Trip Log – Day 132 – Coos Bay, OR to Gold Beach, OR

Coos Bay to Gold's BeachSeptember 14, 2015 – Overcast, 60 degrees

Miles Today: 76

Miles to Date: 6,904

States to Date: 23

The pattern of clouds and sun on the West Coast is opposite what we usually get back East. At home our mornings are often sunny, but once the clouds arrive, they stay. Here, mornings are often cloudy but can evaporate to bright sun later in the day. Today was cloudy from the start and stayed that way until late afternoon. Then the sun came out for a gorgeous sunset and a night sky was full of stars. It was overcast the entire time I cycled; the first time that I kept my windbreaker on all day.

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I took the coast road out of Coos Bay through Charleston, a picturesque fishing village that appreciates the fourth food group.

IMG_3999-1I climbed Seven Devil’s Road, so named because it has seven steep climbs, marked on the pavement for cyclists. Between climb five and six the road stays high above the trees for several miles. Even on a cloudy day, the view west reveals rows of distant mountains.

Between Bandon and Port Orford, US 101 tucks inland and passes all variety of vacation kitsch. I was intrigued by all of the chainsaw wood carving places and stopped at Something Awesome, which had some of the best supersize wood sculptures. Not sure who buys them or where they get displayed, but they sure are fun.

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After a terrific lunch break at TJ’s Cafe in Port Orford I couldn’t help but climb the sign and arrow painted on the road. At the top of the hill – bam – the ocean that I had not seen for a few hours spread out before me.

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The last fifteen miles along the coast and around the base of Humbug Mountain were gorgeous. The lowering sun dazzled the water. I overshot the turnoff to my friend Paul Hempel’s house, but hardly minded because the view of Humbug coming back north was incredible.

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IMG_4026Turns out, Paul and his husband Bruce’s house is on a hill with deadeye views of Humbug, so I got the see the sun play off the mountain and the sea for several twilight hours. Bruce and Paul have a fascinating house and shop with gardens and pools. Paul retired recently and has taken to being a gentlemen farmer very well.

IMG_4031Bruce is a renowned restorer of player pianos and orchestrions. If you don’t know what that is, neither did I, but hearing a technical device play six or eight different instruments is a delight.

 

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Profile Response: Krys Holmes, Director of Myrna Loy Center, Helena, MT

HWWLT Logo on yellowAny place called the Myrna Loy Center deserves investigation. So I sent a cold email and was pleased when Krys Holmes, the Center’s Director, invited me to visit the massive historic building that was once Helena’s jail and now serves art. A unique place deserves a unique space.

Back in 1975 Arnie Molina, a New York City transplant, started showing art films in a second story space in downtown Helena. “He did everything – sold tickets and popcorn, projectionist and janitor. He had this ‘let’s do it’ attitude about everything.” Within the first year he added live performances and the Myrna Loy Center, named for the famous film star from nearby Radersburg, was born.

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Krys grew up in Helena where her father was pastor of a large Methodist Church. She moved to Rapid City, Billings, and Alaska. In the early 1990’s Krys felt the gravitational pull of her hometown. She returned, immersed herself in the local art scene, settled, and wrote a state history published by the Montana Historical Society.

imgresNow Krys leads a staff of five plus projectionists and volunteers. The Center presents two to three films every day except Christmas and produces twenty to thirty live performances each year. The Myrna Loy Center has a three-pronged mission. “We bring national and international artists to Helena. We nourish local artists by giving them exposure, and we offer arts education and residency programs in classrooms, healing environments, and to community members who don’t have access to the arts.”

imgres-1“Arts and creativity build community resilience. There’s this language about healthy communities. But you don’t have to be healthy to be resilient. I had a cancer experience. I wasn’t healthy and then sick and then healthy again. I was resilient throughout a variety of experiences.” The Myrna Loy Center strives to make Helena more resilient. “We bring the national and international conversations into our neighborhood. Living in Helena is a choice – we choose to live off the beaten track. But we still want to know the bigger picture. Entertainment takes you out of the world, and there is a place for that. Art pulls you deeper into the world. That’s what we strive for here.”

How will we live tomorrow?

