Now it's Christmas eve and yesterday I finished the 2nd painting that
I've been working on since last week. I love it when I get productive.
This is what I just did with that base color that I used on the outside
of my friends house.
Working with that orange/yellow color as a base coat really gave this
picture some heat even though it is under the colors that actually make
the painting.It bleeds thru due to the translucent quality of the oils
that I overpainted with.Now it's time to get going on another.I'm
thinking maybe an image from my trip up to Prince Edward Island might
trigger something in my mind and pop out on the canvas .This is how it
works,it doesn't get copied ,I look at it some and then some other image
comes out with feelings of the photo I used for inspiration.I don't see
the point in coping something , I'd much rather create something but
that's just me. You see,to me painting is expression of what's in my
head .So,now for the search for that image.To do that I gotta go
downstairs to the basement and light up my old Mac G3 mirror door tower
where I store all my photos.It's too slow to really use for the internet
but with 3 huge hard drives it's a great storage space for all my
digital photos.You know,when I go out on these motorcycle trips I come
home with as many as 6000 pictures. This is the beauty of digital
photography,I can shoot away as much as I like and it doesn't cost shit !
Back in the old days I'd shoot some pictures then the film would sit in
the refrigerator and eventually get tossed for lack of money to develop
it.This is why I have so few photos of my past like when I lived in LA
and went to Alaska & Newfoundland.I didn't even bring a camera when I
hich hiked to Alaska and that was a 3 month 11,000 mile treck from NY
and back.Probably just as well,I have to write about it instead and
sometimes that's better.Here is something I wrote about that trip :
The trip to Alaska was one of those spur of the moment things. We were
sitting on the beach the night Hugh got home and we just looked at each
other , both high as a kite,and said ALASKA! We really wanted to go to
Mexico but ,hey what the fuck,Alaska was a cool place to head off to.
This was July 3rd 1971. We left on the 5th of July. Standing out on the
corner of Little Neck Rd and RT 25A in Centerport New York with a
cardboard sign that just said ALASKA. Two hippies with packs on our
backs and a guitar. I think people picked us up because we were so
outrageous !
We did ok that day. Got all the way up to Syracuse NY by sunset. Then ,
just as we were thinking about finding some woods to sleep in this
truck picked us up and that was the beginning of a major change in my
life. I didn't know it at the time but I am still affected by that ride.
The driver was this guy in his 40's named Howard. At first we didn't
know what to make of the situation,we had a ride and he was telling us
we could camp in his backyard . He told us he was going up to Ogdensburg
on the Canadian border and he'd take us to Ottawa Canada the next day. I
was leary but we went and ended up sleeping in a tent his kid had set
up in the back yard.
The next morning he woke us up at dawn announcing that breakfast was
being served. I walk into the kitchen and there standing in front of me
is this beautiful woman and as our eyes met we became friends. Barbara
was just one of those people we all meet once in our lives . There is no
figuring it out ,no rhyme or reason to it ,it just happens.We became
instant friends and as we were driving into Ottawa she told me to come
back and tell her about Alaska on the return trip.We parted ways and
moved on.
Wandered around Ottawa and stayed at a youth hostel that night. The
next couple days we made steady but slow progress.On our 3rd day in
Canada we got a really cool ride. This school bus full of hippies picked
us up and as we drove down the road they picked up everyone until there
was no more room in the bus. Then we found a place way out in the
country and held up there for the weekend. There must have been 30 of us
and at least 4 different languages being spoken .We camped by a river
where we all could get naked and swim. The drugs flowed freely and we
partied all weekend! Monday morning we all piled into the bus and they
dropped us off at 10 mile intervals as we drove down the Trans Canada
Highway heading west.
Got stuck in this town in Ontario called Wawa . Reading the messages
on the back of the road signs telling us we were going to be there a
while. One read "stuck here for 8 days now" That's when the retired
school teacher and her grand daughter picked us up.
