Fifteen Hours to Lisbon

Early morning bedroom hotel scene. 0700ish. Oviedo, Spain.

Linda: “Thom. I need you to wake up.”

Me: “….mhmm?”

Linda: “Are you awake? I need to ask you something.”

Now this can go one of two ways: Either she’s going to ask me who my third girlfriend was, and why did we break up, or she’s going to ask me if I want to change our plans.

Linda: “There’s a bus to Lisbon. But if you want to go, it leaves at 0930.”

Me: (Yaaawwwwn) “Ah.. uhhh… Ok…” ...thinking… sort of. Rolling over.

Linda: “Is that what you want to do? We are just going to sit around all day, we might as well spend it on a bus. Tickets are 50 Euro for both of us. It’s either that or we fly to Rome and take a train to Palermo. Or we spend another day here, and figure it out, or we hike in the rain for a week. These are your options.

One of us clearly spends more time researching than the other.

Me: (Drowsy and warm, eyes closed, waking up a bit) “Ok. Let’s go to Lisbon.”

And so we did.

From the bus.

I had grand ambitions of catching photos of the bus ride, but I missed the first three great photos due to a lack of readiness. I gave up that idea, and stared out the window instead. I regret it now.

Gas station cortada @ 2200.

It’s 0100 fifteen hours later. It’s cold and raining. We are waiting for our Uber, but we are in Portugal.

Looking out the hostal window.

Pastis de nata and coffee for pre breakfast.

And then a bunch of street scenes in Lisbon.

The city tile/cobble work is excellent. Pity anyone in heels.

“See the apple thing?”

Senior picture.

Reminds me of a Lowry painting

Feet and Tile.

The Old Bookstore

Old tiles for sale.

Cream. Blue. Yellow.

The old stone work on the church.

Dandelion.

Trolley Line.

It’s my first time in Lisbon. I really like it. It’s visually stimulating. I enjoy using my camera here. It’s busy. It’s international. There’s a lot of different languages being spoken. It’s fun trying to speak very basic Portuguese. I am immediately a 3 year old again, trying to communicate.

We went to the Asian market for lunch. This is the BEST Asian market I’ve ever attended. The upstairs has ten different stalls offering almost any Asian craving you are feeling. It’s fantastic!

You may wonder why we went for Asian instead of Portuguese fare… In my experience, the city has a greater variety than the small towns do. So when we are in the city, we seek out the cravings we can’t get anywhere else. We know we’ll be eating Portuguese every day out on the trail.

“Abrigado!”

CDS San Salvador - The Grind

The last two days of the trek were truly a grind. The trail mostly wound parallel to the highway. At one point we were between an active construction site, and the highway.

It was a long way from the bird songs, and cool breezes of the quiet alpine paths.

But there were a few gems.

Mare and foal. Mom came up to.the fence thinking we had a carrot.

Iglesia de Santa Cristina de Lena. A beautiful small church. All these churches high on a hill… how do the old folks get up there?

Spring River Scene.

A beautiful magnolia tree.

This waiter was very proud of his tortilla! And rightfully so. See that little circle on the lower left of the image? He drew our tortilla and its ingredients for us with a pencil. This was a stuffed tortilla with ham, cheese, and mayonaise. It was fabulous! I’ve always wondered why people don’t put more stuff into tortilla. They are ready made for leftovers.

Then, after a few decades of travel, I finally ran into a live bed bug… ugh….. And it was a very nice hotel too. Which goes to show you they can be anywhere.

We spent our morning doing laundry and incinerating our stuff. It was actually great timing, as all our stuff was funky and neeing a wash.

You ever completely change clothes in a dark corner of a public laundymat? Well, I have…

We reached the Catedral of San Salvador this afternoon. We earned our certificates, and got a free tour of the cathedral!

The cathedral is very beautiful, and holds an impressive collection of sacred artefacts, and holy items.

Being raised protestant, I’ve heard of such things, but it was always abstract - Like walking on the moon. Actually seeing them today, was… moving. It made all these abstract histories I had once memorized have more substance.

I saw St. Peter’s travelling bag. I saw one of rags that covered Christ’s head when they hauled him down. I saw dozens of ancient pieces of craftsmanship used to haul these relics around. The victory cross was there, which is the symbol of Asturias, the region we are hiking through.

