Lightning, exploring California and a Kenya visa

15/10 - There have been thunderstorms the past two days in the Central Valley. I sat on the front porch in Springville and watched the lightning just over the hill. There was no thunder. Lightning storms are one of my favorite things to watch because of the immense power in lightning. The best parts about these storms was the frequency of huge lightning bolts.

24/10 - The best way to erase a bad week and the negative feelings that go with it is to travel. This weekend, I decided to get to know my home state of California a little bit more, and as a result I learned a few things and saw some awesome sights.

Red Rock Canyon State Park was the only place I wanted to see for sure. Hiking among red-colored cliffs that dig down into the ground at an angle is neat to see, especially when you don't realize California has that kind of environment. The more I travel, the more I appreciate California for all of the terrain it offers. It has so much, and some of it we never realize is there. For example, the desert between Tehachapi and Nevada stretches on forever, with occasional hills that break the monotony, and I loved driving through it.

But part of the reason I love to travel and have adventures is everything that happens that can't be planned. At a shady burger shack in Mojave, CA, I recognized the accent of an East London man who was also getting a burger. We got to talking and it turns out he's lived in this state for the last 20 years. He was on his way to Lake Isabella to visit a couple to "play." He paused and then said, "you should come with me."

Huh?

"You should help me f**k this couple. The woman loves it, she's a nasty w***e," he said.

Nah, I think I'll pass.

Aside from meeting an Englishman in such a random place, it was funny to have that encounter. Something like that is impossible to plan, and one can only experience that by just going.

Aside from Red Rock Canyon, I Couchsurfed in Tehachapi with a married couple that is my age. They were very friendly and excellent hosts, and we played Xbox and watched movies for the night. Then in the morning, they wen't way out of their way to show me a hiking trail in Tehachapi Mountain Park. It was only 5 miles round trip, but the trail rises a couple thousand feet in the first 2.5 miles. And of course, as I've done several other times this year, I chose not to take water. Luckily, a fellow hiker gave me a bottle of water after chiding me. I deserved it.

While in Tehachapi, which is a town nestled in a valley and surrounded by mountains at 4,000 feet elevation, I learned that area is extremely windy, and that's why there are hundreds of wind turbines on the east side of the valley. My hosts said it's not uncommon for the valley to be windy all of the time. I also learned that if a California Condor is spotted in the general area, all wind turbines are shut off completely until it disappears. This is because the bird is endangered and could collide with one of the rotors. It takes wildlife around a wind turbine five years to get used to its presence. People who work with the turbines hike around the area to observe how it's affecting local wildlife and take note of dead birds.

To finish off my mini adventure, I took side roads and weaved, woved and zig zagged my way to Lake Isabella on Caliente Bodfish Road and through the Sequoia National Forest on Highway 155, where I found some excellent camp sites, a person who was giving away free apples from his tree on the side of the road and a pair of tarantula spiders making their way across the road. I also found a perfect road for ripping up with a motorcycle. It's one of those roads where you see another car once probably every 15 miles. The only problem with it is the lack of a fuel station between Ducor and another intersection about 40 miles up the road. I'd be worried about running out of gas, so I'd take some with me in a backpack.

This trip was a massive success. I know California a little bit better now, and I drove some twisty and incredibly fun, beautiful, skinny and relaxing roads. And thanks to this new car, I only spent about $40 total on the weekend. Just because I'm no longer in Europe doesn't mean I can't travel. California is a massive state, and this weekend proved there is plenty to see. Plus, I learned a little bit. Can't complain there.

27/10 - I saw a bear in Springville coming home last night. It was something I did not expect. It was a typical brown bear, and I guess they're not too much of a threat, but it was still a shock to see a bear.

Finally, I'm all clear to go to Kenya. My visa was issued and my passport has been returned. The only hurdle left is to get myself to Los Angeles International Airport on Dec. 21. Luckily I just need to get to Burbank by bus because I have a friend who can take me to the airport. Having the visa in hand makes the trip feel that much closer and real. I'm excited, but I'm nervous at the same time. In two months, I'll find myself in a completely different place in the world. The culture in Kenya is unknown to me besides from what I've heard from Stella. I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to greet people. Do I shake hands? Oh well, if you're not nervous before something, it's not big enough. 

A Ducati, the Coast Guard, newborn cattle and a swim in the river

30/9 - I'm still on the ranch in Springville. I love living here and seeing the difference in moonlight each night. This is a perfect situation, except, I can't stay here forever. I've been looking for places to live in Porterville, but I'm being super patient, something I haven't been in the past. I'm being patient with looking for a motorcycle as well, something that is a little surprising to me considering how much I want one.

I recently looked at a Suzuki SV650, the same kind of bike I rode through Wales in June, but that bike had 29,000 miles on it; I'm looking for one with low mileage and a little bit more power. On Sunday, I believe I will have found a bike suitable for me. It's a 2004 Ducati 749 with less than 5,000 miles on it, and it's located in Bakersfield. The owner and I will meet halfway in Delano, and I have already started haggling, saying I have $4,000 cash in hand.