Standing on the side of the road for hours gets old after a time. We
were stuck in Wawa for 6 hours now and it was starting to look like all
those notes on the back of the road signs were true when a car
stopped.We ran up and in the car was an old woman and her grand daughter
who was about 16 years old.We climbed in and down the road we went. Got
to the next town and they dropped us off and told us they were going to
go have lunch..We figured they just wanted to loose us and starter
thumbing for rides. Lucky for us we didn't get one 'cause an hour later
they came back and told us to hop in. They then told us they wanted to
talk it over before taking us on 'cause they were going to Calgery and
that was a three day ride! We scored!
The car was small so the woman bought a luggage rack for the roof and
we put our packs up there. I did most of the driving splitting it with
the woman 'cause neither the girl or Hugh had a drivers license . At
night they took a motel room and we camped in near by woods and did our
washing up at the local gas station.It worked out well for us. They fed
us and gave us a 2000 mile ride in exchange for some driving and the
security of having some men with them as they traveled across this huge
expanse of Canadian Prairie. We made it to Calgary on the morning of the
third day.As we were saying our good bye's the woman slipped me a 10.
dollar bill and her address . She asked if I would write her and tell
her how our trip went.
Now we were out west! It was time to head north to Edmonton . This guy
picked us up and bought a bunch of beer.We started driving but only
went as far as this park outside of town.He told us that the Calgary
Stampede was about to start and that we should stick around 'cause it
was a real good party. We camped with him that night.Morning came and we
decided to keep going rather than hang out for the Stampede and off we
went .
Got a ride up the road for 10 miles then were stuck again. Hours went
by as we waited there until this guy picked us up. He told us he lived
in Edmonton with his wife and daughter. We drove for a while and finally
arrived in Edmonton at dinner time.He invited us to his home for dinner
where his wife insisted on doing our laundry. They let us shower and
then dinner was served. His daughter was our age and asked if we would
like to see the town after dinner. This family was incredible! Not only
did they take us in,do our laundry,and feed us but they also gave us a
place to sleep for the night and a night on the town! We hit all the
usual places and then ended up out at this park where all the local kids
hung. Got high and drank some of this Canadian beer called Uncle Ben's
Malt Liquor. We all got really wrecked and somehow made it back to her
house. Next day we were fed breakfast and on the road again but not
before we were given their phone number and told to come back on the
return trip !
Now we were heading north and getting close to the Alaska Highway. We
still had a ways to go but we were almost on the road up to Alaska and
we were psyched.
We left Edmonton early in the morning. Headed to a town called Grande
Prairie .It was an uneventful day. Got some rides and slowly made our
way there . Got to Grande Prairie in the late afternoon. Our last ride
into town was a young guy in his late teens.He told us about a youth
hostel there where we could stay for 2 days,rest up get showered &
fed all for 50 cents a day if you had it and free if you didn't! Being
from New York I thought this was too good to be true but I was wrong!
That was the deal and we took advantage of it.
There were a few other hippies staying there and the girl who ran the
place was really cool too.We all went out in her car exploring in the
day . Smoking grass and drinking beer, just enjoying ourselves. Two of
the guys staying there were on their way down from Alaska and gave us a
good peek at what we were in for. They told us about some cool places to
go and warned us about the black flys. What they said was really
valuable to us. The most important thing they told us was to throw away
your soap and only bath to get clean in the rivers and lakes. The flys
are attracted to perfume and you had to get used to not using soap to
survive them. They were right ! I didn't use soap for the next 6 weeks!
Bathed every day just didn't use soap.
We kept on going and the next day we made it to Dawson Creek where the
Alaska highway begins. This Greek guy picked us up there. He told us
he'd take us as far as Ft Nelson BC. . That was 300 miles north of where
we were. After about 50 miles the highway turned to a gravel road . He
told us that that is how it was going to be for the rest of the way to
Alaska! We made slow steady progress on this dusty gravel road and then
stopped for lunch out in the middle of nowhere. When we arrived he
showed us where to camp and where the town was and left.We were in that
town for 7 days! Couldn't get a ride no matter how hard we tried. Hugh
was oblivious to what was going on all around him at this point. He was
starting to worry me . Telling me he was seeing auras around my head and
crazy shit like that. I didn't know it at the time but his schizophenia
was starting to rear it's ugly head !
