Sunday Serenity: Walking

Posted on by Annie

The first time I walked more than a few minutes after I broke my hand, it was unexpectedly terrifying. My brain was sure I was going to trip again and fall again and the sidewalk felt like it full of danger. It took all the courage I had to walk three blocks to the pizza takeout for dinner (otherwise, no dinner!) and walk back to the hotel. The next day I did six blocks each way, and then each time after that, I went a little farther, proving slowly to myself that I wasn’t going to crash and burn every…

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Weekly Update: Sep 6, 2017

Posted on by Annie

The most exciting news is that I’ve made it off the Cape after six weeks! It didn’t let me escape easily, creating high winds that had me white-knuckling the drive over the Bourne Bridge, but Bella was a champ and Breeze followed along behind very well. I spent my last week just barely on the Cape, in the lovely town of Sandwich, at Shawme-Crowell State Forest. It’s a weird little campground, with some sites right up against the noise of Route 6 and all of the sites having somewhat challenging access (no pavement, just mud, dirt and tree roots). To…

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Columbia Gorge

Posted on by Annie

The Gorge is burning and it breaks my heart. It was such a beautiful place and now it’s in flames, up and down the Columbia River on the Oregon side, and jumping across to Washington side today. It’s stranded hikers on local trails, closed the Pacific Crest trail as it runs through Cascade Locks in the heart of the Gorge, and shut down I-84 for miles. From one day to the next, it grew from 3000 acres to 10,000 acres. And all because, allegedly, some teenagers threw fireworks off a cliff. If you’ve never been there, here’s my photos from…

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Sunday Serenity: Friends

Posted on by Annie

As a solo traveler, I was committed to the idea that I would be doing everything myself. From hitching up to breaking camp, pumping out tanks to deciding when and where to go, it was all on me. Yes, it’s fun to camp with others and set up social occasions, and I enjoy that. But when the rubber meets the road (literally!), it’s just me and Bella and the Breeze out there, a trio of intrepid adventurers wandering around the USA. I didn’t think much about what might happen to change that. A job offer I couldn’t resist? A place…

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Glassworks

Posted on by Annie

Ah, a glass museum less than two miles from my current campsite! The display covering the history of glass in New England was interesting, yes, but when I got to these sculptural, technical pieces, by the artist Sidney Hutter, I was in heaven. As he puts it, he works “…in form, color, and light.” Yes, indeed he does! His glass creations captivated me. Each one is 16-20 inches high and incredibly detailed, as you can see from the closeup below. Sometimes a vase isn’t a vase, it’s a sculpture that challenges us to see beyond the familiar and appreciate form…

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