I Remember

I remember when my knees didn't hurt.
I remember when my shoulders didn't hurt
I remember when climbing peaks in the Sierra was fun
I remember when I skied everything from Tahoe to Taos
I remember when I used to climb hard(you youngsters don't know that about me)
I remember when  climbing on the Apron was safe
I remember the good times in the Valley(when being tooled was a right of passage)
I remember when my mom was young
I remember. . . . . . . . .

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving means different things to different people. To some, it means family gatherings. To some, it means reminiscing, and to some, it means thinking about the future. Some people like to take vacations, and some like to escape thru pictures, and sounds.
A road trip sounds good about now.

The Desert......continued

 You never know where lifes' road will take. you. Sometimes you can't see beyond the next curve. 
He had been down this road before, knew it like the back of his hand. As he passed thru the towns of  What Once Was, and Hopin'  To Be, he wondered if  those were metaphors of his life.

Out here, late at night, the only companions are the stars. The ones that guide you, are the ones you choose.
The only sounds, at this hour, are the static infused songs from Boise, and Denver
It's three in the morning, and he still hasn't found what he's lookin' for, but maybe it's over that next rise........

                    

He was fourteen hours into this twelve hour drive, and the needle was headed toward E.

This thinking he was doin' had gotten him into trouble more than once. If only. . . . . . .

There it was again, the two words that people tend to remember, and are so hard to forget

Out here the fresh air does tend to clear ones mind. I think the term is defragment.

Up ahead he had to make a decision. Which way should he go? He knew which way he wanted to go,

but wasn't sure of the best way to get there. Oh hell, he muttered, as he turned that steering wheel.

Up ahead he saw the lights of a town offered some comfort. He could get out, stretch his legs, and fill the  gas tank. He got back in the rig, and started driving up the darkened street. As he was prone to do, he took a hit off that smoke, pushed in the clutch, and shifted in to high. 

Reflecting on his youth, he remembered his rockclimbing days. Thinking about his free solos, and the chances he took. He wondered how he survived, how he had made it this far. There were the good times too, times when he didn't almost die.  The things that kept him going in those days, were the women. When things were good, life was blissful. When things were bad, he'd be searching for the nearest ridgeline. You see rockclimbing is more than just climbin' some dumb old rock, it's about figuring out which is the best way to go. If you think about it, figuring out the best way to go, is easier said than done.

All this introspection made him hungry. In an hour or so, he'd be ready for some food, coffee, and maybe someone to talk to.