Nature | Gardening | Exploring | Nature Blog bio picture

Welcome to my blog!

nature |ˈnā ch ər| - noun
the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations.

human nature - noun
the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans
- As defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary

Welcome to Nature Drunk, a nature blog where I write about my experiences with nature -- human or otherwise.

I live in far Northern California surrounded by mountains and lakes to the north, east and west, with a fertile agricultural valley to the south. This setting offers an abundance of resources to explore, providing me with plenty of experiences to think and write about.

My first priority is caring for my family, which includes an extended family of creatures that reside in and around my garden. When I am not tending to everyday responsibilities, you'll find me puttering around in my CA natives garden or picking fruits and vegetables in my intensively planted veggie patch/fruit orchard.

After recently deciding to take a break from pursuing a second degree, I found that with freed up pockets of time, my mind has relaxed and opened wider, giving me the ability to view and process life more clearly. As a result, my interest for and understanding of nature has blossomed.

I have come to the conclusion that nature and human nature, as defined above, cannot and should not be separated into two entities, rather I see them as holistically intertwined, connected by the air that sustains us. As we move through this world, breathing in and breathing out, someone or something is respiring, using the same molecules of air that at one time touched our lips or will one day touch our lips.

We all live together within earth’s complex biosphere affecting one another in ways that are greater than we might ever know. Our connection through physical bodies as well as spiritual fusion is fascinating to me. Although I may not understand nature in the same way a biologist, ecologist, or metaphysician might, I feel blessed by my realization of how amazing this intricate system in which we live is, and truly appreciate every breath I take.

Fascination with nature, whether it is through deep philosophical thought or by something as simple as noticing the humanity in another human, or by being surprised by the miracle of new spring buds on an oak tree, is a quality that I hope we all can tap into daily. Wouldn’t it be beautiful if we all were able to capture a wonderment of the natural world similar to that of which a child holds for the simplest things in life? Through this blog, I hope to inspire this sort of wonderment, both of the physical world and the human kind.

Blessings,
Amber

Thursday, June 21, 2012

From California to Colorado on the Back of a Hog

Posted in Out and About

Whirlwind of a ride pretty much sums up our trip, although looking at the words now, I see that I am putting it to you mildly.

To kick off our two-week motorcycle road trip from California to Colorado, brother-in-law’s bike wouldn’t start. It was a few expletives and a slammed tool box lid later before the hubbies found the culprit causing the stall — a loose battery wire that required disassembling the entire midsection of the bike to find. The mechanical glitch was soon fixed and we were on our way. (As we rumbled out of the driveway, my sister and I looked at one another and mouthed, “Should we take this as a sign?”)

Within the first hour from home, our fire for the ride turned cold — literally. The entire group began to question whether we should view the buckets of hail falling from the ominous sky as a sign to turn back. Ping, ping, STING went the pea-sized pests as they assaulted our helmets and snot-smeared faces. Worried about being on two wheels while traversing an icy road, we newbie motorcycle tourists pulled the bikes to the shoulder and found shelter under the pines. As my sister recorded the storm on her iPhone, the rest of us watched in wonder as miniature balls of ice gathered on the seats where our rumps would soon need to settle.

After a large group of motorcyclists passed by seemingly effortlessly, we realized that stopping was a bad idea, that it would have been better to plow through. Once we resolved to buck nature’s authority and make it to our destination come hell or high water, we ran to our bikes, brushed the hail pebbles from our seats and took off like racing turtles.

For two days we rode through atypical summer weather, at times climbing passes covered in snow — Hello! Did someone forget to tell Jack Frost he was free to take a holiday?

On the third day, we rumbled into Moab, UT with the sun at our backs and warm wind in our faces. Vino anybody?

For the next week, we toured Colorado’s Western Slope, winding our way along green rivers sandwiched between red stone canyon walls. We climbed to mesa tops where spectacular vistas filled with picturesque farms and grasslands made me want to cry (who am I kidding, I did cry … like a baby). We lounged in hot springs in Ouray, ate good food, drank margaritas, and visited with friends and family in Hotchkiss and Paonia.

It was a good thing we had a glorious time in Colorado, for the ride home was one that is best forgotten. Wind gusts of 60-65 mph made us feel like pumpkins on a fence in a hurricane. Our patience with Mother Nature, and with one another was pushed to the limits. Somehow we made it through, but it wasn’t a pretty process. I will spare you all the unpleasantries and instead, share more photos.