Road Moments - Part II

Peak Moments

To my mother's lifelong chagrin I'm not and never was a religious person. I was a skeptic at a ridiculously early age.  Of course, over the years, one would hope we evolve.  While I'm still fiercely skeptical I allow for, and try to be open to, new insights and experiences - call them religious or spiritual, or what you will. 

In my life I've had two of, I guess, what one would call "out of body" experiences.  Not surprisingly they were both in nature and both in the great Southwest and, no, I wasn't drinking at the time.  The first was in Arches National Park in 1994 and the other in Southeastern Arizona just a few years ago.  In both instances, as I drove into Arches National Park and Chiricahua National Monument I had to pull over to the side of the road because I felt light headed.  Then, after taking a deep breath, I actually felt as if something deep inside of me was rising out of my body and expanding into the outdoors. Weird, huh? Here's the thing though - it was a deeply "connected" spiritual  experience. 

The great playwright (and my favorite) Eugene O'Neill described this much more poetically and eloquently than I can when he wrote in, "Long day's Journey into Night" the following:​

"You've just told me some high spots in your memories. Want to hear mine? They're all connected with the sea. Here's one. When I was on the Squarehead square rigger, bound for Buenos Aires. Full moon in the Trades. The old hooker driving fourteen knots. I lay on the bowsprit, facing astern, with the water foaming into spume under me, the masts with every sail white in the moonlight, towering high above me. I became drunk with the beauty and singing rhythm of it, and for a moment I lost myself -- actually lost my life. I was set free! I dissolved in the sea, became white sails and flying spray, became beauty and rhythm, became moonlight and the ship and the high dim-starred sky! I belonged, without past or future, within peace and unity and a wild joy, within something greater than my own life, or the life of Man, to Life itself! To God, if you want to put it that way."

O'Neill gets it precisely right.  I felt as if I was dissolving for a few minutes.  Of course, both times, after I felt myself come back into myself, I was overwhelmed and tearful and grateful and full of humility and love for having this gift of life bestowed on me. What a literal mind-blower. 

You know, of course, I've tried to get that to happen again and it hasn't and I doubt it will.  It's not something I can will to happen - it is organic and ethereal and can't be manufactured. 

It's so weird, of course, that I seldom, if ever, discuss this with anyone.  Yet, here I am writing a blog post about it!  Old age has clearly corrupted me and now I'm probably oversharing and it's TMI and all but I don't give a damn.  It happened.  

The irony is that one of my worst Ranger interactions happened in Chiricahua the very next time I went to visit.  In fact, if my first visit was a "peak"  experience let's call this one a "valley".  I'd planned on camping and pulled into a site and began unloading my camp stove when a Ranger walked up and said, "You can't leave any of that stuff outside your truck".  I was momentarily confused and the Ranger said, "We have a strict policy.  Nothing left outside - either in your vehicle or tent".  I explained that I had to remove some things because I slept in the back of my truck and couldn't fit all my gear in the cab of my truck.  Ranger said, "Well, then, I don't know what to tell you but it doesn't look like you can camp here".  

I understood why Edward Abbey called them the "Tree  Fuzz" (despite being one himself for a couple of years).  I've camped all over the West and never met a more obnoxious and unhelpful Ranger. In fact, I love most of them I meet. They're underpaid and under appreciated and protectors of our most cherished places. 

Still, it was apparent that this particular Ranger hadn't gotten the customer service memo. So, I thought, to Hell with it. I'll just drive back to Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoons.  Of course, before I did I wanted to drive up the road and go to the Visitor Center to express my dismay.  As I pulled out of the campground, at say, 15 mph, another Ranger with his window rolled down, gave me the universal "slow down" sign by moving his hand up and down.   I couldn't believe it.  I could only go slower by stopping.  Two fools in one 15 minute period.  I drove to the Visitor Center and they said the "Head Ranger" would call me.  

He did call the next day.  He left two messages.  The first was actually to me when he said that, "while we have no bears we follow best practices for camping" and the second, was when he apparently, dialed the wrong number, and was all about personal information that I had no business knowing.  Honestly.  Talk about weird and inept and disheartening.  

So there you have it.  Life in a nutshell - lots of weirdness, banality, oddities and a few moments of existential bliss. 

Of course, I've been back to Chiricahua. I took Lupe and then actually made reservations to camp there with the Casita. One week before my arrival date I received an email telling me that, due to construction issues, the campground would be closed despite my reservations.  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. 

Oh land of Chiricahua - how I love thee. 

The humans? Not so much. 

Of course, I'll be back.  And soon. 

So there you have it.  As the great Jeffrey Lebowski said, "Strikes and gutters, my friends, strikes and gutters."