…On Manifestation

pathofthepines — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:30:57 +0000

A few short months ago while I was still living in Florida, I was experiencing a time of restlessness, which was brought on by a powerful state of what would be considered as a negative thought process. The slow financial times during that period and the months which had preceded it, had built up within me to a degree that I could not suppress them any further. Inevitably, I started fighting the faith within myself and as a result, was swallowed whole for many days by the negative patterns I had created by way of my choosing.. I had lost hold of my inner power during this time and it had shown its’ face to me in the form of self doubt and inner turmoil, which beyond all else, reflected itself in the physical world around me. The majority of those days were spent existing with the inner frustrations of seemingly having less than I needed. It was difficult to focus on the positive aspects of my life experience as I was truly engulfed, most of the time, by choosing to see only the uncomfortable experiences within my day. Giving very little time for appreciation of the magnificent life which I had been blessed with for as long as I could remember.

Through the acceptance of my attitude and behavior of those times, a dear friend helped me to begin viewing my world and the events which it would hold, through the eyes of what is called “Manifestation”.

I now understand that Manifestation is in great part, the awareness of our daily thought processes and how they translate literally, into the material form which we choose to see and experience within our world.. The process is all inclusive. Welcoming the positive and negative experiences by which we either deem ourselves as being blessed or denied of the foundation of righteous balance.

For the past two years of my efforts within conscious living, I had great difficulty in understanding this evasive transformational giant which is known as manifestation. at the time, it seemed to be some misguided and improperly defined terminology that only existed for great teachers, gurus and the spiritually self absorbed humans of this planet. This is no longer the case in my current understanding of achieving a harmonic balance within my life experience from moment to moment, as the setting aside of the old concrete ego, had allowed me to act upon the recommendation of another, who had survived in her own way, the battle of mind and heart, of ego and spirit. She would show to me the opportunity to come to the realization of this achievable balance, where we as a simultaneous part of individual and global consciousness, could exist harmonically with all around us..

It was suggested that I create a list of the things which I felt at the time, that I truly wanted to manifest or have appear within my life. Although they may seem trivial to some, I assure you that the purpose of acquiring these “things”, was for the intention of freeing myself from the concrete box which I felt my life had become in many ways. So I set aside the ego and created my little list. It was as follows:

1. A new truck or Suv: to carry me on my adventures since my current truck needed fairly expensive repairs.

2. Food supplies for one year: to minimize the spending of available cash.

3. Fuel for one year:

4. A new pair of shoes: my single pair was over a year old at that time.

5. 3 pairs of pants: as the two which I had, no longer fit.

6. 10 clean t-shirts: as all of my others were stained and unsightly.

7. A new package of socks: all of my others were random and with holes.

8. A new laptop computer: Dual core, 4Gb Memory, 250Gb Hard drive etc. to keep contact during my travels.

9. Good Health: as I had been suffering from kidney stones for many months.

10. To be able to visit my Mom first: as I thought i would not be returning to New England again, after I started my road to discovery of new places..

After finishing this simple list I was instructed to fold it up and place it in a special place. To just leave it there undisturbed, as I had set the intention and desire in motion by the action of writing it down physically. It was then time for me to say thank you to the powers that be within the universe and to let it go without any further wonder about if I would receive them or not. I was able to do this and the list sat under the feet of my traveling Buddha statue for about two months… This was the first time I had followed through with the recommendation of manifesting my desires of mind into physical form. Many times in the recent past, I had thought that my efforts would bring me results, but I recall always skipping the most important part of letting it go from the mind. I would always continue to ask and to wonder why I had not received anything which I had requested, within the manner of time which I felt I had deserved or expected. I can compare that to the artistic carving of a figure from stone. Yet, if each time the piece was almost complete, we severed the head and then sat back in disappointment and wondered why it had not turned out as planned.

Two months had passed after I had created my list. Things were difficult during those times as I was still battling all that I saw which was negative. A round or two with kidney stones created a very spiritually testing environment for myself, but I was to come to understand that they were a product of the inner turmoil within my suppressed feelings of old. The bomb had been built over many years of painful life experiences which I had labeled as just that within my memories. The fuse was now lit and the implosion on the verge of occurring within me, as I knew that in order to survive my self inflicted chaos, I would have to finally set them free and to transform their lingering memories into the view of their positive, self forming aspects of who I had truly become. I was a good soul. I was a flask filled with love and good intention for the world around me. This is what I decided to acknowledge within myself and to allow all of the experience of old to follow me without judgment and to accompany me in my efforts to help bring peace to those who would cross my path.