FullSizeRender-1“There’s a nervous sense that computers will take over and where will people be? I don’t worry about that. My brother is an artist who is very computer literate. He is worried about singularities, that we can be usurped. I think humans have a place in the universe.

“I believe that the enormous challenges we face will make us grow up and make us solve our problems together. How we will live tomorrow will reflect what we truly believe.

“I also think the strong who survive will do so by the strength of their relationships. Genghis Khan conquered the world by gathering the world in, not by shutting it out. Our connections are our strongest asset.

“At heart I’m an Old Testament girl. I see Cain and Abel. The hunter-gatherers see themselves as stewards, responsible to the planet and its continuity. The agrarians say, ‘This is my land, my water. I have the right, the responsibility to guard my boundaries for the betterment of myself and my tribe.’”

 

“Montana has seven Indian reservations. To his day people say, “What’s the matter with these people?” If goes back to the Indian School movement. We took these kids, by law, and moved them away. They were denied learning family skills, native language, heritage. When that is taken away, there are repercussions to this day.

 

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Trip Log – Day 131 –Florence, OR to Coos Bay, OR

florence to Coos BaySeptember 13, 2015 – Sun, 65 degrees

Miles Today: 55

Miles to Date: 6,828

States to Date: 23

I spent the entire day rolling along US 101 within the Oregon Coast Dunes National Recreation Area. Tall trees shade the highway almost the entire way, while my diversions to the shore brought me into bright sunshine. I took a leisurely morning and left Florence when the mist cleared. Riding later in the day, which I avoided all summer, is not so bad when the thermometer never tops 70.

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Looking back on Florence, a lovely seaside town.

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In places the dunes roll back to inlets behind the shore.

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I went to the beach, climbed the dunes, and met a group of free spirits traveling in a van. Was there a word for folks like this before hippies? It seems so dated. Also met a guy in a khaki uniform sitting watch on the dune top to guard plovers, which are coming back in Oregon.

IMG_3982Further on was a terrific lighthouse and space of beach for whale watching. I am too inpatient to stand and wait for whales, so I kept on.

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Near Coos Bay the forest and sand just seem to collide.

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The Conde McCollough Memorial Bridge brought me into North Bend, a cool town.

 

 

IMG_3990I was amazed at this giant tanker being filled with pulp. Apparently it is cheaper to fill ships with pulp, send them to Asia to make paper, and then send the paper back here. Our world is so nuts; sometimes all we can do is laugh.

Got into Coos Bay at a reasonable time and found a nifty little motel for the night.

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Profile Response: Don Funke, Bozeman, MT

 

HWWLT Logo on yellowI knew there was a good story lurking within when a distinguished looking middle-aged man opened the door to the townhouse on Montana State University campus. Why was this successful looking guy living in student housing? Turns out Don Funke is the only member of his family who’s not studying at MSU. His wife Karen is in a Master’s Program in Adult Education, his daughter Megan is a junior, and son Walter a sophomore. Don is every bit the career professional he appears; he’s been a chiropractor for over twenty-five years.

imgres-1How a solid citizen with a stable family in his mid-fifties came to live in married student housing – a step up from the double wide they occupied previous – is a tale of staggering, strangling debt. A story all too common in the United States.

When Don graduated from Chiropractic school in the 1980’s with $88,000 in education debt, he joined a practice in Cortland, NY. “I worked there fifteen years. I liked it very much. But the reimbursement structure changed. We looked at the numbers. We had $275,000 in debt and no way to ever get out from under it. I’m a good chiropractor, but not a good entrepreneur.”

Don had visited Bozemen and the place always stirred his heart. So he and his family packed up and left New York behind. “We arrived with no job, no house, nothing.” Don started working in a local practice as well as doing animal chiropractic, a longtime interest. “I worimages-1k fifty hour weeks. The work is good, the patients are good, but it is too time consuming.”

Debt is central to the Funke family. Karen’s Master’s work is focused on education financing, the first major debt in many peoples lives. “Everyone needs an education, but at what cost? Pell grants used to cover 75% of a college education. Now they cover 24%. People graduate with debt levels they can never repay. Or worse, they incur debt and never graduate. I want to help students better understand the consequences of debt.”

