Autumnal Adventures

Alternate title: Will democracy stand? The eve of election day is so incredibly fraught the last six years. Of course, I hoped that with the election of Biden (not my first choice, but still…) and control of the house and senate we would move in a more sensible direction. You know, one where a measurable subset of the politicians in the country weren’t actively trying to overthrow democracy by refusing to honor the actual votes of its citizens. Who thought that returning to good-old fashioned gerrymandering and voter suppression would be an improvement on things? Of course, those steps plus stacking the courts are what allowed us to end up where we are. In the next few days we will find out if we have the legislative means to try and improve the country or if we have moved one step closer to an authoritarian government with no regard at all for the wishes of its citizens. Surely you have already voted by mail, or plan to be at the polls tomorrow?

For now, life goes on and I have been busy, busy, busy. I have been taking full advantage of the fact that this semester I only work on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and extending my weekends. I kicked things off with a late September trip to the Sequoia National Park with Ellen. We did a quick two night – 20 mile backpacking trip. Camping each night at a beautiful lake — first Jennie Lake and then Weaver Lake. The temps were perfect and the crowds were minimal for such an accessible loop.

Oh those colors! The mountains in autumn are always a sight to behold.

Two weeks later it was time for a marathon drive to Oregon and back. I have recently joined the Board of Directors of the Oregon Timber Trail Alliance and each October is the one in person retreat a year – future meetings will be on Zoom. And of course, I’ll be back up in Oakridge, OR for the summer! After much research I decided to drive instead of fly since I really wanted to have my bike with me and flying with a bike is a pain and to be avoided if possible. Unfortunately, during the time I was on my trip gas prices in California spiked to $6-$7 per gallon and that drive really hurt! I actually support higher taxes on gas, but I need some consistency for planning purposes! I didn’t take many pictures on the trip, but a spontaneous stop to stretch my legs at a random trailhead in southern Oregon gifted me with these beautiful Pitcher Plants.

The weekend itself was a whirlwind of experiences and learning that I may share more about in the future. For now, I am still getting my feet under me as a board member and it is not yet clear exactly what my role will be within the group. I had planned a quick stop in Oakridge to visit friends and pick up some items at the bike shop, but they were still experiencing off the charts horrible air quality from the nearby Cedar Fire. While they were grateful that the evacuation order had been lifted, everyone was losing patience with living in unbreathable air. A couple of weeks ago they finally received enough rain that firefighters have gained an upper hand and the people of Oakridge are breathing clean air once again. I was fortunate that some of my close friends were farther south in Klamath Falls the same night I was driving home and got to spend a very quick evening camping with them.

Meanwhile my back was (and is) still threatening mutiny from the long drive and fast-forward two weeks and I was off to Sedona! I had planned this trip prior to joining the OTTA and would never had planned a drive to Arizona so soon after the huge drive to Oregon; however, the commitment with friends had been made. Kathy and I were driving from Santa Barbara to meet our friend Kim, who now lives in Colorado. Sedona was the midway location and is famous for its beauty and mountain biking.

I had tried to spend some time in Sedona last autumn and was so frustrated by the crowds and traffic that I just gave up and left. But this time we had a plan! We had a campsite reserved in advance and some trail recommendations. The traffic across town and the need to circle the trailhead parking lots until getting a space was still very frustrating and the camping was VERY cold! But the trails, as advertised, were incredibly rewarding! I can’t see myself spending much time in the area, but I really want to share the joy of those trails with Jesse sometime.

I’m now back in Santa Barbara and playing catch up on all the things! Work is buzzing along, I’m keeping busy with new board responsibilities, and taking a deeper dive into my commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work than I ever have before. I’m doing this through a variety of means — a five week seminar at work, podcasts, and reading. I have so much room for growth.

Here’s one final photo of Ellen from our Sierra trip. I love how you can’t tell where the rocks and water begin or end, and how Ellen almost blends in, as well. Be well and be kind.