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Shortly before Josie and I departed Durango, CO for our Baja California, Mexico adventure, I picked up the free copy of the Durango edition January/February 2018 E.P.I.C. (Empowering People Inspiring Community).  Not only did I feel empowered and inspired reading it but was motivated to take action and contact Leia Meryt who wrote a story called “Coming Home”.  I’m honored to share with you one of the latest G.A.S. Stations called Infinite Heart, where you’ll find, “A wellspring of gratitude and grace”.  Liea is a Personal Transformation Coach.  Her journey has taken her from being a medical assistant/cardiology technician, to being a Preschool/Elementary School teacher, mother and now, a grandmother.  She has always been drawn to be of service to others and believes her willingness to be of the highest service in these magnificent days is her true calling.  She was raised in Santa Barbara, Ca and in the early 80’s moved to Durango to help run an outdoor adventure school.  She says, “Life is an ever-changing adventure, filled with “bumps in the road”, that asks each one of us to keep moving forward, one step at a time.”  Leia works with a variety of healing modalities such as, Mindfulness, Sound Healing, Shamanic Journeying and Innovative Idea Exchange to mention a few.  Upon our return to Durango, Leia, Josie and I got together over a cup of coffee and had a conversation with G.A.S.  One topic we covered is the joy of finding others that you can reciprocate and share authentically life’s experiences without feeling you are being judged or as if you’re off your rocker.  It’s refreshing to find people like Leia because you walk away with an unexpected gift; something they said, or the feelings exchanged are priceless.  If you are feeling stuck in the middle of life’s road, contact Leia and get reconnected with your true self and get your G.A.S. Tank filled.

About 45 minutes southwest of Phoenix, AZ is a place called El Dorado Hot Springs.  Upon our reentry into the United States, I was ready for a good hot soak and Josie found us just the place to do that.  If you’re only into the nice plush spa thing, then this is not your cup of tea.  However, if you like things a little more rustic, then you’re going to love this place. Like the oasis of Victors Ranch in Mexico, El Dorado is a green paradise in the middle of the desert.  Bamboo, Palm and mesquite trees are the most prominent.  The first impression one gets when approaching El Dorado Hot Springs is that it looks old and eccentric because it is.  It has an assortment of odd structures with antiques and various art work scattered about.  Having said that, the overall cleanliness of the place is well maintained.  El Dorado Hot Springs is located above a subterranean hot spring and maintains a constant flow of pure, odorless, tasteless mineral water into the pools at approx. 107 degrees, give or take a degree given the time of year and water flow.  I was impressed by how clear and clean the water was in all the pools.  Near the main entrance you’ll find Desert Pete’s, a large area with several pools open to the public and is nude only, cloths are not optional.  The remaining pool areas found throughout the grounds are all private and can be reserved by the hour or half hour.  A select few can be reserved for the entire night.  Check out their website for prices and details.  There are a handful of spots for RV Camping and a few for tents.  At the far end of the property is a duck pond filled with tilapia fish.  I’ve never been in a place in the middle of the desert with so much wild life.  They have peacocks, Ginny hens, quail, a white heron I called Harriett, doves, bunnies and several other birds I didn’t recognize.  The birds were so abundant and so loud that it sounded as if we were in the middle of a jungle.  Each of the main pools are unique in design and are constructed of stones and cement.  Many have agates or crystals embedded among the stones.    I met some great people and created some new friendships.  I noticed a native American sweat lodge structure near the duck pond and asked the owner Matt about it.  He said they periodically have sweat lodges, and various ceremonies such as fire walking and piercings.   I felt a connection to the land, the water, the people who visited it and or who worked there and was inspired to build my sixth chair made from the local mesquite trees.  I planned on gifting it to Matt, however, a little girl by the name of Passion, Matt’s future step-daughter arrived on the scene and asked if she could have it.  She is a very powerful, attentive and persuasive young girl.   The previous day I’d noticed Passion sitting in the chair out near the duck pond and had obviously become quite fond of it.  I told her, “yes, you can have it, if you agree to take care of it and share it with others”.  I told Matt of how each of the chairs I’ve built have been given a name and asked if he would do the honors and give it a name.  He paused for a moment, then said, “Good Vibes”.  And so, If you’d like to experience sitting in a Peace Chair while you’re in the Phoenix, AZ area, check out El Dorado Hot Springs, do some hot soaking and experience the “Good Vibes”.