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Don and Karen cannot foresee life without debt; each of their children has borrowed for college. Debt is a constant burden, yet it doesn’t drive their lives. Walter studies art, which isn’t economically promising, and lives with his family to keep his debt load down. Megan will spend junior year in France, despite costing more than remaining at MSU. Once debt becomes your permanent reality, you shrug the burden and go on with life. At one level, debt’s liberated Don and his family. It prompted them to Bozeman, and they embrace this place they love.

images-2But debt is pernicious. It denies the Funke’s security. A random accident, illness, or economic reversal could land them in dire straights. They know that, but there’s nothing to be gained from such worry.

“We have fine kids and a great family. Money would be the icing on the cake. We come from families that managed debt, used it to gain positions and security. But it’s a different paradigm for our generation. The debt is eternal. And it’s not going to change for our kids.”

How will we live tomorrow?

images“We are living in a hospice situation. The rapid rate of species decline, weather change, population explosion, are in a terminal stage. When you think about hospice, it is the end of life as we know it. But it can be a good time, a time to connect with others, to reflect, to reach out.

“Government studies show that three major events in one year could disrupt the global economic and political system, yet the statistical chance of that happening is great.

“Since 911 I’ve thought, ‘Why bother?’ yet I have all these commitments, debts, and family obligations. I have to bother for them. Otherwise, if it were up to me, I’d be doing what you’re doing.

“I do what I can. I live in in a Transition Town; I ride my bike; we live in a small house; we got rid of 75% of our possessions in the past two years. Getting rid of 75% of our possessions affected my personal well-being. Every one of those things you buy is a dream of happiness. They’re hard to let go. We still have one storage unit of stuff. I have things in there I cannot abandon. I have a beautiful bow with arrows. I don’t need it, yet I can’t get rid of it.

“When difficult times come, we are going to live hyper-local. We have to let go of our ego and embrace a new way of being. We have to suspend our personal interests, out stuff, to create meaningful community. Our spiritual and emotional connections will determine whether we work together or turn into savages. The science and technology is one thing. The ethics and morals of working together is another. And that is the key.”

 

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Trip Log – Day 130 – Eugene, OR to Florence, OR

Eugene to FlorenceSeptember 12, 2015 – Sun, 75 degrees

Miles Today: 78

Miles to Date: 6,773

States to Date: 23

 Any Saturday that begins with coffee on Kurt’s sunny deck bodes well. It was difficult to leave such a serene place and such a delightful man, but I had a breakfast date with my most faithful reader, Sherri McCutchen. Sherri invited her son Zander Chanin to join us at Brail’s A Eugene institution. The food was good, the conversation even better.

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I didn’t get on the road until eleven. The day was fair, the breeze light, the scenery lovely. I stopped at a car show in Crow. My favorites were a pair of truly classic 1953 Chevy Bel Airs, but nobaody asks a guy in bike shorts his opinion of cars.

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I took a wrong turn and went three miles down a gorgeous valley before I realized my error. Back on track, I headed west, enjoyed ten miles of excellent riding without encountering any other vehicles, and then reached the huge Noti sawmill. I took a break at the Noti Market and met Tom a sawyer who was keen on my journey.

IMG_3960I joined Highway 126 West, which turned out to be a much better road than I had been warned. In late afternoon I stopped at a country park and met a couple I had contacted as potential warmshowers hosts. They were heading east (which is why they could not accommodate me) but we had a nice visit. One more climb to the tunnel, which is narrow but the flashing bicycle light warned any cars or trucks about me. Traffic was so light that no one even approached me in the tunnel.

On the far side the air was salty, the breeze brisk. After a long down slide, the highway paralleled Siuslaw River for twelve miles to Florence. There was a staunch headwind, but I moved strong, motivated to arrive before dark.

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I stayed in a fine motel but the Internet didn’t work and in Indian-style the proprietors chose to blame my computer rather than their system. I went elsewhere, my computer found Internet just fine, and I got to see a bit of Florence at night, thought I still haven’t been to that famous Florence over in Italy.

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Responses: How will we live tomorrow?

How will we live tomorrow?

“I’ve found a little spot in Scottsburg to park my motorhome. It’s got a little grocery store and a restaurant with a bar. I’m 45, single, and not looking for a woman. What else do I need? If I get the urge to move on, the first of the month I just drive away.”