Just over five weeks ago, I finally had enough resources to be able to make a physical change within my environment. I was ready to pack up my truck and headed off to the mountainous regions of the eastern U.S. Just hours before my departure, I was packing away the last things which I had not taken care of. One of them being the Traveling Buddha statue which sat upon a wall in my place. Underneath it was the list which I had written some time before. I sat down, unfolded it and began to revisit its’ content. I was almost instantly brought to tears as the reality of what I had written, at that moment, revealed itself unto me as having become a reality.

1. A new truck or Suv: to carry me on my adventures since my current truck needed fairly expensive repairs.

1. Received: Enough monies just previously, to repair my truck to enable a safer journey that was about to unfold.

2. Food supplies for one year: to minimize the spending of available cash.

2. Received: Resources for 6 month of food which was fantastic and comforting.

3. Fuel for one year:

3. Received: Enough saved cash to enable me to provide more than enough fuel for the places which I had preplanned to visit and a whole lot more.

4. A new pair of shoes (low cut hiking boots): my single pair was over a year old at that time.

4. Received: Two new pairs of shoes. One which I was able to purchase myself and the other (low cut hiking boots), which my great friend David found for me by chance only days before leaving. Brand new I must add. Thanks Davey!

5. 3 pairs of pants: as the two which I had, no longer fit.

5. Received: 3 pairs of new jeans that fit me wonderfully.

6. 10 clean t-shirts: as all of my others were stained and unsightly.

6. Received: 10 New T-shirts that were not covered with various building materials and adhesives. They were even my current size. Go Figure!

7. A new package of socks: all of my others were random and with holes.

7. Received: A new package of white socks. yeah they actually have white socks. By the look of my old ones, I thought they only came in various shades of “Hole Gray”… Thank you Jenny May for these..They kept my feet warm during cold nights in the tent.

8. A new laptop computer: Dual core, 4Gb Memory, 250Gb Hard drive etc. to keep contact during my travels.

8. Received: A new laptop with a Dual Core CPU, 4Gb memory, 320Gb hard Drive etc. And it has been a blessing to keep me in contact with my good friends and to assist me with finding my way to the next destination without too much effort…

9. Good Health: as I had been suffering from kidney stones for many months.

9. Received: I was able to pass the last stone which was hindering my health quite a bit. Since that day I have felt more alive and vibrant and I am now much more in tuned with listening to what my body is saying to me……

10. To be able to visit my Mom first: as I thought i would not be returning to New England again, after I started my road to discovery of new places..

10. This is the only one of the ten, which showed itself to me in another way, as I came to visit my Mom after stopping in the other states. When I got to this final request on my list, my mind started in with the old process of finding a flaw in the manifestation scenario. It was quickly washed away though when I looked at the Traveling Buddha statue and had a thought in my head that said: “ The reason that the order of this was changed, was so that you can gather yourself together in a better way first, before sharing your new self with your Mom during your visit. The money which you have will allow you to experience all and more of what you had planned previously and if used wisely, get you all the way to your Moms.” So we’ll mark this one as: Received.

……………………………………………………………………………

The only reality that could ever exist through the eyes of your self, is the same one which only you had ever chosen to see… This is “the way” that I have found to describe the inner knowing of our power. Of our God Essence of which we have never been separate from. I can no longer accept the thinking of wondering what could have been or should have been, in my life. There is only the total sum of all experience which I have lived within my choosing and the importance of no scenario is to ever be lessened by the possibility of an alternative outcome. I am me and I am whole and perfect within the resolve of my individual, beautiful story. It is because of this that I now understand that we are all the rarest of gems basking under the sun of our current world.

No matter where we go.. I’ll see you there!!!

And to that friend who I was called to meet so many days ago, for sharing with me your experience, wisdom’s and insights of so many things, know that I love you and that I am eternally grateful for having known your existence.

Steve.