Day after long day we sat on the side of the road getting passed by
these fucking winnebagos. On the 8th day this guy stops and tells us
he'll take us all the way to Anchorage 1200 miles away but we have to
wait 2 more days while his friends get their big truck fixed.At first I
thought it was bullshit but again,I was wrong . It turned out his
friends and him were opening a pool hall in Anchorage and hauling up an
entire pool hall in this old U Haul 28 foot truck all the way from
Georgia! What a bunch of crazies ! these 4 hippies in a huge truck and a
small pick up driving from Georgia to Alaska with 17 slate pool
tables,balls,and everything else to open up a fucking pool hall! The
trip from this point forward would become very interesting I thought to
myself and I was right.
After a day of waiting we finally left Ft Nelson.It seemed the rear
end of the truck was worn. There were cavities forming on the teeth of
the ring gear and causing the noise the guys were worrying about. This
old guy at the garage suggested they dump a few lbs of powered graphite
in with the gear oil.He claimed this would pack the cavities and quiet
it down . He felt we could make it the 1200 miles to Anchorage by doing
this. The guys did this and off we went. Got as far as Watson Lake where
a wheel bearing failed. Limped into town and got that fixed. On the
road again!
Things were good with these guys.We smoked lots of dope and sucked
down the beers as we made our way up this very curvy and dangerous
gravel road. It was a slow go. At times we were only able to crawl along
at about 10 mph. The road was like a washboard and the passing truck
traffic would throw up rocks smashing the windshield. The dust was
unbelievable when one of these huge semi's would fly by in the other
direction. Zero visibility for about a mile . This went on for a couple
days until one day in the late morning the drive shaft broke.
We were out in the middle of nowhere . About 50 miles from Haines
Junction. They sent the guy with the pick up in with the drive shaft to
get it fixed and there we were on the side of the road for a day and a
half. We were hungry and as luck would have it they had a small dirt
bike on the back of the truck with the pool tables . None of them knew
how to ride so I got pressed into service. I rode into Haines
Junction,found the other guy and got the bad news that the parts were
not in yet to fix the drive shaft. Bought a bunch of food and headed
back to the disabled truck and my friends.
Riding on that road was unbelievable.It was beautiful beyond belief
with 18,000 ft mountains off in the distance and alpine meadows covered
in purple fire weed that stretched for miles out in front of me . That
is until a truck would fly past and cover me in choking dust. Well, I
made it back and we had food .
Later that day I decided to ride the dirt bike off road across this
meadow . Here I am in the Yukon on a dirt bike! I was in heaven. So I'm
blasting across this field of purple when off in the distance I see
these 3 wild horses. I hit the gas and head right for them wanting to
check them out.I never saw wild horses before and this was really cool.
I'm blasting along jumping holes in the ground and rocks ,small logs,and
burnt out stumps from the forrest fire that happened there a while back
when the horses see me. They all start to run but not away from me .
Instead they were running off to the side sort of perpendicular to my
position. I thought to myself how strange that was and when I got to
where they had been I got off the bike to look around.I walked about 75
feet and there was the reason they didn't run away, a cliff! The ground
just opened up and there was this gorge about 100 ft deep and 100 yards
wide! It wasn't my day to die! If I didn't see those horses or if they
weren't there I would have driven right over the edge never to be seen
again !
With the drive shaft fixed we were back on the road making the final
big push to get to Anchorage.We still had many hundreds of miles ahead
of us but had this vibe that all was going to go smoothly .It did sort
of anyway. We left Haines Junction behind and were driving thru the most
scenic part of the Alaska Highway now. It was a rough go at times but
as we headed towards Destruction Bay things got really beautiful.
There is this huge lake called Kluani lake? and that's where Destruction
Bay is.On the other side of the road is mountains and glaciers . Up on
the hill sides there are these mountain sheep . They are really cool
with these horns that look like ram horns . Saw quite a few of them on
the sides of the mountains and the glaciers were just incredible. The
water coming off them was this greyish color and the taste ! Mmmmmm it
was like nothing else in this world.
We kept on driving day in day out until we reached the Hot Springs.
There we rested and soaked in this warm sulphur water that smelled like
rotten eggs. What luxury ! Here we were out in the middle of the Yukon
in the northern woods soaking in a warm bath of natural sulphur water.
