It’s been a huge week in my 5-week road trip. On July 12 I landed with my car Steed of Fiery Hope in San Rafael, CA, my former home. There I went straight to my 5×8′ storage unit, eventually joined by my good friend Tara DeMarco & two guys from Lugg, and ripped through whatever was left in there from my CA life.

Books, papers & clothes I wanted to keep were mailed to my new place in MA. The rest was sorted & sifted through, and loaded into Tara’s and my cars. Most of it was given away to two other friends or left on the sidewalk, where it was gradually taken away by passers by until it was nearly all gone, dispersed like dandelion seeds into the wind.

What was left was packed into my car… and it’s amazing the weight that even a Corolla can support!

The Last 3 Weeks

Since June 30, I’ve been through Cleveland, the Chicago area, the Madison area, all across South Dakota and Wyoming, and I’ve driven straight through Utah & Nevada (each in one day!). Last week I shared in this blog about a trip with friends to Bear’s Tipi/Devil’s Tower in WY. But, there’s more!

Here’s me at the Badlands in SD:

With friends Renee Stephens, Jessica Zdenek, and Grant Swenson, overlooking the area around Bear Butte, SD:

At the Black Hills Caverns in Rapid City, SD, where we experienced the rare phenomenon of mist entering the cave:

With my friend Renee at the Mama Hot Spring in Thermopolis, WY (not hot at all, but cooling on a very hot 95 degree day!):

Starting with the storage unit dismantling, my time in the Bay Area has been a whirlwind of fun with friends, including one of my favorite redwood trees:

And I got new publicity photos done by the incomparable photographer Irene Young (my third set in nine years!). Here’s just one of many to come:

I’ll write something more profound about what I’m seeing, sensing & experiencing in future blogs. For now, I thought you might just enjoy some of the visuals and get a taste of this journey.

Special thanks to Tara DeMarco for being my Hera of repacking, lifting & mailing, and Natalie Galli for her help in transporting some of my belongings, as well!

With love,

Marguerite