The Phoenix Prayer

pathofthepines — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:02:33 +0000

” May the Phoenix continue its’ cycle of life within the bliss of infinity. May the fires of its’ flight, illuminate the path for all to follow bravely into death as the falling ash which all must become, melts into earth and grows within itself, the tree of life. ”

-Steve Michaud-

Hiking the Appalachian Trail

pathofthepines — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 01:41:01 +0000

Well it isn’t as thorough as I wanted it to be, but it took a bit of time to get it to this point, so I hope you enjoy it. The hike I went on was of my own choosing. I had spoken to a Park Ranger previously about recommending a trail to try. When he asked what my experience was and my fitness level, I could only reply with beginner, as I never really hiked far before. i had made an inquiry about a 6.5 mile hike that was rated on paper as moderately difficult. His response was that I should not attempt it if I wasn’t a seasoned hiker and explained that the distance rating of the hikes on paper were from the aerial perspective and that the actual elevation changes of the trail would mean much more distance and effort obviously… So being the hard headed Frenchman that I can sometimes be, I decided to try to double the distance of what I had first considered… The following videos are the result of some of the hike. If I had the camera on the entire time, you would die of boredom from seeing so many trees. The one thing that I despise the most is the fact that the video and pictures which I had taken of the two black bear cubs did not come out very well,but they are something at the least. It was to shady for the camera to define them from the shadows….But it was an honor to see them feeding by the creek by lifting large rocks and turning them over looking for food….

I did actually go through a physical battle by the half way point and then the mental war began as it seemed I would never make it back to where I had begun.. If you notice the look on my face by the end of the video, you will know what I mean. I could honestly, barely even get the words to come out of my mouth for the last few hours, but figured I had to say something or else I might lay down and goto sleep. That would not have been a good idea..

Thanks for watching friends, Steve.

Time in Tennessee

pathofthepines — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:53:24 +0000

So I camped out in Tennessee last night as I didn’t feel like driving all the way to Virginia.. The site was very nice and I was able to enjoy an extremely peaceful night by the fire once again.. I’m on the road to VA. right now so I will keep it brief. here is a few little videos that I shot last night..
Steve.

Click to view slideshow.

Back on the Road..

pathofthepines — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:34:41 +0000

Well the time has come to get back on the road. My experiences here in North Carolina have been well worth the visit, as I have made a few more great friends and ingested a great bit of information about the lifestyle of “work-camping”. That in itself has helped to establish a greater hope within me, for the future of my life living by choice, as a free walker. The camp at Rose Creek turned out to be a wonderful place. I was fortunate enough to spend good time and great conversation with Alan and Jean, two people that have been living this lifestyle for some time now. We even spent an entire day driving to different waterfalls and taking pictures along the way. I will be posting those at some time, although I am feeling a bit pressed for it right now as I need to get moving north on the 6-7 hour trip to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. This will bring me about 350 miles closer to seeing my Mom, whom I miss very much and am growing more excited about seeing again. Money is working it’s way down as usual, but it’s plenty enough to get me where I need to go.
I have a few stories from here in N.C. that I will be writing about soon. One is an observation about listening to Intuition and the other is an update about the bear watch I was experiencing at the Rose Creek campground. That one is funny actually and it will be called something like, “Untold Legends: The Bear-Dog of Rose Creek”. Hehehe
That’s all for the time being so be good and remember, take at least one minute each day to watch a bird in the sky. It’s a guaranteed way to get you out of your minds self inflicted prison should it temporarily try to take hold…..

Peace friends, Steve.

Saturday Nights Drumming Circle.

pathofthepines — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:24:54 +0000

Well, what a great and moving experience is all I can say. The day started off with rain. The first rain since I left Florida by chance. The workers and owners of the campground had put up a giant tarp over one of the campsites to keep people dry for the gathering. Unfortunately the rains of the day had collapsed it and it was in somewhat of an unusable state. There were plans for people to start arriving at about 5p.m., so when I got back to the campsite at 2p.m. from my trip into town, I sat in my tent watching the rain and focusing on a way to re- engineer the tarp so that the potluck dinner could happen before the drumming circle took place.. I decided to ask one of the owners for permission to give it a try and she agreed. So off I went to re-hang the tarp. After about 2 hours, it was a success. It looked great and provided cover for the dinner…. I would say there were about 20 people that were there. Many had brought all kinds of cool instruments, rattles, drums of a few types and others. After an hour or so of a nice dinner, everyone gathered around the fire which was beautiful in itself. We opened with a ceremony, calling to the spirits of the North, South, East, West, Sky and Earth. we went around the circle introducing ourselves by name to the group. Then the music began….
It was magical as the sounds vibrated with the creeping darkness of the night. A rhythmic balance of individual harmonies blended into a primitive orchestral advance.. At some point, the meditative trance like state that I was in, allowed the release of any leftover ego within me. I found myself chanting in an Indian tune to the beats of the instruments and the sounds of the forest which had come to life around us.
It was strange to be asked by a few people if I was of an Indian heritage. I could only reply with “No I’m just french Canadian”…lol. The circle finally started to come to a close when a few people started to leave. During the second and last session there was an apparent electrical storm moving towards us. We then closed the circle by thanking all of the spirits in synchronous order and releasing them.
After saying a few goodbyes I decided to remain alone by the fire until it had finished burning. The rains were extremely heavy and the lightning cracked and flashed. As the fire was slowly drowned out to a sizzling silence, the chill on my cold soaked body became apparent for the first time and I decided to run for my shelter. Where I took off my wet clothes and sat naked for the rest of the night while working on some graphic designs on my laptop…The sound of the rains on the tent were deafening at times, but soothing in it’s own way all the while….
I will never forget my first drum circle experience or all of the fire lit faces whom were present at Rose Creek. My spirit, in part, shall always reside there, to visit the future circles of pure intent that may find there way into the experience of another day….