It was a very private place that most people didn't know was there so we
could be naked and get really clean.We soaked until we were all
shriveled up like prunes,smoking dope and laughing .It was nice and a
well needed rest. We spent the night there camping next to the trucks.
The next day wasn't so good. The driver of the small pick up ran off
the road and put a hole in the radiator. We fucked around with that and
got it to hold water ,filled it with pond water and down the road we
went to Whitehorse. Wow! paved road for 20 miles on either side of this
town!!! Smooth driving for a time.
In Whitehorse we stocked up on food and supplies for the last leg of our
journey. Pushing on we kept going and finally we were there! They
dropped us off at the road that heads down to the Keni peninsula . I
knew this guy from high school who was living down in Seward so that is
where we headed next.
Now the Alaska I'm talking was vastly different than the Alaska of
today . It's the Alaska before the pipeline 7 years after the big
earthquake. Seward is at the very end of the road on the coast.It was a
busy fishing port before the quake. When we rolled into town it was
strange. There weren't many buildings there and the fishing docks were
gone.
The guy that gave us the ride down from Anchorage knew my friend so he
drove us right to his door. It was good to see someone I knew. Bill was
a Veit Nam Vet who came back after doing his 13 months in the Marines
killing gooks. He had his fill of society and that's why he moved to
Alaska. He married this girl from Washington State and they had a couple
kids. He was doing good and working on building a cabin way out in the
boonies to go live in away from the world.We stayed with him for the
weekend and had a good time. He was happy to see some familiar faces and
hear about all the dirt from back on Long Island.
On Monday morning it was time to go. That weekend Hugh started to
really get strange. Telling me and everyone else he believed I was the
reincarnation of Jesus Christ. This was really to strange, so strange my
buddy Bill was telling me to get away from him because he thought he
might snap and do something bad. Hugh wanted to stay in Alaska at that
point so Bill encouraged him to go to Homer where he could get a job in a
cannery. Hugh went for it and on Monday morning we split the 40 dollars
we had, each taking 20 and started on our individual journeys .
I got a ride out of town by this guy who lived up the road about 10
miles. Then I got another ride by this older guy who invited me in for
lunch.He was a retired sheriff from Kansas and a gunsmith. I spent a few
hours with him. Unknown to me,but not him, there was a bank robbery in
Seward earlier. He knew I had nothing to do with it 'cause he had a
description of the guys and kept me there sort of to protect me without
my knowledge . He was showing me all sorts of guns and how he made parts
for them it was really cool. Then it was time to hit the road.I thanked
him for his hospitality and he told me about the robbery and said to
tell the cops I was with him and he would vouch for me.I thought that
was nice but kinda strange , why would I be talking to the police. Well.
I went thru 4 road blocks and was searched at gun point each time that
day! I never dropped his name 'cause they always let us pass and kept on
going right past Anchorage out into this valley where they did dairy
farming.
Got a ride from this guy who had just filled a 55 gallon drum with
gasoline to take to his farm. He asked me to help him unload it and as
we were unloading it he asked me if I needed a couple days work. Told me
he couldn't pay me much but he'd feed me and give me 40 bucks when I
left for my trip home. I took him up on his offer and did farm work for
the next two days. I worked my ass off but it was good and he was a
friendly guy so I didn't mind. Now I had 60 dollars and I was 5000 miles
from home. Not bad considering when I started this trip I had no money
and Hugh had less than 150 dollars.
Got back on the road . A few people gave me rides but they weren't
very far ,maybe 50 miles down the road. The weather had turned bad too.
It was mid August ,raining, and 50 degrees. All I had was this Canadian
Army sleeping bag that my father was given when he worked on the DEW
Line up in the Arctic in the 50's to keep me warm. It's a good bag,
water resistant canvas with eider down and wool. Hugh bought a tent half
way across Canada when we were with the old lady so he kept that. I was
out there on my own with very little protection and in the middle of
nowhere. I was ok with it. I knew how to keep myself warm and dry so I
held up in this spruce forrest for a couple days . Made a small lean to
and stayed in my sleeping bag .
