Today I passed a quirky old-fashioned fun park, buried deep in the redwoods - Confusion Hill.
But for me, today was remarkably unconfusing. (Or de-confusing?)
It's easy, in the general flurry of activity, for me to lose sight of what matters. As I drove today I was listening to a recording of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which was reminding me of some home truths.
Confusion Hill made me think of what he says about paradigm shifts - looking at the world in a different way. It was a paradigm shift that got me out of my old life as a management consultant and into this new life as an ocean rower.
Now I could do with another paradigm shift to take me on to the next level. But I'm not quite sure how you can deliberately provoke one. I seem to recall that last time it was quite a confused and stressful time that finally created the shift. As somebody said, no phoenix can arise from no ashes. You often hear of people who make dramatic personal progress as a result of a health scare, or the loss of a loved one, or a miraculous escape from death.
But is it really necessary to burn the old to bring in the new? Does it have to be that traumatic or can it be more incremental?
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For Google Earthers, if you zoom in on Cave Junction, OR, my motel is the big grey-roofed building by the T-junction on the main road, just SE of Google's pointer. If it was a current photo you'd see the BlandsMobile parked in the car park outside a room with a big blue 'Disabled' badge on the door - they gave me that room because it's near enough to Reception to pick up wi-fi, and not because of the hip. I hope.
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I spotted these cutesy little electric cars today as I was driving up to Oregon. Reliant Robin meets zebra meets environmental awareness.
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The BlandsMobile rental car and I are making good progress north. Further south, the scenery was hillsides of sun-scorched grass dotted with oak - the kind of scenery that requires place names involving 'creek' and 'gulch' - things we don't have in England. Now I am winding through thicky-wooded hills of magnificent redwood trees. I took the 'scenic alternate' route along the Avenue of the Giants, and as I drove through along the shady road between majestic tree trunks, flakes of bark fluttered down like a tickertape parade.
Last night I stayed in Tom and Sveta's vacation rental in Russian River. Now I am heading up Highway 101 towards Eureka, or maybe even Grant's Pass if I feel like it. i'm enjoying the freedom of the open road.
I got this email from a friend who is following my adventures closely. Maybe a bit too closely - I keep looking up, wondering why I feel like someone's peering over my shoulder...
'Today I flew with you from Woodside to Guerneville. Well at least I did courtesy of GoogleEarth, and it was amazing. I was flying at a height of 1500 feet and going a bit faster than you can drive, but it still took me 20 minutes.
I followed every twist and turn in the road, even going all the way round the intersections where there was a loop. The final approach into Guerneville made me a bit dizzy as the road twists and turns down the valley, but I finally arrived without feeling sick. The only disconcerting thing was that I remained hovering in the air at 1500 feet!
It is really easy to do with GoogleEarth, just select "Directions", enter Start: Woodside, CA, End: Guerneville, CA, and click on the find button. At the end of the list of directions, there is an item marked "Route". Click on that and then on the "Play Tour" button below, and you are off.
I shall follow all you journeys like this from now on, especially when you start your Road Trip from Miami to San Francisco with Sedna Solo in November.'
Virtual journeys at 1500 feet are fine if you have no alternative, but I'm very lucky to be seeing the real thing, from a height of about 4 feet...
The real thing
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