Technological advancements have been largely responsible for the increased rate at which the extinction of species has and continues to occur worldwide at an alarming rate.  The whaling industry is just another example of how we can change our ways of living and save some of the creatures that have thrived for millennium on our planet.  The invention of the steamboat in the 1860’s, and the exploding harpoon gun increased our ability in killing and harvesting the whales.  By 1903 floating factory ships were introduced increasing our efficiency for canning and processing whale products and within a few decades the entire whale species was threatened with extinction.  Early attempts to regulate whaling was unsuccessful until 1946 when the International Convention of the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) was drafted.  Even today the controversy behind whale watching by extremists argue that chasing the whales around to watch them is in fact harassing them, is irresponsible and should be outlawed.  Josie and I recently went on a whale watching tour near Guerrero Negro, Mexico in a small twenty-foot boat.  While my recent experiences with nature are in no way scientific, my intuitive self tells me that our interaction with nature when done with the heart and not our Ego or to fill our wallet, are felt and understood by the natural species being observed.  My experience with whaling watching is that the whales understood our intention and were attracted to us and didn’t feel threatened or harassed.  Often instead of us chasing the whales, the whales were chasing us or following our boat.  They would often spend a few minutes swimming just beneath our boat, coming up close appearing as if they were playing, blowing water at us from their air spout or splashing their tail near the boat.  I believe the whales instinctively felt our presents not as a threat, but as a relationship of our observing and supporting them, thereby increasing their chance of existence.  Once during our outing, a mother and its new born calf suspended themselves on or near the surface of the water for several minutes allowing me to caress them.  I was surprised at how soft and silky smooth they felt.  It’s times like these that we interact up close and personal with nature that we understand, “we are the ones we have been waiting for” to help save ourselves and our fellow creatures from our own destruction and extinction.  With having said this, remember wild life is wild and should be observed and respected at a distance.  If and when you chose to get up close and personal, you do so with the understanding and awareness that you are placing yourself and anyone else near you in harm’s way.

After checking out of the Hotel California in Totos Santos, we headed north to La Paz to meet up with Victor the chair-man I’d met the day before at the Loco Local Art studio.  Victor sketched me a map of where his ranch is in the mountains just a few kilometers outside of La Paz.  We turned right at the old 18^th century church as indicated on our hand-written map he’d given me and just beyond the ancient house of God was Victors’ lush green paradise, my kind of church.  There in the middle of the desert was this little valley filled with palm trees.  Victor told me that about twenty-five years ago he came to look at this piece of property that was for sale and it was love at first sight, he purchased it on the spot.  Over the years he’s built a quaint little piece of heaven with a modest home and several out buildings that house his farm animals; cows, chickens, goats, pigs and ducks.  He has one goose on the farm that follows one of the ducks around like they’re best buddies.  The inside of his home is simply decorated with pictures of loved ones and pieces of nature; stone and wood, many of which are sculpted works of art by his own hands. Attached to the ceiling directly above the breakfast bar is a hummingbird nest that is occupied regularly Victor tells me and has housed several generations of hummers over the years.  I liked Victor the moment we met, he has soft, kind, intelligent eyes that begin to sparkle when he talks about his passions, of which he has many.  He is a humble man with a generous spirit and a huge heart.  How do I know this?  Because after spending some time with him and listening to his stories, it was clear that he cares deeply not only for his family and fellow human beings, but proudly shared all the organic farming practices he uses that allows him to live in harmony with mother nature.  He was anxious for me to build a chair of which he had only seen pictures, a design that mystified and intrigued him.  He had several pieces of “skunk wood”, incredibly hard wood with beautiful curves and knots of character awaiting transformation.  I chose the best four pieces and proceeded to cut, debark and sand them with the help of Victor and his son Julios.  They both stood transfixed as I constructed the chair.  When it was completed, I looked up to find Victor with one of the largest grins I’ve ever witnessed.  I could just see the wheels turning as he looked at and felt the chair.  He has built chairs all his life, following the teachings and designs of his father and grandfather and is now teaching his son, four generations of chair builders.  In all his years, he’s never seen, let alone sat in such a simple, yet complex, and versatile chair.  He also couldn’t understand why I was giving the idea away, for nothing!  Not until of course I explained to him my intention.  Increasing the consciousness of humanity is not nothing and asked him if he would like to help me with that.  Since he’s the President of the wood workers association for the Baja California State, he has a lots of influence and connections with other wood workers.  He was instrumental in working with the government to fund and build the Casa Del Artesano Sudcaliforniao building that displays many of the local artisans on the boardwalk of La Paz adjacent to the Applebees restaurant.  I asked if he would share the design with his fellow woodworkers and he said it would be an honor.  Josie captured a photo of Victor and I standing on the front step of his ranch with the most recent built Peace Seed.  The top right picture is the symbol used on the cover of his book he’d recently had published.  He also proudly wears the stitched symbol over his heart on his company shirt.  It depicts the Baja peninsula with a chair in the middle.  This entire journey has been about learning to let go of my expectations of how things should unfold.  To learn about myself.   Thank you, Universe, for filling me up.