I didn’t take any photos inside, it didn’t seem right. But the cloisters was very peaceful. I’ve been in more catholic churches in the last three years than Ive been to protestant ones in the last twenty. I’m not very pious. But I find them beautifully built. Quiet. Contemplative. And very nice to visit on a long hot day of hiking.

A portrait of my gal, in good light. Note the crown of pigeons on the statue.

Oviedo is a big enough city to have Napoli style pizza. We opted to celebrate with a fantastic pizza from D’Italty… A margherita with added spicy sausage for me.

We’ve got a two day rest before continuing into the Primitivo.

Ciao!

CDS Francais - The Difficulties of Day Two

The second day of any back packing trek is always the hardest. The body is still hardening to the task. Yesterday’s efforts have left it tender, and muscles, tendons and ligaments are all very sore.

Usually, the morning isn’t too bad, but by afternoon the body just hurts a bit. It’s all part of the adventure. As the days go by, the body adjusts, and mileage that once seemed daunting flies by with ease.

Here are today’s Pictures of the Path

  1. Breakfast! We took a pastry for the road, these are so delicious. There’s nothing better than starting your day at the baker’s shop with coffee and a pastry.

2. The Entrance to the Bridge.

3 and 4. Morning light in the path heading into Mañeru. Hiking in the early morning offers great light, birds are chirping and the landscape just hums.

5 and 6. Arches - This bridge under the highway is beautifully built, and offers beautigul light reflections inside.

7. The path. I was sore by this point. But at least the landscape is a nice distraction.

8. Plaza Santiago, Estella

9. The Hand That Knocks on the Door. I love the artistry and craftsmanship of the doors in Europe. So much character!

Our plans have evolved. Tomorrow is a rest day. My accomplice has gotten sick with a cold. So we are going to get her healthy before the next twist of our path.

Camino De Santiago - The French Route Begins

We left the hostel in Polermo at 0615 in the morning - Santiago bound!

We are on the French route this time, though our plans are subject to change depending on weather, and the pilgrim factor.


Today was a simply marvelous day to hike. What a beautiful landscape! The new pasture grass took on an intense shade of green in the morning light. It was very cool to see the next towns and villages we were to visit off in the distance.

The morning light offered interesting physics. The backlighting made an “aura” around us that the other person couldn’t see. It did photograph however.

Mid morning pastries!


I worked my ass off all year to come back to Spain and hike some more camino trails. It is really great to be here. Rewarding is the right word.

We celebrated the first day with a gigantic steak dinner featuring chorizo in cider, baked shrimp, a cod omlette , and fantastic grilled steak. We were at the bursting point.


Now Im struggling to stay awake at the albergue. Im still fighting jet lag. My legs are very tired. But, I’m very happy.

This essay is as good as it's going to get. Look for daily updates.

From East Coast to West Coast - Part 1

It occured to me two days ago that in spite of 20 years spent driving across the US, I’ve never driven from ocean to ocean, coast to coast, Atlantic to Pacific. But here I am, right now, doing just that.

When I started on this trip, I wasn’t actually sure I was going to go for it. My initial plan was to get the van in a more convenient location.

“Where?” Anywhere but the east coast.

So I pointed the van west, and started driving. And this is what I saw…

1. Linda demonstrates “Near and Far”

2. Holy Shells on the Outer Banks

3. Beach Wildflower

4. Sourdough Bread I made from homemade yeast water, and a starter I made last fall.

5. The Delicate Dance Steps of a Leaf.

I love van life during December. Almost every campground I visit has exactly three other people staying there. Three other guests is perfect. It gives all parties plenty of privacy. I like parking far away from everyone else. But with three people staying there, there’s a good chance that your neighbor has a dog, and you might get to meet them!

6. Three Leaves

7. Shadow

8. Forty Miles on an old railroad. I like rail trails.

It was in Arkansas when I had to make my decision. I could leave my van at a buddy’s house in Oklahoma, or I could press on and head to the coast.

“Should I stay or should I go now?”

I decided to go for it. Why not? Do something different! And so, I kep my van pointed west, and put on another audiobook.

Predawn Light.

9. Shrubbery.

10. Homemade gnocci and pesto

11. Texas Mountain Hike

12. Petroglyphs. I really like ancient art and petroglypghs in particular. It appeals to me as an artist and a journalist. These guys were just using stone instead of paper.

