Morning Pleasures

I’m nearing the end of twelve work free days, a luxury I’ve not had in over five years. But today I had to start easing back into my normal sleep/wake patterns for work on my East coast timeline. So I was up at 0300 Pacific time.

Music kept me company for a while, checking email and such as well. But I knew where I wanted to be. The Quadrantid meteor shower ran Jan 3-4. It’s a lesser shower, so you don’t hear about it as much since at peak it only produces about 25 meteors per hour. I needed to escape the light noise here in peopleville and get to the dark for best viewing. I laced up my boots and headed down to the White Rock trail near the edge of the park. I was the only one out and about at that hour, but lights were on in several rigs that I passed. I entered the trail walk out and stepped into the desert.

The air was cool and still. A dog barked somewhere in the distance. A mourning dove floated its voice into the darkness. As I lifted my eyes to the starlit sky, I found myself directly beneath the Big Dipper. Then the meteors began to show themselves. Some were bright and fast, whizzing so quickly you could miss them easily. Others were slower and less showy, arcing out across the starry backdrop. There were several minutes between each one, so I listened to the night. Small creatures moved about in the underbrush. Their movements invited the hunting owl pair into my vicinity. Owl communication is a favorite of mine. They hunt, calling back and forth to their partners. Their calls were the background to my sky search, and a smile was bright on my face. My hour there garnered about sixteen sightings. No wishing this morning; only counting and enjoying. It was a very pleasurable time.

As I return to my campsite and swing open the van doors to make a second cup of coffee, the coyote chorus began, small and thin, then swelling loudly. Starting over again, the varying pack voices crescendoing at different intervals, topping off a truly splendid morning.

The gift of this time of relaxation, self pampering, maybe even edging into hedonism, has been of immeasurable value. I’ve soaked, hiked, biked, steamed, danced, sunned and swam. I’ve donned femininity again for a time, something that really gets put aside for the most part when boondocking in the desert – for both practical and safety reasons. But maybe I’ll be impractical every now and again when I go back, just to remember all of the important parts of me.

Tomorrow I return to the desert and all that entails. But for today, I will soak up all there is to offer here, including one last coca crema.

I wish for all a time such as this, wherever you may be. Relax. Open your eyes. Find the beauty, wherever it may be found. It is always present, we need but look.

Tempting trail

Beauty on the trail

Vista from the trail

Be mindful

End trail Vista

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