Back to Nature?

After nearly three days without communication to the outside world, our dish is now talking to the satellite. We're not sure what the problem was, maybe just a little out of line. Since we're like gypsies we have to set up the dish where ever we park. Do gypsies have internet? This is all so strange because I just started reading Fatu-Hiva by Thor Heyerdahl, his first book describing how at 22 he and his 20 years old bride went to live on a primitice Marquesa island living strictly according to nature.

Ode to Celeste Maia

If I were a poet I'd write an ode to Celeste Maia. At least I can thank you Celeste for reading my blog and knowing I'm not just another lonely voice in cyberspace. Next time I'm at the library I will look to see if they have your books. It must be wonderful to be your grandchild! Yes, thank you, Eliot necks seems to be improving although I'm not certain if it's just the effects of the pain pills and muscle relaxants. We took the Kipor generator to near Provo, an 8 hour drive round trip so maybe it will get fixed. I am so curious about Mozambique and how you came to be born there and actually your whole life. I'm an avid reader and love to read of other cultures although the last few books I've read were so devastating: The Kite Runner, Tomorrow Will Be Better, a book about a Czech woman during the war who escaped the communists only to end up in Lahore during the Partition, and another book about the Armenian Holocaust. And having been born Jewish, I've read everything I could on the Holocaust marveling how lucky I was to be born in the United States instead of Europe. I wish I could have what seems to me your more positive view of the human race.

more problems

Eliot has a pinched nerve in his neck. The AC got accidentally turned on during the night because the stupid thermostat is right above the bathroom light switch so when Karin tried to turn on the generator because Eliot couldn't even get out of bed, the generator blew. It's a Kipor, a Honda knockoff. So we had to get a cheap noisey Champion to replace it and it looks like there's no one here who can fix the Kipor. The local RV place in Vernal says they've given up being a dealer because they're unreliable so even though it's probably still under warranty we wont be able to get it fixed. Eliot tried a chiropractor on Monday but today we went to the Urgent Care Clinic so he could get some pain pills and muscle relaxants. And the mosquitoes are still driving me crazy and I'm trying to plant a seed in Eliot's mind that it would be better not coming up here again next year. It's 13 miles down this horrible steep rocky dirt road to a paved road for another half hour to Vernal when something happens. I'm too old for this. Eliot says he's rather drop dead up here hiking than not be here. But first he has to stop hurting before he can actually hike. I know I complain too much and should count my blessings. I had a long adventurous life. I just hope we make it through this summer. And if we do I'd like to see the Atlantic Ocean once more preferably on Jekyl Island off of Georgia.

A Visit from the Sheriff

We were just about to eat supper. The generator was on high so that the microwave would work when there was a knock on the door, a firm hard knock. I recognized it as the knock of a lawman. Just come up to check that all was well. Well, it wasn't. His visit introduced a zillion new mosquitoes who joined us for dinner. I got many of them with my battery operated tennis racquet shaped flying insect zapper but those mosquitoes are smart. They know if they get too close to the computer I won't try to electocute them because the charge knocks out the computer.

Split Rock Path

Eliot is very proud that his picture of the Split Rock made it to Google Earth: Split Rock Path near White Rocks, Utah. I call it the Rocky Horror Trail. I think I mentioned in previous posts that the High Uintahs are noted for their rocks. Did I also mention mosquitoes? We've cairned the path to Lower Rock Lake. It's about an hour long and kids love to follow the cairns. There are other landmarks for me along the way, the little opening with Indian Paint Brush, the detour around a very old big tree that fell many years ago, the log that's easy to cross because of the two rocks on either side to help you over, the huge rock with a depression beneath it that holds water until the end of summer. The Lake is beautiful framed by rocky cliffs and sun sparkling on the water. Eliot actually caught a very big cutthroat, maybe 18 inches while I tried to read Amy Tan through my mosquito net. When I first met Eliot I tried to fish also but never bcame very skilled at releasing the hook from the fish's mouth and had too much empathy for the poor tricked fish. So I always bring a book. A reminder of our hike for several days will be the itchy welts on my tush from answering nature's call.