“Aho”

Take a Ride with Me.

pathofthepines — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:50:52 +0000

I shot this little video so that you could ride with me on a mountain road. So sit back and relax and enjoy the music and the view. The songs played are from the movie soundtrack “Into the Wild” and sung by Eddie Vedder.. The first one is named “Society” and the second is called “Guaranteed”….

I wonder who’ll make it to the end?

Home in North Carolina

pathofthepines — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:21:08 +0000

I arrived in North Carolina two days ago, at least as far as my memory recalls. It sure is hard to remember what day it is lately, but that’s a good thing to me.. So I am currently in the area of Franklin, N.C.. The mountains here are just as beautiful as Georgia but seem more plentiful because I am surrounded by beautiful vistas. The reason I am here is because this is the place that has one of the gem mines that I researched a while back while in Florida. It’s called Rose Creek.

The small campground I am staying in is called Rose Creek Campground which is right next door to the Rose Creek Gem mine (which I will get pictures of soon). I have been to the mine two times already and if I am not careful I might spend all of my money at that place..lol.. It is really small but a ton of clean dirty fun, as their motto says.. You don’t get to go into the mine because of liability issues, but the dirt is dug by an excavator and dumped into a two sided open faced storage shack called “The Tunnel”. You pay per bucket of dirt and you dig it yourself then bring it back to the panning flume where the water runs. Dump some dirt into the sifter that they provide and start sifting, searching and hoping.. Most of the pieces you find are very small, but some are quite nice. So far I have found about 10 Sapphires and Rubies, 1 Emerald (which are hard to get), Moonstones, 12 Garnets, Black Tourmaline, Moonstones, Quartz of all kinds and colors and a bit of what they call “Rockalite”, which is just a plain rock….. The price is quite cheap for hours of fun sifting. It’s also relaxing and the people that are panning with you are so friendly.. The owners of the mine, the Sterret Family are the nicest people you could ask for. The husband has taught me so much about rocks and gems already. He cuts natural stones into gems and things right in his shop and has given me a lot of tips on how to get started myself. The pieces he has for sale are so beautiful and way cheaper than anywhere I have ever seen them. I mean they are 500% cheaper than other stores. I bought some Aluminum Oxide powders from him last night so that I can start polishing my own stones with my little dremel tool. Great Fun!!!

here’s a picture of a praying mantis that sat next to me at the mine for a little while until the owners moved it back to the trees..

