Our group scattered after Caballo St Pk----we will gather again--"downstream". Here I am parked near Leesburg dam, NM. I woke this day to find a tumbleweed -- fitting symbol of my lifestyle --visiting me.
Drifting solitarily for A few days, I make my way to Rockhound St Pk. Laurie may join me there.
She does not see me arrive and I take this surreptitious shot of her at the center of a labyrinth--doing--- whatever spiritually oriented people do. She does not explain. You may remember a shot of her in this same posture when she happened upon a fallen man in Chama.
We stay a few days in Rockhound then make our way to City of Rocks St Park .
Those giant stones are the size of Stonehenge---- hundreds of them. Only 5 such natural sites like this exist in the world.
We meet a new and exciting friend---Malinda. I wrote her a poem naming her motorcycle: AZURE STEED. She accepted the appelation.
Laurie, Sloan and CB join us for a few days among the boulders.
Then we scatter again and I go on a solitary venture. Here, I'm amusing myself in the shrinking town of Bowie, Az----photographing an unusual teepee house. In an interview, I learn that the population now is 300---down from 600 a few years ago. I'm curious who goes and who stays in situations like this. Answer: the old stay---the young leave.
Everybody has left this town---Steins, NM---I stay awhile to get the feel.
The group reassembles in Tucson for Thanksgiving. We share dinner with a few hundred people celebrating an ALATHON. Pictures of the meetings were not permitted---here's our group outside the meeting hall. Oh sweet people--if you bother to find out what this was about, you may understand why I was deeply moved by the love, comraderie, acceptance and protocols of these amazing people. I was allowed to sit in on three of their personal meetings---I learned a lot about the kinds of glue that can bond people dynamically together.
As if my cup weren't full enough--next day our group shared a dinner at the casino Del Sol celebrating Tish"s Birthday -- Our new friend Malinda joined us for the feast.
On another night Laurie takes us all dancing. During a break I capture a pict of CB and Sloan---
Very cute lovebirds.
Someone among us is a yoga person who has everyone stretching in the parking lot.
On another day, I managed to get a picture of a Cougar in action.
And a coyote.
And a most unusual tree---what could it be?
In the center of a nearby labyrinth---Laurie and Sloan ponder the mystery of life.
And then---on her birthday---CB takes Laurie and I to dinner at Claim Jumper--a terrific restaurant. Does her happiness show? Friends who care for us--- make all the difference in our well being.
And then last night Tish treated us to a movie (LONESOME PLANET) at the local art theatre. We ham it up in an old fashion photo booth in the lobby.
A trinity of friends sharing the morning in Laurie's cozy Casbah
RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES: I hope I've illustrated how a group of friends can "tribalize" without losing their liberty-----and can gain the enormous bonus of association. We are all richer for our bonding. By being mobile---in separate rigs---connected by modern electronics---we preserve privacy----reap the rewards of cross pollination and human synergy. What distinguishes us from an ordinary set of friends is that 1.we are committed to CHAMPION each other to live their best life and 2. To engage at the level of authenticity. If you are mobile and this appeals to you---seek us out--test the waters. We envision a wide network of such people who wander in and out of the core.
9 comments:
The unusual tree you photographed is a boojum tree. I have seen it in my own many travels in southern AZ.
The ecologist who gave it that name took it from Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark.
Good blog post, I enjoyed reading. Loved the pictures...increases the 'itch' to travel!
you ought to put up twitter & facebook follow button and make easier to keep in touch. I'll return to read more.
Oh, FUN!! Miss you all! Can't wait to meet up again in January. Working hard on getting my rig set up with solar, etc. Tell everyone I said Hi!
Jeanne
A tribe of individualists...
Reminds me of a line from the movie "Up In Smoke" (1978)-
>>Man Stoner: No, hey man, if were gonna wear uniforms man, you know
let’s have everybody wear something different.
Pedro: Yea, thats it. Yea, we want something wear everybody wears
something different man, but the same, you know?<<
Randy,
Your Blog entries about your caravan have grown boring. You need to go back to doing what you used to do best...interviewing funky characters that you meet along the way.
Thank you Jim I agree. The Mobile Kodger is hiding his true gifts with his "celebration of what most people call friendship." The Kodger is so good at getting people to think when he rants and writes about what he sees not just showing pictures of his travel companions.
Jim, I disagree. This is Randy's blog and he is not here to entertain you or anyone else!
I've found in general when someone is bored it's because they themselves are living a 'boring' life.
I applaude Randy when he shares his 'funky character' stories which reveal the authentic side of life and I applaud him for diving deep into his vision of creating a 'mobile intentional community' of diverse individualists who actually support one another to live their best lives individually and collectively by choosing to be willing to relate at the level of authenticity and his willingness to share the unfolding adventure with us on his blog.
I have been a part of many of the traditional RVing groups available and while they may share friendship and camaraderie there is a level of intentionality for really championing one another in the caravan that I have not witnessed at the same level beforel.
I find it compelling and have been following 'The Quest for Community Caravan's' travels to learn what I can from the endeavor. And I hope to cross paths with them when they attend the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous in Quartzite or perhaps connect for their winter/spring tour in the SouthWest and New Mexico and have considered joining them for their travels to Oregon this summer because I have wanted to cultivate a deeper intimacy in my solo travels.
I support Randy in not only doing what you see as his best yet I also recognize that he is a multi talented renaissance man and has other meaningful interests he wants to share with his readers as well.
I value and learn from his current passions and purpose and appreciate everything he is willing to share with us and after all it is HIS blog.
Perhaps, instead of hurling judgmental comments on someone elses blog you can dispel your boredom by spicing up your own!
Great post per usual! I agree wholeheartedly with the previous post; Randy's posts on community are interesting and valuable to me.
I intend to meet up with the group in Quartzite as well. Randy's writing has been a primary source of motivation for me to try out this path.
As a step in this direction, about a month ago I bought a Toyota Dolphin and have been getting everything functional since then.
I'm excited to explore a new way of living with more emphasis on Randy's 3 tenents: 1) Respond to ones' fascinations 2) Wake up ones' creativity 3) Share your adventure.
Brad
PS: "It's not an adventure if you know what's going to happen!"
Brad wrote: >>I'm excited to explore a new way of living with more emphasis on Randy's 3 tenents: 1) Respond to ones' fascinations 2) Wake up ones' creativity 3) Share your adventure.<<
Good points... I'm sure this entry is fascinating to Randy & he is sharing it but... I guess it is true, Randy does not have to entertain us, if "A tribe of individualists" does it for him, that is enough.
Of course we don't have to read either..
Post a Comment