I don’t think I can tell you all much about where I was last weekend for two reasons:
1) Because it’s one of those places that really should be kept secret
2) So many of my readers are from, for whatever reason, more frigid parts of the country. And reading this would make them all want to fly out to LA and hurt me.
So I’ll just give a little list. The trip involved the following:
One border crossing (but, sadly, no stamp in the passport*)
* Though we did, as a joke, get our passports stamped on the way back. Which means that now I have exactly one stamp in my passport… indicating that I entered the United States. Oh, shut up. At least it’s a stamp.
One long highway drive
One longer gravel road
A palm tree oasis
Hikes to ice-cold waterfalls
Highs in the mid-seventies
Lows in the fifties
Lazing about in mineral hot springs under skies filled with stars
Finally seeing not only my favorite constellation, Orion, in its most complete form
Copious amounts of good food
Copious amounts of beer
This sunrise:
And the desire to wish myself back.
But the truth is, as amazing as all that is, something else came out of it.
Something seems to have changed in me when I came back.
Which is strange, because it wasn’t as though I meditated or anything.
But the really strange thing is… it seems to be lasting.
Now I just have to figure out the right words.
The GeekHiker 
You had me at “high in the seventies.”
By: Dingo on January 30, 2009
at 3:23 am
Oh, and I’m so glad this seems to be a turning point for you.
By: Dingo on January 30, 2009
at 3:24 am
The right words?
You can start by telling us her name. 😛
By: Aaron on January 30, 2009
at 5:18 am
Who is “me”????
By: Mrs Chuck Bartowski on January 30, 2009
at 5:24 am
Gah, this is what happens when I have nothing but Duckloops for breakfast. I meant, who is “we”????
By: Mrs Chuck Bartowski on January 30, 2009
at 5:25 am
Sure … leave out the details! lol, I agree with Aaron and Mrs Chuck, what’s her name?
By: dobegil on January 30, 2009
at 5:56 am
We have lots of ice, snow, and power outages. I would gladly be wherever you went…
By: lea on January 30, 2009
at 6:47 am
OMG you are borderline “too” protective of yourself. It is your prerogative, but I can assure you – you can tell us where you went, and you will not spontaneously burst into flames or anything. Was it Mexico?
By: charlotte harris on January 30, 2009
at 7:12 am
Orion. It’s the one constellation that I can easily recognize in the sky.
Orion the Hunter. Could it be that the hunter has found his prey … or his Huntress???
Or, we could all be reading way too much into the use of the pronoun “we”.
Never the less, it sounds like you had a good cleansing of the soul down south and you sound good which makes us all happy.
By: Homer-Dog on January 30, 2009
at 7:21 am
Here’s to your Tequila Sunrise…may this new leg on your journey lead you to prosperous corners.
By: Phil on January 30, 2009
at 8:14 am
We all know you were SwingerFest 2009, so you don’t have to hide it anymore.
By: thecoconutdiaries on January 30, 2009
at 9:32 am
I’m SO thrilled that the trip was restorative for you!!! Yay!
By: Ms. H on January 30, 2009
at 10:01 am
Sounds dreamy…can’t wait for the details you feel like sharing. Love that you are keeping some close to the heart. Good for you.
“Hike yourself happy!”
By: Backpackermomma on January 30, 2009
at 1:45 pm
This is the kind of photo I needed today, as I walked to and from school on a severely ice-encrusted sidewalk, hoping to God I didn’t fall and break my neck.
It was in the 30s today, with mid-40s (and maybe even 50s!) expected for early next week.
A veritable heat wave!
Love the shot and, as always, am looking forward to more details – glad you had a restful and rejuvenating trip 🙂
By: East Coast Teacher on January 30, 2009
at 2:26 pm
27 degrees here today and we’re still recovering from an ice storm. I sorely needed to see that photo and picture the palms on your trip!
Glad you are holding onto the feeling… may it last and last.
By: spleeness on January 30, 2009
at 3:30 pm
Sounds wonderful!!! I am so glad you had such a fun trip and a little peeved at you for not sharing the location!
Welcome back and hold onto the feeling!
