, observe, and join in! Lovely, warm people. Good energy. Reminded me a lot of my cranial-sacral therapy sessions. For more on the Drum Healing Circle, see "More About People I've Met."
...spent the next day and night at Songaia, an intentional community on the outskirts of Bothell. Met Susie Fox who runs Fox in the Forest - a small outdoor school for young children. Helped do apple cider pressing with a preschool class who were visiting for the day. See "More About People I've Met" to find out more about my experiences cooking, sleeping, and getting a haircut at Songaia! |
...after an aborted attempt to visit a Waldorf School and an intentional community/school, slept overnight beside a rural convenience store in Triangle Lake (see my little van?), then drove down the coast, making brief stops in Florence and Coos Bay before I finally found lodging by knocking on the door of a parish priest who kindly let me sleep in my van in the Catholic Church parking lot in Bandon, OR. ...spent the next day driving down the coast and then through the Redwoods in the worst storm of the summer! Knuckles white as I tried to stay on the road, risking glimpses down the steep cliffs where guardrails should have been. Power was out through the whole Redwood National Forest, and scenic byways were closed due to high winds (you don't want a redwood falling on you!).
...slept in the hippy town of Arcata, on a quiet sidestreet. Next day was clear and I got to drive through Avenue of the Giants, so I didn't miss the Redwoods after all!
…put out a last-minute desperate plea to an old friend on Facebook, who came through with some friends living in Santa Rosa, right on my route. Slept there that evening.
...visited the Village Free School - a tiny democratic school in Portland. Jessica, one of the staff, gave me a tour and then we sat and had tea with some of the younger children before parents came to pick them up. See more at "More About People I've Met". |
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...stayed overnight with Chris and Jayme-dawn and kids. Awesome chance to catch up on some computer work and get ready to cross the border (and have great coffee...a burr grinder is the secret, apparently!) |
- Vancouver, BC October 7-13
...Windsor House School: WOW. Windsor House is a publicly funded democratic school whose guiding principles are: profound respect, self-directed education, democratic governance, multi-age grouping, participation, freedom with responsibility, and accountability.
I was lucky enough to get a tour from the founder herself, Helen Hughes, and have lunch with her, after sitting in on a parent discussion group. I then walked around the school watching students and adults in action together. This type of 'schooling' excites me, and I hope to visit more alternative education models as I go. MORE about Windsor House on the "More About People I've Met" page.
...Karma Teachers Yoga: Another WOW. Karma Teachers began in 2011 and is the brainchild of Emerson Lim. Its mission is to offer free or by-donation yoga classes to promote the act of selfless giving and building community. I went several times while in Vancouver and LOVED it. Read more here.
Christina, who is starting up her own Reiki practice and was grateful to learn from her about techniques I can use to deal with my own emotions and body. See "More About People I've Met" to find out more about Christina's practice. ...reconnected with an old friend and teaching colleague from Toronto, Wilma-Joy. Raced around the city doing
errands with WJ sitting on the floor in the back of the van, sandwiched between boxes. Breakfast out and a hike.
Also met up with Pascal, who was a visitor to our Sointula hostel, and went for a hike along the ocean.
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and got to participate in the paper- burning of someone's past on an outdoor fire, drink a beer, and play guitar. Gracious hospitality and sharing of space.
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