After two days of this the weather broke and I hit the road again. Got a
good ride this time. These people picked me up that were headed to the
Yukon up by Dawson . They helped me get around the border crossing. You
see I didn't have enough money to enter Canada at this point so I hiked
around the customs station thru the woods and they waited for me down
the road on the other side out of sight of it. That was a really nice
thing they did for me! They got me down the road with this other guy
that they had picked up and left us off at the intersection where the
road to Dawson meets the Alaska Highway. This is when I saw the bear
fishing in the river. We made camp there ,me and this other traveler.
The next day we split up thinking it would be easier to get rides alone.
It was and I scored a ride that afternoon that would take me all the
way down the Alaska Highway!
This new ride I got was with a guy in a VW Bug.He was headed down to
Vancouver and told me he would take me to the end of the Alaska Highway.
That was almost a thousand miles! I settled in and we got to know each
other. It was nice just being with one person for a few days. We had
lots to talk about and the time seemed to fly by and in two and a half
days we were down in Dawson Creek and I was on the road side again. Got a
couple small rides and made it back to Grande Prairie where I spent
another night in the hostel then the next morning I got a ride from this
traveling salesman. He said he was going to Edmonton but had to make
some stops and if I didn't mind waiting he'd bring me all the way to
Edmonton.
He was a nice man in his late 40's or early 50's. As we drove he told
me about his son. He was saying that his son was out there just like me
and how wonderful he thought it was that we were doing this kind of
thing.At lunch time he took me into a cafe and bought me this great meal
telling me that he hoped that someone would do the same for his son. It
was a good day and at about 5 pm he dropped me off in Edmonton where I
found a phone and called that girl from the trip up.
She told me to stay put and she'd come out and get me ! An hour later I
was in the shower at her families home and making plans to go out on
the town with her that evening! This time I was alone so it was an
actual date . We went out to this club for a while and had a few beers
then she took me up to see the capitol. It was a kinda cool place and we
walked all around it enjoying the view when we both realized we were
the only ones there.We started laughing about that and smoked a joint on
the lawn of the Provincial Capitol Building As usual,all good things
come to an end and the next day I was on the road again a very happy
young man. I got a few more rides down the road and got past Calgary and
back on the Trans Canada Highway. It was Thursday night and I found
some woods to sleep in .
Slept in the woods outside of town about 50 miles east of Calgary.
Woke up Friday morning to a nice day ,kinda warm and clear. The first
ride took me down the road about 50 miles then there was a short ride
and there I was stuck out in the middle of nowhere watching the traffic
whiz by. Sat there for hours and then got a ride almost to a place
called Medicine Hat. It was mid afternoon now and I was still out in the
middle of nowhere .
Sat there on the side of the road for an hour or so when this car with
these long haired kids stops.I get in and we start talking and they
give me a beer. They told me they were going way out to they're camp to
the north of Medicine Hat for a weekend of partying and if I'd like I
could join them. I figured what the fuck I may as well and said sure. So
, off we went up this dirt road into nowhere.We drove for about an hour
when we came to a small side road with a mail box and we were there!
It was a really nice place on this river with a small cabin and an out
house. No electric or phone . A hand pump for drinking water and that
was about it. No neighbors for miles.We were in the sticks! The girls
got a fire going in the wood stove and started cooking while us guys
gathered wood for a camp fire. The beer flowed freely as did the grass
and by the time the food was ready we were all flying at about 30,000
ft!
That night we had a huge fire and sat around telling stories of our
adventures while one of the guys played the guitar and sang these crazy
songs about drinking beer! It was fun and we all ended up sleeping right
there next to the fire. Next day we went down to the river where they
had a couple canoes and took off up stream to go fishing and drinking.
Caught some trout and had this great meal that evening with brown rice
and trout, corn and a big salad. These kids knew how to party!
That night we had another fire and just hung out enjoying the stars.
It was so mellow and peaceful. No noise at all except what we made.
Sunday we all went swimming and cleaned up the place and it was over.
Time to hit the road again. When evening rolled around we left and like
they promised they put me back on the Trans Canada where there was
another kid thumbing a ride.