12. Petroglyph at Sunset.

13. Highlights

14. First Light of Day

15. Last Light of Day.

I’ve been in the van for two weeks. I haven’t looked in a mirror. I’ve used deodorant twice. I’ve biked 95 miles on rail trails. I found some excellent Texas brisket. I hiked up a mountain. I’ve listened to four books. I had a profound thought concerning mountains while climbing up the mountain, but forgot it hiking back down.

It’s been a very enjoyable sojourn thus far. More to come!

Selected Views of a Month at Sea

This selection of images are from a journey at sea starting in Astoria, Oregon and ending in Panama City, Panama.

I didn’t take a lot of photos, but followed my instincts taking shots when the scene felt right.

1. Fallen Tomatoes. While provisioning our ship to sail, a package of cherry tomatoes fell and broke open.

2. My morning coffee is always taken on deck regardless of weather or seas. I’m a morning journal writer.

3. Big sky over the Marin highlands.

4. San Francisco

5. North Pier of the Golden Gate Bridge.

6. The Lighthouse of Alcatraz

7. Fog Bow. Just like a rainbow, only foggier.

8. Still life of journal and grapes. Good lighting and composition.

9. I managed to get on shore in Puerto Vallarta and have some tacos.

10,11,12. Sunsets over the Pacific Ocean rarely dissapoint.

13. Big clouds over Panama City. My old boat ready to go .

14. What I believe is a crimson backed tanager though I could be wrong. I like the yellow chain.

15. Rainy dawn over Panama City. The vire from my hotel.

Drive On and Smile

I took the van south from the wilds of the Keweenaw down to southeast Virginia.

It was a new route, crossing many old routes, from road trips past. Enough to give me the vague idea “I had been here before..” but no, not quite.

This wasn’t a slow pleasure cruise. I drove hard every day until I earned a day off in West Virginia to ride my bike. After which I out the pedal down again to make my appointments in Virginia.

I caught a few photos along the way. These pictures were the best of the lot.

This is Lake Huron, on the ragged edge of sunrise. There are interesting currents to Lake Huron that cause these little catwalks of sand to protrude into the lake. It’s a new occurance to me.

In the HI part of Ohio, I found a little gem of a park. Mt. Gilead. After two long drive days, I was bursting with energy and took to the trails. I ran like a coyote, and for the first time since February. It felt great! It’s wonderful to be healthy again.

The lake offered some fine color.

Before I left, I picked a dozen apples to make a pie. I opted to make the Dutch Apple Pie with the crumble on top. I figured it would improve my odds for a good pie having only to make one crust.

But, I’m happy to say I figured out good crust. (Use lard). This pie was definitely the best I’ve ever made, and I ranked it top 5 of my life. Even ice cold out of the fridge it was delicious.

And I made it in the van.

As you can see, I eat my pie by the slab.

I went for a fifty mile bike ride on the North Bend Trail in western West Virginia. I was surprised by the amount of cool creepy tunnels I had to pass through. I was very happy I had lights as some of these were very long.

I’d like to pedal this in its entirity some day. Maybe I can make this happen in the Spring.

This was a pleasant passage. I enjoyed the drive and enjoyed the views, though I didn’t take the time to photograph them all. There are times you just need to drive on and smile.

Perfect Light

Photographically speaking, I’m attracted to a certain kind of light, yet I can’t say for certain what it is… but I know it when I see it.

I see it a lot here in Southeast Alaska.

I woke up to a steady rain and gloom. I love the rain drops against the window glass.

These flowers are a bright contrast to the gloom. This is the light I’m talking about. It’s perfect.

Later in the morning, I volunteered to go out in the rain and drive an inflatable boat to our next location.

I brought my underwater camera along in case I found some jellys. As luck would have it, I did!

The hardest part about photographing jellys is maneuvering the skiff close enough to them while they are near the surface.

Fickle things, currents and jellys…

This one was absolutely gorgrous.

By evening, the morning’s gloomy mood had passed. A blue mood showed.

And perhaps the light will change again in our favor. I’ll be ready.

Out Here

Out here the moon shines and sparkles the sea.

Out here a slender sliver of silver marks the passing of a whale.

Out here there are times when mirrors bend but do not break.

Out here the color blue is infinite.

Out here Orca slice the air, if only for awhile.

Out here a whale seems tiny, and mountains seem close.