Making Plans for the Desert

I finally had the time last night to sit down with a map and a book
on the Mojave desert to start some serious research for our next
small expedition to the desert. This time it will be on the "old
mojave road" in eastern California. We will be driving from the
Colorado river west to Barstow on a dirt road. It is just under 140
miles of dirt road and supposedly some long soft sand sections plus
several passes to cross, it will be fun. This is scheduled for a few
days during the week after Christmas when we and Gerald and Quincy
from San Dimas will do the run together.

The old Mojave Road is an old supply route used by traders and
military trains in the late 1800's. This was not a well used route
for migrants due to the high summer temperatures and long stretches
between water. The route does lead across the desert from spring to
spring with dry stretches averaging about 18 to 30 miles. Turns out
one of these springs was the site of the last "shoot out" in the west
over water in 1925. Along the way we will pass the "penny can"
hanging from a joshua tree where superstitious wayfarers must drop a
penny in the can (who cleans out the pennies?). We will also pass the
Mojave Road mail box where the visitors log is located and we will
also pass the "government rock pile" on Soda Lake where each visitor
is encouraged to bring a rock to the middle of the lake to add to the
pile and to read the plaque. (the words on the plaque are secret and
known only to those who go out to the rock pile, OR to Guigni's
Grocery and Deli in St. Helena)

Eleven years ago we started this adventure. Gerald or I had learned
of the trail and we got together to drive about half of the road. We
promised each other that we would return soon and finish the
adventure. Eleven years is not soon but it is an indicator of how
caught up in life we can get. Mark was 2 last time we were on this
road. He turned 13 last Friday. Time is flying.

i-Impact

Well it has been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon.

Apparently the entire community has been transplanted from Minnesota
to Angwin, California.

This week the circus of the mind has blown into town and it is taking
the hearts and minds and souls of the people without refund or
deposit. It is called i-Impact.

i-Impact (do a google if you like) is an expensive, intensive series
of weekend seminars that "all" thinking people should invest in to
look inside themselves and find the true meaning in life, find the
answers to all the problems in your life you never were able to solve
and thus become a whole person, all without the need for prayer.

This process (about $4,000) over 5 weekends must be raking in the
dollars based on the number of local, mid-career couples and managers
I know who have signed up for the life changing experience and are
paying out of their own pockets for the keys to unlock their happier
selves. A trip to Cancun, without a hurricane, a little snorkeling
and a prayer life could probably do the same thing.

i-Impact is a group process, in a hotel conference center where you
are led into the steps of self discovery by a "mentor couple" who
have experienced this themselves and have invited you to join them in
this journey of discovery. The first night is free. Of course if you
do not sign up after the first night, then you are in denial and your
resistance to self improvement is evidence of just how much you need
this type of program. Each weekend is then a stand alone seminar of
development. Thursday, noon to 11PM, then homework, Friday, noon to
midnight, then homework, Saturday, 10AM to midnight, then homework,
Sunday, 10AM to midnight. Four or five weekends of this, if you have
not found your self then you are not looking in the right places.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Two stories, two different endings:

I just finished reading the book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, (Atria Books, 2004) by Aron Ralston.

This is the story of the young man who was caught by the hand by a slipping boulder while canyoneering in South Utah in 2003. He was held tight by his right hand for 6 days while he ran out of water, reviewed his life, hallucinated wildly and finally found the inner strength to cut off his hand with a dull pocket tool and then hike and rappel down a 65 foot cliff to his rescuers.

I read the last several chapters about the final phases of his ordeal aloud to Linda and Mark around the campfire near Loon Lake on the edge of Desolation Wilderness, just west of Lake Tahoe. I am so moved by his courage and self control, yet moved also by his crying out in prayer to God or anyone else who would hear him and offer rescue or solace. While it is clear that his physical health and preparation helped keep him alive; it becomes very clear in the book that his mental stamina and personal courage were key tools in survival.

More personally,

I took a call from my friend Logan in Las Vegas last night. We met him in Utah years ago when Mark was young at a Nissan 4x4 event (goneMoab). He is an independent man who has worked hard in the IT and telecom industry and converted that hard work into free time devoted to exploring the West, Western history and leading wilderness 4x4 groups on rides and tours. He explored and designed the trip L2H which we were involved in last year; driving from Badwater, Death Valley to the top of Mount Bancroft. (or 282 below sea level to 12,470 above)

Logan was unable to join us and the Southern California Xterra club on the trip since he was sick at the time. He has been sick ever since and called last night to tell us that the doctors say he is dying. Logan is gay, he is one of the dearest men I know and he has spent months and months fighting every bug and lesion and skin cancer known to affect people with suppressed imune systems. He says he is not HIV positive. I suspect he is. He called me about six months ago absolutely filled with joy that he had a new boy friend that cared about him and enjoyed his company even though he was sick. I was very happy for him.

Last night I cried, I cried for him, I cried for the suffering in this world, I cried for the end of pain. Logan said he has brain lesions now and the drugs will either work to halt them, or he will die. He called because he needed someone to tell him he is loved and cared about even while there seems to be little we can do to ease his suffering. He has long ago been estranged from his family, his only contacts are several friends who stay in touch from time to time.

And I wonder about the two stories.

Two men, two lives, both interested in life and love and happiness and wilderness and freedom. Two different endings.

Random thoughts and tires

Sitting here listening to PUC internet radio podcast http://
www.puc.edu/pucradio as I try to develop some thoughts at the end of
the day. PUC can proudly say that we are the first SDA college to
offer scheduled podcasting of a campus program of news and info for
the campus and students.

Today was new tires day on the Pathfinder since tomorrow is the start
of a scheduled wonderful weekend of camping. $921 later I have four
new bfGoodrich tires on the machine. I have never in my life thought
that tires could cost almost $1,000. I know, could have put on some
cheep brand but the Craig Theory is that these tires will last long
enough to make the extra expense worthwhile.

On Friday my family is going camping for the first time this summer.
Seems hard to believe but we never spent a night in our camper this
entire summer. Mark and I had our trip to General Conference but we
never did get any camping in. Mark has the day off from school
tomorrow and we are going up to Icehouse Reservoir above Placerville
for a weekend of camping, hiking, 4x4ing and general book reading. I
need to get away after two weeks of getting the late arriving
students into the computers and registered for the fall term. Linda
has been swamped at the Bookstore with the normal flood of students
complaining about the cost of books and supplies for students. Mark
has settled in fine in his school and a day off will be nice.

Mark is now involved in weekly math tutoring after school and he is
more excited about school then I have seen in a long long time. He
wants to go to school, what a wonderful concept. In a couple weeks he
is scheduled to go on a two night field trip up to the Lassen Peak
area for a Science field trip. We are so pleased that he is in a
Christian school that can go on such a trip and present nature as the
Book of God without getting bogged down in evolution.