He and I were going east and it was late now so we decided to camp in
the near by woods. I don't think he was much more than 18 years old and
here he was out there on the road!.He had a tent so we set it up and had
a place to get away from the mosquitos. Slept like a baby that night
and in the morning we packed up and hit the road.We were out there for
maybe an hour when our first ride came.He took us to Regina.. That was a
really good ride! Then we got a ride with this American girl who was
heading to Ann Arbor MI. That was an even better ride. This ride would
last 3 days and what a 3 days it would be.
Regina is sort of out in the middle of nowhere but it's a nice place all
the same. As we waited for a car to stop me and this kid just talked
about all the things that we were doing and places we had been.It was
nice and then this mid 60's Dodge Dart stops . We jump in and there is
this American girl driving it. She asks where we are headed and tells us
she's going to Ann Arbor Michigan. That's about a 3 or 4 day drive I
said and she answered ,would you like to come along? We both said yes at
the same time and off we went.
Stopped at the outskirts of Regina at a store for food and other things
we might need then we were off. We all seemed to get along well with
each other and we were laughing about things and just having fun as we
drove down the road. After a couple hours she asked if we had drivers
licenses and I did so she turned the car over to me for a couple hours.
We drove all day and in the late afternoon started talking about where
we would spend the night. I pulled out my map and saw a provincial park
that was on a lake about an hours drive from where we were so we
decided to head there . When we arrived the guy at the gate told us the
place was pretty empty and we could camp anywhere we like so we drove
around and scoped the place out. Found a nice secluded campsite off to
one end right on the lake and set up camp.
Gathered a bunch of fire wood and then we cooked some dinner.It was a
warm August evening and being that far north the days were still long so
after dinner we all decided to go skinny dipping in the lake.
It was a small lake and the campsite we had was on this little cove
where others couldn't see us from the other campsites. It was really
nice. The water was not very cold so we figured we could swim and enjoy
ourselves.
It was cold at first but after a short time it felt comfortable and we
swam around splashing and carrying on laughing and diving under water
swimming around. It was good! The three of us were standing neck deep in
this lake watching the sun set and really enjoying the colors in the
sky. Then we dried off and built a fire to get warm.As we sat around
our campfire . Morning came and we built a small fire ,made coffee and
some peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and ate breakfast before
breaking camp. That day was another good day of travel. The three of us
were sitting in the front seat together and we weren't really to
concerned about where we were going or how long it would take to get
there. Took a side trip up to this waterfall that these people we met on
the road told us about and got naked ,went in and showered under this
ice cold waterfall. Wandered back to the highway and drove a few more
hours and then started to look for another place to spend the night.
Back on the Trans Canada now and making time. We were going fast and
putting some real miles between us and that wonderful park with the lake
now.As late afternoon creeped up on us we neared Lake Superior . The
drive was pleasant and the three of us were joking around and laughing .
We stopped at this little store in this little town for some food and
drink and looked at the map . Found a place on the lake that looked good
so we headed for that and on our arrival we discovered it was another
gem of a campsite! Right on Lake Superior!
The lake is more like a fresh water ocean with waves and water as far
as the eye can see,It's hundreds of miles across and really deep ,maybe
900 feet or more. We picked out a secluded campsite not that it mattered
'cause there was no one there and set up the tent . Got a fire going
and decided to go swimming. We ran to the water in sort of a race and
all dove head first into this lake. What a shock! This water was cold!
Not just cold but freezing cold! We all screamed and were swimming
around laughing but unlike the previous night there was no hanging out
in this lake and fooling around ,we were out of there in less than 2
minutes!
Tonight we made a real dinner .Back at the store we bought a steak and
some potatoes,vegies,butter,corn on the cob, ice for the chest the girl
had in the trunk and lots of cold beer. We were going to have a feast .
Me and the kid gathered wood for a good cooking fire while she prepared
the food for cooking. Got a roaring fire going and let it dye down to
coals and started to cook.This was a communal chore and we all had our
jobs to do as we prepared this huge meal.Oh man it was good!
We ate and drank laughing and telling stories of where we had been
this past summer. Talked way into the night as we sat by this nice warm
fire listening the the small waves slap the shore of Lake Superior. That
night was special. Probably the most special night of this whole trip.