I've been at the Recorder for almost three weeks now. There hasn't been anyone complaining about coverage, and it's been great reconnecting with people and meeting new coaches. It feels so easy to me now, like it's natural. I haven't really been stressed out, even in situations where it becomes fine to be stressed. I can control only what I can control, such as how well and quickly I get my work done. I can't control when games end.

The ball for the United States Coast Guard has been set in motion. However, one of the recruiters advised me to hold off on the application for a few weeks in case I smoked marijuana recently. I guess it doesn't matter how much or how little you smoke. As the recruiter sternly said, "that stuff is bad." But I need to include some medical records that explain my heart condition along with the application. Because of that small hurdle, there is some small worry in the back of my mind that I won't be accepted based on that. I'm at the point where I really would like to see if I can get in. Over the past month or so, I've been focused on that, and in my mind that is the next most logical step in my life. I would be lying if I said there will be no disappointment if it turns out my heart condition prevented me from entering.

2/10 - As a form of rent, I've begun helping with work around the ranch. In the mornings I'll feed the cattle and horses. It's pretty neat to exit the house in the early morning sun, start walking down the driveway towards the barn and have the horses walking beside or behind you, knowing you're about to feed them. When the cattle see you walking they also make their way towards the barn. It's like a large meeting, and everyone knows what's going on.

Grunt work is a good way to start the day. In the barn I find myself rushing a little bit to feed all of the animals. The cattle are jockeying for position and being noisy, the horses stand to the side, giving you attitude and Spirit lurks just outside the front door, waiting for her bit of hay. But once the right amount of hay is in the correct places, the barn relaxes and quiets down with just the sound of chewing. There's also a large pile of wood that needs splitting and stacking. As a kid, I hated it. I hated everything about wood. Now? That work is refreshing!

There was a new calf born last night. It's the size of a dog and has trouble standing. In fact, it's so small that when Brent pointed it out to me in the early morning, I thought he was just pointing to the large cow keeping an eye on it. Later on in the day I saw it for the first time, thinking it was a dog, Beau to be specific. But it had trouble standing and eventually laid down right next to the fence with the same red-and-white cow keeping an eye on it. From far away, it looks scruffy. Hopefully I get a closer look in the morning.

4/10 - I got a closer look of it when Brent needed help driving the cattle back to the pasture closest to the house on Saturday. It's a female calf and it's so fluffy. It's still very unsure of everything though, such as where and how to eat with the rest of the herd. Like this morning, the calf was wandering around the backside of the barn and eventually to the side of the trough where the biggest members eat. While watching it, I saw it try to lick its hind quarters but lose its balance and fall down. When it got back up, it was standing too close to Boo's hind legs. When the large bull backed up a few paces, the calf got knocked in the neck and whipped in the face by the tail.

It'll learn.

That Ducati 749 I wrote about will be mine in a week. I went to Bakersfield to look at it, and the owner keeps it spotless. It won't be the easiest bike to maintain, but it has the power I'm looking for and should be a thrill to ride. But most importantly, I won't have to spend a fortune on gas anymore.

9/10 - The adventure never stops. This ranch is located in the perfect location for adventures to happen, such as hiking to the top of the very steep hill, following nothing but trails made by cattle until you get to the top. It's a small accomplishment to get to the top, where you can see the whole valley below as if you're flying over it, and there's also the possibility of going deeper into that backcountry.

The ranch is also less than 5 miles from the Sequoia National Park. Today I drove in that direction, not knowing exactly where I wanted to go or what to do. What ended up happening was one of those unplanned adventures that makes a day great. I ended up swimming in the Tule River by Lower Coffee Camp and then laying on a warm, granite boulder in the sun in the middle of the river. It was a fantastic, spontaneous decision. I also kept my shoes on my feet so I could walk upstream in the water, up boulders and small rapids. It's a great way to get to those large, calm pools where it's totally peaceful and perfect for just floating on your back.

But today was a representation of why I returned to Porterville. I'm so lucky to have friends who give me good advice and call me out when my ego gets too big. It's jarring, but refreshing (in a way) when someone points out you're being a little too arrogant or egotistical. It makes you take a look at yourself and step back. I welcome that and wish people around me would do it more often.

11/10 - As a final entry here, I'd like to mention two things. I rode the Ducati 749 home today. It's pretty powerful and will draw my complete respect. It's loud (which is good; people will hear me) and runs hot (which is perfect for the winter). Now I just need to get my own garage to store it (Thank you so much, Tamara).

With the arrival of the bike comes the resurfacing of my inner adventurer. I found myself tonight sending a Couchsurfing request to a person in Tehachapi. My plan would be to ride to Red Rock Canyon State Park, a small park to the southeast of Bakersfield. It looks really interesting in pictures and I'd love to do some hiking in the desert. What's good is this trip would be less than 200 miles so I could do it easily in a weekend.

Based on my history, it looks like I'm going to Red Rock Canyon State Park.

Uh oh.