Saguardians of Santa Catalina

Rainbows from an overnight storm that followed us but were stopped by the guardians of Indio and then the Saguardians of Santa Catalina...

...thankful some much needed sun and an "epic sky"

...where am I?

a strange homeland security mystery, we got this strange feeling we were being followed,
we looked back and saw a cute tank in the desert, sweetly smiling
but found our haven, in the shadows of the protectors of the desert, the Saguardians of Santa Catalina.

wandering goats led me on: crossing the moodswing vales

It all began with a trip to the Wandering Goat coffeebar in Eugene. wind, rains, and lonely days getting me down, this was an escape through a hole in a cloud from the escape I was in.
The 44th parallel, that hazy space where sun worship leads the way, even amid clouds and rain.
a sign that the trollbridges of the City of Roses could not keep me much longer.
and the rains and wind kept blowing, the grey winter coming soon and so with them my moodswing fell as well,
I needed the mountain, the pulse from deep inside it
I needed the sun, must open clouds to find it
but even on the way out through green swept vales she can't make up her mind
the angels have the honey, they're just so hard to find

ooh, Umpqua is a place on earth
land of the thousand cookies and waterfalls

but she still can't make up her mind
Siskiyou what are you trying to do? please let us through.

once there was sun: the Lower MacLeay Park, Portland

once, not so long ago, there was a warm sunny day after a rainstorm, a perfect day for a run through an urban wet forest. the Lower MacLeay is a gateway to Forest Park somewhere in the middle, between the zoo/arboretum complex and the wild ridge above saint johns bridge.
follow the amazing Balch Creek past the remains of a faerie house and up the canopy canyon...to the surprise of the Portland Audobon bird sanctuary. and the trail went on, chirps and big firs and fernhouses

and then taking the wildwood trail down to arboretum, up up hill until the Pittock Acres mansion opens up with that iconic Hooded and Tabored view of the cityscape, making it so worth the hike. rose-patch in front of downtown in front of Mt. Tabor, topped by Mt. Hood hiding behind a cloud. it's all here, in front of us.