By: aly on January 30, 2009
at 5:01 pm
if you wish to know a man’s mind, listen to his words.
if you wish to know his heart, look to his actions.
found that one underneath a rock in the desert. had to ward off a rattlesnake before i overturned the rock.
By: Lawrence on January 30, 2009
at 10:11 pm
1) no good place should be kept secret. Everyone should enjoy the little beautiful places Earth has to offer.
2) NOT ME!! I live in a place that’s WARMER than that. HAHAHA. HA. (Where there is also very good food, beer, palm trees, hot springs… shutting up now.)
& can you do that? stamp you passport like that? FOR FUN? Gee. I want in the fun….
Am I wrong to think when I went to Vieques (little island east of PR) we saw Orion? I think I remember it that way but, I can very well be very wrong and crazy.
I’m sure you were changed, now I just want to read about it!
By: narami on January 30, 2009
at 11:13 pm
Dude, I’m from Florida – frigid? *snort*
Although lately, it’s been quiet cold.
Change is always good. Even if it doesn’t seem that way at the moment. But thankfully this time it seems good. 🙂
By: Wendy on January 31, 2009
at 1:36 am
Yeah…. you definitely were some place far more awesome than me. I. Am. Jealous. Glad you are feeling good!
By: brandy on January 31, 2009
at 4:27 pm
Dingo – I thought I might.
Dingo – Thanks for that too.
Aaron – Ah, no such luck…
Mrs Chuck Bartowski – Er, huh?
Mrs Chuck Bartowski – Ah, now I see. It would be a small group.
Dobegil – There is no “her”, my friend.
Lea – I’m sure you would have loved it there.
Charlotte – Well, I did mention a long drive and did not mention a plane flight, sooooo…
Homer-Dog – *chortle* No, but nice theory.
Phil – Thank you!
TheCoconutDiaries – Damn, cat’s out of the bag. 😉
Ms. H – *bows*
BackPackerMomma – “Hike yourself happy”, I like that.
EastCoastTeacher – Woo, hoo! The fifties!
Spleeness – Glad the photo made you feel warm on the inside.
Aly – Heh, heh, you’ll just have to come next time
Lawrence – Ah, but is it the mind or the heart that waxes philosophic? And why do all the rocks I find in the desert turn out to be just rocks?
Narami – 1) Food for thought, indeed 2) Well, I did say “many” and not “all”. 😉 But are you trying to tempt me to PR with promises of food, beer, palm trees and hot springs?
Wendy – *chortle* Change can be so, so many things…
Brandy – I would have brought you all along if I could, believe me!
By: geekhiker on January 31, 2009
at 10:55 pm
so awesome. was hoping, at first, that you were going to say you were going south EAST. but the picture is lovely. i need to take a trip for some clarity myself. (and a passport stamp!)
By: kristinblakely on February 1, 2009
at 8:59 am
i don’t know if i like all these secrets. how do you cross a border without a stamp? or were you being all rebellious and trying to get into mexico illegally?
don’t mind me – i’m just totally jealous. if i go more than six months without getting my passport stamped, i start to get itchy. and i’ve been scratching a lot lately…
By: blakspring on February 2, 2009
at 5:19 am
palm….tree…oasis….
Oh I am jealous! But I am glad you had such a wonderful weekend!
By: Ruby on February 2, 2009
at 6:45 am
Sounds lovely. 🙂
By: just a girl on February 2, 2009
at 12:43 pm
I am soooo jealous right now.
Oh, I love your blog. So hopefully you don’t mind me voraciously reading your archive. 😀
By: Ajnabiyya on February 2, 2009
at 7:01 pm
KristinBlakely – East, huh? Maybe next time…
BlakSpring – Uh, because they sorta don’t care who comes in! LOL
Ruby – Heh, thanks!
JustAGirl – It very much was…
Ajnabiyya – Sure, go ahead!
By: geekhiker on February 2, 2009
at 8:25 pm
I kind of dislike you now.
By: Jules on February 4, 2009
at 4:37 pm
To hell with the sun and crap; did you know that every time I visit your blog, the header with those birds taking flight takes my breath away? Every.single.time. Glad you had a good trip, thoguh I have been so not around for awhile that I didn’t know you were gone. Go figure.
By: Kori on February 6, 2009
at 1:37 pm