The campsite is nice and clean and a lot cheaper than the first. There is water there and electric, even though I didn’t pay the extra few dollars for it. I just plugin after dark to recharge my computers battery… There is one thing that is strange though and it applies to the old saying “be careful what you wish for”.. Bears have been on my mind for a week now and I had not seen any until 2 days ago. Well at least I think it’s a bear. I was in my tent at about 11p.m. the other night when I heard cracking branches coming from the treeline just behind me. There is a trash container right behind my tent so I figured it was an animal of sorts. I payed no mind to it until I heard a few very strong and loud breath’s and then a very deep growl or groan. It got my attention quickly. So I unzipped slowly, the inner flap of the tent window to take a peek. It was so dark that it was hard to see at all, but I saw the silhouette of what looked like a bear walking only a few feet from my tent, and I mean a few feet away. I froze and tried to focus, then I made a grunting sound at it and whatever it was trotted off.. Now last night the same thing happened, except my tent was moved to face another direction. about the same time of the night it came again. The same deep growls and slow advance through the heavy treeline. I started a series of short deep grunts and sniffing sounds toward what was the rear of my tent. (Yes I’m crazy that way if you didn’t know that yet.) It came closer, but this time I could not see. It growled a coupled more times then seemed still. I felt like it was out there close by so I grabbed the old hunting knife and prepared for possible battle…LOL.. I make myself laugh, but it’s true, I did. The problem is it probably wouldn’t be much of a fight if it was an attacking bear that was just looking for some late night cookies and milk… After sitting still for about 15 minutes I decided to try and sleep. All was fine and I awoke this morning having survived yet another self inflicted emotional attack. ” What the mind holds, only dreams can know”….. I payed for a couple more days at the site this morning and spoke to the owner. I asked if there were bear issues here and she said not that she knew of. She did say that there have been many reports of a large wild boar that comes from the woods where I am camped, “Go figure”.. Right away I thought of you Dave, and the legend of the Giant Monster Hogs of the North….. So tonight I am going to set up for a visual. I figure if I stay in my truck right near the trees, I can finally see what the hell it is and try to turn on the lights fast and get a picture. Maybe it’s one of those Wood-Knockers or a Baby Bigfoot. I don’t discount anything….. If I get any video footage and sell it for a million dollars, we will all be able to live at a resort of our own choosing…

Wish me Luck…..

Tomorrow night there is going to be what’s called a drumming circle at the camp. They are based on Indian drumming. In this case it is going to be Cherokee since they were the original inhabitants of this entire area… I’ll try to get some video of it…

The drive up here from Georgia was very scenic since I took the Appalachian Highway which runs through the mountain ranges such as the Great Smokies, The Blue Ridge and of course the Appalachian mountains. here is a beautiful shot I got along the way which reminds me somehow, of the endless possibilities of things.. I have created a picture gallery for each of the states I have visited on the top of this page.. Enjoy and be good.

Steve.

Kissing Georgia Goodbye…

pathofthepines — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:55:53 +0000

In the morning I will be leaving to another place. Where that is, I am not exactly sure. I will most probably head into North Carolina so that I can be close to the gem mines where I would like to go treasure hunting. I have a fever for stones the past few days, since I have been able to find some cool ones in the streams here in Georgia.(just wish I knew what they were).
Today I took what was about a 10 mile hike into the woods. Talk about feeling alone. It was un-nerving at times to see fresh bear tracks in the mud along the trails. I could see where a bear had ravaged an area where there was a large tree stump and rocks. It had turned the large rocks over and had dug into the mud near the tree to find food I assume. It kept me on my toes thats for sure. I never ended up seeing any wildlife though, except for insects. Mostly spiders which are everywhere and large millipedes which are cool. The different types of fungi, mushrooms and moss are amazing also.
Last night I took some time to view the stars here. It is unbelievable how many are actually viewable when you are away from the city. I even got a second experience of seeing a shooting star while looking thru my telescope. How ironic when I had just finished a conversation with my Mom, telling her about the first time it happened in Florida.

I have a couple more things to post as far as video and pictures from here, but I add more of those another time.. It is after 8 p.m. now and I want to get back to camp to start the last fire and to make some dinner.. Tomorrow I will re-pack my gear and move on…
The owner of this place also asked me a short while ago if I would stay for a while to work, but I told her that I would have to keep that in mind for a later date as I must continue on for now…

Keep smiling and dont forget to look up at the sky once in awhile….
Steve…..

I found these rocks stacked a number of miles into the trip in the middle of a stream. There were four different ones of various sizes..

Yesterdays Adventures..

pathofthepines — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:27:55 +0000