Funny how you really discover who you are when you are with total
strangers that you have never seen and will never see again. You have
this brief moment in time and that's it. No pre conceived notions about
who or what the others are and they're in that same place with no ideas
as to who or what you are. I think this is where one really finds out
who he is. I know I did.
Woke up to a cloudy day. Kinda cool and damp but not raining. We made a
fire jumped in the lake to get washed up and broke camp.
The mood was subdued. All of us realized our time together was nearing
it's end. We hit the road mid morning and rode along the lake. The
silence was deafening between the periods of laughter.We were all sad to
see each other move on but happy for the time we had together.
The day went by slowly.We stopped to check out views here and there
and eat lunch then we saw the sign for Sualt Ste. Marie.
The kid left first. He lived near there with his parents just outside
of town so we dropped him off at his door. We all just looked into each
others eyes and knew. Said bye and we were gone. About 5 miles down the
road we came to the turn off to head south to Michigan or east on the
Trans Canada. She asked me to stay but I couldn't. I had unfinished
business in Odgensburg , NY and I told her I'd write and see her up in
Vermont where she was ultimately headed . She gave me here address and
we said good bye .
The next ride took me out into the country again and when the guy
turned off the road to let me out it was dark. I rolled out my sleeping
bag crawled in and never felt so alone.
Woke up to another cloudy day.It was early September now and the
weather was changing. Hit the road early but only got these short rides
to these small towns. Did this all day long and got to about 20 miles
west of Ottawa to a place called Renfrew. The government beer store was
still open so I bought 2 six packs of beer with the intention of getting
drunk. Drank about 6 of them and just went to sleep feeling no pain but
down.
Woke up to a steady rain. Figured I was so close to the border now
that I'd just go for it and get soaked . Got some rides and made it thru
Ottawa and down to the bridge to the US where I would be seeing my
friends from the trip up,Howard & Barbara.
Walking across the bridge over the St Lawrence River in the pouring
rain sucked and I figured the border guards were going to confiscate my
last remaining beers so I drank them as I walked the mile or so in the
pouring rain nearly broke and soaked. The customs guys just laughed at
me as I walked in the door sucking down the last gulp of the last beer! I
was so wet they didn't want to be bothered so they just looked at my NY
State Drivers license and let me in.
I asked if I could call someone in town and they asked who. I gave
them my friends name and they all started laughing and called Howard up
themselves.It seemed he knew all of them and when they got him they just
said "hey Howard,you have a very wet visitor named Ed here, come and
get him" 15 minutes later there was Barbara standing in the doorway of
the customs booth smiling and telling me to come on we haven't had
dinner yet and you must be starved.
Back at Barbaras house we had a really nice dinner and I started telling
her and Howard about my trip .We talked and talked way into the night
and got kinda drunk on this wine Barbara had. They gave me a room and
some clean linens and off to bed I went.
Howard was up early and cooked this really great breakfast . As we were
eating and having our coffee he announced that he wanted to go up to the
camp that he and Barbara just bought in St Regis Falls. We packed up
the truck and off we went into the Adirondacks
Driving east thru Northern New York we went thru the little town of
Canton where I had gone to school for a while back in 1968. It was my
first time back there after fleeing in 1968.
So you see,not having a camera isn't such a bad thing.It's just a little
harder and more time consuming to get the description out when you
paint with words but equally rewarding.So, these are what I'm putting in
my mind before I start the next painting.These next few photos are from my 2015 motorcycle trip up to New England and the Canadian Maritimes on the T . Next summer in 2019 I will be out west on the BMW K100 doing more wandering . Life is good !
Now I have to prep the last new canvas I have and get going on it.I
wonder where this one will take me.I never really know when I start even
though I put this stuff into my mind for all I know I might end up
doing an abstract or something . That whole thing about setting out to
make something that is all planned out is just too restrictive for me ,I
save that for when I do other stuff like build kitchen cabinets or some
other things like tile work where I really need to know where I'm going
and have a clear vision of the finished product in my head.That's the
only way you can get there with that stuff but with art there is some
freedom and it takes me to where it wants to go.
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