James Davis, Susan Komen cancer T-shirt wearer, Eugene, OR

James’ wife died on June 4, 2015. On June 6 he left with their dog and her ashes and rode his bike to 32 states in 100 days.

How will we live tomorrow?

“More creativity, I hope. We are going to need more creativity.”

Walter Funke, art student, Bozeman, MT

How will we live tomorrow?

“I live in Tacoma. We are beginning to have water problems here. We are trying to figure out where we want to retire. Someplace with good water.”

Doug Huff, Ferry operator, Tacoma, WA

How will we live tomorrow?

Laurie Hilgers1“We will live in the perfect love of the Creator of the Universe.

Some call Him Father.

    Some call Him Dad.

    Some call Him Papa.

    Some call Him Love.

    Some call Him Creator.

We will participate in and witness the restoration of all things, Humanity and Creation alike.

We will live in peace.

We will live in harmony.

We will live in full provision.

We will live in Love, in Him,

    for in Him, we live, move and have our being.”

Laurie Hilgers, writer, www.withlovefromportland.wordpress.com Portland, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“Self-driving cars will be mainstream.”

Lucy Williams, cyclist, Seattle, WA

How will we live tomorrow?

“There will be a lot more people. We have to learn to accommodate them. And dogs. With more people, there will be more dogs.”

Tymer, dog owner, Seattle, WA

How will we live tomorrow?

“My hope for tomorrow is that people will live in community. We have to realize that we cannot make it on our own.”

Karen, clerk at Fred Meyers, born in St. John’s, returned to St. John’s, Portland, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“In peace, hopefully.”

Terri, Yo Yo Yogi, Portland, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“I have so much house. It takes so many resources to keep this place for two people. We’ve lived here 25 years; we raised our family here. The house was great when it was full of people. Now I’m ready for less, but I’m not sure what that will look like.”

Gerri Cullers, empty nester, Portland, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“I think robots.”

Rachel, Clinical Research Administrator, Portland, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“I think about global warming. I just read an article on sea-level rise. In New York and Los Angeles, everyone is going to have to move.”

Isaac Hornblatt, millennial, Portland, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“I like to make vision boards for the New Year. When you do that, they can come true.”

Emily, newly arrived from California, Portland, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“I don’t like what technology is doing to us. It’s such a small space. I like working with youngsters. It’s all about connecting with them, helping them learn to sit up at the table.”

Ann, Head Start Teacher, Portland, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“I am leaving to travel in Asia for a few months. I want to learn about how I travel, about my patterns and habits. I don’t have any agenda aside from learning more about me. I just finished a Master’s Degree in Social Work and I want to process that before I decide how to apply it.”

Tess Hornblatt, expectant traveller, Portland, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“I’ll be working here, but it’s supposed to be a nice day so I’m happy.”

Brian, Berry Good Fruit Stand, Portland, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“Great.”

Janelle, clerk at Miranda’s Bakery, Woodburn, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

“I’m a survivor, thanks to the good Man upstairs. Been clean for eight years. I tell everyone I see whether they want to hear it or not.”

Larry Stewart, Groundskeeper, Albany School District, Albany, OR

How will we live tomorrow?

I think we will live in a world that is becoming more time poor and hurried. Technology is developing at an incredible rate and people rarely “switch off” to enjoy the moment. Social media, emailing, smart phones mean people are rarely disconnected from the outside world and are constantly being bombarded with useless facts and information creating brain clutter. Technology has many advantages, such as solar energy etc. but I do wonder if we are getting to a point where it’s gone too far. I feel children of today are more knowledgeable on some things due to the resources at hand but I do feel sorry for them as they have not experienced a life without iPads, TVs, game pads etc.

I think we will get to a point where many will try and return to a life of simple existence. But it will be a hard battle.

I believe the world will also sadly have a greater divide between the rich and the poor.  Creating more conflict and unrest. As society becomes more self-absorbed it is becoming increasingly more important to lead by example and educate our children on other cultures, to empathize with peoples struggles and help where they can.

