“Just remember that you’re standing on a planet that’s evolving
And revolving at 900 miles an hour.
It’s orbiting at 19 miles a second, so it’s reckoned,
The sun that is the source of all our power.
Now the sun, and you and me, and all the stars that we can see,
Are moving at a million miles a day,
In the outer spiral arm, at 40, 000 miles an hour,
Of a galaxy we call the Milky Way.”
~Eric Idle
As it turned out, Sunday morning at 12:37 was the best opportunity this year to photograph the Milky Way due to the time of the year, our (earth’s) position in the galaxy, and a New Moon. Bryan had come to the forest because it was designated as a Dark Sky spot. Bryan, Greg, and I made a campfire and sat outside. Bryan and I had ingested some mushrooms, and Bryan had a bottle of Tequilla. I had one shot, but Greg and Bryan polished off the bottle. We all turned into giggling teenagers, laughing at just about anything. Greg was first to give up and go to bed and Bryan kept saying “I have been planning this trip for a long time to get a photo of the Milky Way, and damn it, I’m staying up.” I stayed up with him, got out my GoPro and adjusted the settings. We crouched on the ground in a clearing, surrounded by tall pines and Bryan got some fantastic shots. I managed to do all right myself with some input from him and my tiny GoPro.
If you look closely at the bottom photo, the line of lights in the lower center is my fairy lights surrounding the roof of my van, and Greg’s Skoolie is over on the right, just below the tree line.
I was overjoyed to have accomplished this. I had flashbacks of my trip to Peru, of “drinking the medicine” my shaman offered me, and I moved quickly to that state of mind where I was part of something much bigger, connected to all that is. I’d tried several times in the past couple years, but either didn’t have the right equipment or didn’t use the proper settings to get a good photo. It turned out that a 30 second exposure with lens wide open did the trick.
Bryan went to bed soon after he got a few shots, and I stayed up long enough to capture a couple more.
On Sunday, Neil and Eddie, who I’d met at The Magic Circle in Quartzsite texted. They were heading from Palm Springs to New Mexico and wondered if I was still in Flagstaff. They joined Greg and me late Sunday afternoon. (Bryan had left for home that morning). We went for a long walk around the lake and came back and sat outside Greg’s bus until bedtime, which came early for me since I’d only gotten about 5 hours sleep on Saturday night.
I awoke Monday to Cosmo growling. I raised my head to look out the window and came face to face with a cow. I dozed for a bit longer and then got up and had coffee. Neil and Eddie were off for Juneteenth (they normally work from their laptops in their van), so we hung out a bit. Later in the afternoon, Greg and Roadie joined Cosmo and me for a hike. We had a very easy couple of days, with bonfires each night.
Wednesday was errand day for me. I went to Planet Fitness for a shower, then to Walmart for supplies and stopped for propane and water. I should be good on supplies for a couple weeks. The spot I picked in the forest was up on a hill and hidden (mostly) from the road, so I figured I’d be able to stay there for quite some time without being botheredy by anyone. I noticed most people weren’t adhering to the 14-day stay limit, so decided to play it by ear.*(see below)
On Thursday, Neil and Eddie left, heading to an appointment in Sante Fe and Greg took Roadie for his initial vet visit and to get his first round of puppy vaccinations. Cosmo and I had the compound to ourselves. We took advantage of a much-needed break. I love having friends stay nearby, and this week was packed full of friends, both old and new. Bryan and Greg pulled in the day after I arrived and all three of us hung out. Adrian was in a tent down the road and Cosmo and I met him on one of our walks, and he (Adrian) came up and joined us a couple nights for a campfire. Neil and Eddie are friends I met over the winter when I was in Quartzsite and stopped by for a few days. I enjoy all of them, but I don’t pace myself well when I have too much company. My FOMO kicks in and I try to do everything with everyone. When they were all gone (at least temporarily) Cosmo and I went back to the van and I did some cleaning and had a chance to catch up on my writing. There was no sound in our section of the forest except for the wind rustling through the trees. Bliss!
*Later in the day, a ranger stopped by to advise us on campfire safety and said that although the fire danger is fairly low, we should use extra caution when having a fire when it is windy (which it had been for several days). He asked when we got there and if we were aware of the 14 day stay limit. We told him we were. So I guess that means I’ll be leaving next week, to spend at least 16 days out of Coconino National Forest and then return. (The rule is that you are allowed to stay in the forest 14 days out of 30, but must leave for 16 out of 30.)
Lessons From The Road: I’ve grown quite comfortable in my spot, and have been content to sit and shoot the breeze with neighbors, go on walks, take naps. I suppose after 14 days, it is time to shake things up a bit and move to a new spot. My plan is to move to a spot I stayed last year with my friend Kitty. It was easy to get to, is about an hour or so from where I currently am, and it was quite pleasant. I’ll go for 10 days or so, and head back here and find a new spot in the Forest. I still hope to make the Coconino Forest my home base for the summer as the altitude keeps things cool (or at least cooler than most places in the country.) I wouldn’t mind finding a spot near another lake or a river. I am always more content near water, but many lakes and streams have dried up, so finding one that’s accessible and not too far away could be a challenge. We’ll see what I can find.