There's a big difference between isolation and solitude, even if they look the same from the outside. I'm definitely not isolating… I was finally on my own again as I said goodbye to Karen and Sylvan in LA and drove up the coast through Big Sur. I've been with friends or family almost every day for over a month, so it felt a little unfamiliar getting back in the Saddle of Solitude. Route 1 between LA and SF is so beautiful. Driving it is challenging but epic. I had only been here once before when Sharon and I came out for a wedding, so of course there were even more locational memories. I caught a beautiful sunset at Morro Bay.
I had a couple more days before picking up Kenny in Sacramento, and used them to be amongst the Redwoods again. It felt good to get back into a rhythm of walking in the woods. The hush of the forest, the scent of the pines, moving my limbs, and these stately giants transpiring through the centuries all make for a pretty sublime experience.
Kenny had flown to Seattle for a wedding and decided to join me again for a visit to Yosemite National Park. (We racked up several national parks last May in Utah.) We drove the 3.5hrs from Sacramento and checked into our camp tent in Curry Village inside the park. There was a HUGE school group of boisterous youths, and the only available tents were the unheated ones. It was chilly, but we made it work. We did a solid hike up the John Muir Trail. Kenny had to indulge my sharing several stories of when Sharon and I hiked all the way to the top of Half Dome in one day twelve years ago; we did 17 miles and 4,800ft elevation gain. Here's just one; Sharon's knee gave out at three miles to the finish, but realized it didn't hurt if she walked backwards.
A very unconcerned bobcat:
Of course I had to climb El Capitan…
We saw a lot of Yosemite Valley in two days, then drove south to an AirBnb near Bass Lake for a few more days of hiking and being in nature. Kenny and I both love to cook, and we've had some great meals and great conversations. We will take two days to poke around San Francisco before he heads home. Then, more socializing! The balance of being with friends and being alone actually feels pretty good, which is to say, more with friends.
This week's song was composed during my three-week stint in Deming, NM; “I'll Remember You”