The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

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blues2cruise
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Re: The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

#801 Unread post by blues2cruise »

Darn. Sorry to hear about the sciatica.

I have degenerative discs....sometimes they flare up....I can empathize.
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Beemerchef
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Re: The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

#802 Unread post by Beemerchef »

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Time travel.... TX

This is when on the path of this Journey ten years almost into the making the red flag is up, flag followed by the red light which will not even blink, which does not even yet have a green or orange light dimmed ready to light up. Such is Life... The culprit is not "Old Faithful" as she herself has had her moments of weakness, it is simply my body and some of its parts giving up.

The lower back and the right hip! We are in Midland now, lucky for us having been offered shelter from some very kind Friends and dealing with four Dr's. The cartilage, the degeneration is not quite up there yet to necessitate back or hip surgery as even if I wanted to Medicare will not approve it. So Tuesday is a spinal shot and the hip, well, I am waiting for "that approval". If such approval is soon we will wait as Medicare only approves one function per day, if not soon, we will return to Big Bend and come back one more time...

How long will all of this relieve me from pain and allow me to again ride? Could be a week, weeks, some say even years. Who knows.

In the meantime unlike any other summers it is Big Bend full time right now. I must say, while I surprised myself, that I have so far enjoyed being there. The canvas has changed as the daily storms are magnificent, the winds pick up every day as to cool us off, much rain meaning longer showers as our water catchment tanks are full, isolation from the World without a watch or calendar except throughout these present times when the appointments are decided from a clock!

Such is Life and another lesson of acceptance, a slap in the face I must say which will result in more physical activities to keep this body in shape toward this Journey, this endless Journey.

We had a chance to be on "Adventure Rider Radio" [link of the interview on our Journal] a few days ago and I must say I truly enjoyed it. Nice people as the conversations were filled with honesty especially toward so many who take on their own Journey not for themselves but for sponsorships and are "owned" by many of them losing their freedom and sense of adventure, their days moving on with only the thoughts "I/we have to do this...."! The conversations encompassed also on the financial aspects of, no other way to put it, "begging" for money to allow for such travel. All and all, very interesting. I hope you have a chance to listen to it...

Till next time when maybe, who knows, I will be able to keep up with Spirit's jumping!


Stay well.

Ara and Spirit

www.theoasisofmysoul.com The Journal and Book "Freedom on Both Ends of the Leash"

www.beemerchef.smugmug.com The Photos

9th Year, the Stars, living under them…
http://www.theoasisofmysoul.com our Blog...

http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/ our Photos...

blues2cruise
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Re: The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

#803 Unread post by blues2cruise »

Sorry to hear about the pain....It's awful when it builds up to the point that even simple things are difficult. I hope you find some relief with that shot.
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Beemerchef
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Re: The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

#804 Unread post by Beemerchef »

blues2cruise wrote:Sorry to hear about the pain....It's awful when it builds up to the point that even simple things are difficult. I hope you find some relief with that shot.
I did... with the shot"s"... for now avoiding surgery. Thanks.

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Coming out of lala land! TX

Sometimes I feel as these past weeks have only been a bad dream and yet there is so much pleasure being here and finding the real core of this space undisturbed by the tourists and the snow birds who for some reason or another think they live here... but of course do not. They will surface soon enough and their names on giant banners will be self published on the local Social Medias, also soon enough! How about if it remained as such throughout the whole year? It was at one time when Big Bend and Terlingua were just blurs on the map now a destination for many. It is as this space is a coin with two distinct sides. I really like this side! I now understand what the true locals think while at time we bump into one or two and chat a bit.

The off road rides had always such little traffic. Right now it is non existent! It is almost strange as being on another planet. Just like in this video taken just a few days ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6wWTo5MkLo

Such rides right now have stopped as I have taken Old Faithful apart. A new battery is already here and seemingly miles of electrical wires causing a short have been discarded. I am waiting for some new switches, a new seat which will put me up a bit higher increasing my hip angle, new rotors and pads, fuel filter and I would have to look at the list for the rest. She will turn 20 in a few months. She has always sat outside and some aspects of it have become brittle needing some soldering and tender care so she once again takes us away on the awaiting roads.