Finally, we are living longer. The gap in health care is going to be a concern further creating a divide between rich and poor. In developed countries like America and Australia there is an alarming array of non-healthy foods parading as healthy fast food options contributing to an incredible amount of avoidable health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension. Time poor parents/people believe many of the false claims put on food packaging by savvy marketing experts. Our children will then repeat these habits.

I will live tomorrow trying to lead by example, living a healthy lifestyle, switching off from technology daily and appreciating the beauty that exists in nature, as we know it today. I try to live a life that shows our son how other people live, to not judge but empathize and understand. I try to minimize my impact on Mother Nature and not get caught up in the world of marketing. I will live my tomorrows trying to live a simple life.

Realee Hooton, Australian Army wife stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, DuPont, WA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Trip Log – Day 129 – Eugene, OR

Salem to EugeneSeptember 11, 2015 – Sun, 85 degrees

Miles Today: 10

Miles to Date: 6,695

States to Date: 23

 

Today I explored the University of Oregon and Eugene. I had morning meetings to discuss tomorrow with the Admissions and International Students office, ate a superb schwarma at Caspian, decided to become an undergraduate again to study Volcanology, and got a personal tour through the art museum with Associate Director Kurt Neugebauer.

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Kurt hosted me for the evening. He invited three other friends for a dinner of local delicacies (including smoked tuna and prawns), which we capped off by going out for dessert at Sweet Life, a decadent and popular dessert bar. Then we drove up to Skinner’s Butte to see Eugene in its nighttime glory.

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Like many college towns, Eugene is full of interesting people.  Unlike many college towns, it doesn’t have a particularly inviting physical form. Apparently the 1960’s and 1970’s were unkind to Eugene. First, they tore down much of the city center and what remains is a hodgepodge.  Then, they built blocks and blocks of squat ranch houses, which spreads the city out. More recent hillside houses have great distant views. But at a cycling level, Eugene is not a pretty place. However, at night, on a hill overlooking lights with a bunch of nice people after a yummy dessert, those shortcomings disappear.

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Profile Response: Julie Hollar / Brantley, Choteau, MT

 

HWWLT Logo on yellowForty-odd years ago Julie Hollar / Brantley died. She saw the afterlife, the glories of heaven. She was in her early twenties. She read accounts of other’s dying and coming back to life. Her death experience aligns with those accounts. When Julie woke back to life her young husband predicted he would die soon, and the reason she visited death was to know where he was going. Four years later, at age 28, Julie’s husband died in an accident. She was a widow with five young children, but she knew her husband was in a good place.

Screen Shot 2015-08-08 at 1.05.12 PMJulie didn’t want to leave her five children for a job, so she started working from home; taking in laundry, painting, odd jobs. She became a ‘Jill of All Trades’ to support her family. Her business card lists her title as ‘servant’ and states, “your dirt is my bread and butter’.

imgresSix years ago Julie reconnected, via Facebook, with a man she met after gradating from Choteau High School circa 1971. He’s from Arkansas, had been single his entire life, and always carried Julie’s high school photo in his wallet. Now they are married.

How will we live tomorrow?

imgres-1“I belong to a Bible study and we are in the Book of Revelation. We are in the last days as we know it. The earth isn’t going to explode, but it will change radically. There is a political antichrist and a religious antichrist that is trying to make the world one. Obama is the key to this. We have to decide. Are we going to live a cautious life and be led down this end path, or are we going to be determined from within, led by the spirit?”

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Trip Log – Day 128 –Salem, OR to Eugene, OR

Salem to EugeneSeptember 10, 2015 – Sun, 85 degrees

Miles Today: 84

Miles to Date: 6,685

States to Date: 23

The next time I am having a tough day I’ll try to remember this one – a perfect day of cycling in every way.

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My warmshowers hosts filled me with a great breakfast and hot coffee. The morning was cool and clear. Dave rode me out of Salem and along River Road for 12 miles to Buena Vista. There was so little traffic we rode side by side and talked most of the way. He gave me a detailed direction sheet for the best route to Eugene. I only got turned around when I detoured to explore Corvallis, which has the most unusual corner sculptures of any city I’ve visited. I found my way back easily and enjoyed the OSU experimental farms along Peoria Road. I took a roadside lunch break in the shade of giant oaks beside a creek.