Hey everyone, here is a little update on what I did yesterday. It was my first day of adventuring where I was able to try out my hiking shoes (thanks Dave) and to visit a small local town called Helen, just down the road. Helen is a German themed town, where all of the buildings look like some kind of Swiss Alps architecture or something. It is a tourist type of environment there and there is a crapload of places to drink booze, gift shops and all kinds of strange things.. There was a Live Tarantula museum which seems odd and at the beginning of town there is a place called something like ” The New Babies Hospital” which is where they produce the Cabbage Patch Kid dolls, for anyone that knows what those are…lol. There are lots of wood carving shops here and I visited some in order to get some ideas and tips of how tho achieve certain things in carving. here is a picture of a Pegasus that I thought was cool, except for the price of $1100.00, but what craftsmanship..
After I left Helen, I stopped at a place called BlackBeard’s Rock Shop. They have all kinds of cool stones and crystals and art glass etc. The girl there was super friendly and quite knowledgeable about what she was selling. I purchased a small Amethyst cluster, a tiny but beautiful clear quartz cluster, a desert rose, a piece of this ruby colored art glass and a white marble with a smiley face painted on it. The smiley was created by the girl who worked there (Sabrina). It’s just a white marble with a face painted on it, but she said she designed them so that when she saw someone that was sad, you could just ask them to open their hand and drop it in there, with the intention to bring an inevitable smile to their day. I loved the idea….

Here is the funniest thing that happened while in the rock shop. I was standing in front of this glass curio cabinet which had many beautiful and more expensive crystals in it, when all of a sudden I felt something brush my hair. I looked up and saw nothing but a small hole in the ceiling. A hole cut out at some point in the wood paneling to install and electrical outlet apparently. I figured it was just a draft coming from it. When I looked away, it happened again. This time I looked only to find a gray cats arm pawing me through the hole….lol.. Sabrina the shopkeeper came over smiling and told me that Blackbeard wanted to say hello.. This cat just wanted me to pet it through the hole, it was hilarious. It would place its’ back over the hole where he liked to be scratched, so I obliged.. I snapped a couple of pictures of him, but only this one came out…

After leaving there I headed back to Enota my current home base.

I decided to do some hiking into the wilderness to see the waterfalls and such. First I headed towards a trail called “Jacks Trail”. It was supposed to lead to an observation platform that was about 1oo yards above the base of the 400 foot waterfall on the property. When I reached the end of the trail, I could see that the low water levels didn’t allow for much of a show. it was still beautiful though. Especially since it was so remote and away from everything. I took a few picture with my digi-cam and also my 35mm camera. I was informed by the employees before leaving to this waterfall, that this one could not be viewed from the base like the smaller 200 foot falls could be. Well I decided to make my way down the natural mountainside to see if I could make it there. The whole time I was watching and listening for bears, as there is a clear warning about them at the beginning of the trail which reads:

CAUTION: ” There is fresh bear sign all along this trail. Be aware of your surroundings and make noise, talking, etc, if you choose to hike.”

After a zig zagging hike down the extremely steep hill (I estimate a 65 degree angle), I arrived at the creek. I followed the water towards the falls by hopping rock to rock and climbing the many downed trees which lay resting there. I saw many beautiful spider webs of different types. Mushrooms of many colors, mosses and plants and various rocks. I had made it to the base of the falls. Where I sat for awhile quietly pondering the beauty and innocence of that place. There wasn’t much too see as the low water level left something to be desired, but I managed to snap a few pictures and a quick video from where I was sitting, which was on a giant moss covered tree that lay across the falls base…. I know the videos and pictures do not show the true scale of these things, but believe me they are bigger than they look….

On the return trip to camp I stopped at a small pond which gathered at the top of a tiny man made wall which slowed the flow of the creek. It poured over into a tiny waterfall of stone steps. The pond had these amazingly beautiful spotted trout swimming in it so I took a few pics..

After making my way back to the camp, I immediately detoured to the other trail which led to the 200 foot waterfall of Gurley Creek. I wanted to cool down from the hike and boy did I ever. That water is cold!!!!! But so clean and refreshing. This is the same waterfall that I used as a test yesterday…I cut the video at a minute and 40 seconds because about 20 people showed up as I was starting to play.. I will return again!!

As night fell, I sat at the fire until late evening. I was feeling a little lonely last night after seeing all of the other campers with their loved ones and families, but I drowned myself in a thermos full of hot orange spice tea and made my first dinner over the open fire. It was beef barley soup and brown rice. Not bad at all really…

So that was my day. It ended when the temperature dropped by 30 degrees and I ran off to climb into my sleeping bags and blankets…… Well this post took a long time to make, gee it’s 2 hours later and I’m still sitting here in the old parking lot in the town of Hiawassee’s McDonald’s. Many thanks go out to Miccy Dee’s and to Monte Alban Mexican Resteraunt for use of their internet services..

Be well people and thank you all for the comments and views. It helps keep the loneliness at bay……. Steve (Mic) Michaud.