We are living happily right now within what I call our "bubble". Imagine not seeing a soul for days, listening to silence always undisturbed as I stare at the same mountains, the same skies daily and yet every day being a different painting witnessing storms as never before. They slowly build up during the day and by afternoon lightning, thunder, cool winds and inches of rain keep me entertained. The episodes are endless! There is no reason to change the channel... there are no other channels and none of it is ever rehearsed.

So that "is", this "is", summer in Big Bend!



Stay well.

Ara and Spirit

www.theoasisofmysoul.com The Journal and Books

www.beemerchef.smugmug.com The Photos

9th Year, the Stars, living under them…
http://www.theoasisofmysoul.com our Blog...

http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/ our Photos...

blues2cruise
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Re: The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

#805 Unread post by blues2cruise »

Life in Big Bend sounds divine.
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Beemerchef
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Re: The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

#806 Unread post by Beemerchef »

blues2cruise wrote:Life in Big Bend sounds divine.
It really has been something else! Sunny... 2 inches of rain daily, 74 yesterday... 58 in the middle of the night! Got an email from a Friend in Yellowstone, she said it hits a 100 daily. I guess good Karma for us to be here because of my hip and spine, yet, we are leaving East soon. Will be at OX East in Asheville on October 2nd and on showing videos and blabbing away throughout a presentation! Come and join us...

Stay well.
Ara and Spirit

Yesterday...

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blues2cruise
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Re: The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

#807 Unread post by blues2cruise »

Ox east....Asheville....is that in North Carolina?
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Beemerchef
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Re: The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

#808 Unread post by Beemerchef »

blues2cruise wrote:Ox east....Asheville....is that in North Carolina?
Yes.
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blues2cruise
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Re: The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

#809 Unread post by blues2cruise »

Wow! That's a long way from home.....

41 hours and almost 3,000 miles.

https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=ssl#q=mil ... h+carolina
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Beemerchef
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Re: The Oasis of my Soul... A Blog... a Journey on the Road.

#810 Unread post by Beemerchef »

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Coming to Life again! Easton, KS

The past few weeks have not been very pretty, yugly inside out. It happens. A battle within me as I finally came out of it only these days victorious realizing once again, as always, it is my choice to keep my head down or up.

The spine and hip steroid shots are providing "some" comfort as I expected too much. At least we can ride while having had a seat redone one and a half inch taller to increase the hip angle and a true to form well made kidney belt. I should have thought about a kidney belt long time ago with the kind of mileage we put on! Live and learn.

While partially fixed up and now awaiting the end of October to have a couple of discs fused with also a couple arthritis growth shaved off [how much fun can that be?] I decided to head on to Kansas and spend some time with my dear Friends from Germany, the ones who bailed me out so kindly when my Mother passed away a bit over two years ago in Munich. Well... I did expect HOT weather but forgot what 1000% humidity was. In one word, to make a story short as you can read the whole one in our Journal, it has been, upper case, "MISERABLE".

Lucky to ride a bit very early morning and very late at night... That is about it besides being in the house amongst four walls with the air on, lucky us while sitting under a ceiling fan. My choice, our choice. No despair, we will never make it here the whole month of August as planned [plans has never worked for us!] and leaving in a couple days for COOL Colorado where we will camp at 9700", a familiar space desolate of mosquitoes, chiggers, fleas, ticks... all those common visitors we have now encountered.

The upside has been some new goggles for Spirit called Rex Specs K9, a big relief as I always called his old ones "fou fou goggles" and for the price never lasted too long. Minor detail in our lives but a pleasant one.

On to Highway 70 now... A boring one but the shortest route to cooler temps!




Stay well.

Ara and Spirit

www.theoasisofmysoul.com The Journal and Books

www.beemerchef.smugmug.com The Photos

9th Year, the Stars, living under them…
http://www.theoasisofmysoul.com our Blog...

http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/ our Photos...

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