Hike in the High Uintahs

A beautiful day, blue sky, high sixties, nice wind in the meadow to keep the mosquitoes away but once in the woods they were there. Eliot wanted to see if there was a bridge over the Whiterocks River down stream because years back he had seen piles of bridge building material on the start of Trail 049. We found the bridge and the river was flowing fast, too fast for fish. Later in the fall after they've let out most of the water from the Chepeta Reservoir, they're are fisherman along the banks. The trail on the other side of the bridge was full of downfall and it was very difficult going. There are no easy trails anyhow in the High Uintahs because of rocks, rocks, rocks but climbing over logs and refinding the trail made the hike even more difficult. I forgot to wear my home made gaitors which I need because my Keen boots (I should say boats because they are really too big so they can accomodate my toes and orthotics) are low and ever lose bit of forest creeps into the tops and stick in my elastic stockings which I have to wear because my legs and feet swell. Don't ask me what I'm doing hiking in the High Uintahs instead of sitting by a pool sipping mint juleps. But it was lovely when we finally got back to the meadow, if you can call it a meadow. Even meadows up here have rocks. We did have a lovely lunch by the bridge watching thr river rush by.

computers suck

I just wrote a long post and must have hit something accidentally and the whole thing disappeared!
One thing I wrote was how I was amazed that someone as accomplished as Celeste Maia commented on my comment to Bobbie. I'm also amazed at her website and Bobbies' How do you become so tech savvy?
I think I said something about all the campers who were here this weekend (8 sites). Glad the weekend is over.
I also wondered about vegetarians eating calamari.
And there was a bunch of other stuff about my 10 year old grandson who is being raised in 3 languages in Budapest and now probably knows some Turkish since he spends a month every summer in Butterfly Valley on the Turkish coast.
Before I lose this too I'm signing off.

Contact

It was wonderful to find Bobbie commenting on my blog. I have so much to learn especially about sharing photos. Eliot, my companion, has great photos posted on panaramio. I will have to learn how to share these and maybe even borrow his camera. I noticed the photo Bobbie had of Imagine. When I feel most down I sing Imagine or Dona Nobis Pacem. Bobbie's blog has shown me there are other people out there who have a similar world view. I have a son, Patrick Doyle, who lives lightly on the land. He is a sculptor, mostly large geometric spheres and he volunteers every year at Arcosanti. and now I probably have to stop because I can only email when the generator is on. I think Eliot is out there splitting wood for our nightly campfires.

A Sunny Day

We've been here at Pole Creek Lake Campground 3 weeks and the weather is finally beginning to be nice. Sunshine and clouds that are not threatening. I still need someone to talk with. A woman came up from Salt Lake City and she talked a lot, in fact, too much. But she was also from the East (Yonkers) and I'm originally from Brooklyn so we had similar accents. She didn't like the mosquitos and left and was very attached to her dog, a big lab named Henry. I could understand why the man she was expecting to join her didn't show up.

any one out there?

This is an experiment. I'm looking for someone to talk to. I tried Facebook but can't find anybody my age . I'm 72 and remember the Second World War from Brooklyn. I got married at 19 to get out of Brooklyn. He was Irish. I was Jewish. We lived in many places (Baltimore, New York City, Munich, Cambridge, Vienna) before ending up in Fayetteville, Arkansas where he taught at the University of Arkansas and I was barefoot and pregnant. He was an alcoholic and gave up a tenured position and left me and the 3 kids in Rochester, NY where I had family. After we were divorced I lived with another man for 12 years before selling him my house and buying a small RV and going on the road. After 5 years of many adventures I met a man also traveling alone who took me to Australia for 6 months where we traveled in a Land Cruiser with a pop-up top and not having killed each other we figured we'd get along so I moved into his RV and we've been together f0r 6 years. We now host a remote primitive campground in the High Uintahs of Utah for 3 months in the summer and have a satellite dish. I really would like to have someone else to talk to so I thought maybe I could find somebody on blogspot.