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IMG_3917At Harrisburg I stopped for an ice cream. Jennifer makes the largest single scoop cones on earth. I snapped a quick pic of the astonishing pile of sea salt caramel and then ate it all up before it melted.

My last twenty miles were the fastest of my trip. Fueled by ice cream and pushed by tailwinds, Eugene came at me before I expected. Almost two hundred years ago Pioneers weathered all sorts of torment to cross the plains and mountains to reach this valley. I got here with less trauma, but also appreciate the Willamette Valley’s bountiful rewards.

I spent my first evening in Eugene with my good friend Kirk, who’s visited us in Cambridge several times, along with his longtime friend Kurt. Kirk is a noteworthy cook whose house has a deck with sunset views. I know this from years of Facebook posts and pictures. It seemed a fantastic dream to be on the deck in person, enjoy a sumptuous meal, and share stories.

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Profile Response: Gary Palmer, itinerant cyclist, Jackson, WY

HWWLT Logo on yellowOn the surface, my journey is about traveling from place to place and collecting responses to a question. I post what people reply. But planting the question in people’s minds is often more important than their responses. And my reaction to people is often more telling than their words. I operate from the premise that everyone leads a life of personal meaning and purpose. But sometimes I meet individuals so obtuse I’m the one challenged to expand my vision. When I met Gary Palmer, I struggled to understand how this man lived. I don’t suppose my concern caused him any bother either way.

Gary Palmer is a 6’-7”, 59-year-old itinerant cyclist who rents a portion of a garage for $200 a month in Jackson, Wyoming. That is, when he wants a permanent place to stay. His space has electricity but no heat or water. When he needs the bathroom he walks outside and into Bill Blaine’s modest house on the property. Bill Blaine’s compound is a kind of middle-aged men’s fraternity directly opposite Snow King Resort in ritzy Jackson. The front door stays ajar. Bill rents a few rooms inside, the garage, a shed, and a trailer, all well below Jackson market rents. Scruffy guys troop in and out to warm food on Bill’s stove, piss in his toilet, or lather under the shower in a tub that’s never scrubbed. When they get tired of Jackson they leave. When they return, Bill may or may not have a space for them.

Gary’s never driven a car. Beyond Jackson he lives on his mountain bike. “I ride in the morning, set up camp by noon, maybe take a day hike in the afternoon. I never stay indoors. I never pay to camp. Sometimes I get a pizza, but I can live cheap.” Gary returns to Jackson when he needs to work. Right now he’s a stocker at Dollar Tree. “Work in Jackson pays higher than minimum wage.

IMG_3304“I can’t imagine working 11-1/2 months a year for a two week vacation. Most people are in so much debt; they are still in debt when they retire. I haven’t lived anywhere permanent since 1977. I graduated high school in 1973, went to college for a year until I realized I was just another brick on the wall. I studied art, I studied cooking, I joined the Navy. I left it all in August of 1976, taught myself how to live cheaply and hitchhiked all over.”

Gary recites his life story, a litany of travel, with great recall. Alaska, Arizona, place to place by thumb and by bike. Gary likes to talk and I am keen to listen. That was the only reason I could figure why he invited me occupy a pallet in his garage. He showed no interest in me.

Despite an inner voice telling me not to push, I asked Gary if he’d ever been married, and if he had children. “I was married for a short time in 1993. I have a daughter, 22; she lives in Riverton. My grandson will be one year old tomorrow. I’ve never seen him. My daughter won’t see me.” I thought I heard a strain of regret. Then realized I was conjuring an emotion I wanted to evoke.

“I like solitude. I like my company to be animals, not humans. Most people don’t go more than a half days’ hike from the road. Two days from the road, there is nobody.”

“I’ll be 62 in two years. The government’s going to give me $200 a month. That’s more money than I need. After that I’ll never work again.” Gary said this with amused detachment, as if Social Security was a curiosity rather than an entitlement. I must admit his attitude was refreshing. Gary Palmer has no interest in contributing to society, but he’s not asking anything from it either.

How will we live tomorrow?

“My carbon footprint is very small. I’ve never had a car, a machine at all. Tomorrow I will do what I am doing today until I keel over on the side of the road or die in my bed.”

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