We treated ourselves to an overnight at the Hotel California in the Penthouse suite, room number 5 with a large rooftop terrace that overlooks the quaint little town of Todos Santos located in the Southwest part of the Baja California, Mexico.  Unlike the Eagles’ Hotel California, this one you can check out and leave anytime you wish, but you’ll want to take your time before doing so.  The walls throughout the hotel are painted in a multitude of brilliant colors giving it a festive look while plants and trees are nestled among the tastefully done décor giving it a natural welcoming feeling.  In the evening the entire hotel is illuminated with the soft glow of candles creating a mystical and romantic ambiance.  The beautiful village of Tados Santos is not only filled with your usual touristy artsy-fartsy shops, but also has some unique one-of-a-kind artisans offering stunning works of art.  The latest G.A.S. Station I’m honored to share with you is called “Loco Local Art” established and run by the Santo-Garcia family whose ancestry comes from the Nuju (or Otomi) village of San Pablito; high in the mountains of Puebla where their community still speaks their native Nuju language.  The walls of the Loco Local Art gallery are decorated with extraordinarily beautiful creative designs made from “papel amate” the hand-hammered bark paper.  The “Nuju” are the only remaining tribe in Mexico who continue to make the papel amate paper that was originally used for recording the Mexican (Aztec) codexes.  The art of bark papermaking was hidden from the Spanish invaders by the Nuju and has survived throughout the centuries because the spirits and gods cut from bark paper were and continues to be used by the “Nuju cinaderas” in their spiritual work.  When Josie and I first walked into the gallery we were graciously greeted by Cris Santo-Garcia and before I knew any of his family’s mysterious history, I immediately felt a powerful bond.  A deep-seated connection within my soul was felt and It softly whispered, “Here you shall plant a Peace Seed!” I returned later that same afternoon with some sticks I’d found just down the street and that is when I met another local artist and his son from La Paz with a load of hand-made chairs in the back of his truck, their names, Victor and Julios de la Vega. The next morning the seed (Loco Local Chair) was built and planted on the sidewalk of the Loco Local Art Gallery.  The fourth Peace Chair I’d constructed since our miraculous G.A.S journey began nearly seven months ago.  It would prove to be one of the most powerful days of my journey yet.  That same afternoon we checked out of the Hotel California and made our way to La Paz where we met up with Victor and his son Julios at their ranch, “Granja dos Julios de la Vega”.

 

Cabo Pulmo, Mexico has become a Mecca for underwater adventure and exploration.  People come from all over the world to scuba dive or snorkel in this aquatic wonderland.  Like many places around the world, it went unchecked and unprotected for many years and became over fished. This caused great concern within the local community, who lobbied the government to protect the region.  A local dive shop called Cabo Pulmo Water Sports was one of the early advocates that helped save this area from humanities destructive behavior.  It is where I was introduced to scuba diving and should you choose to visit this paradise, I highly recommended you check out this newest G.A.S. Station discovery.  On June 15, 1995, President Zedillo Ponce de Leon declared the 7,111 hectares and waters surrounding Cabo Pulmo, a National Marine Park making it the popular dive destination it has become and protecting it for future generations to enjoy.  I grew up snorkeling in the fresh water lakes of Minnesota and occasionally in bodies of salt water throughout our travels but have had a phobia with swimming in big open waters.  However, with the help of my Dive Master Fabeo, I overcame my fear and experienced one of the most profound life altering experiences.   He said I was very lucky to have seen so many different underwater creatures during my first dive.  We swam with giant Bull Sharks, a Sea Turtle, a Seal Lion, a Moray Eel and thousands of fish of different colors and sizes, in schools or alone among the reef seeking protection. Thank you Fabeo, not only did you ensure my air tanks remained operational, but you helped fill my G.A.S. Tank.  When we returned to the dive shop one of the guides by the name of Danny told me he was camping on the same beach as us and that he and some friends were going to have a camp fire later that evening and if we would like to join them.  That’s the moment I was inspired to build and gift him a Peace Seed.  As we all sat around the soft warm glow of the campfire, Danny prepared delicious grilled treats for all his friends over red-hot coals while sipping his beer.   I asked everyone if they would like to hear a story or three from me.  But before starting, I asked everyone in the group to share three things about themselves.  Who they liked to be called, where they call home and what do they really, really, really like.  Between eight of us, we represented several different countries, England, Spain, Canada, Mexico and the United States.  The cosmic thread that brought us together that evening was the trusting and following our adventurous spirits while being fueled up by Nature.  My favorite answer came from Irene.  She said she loves to be underwater.  So, I began my story telling, sharing some of the crazy events I’ve experienced over the more recent years, and at the same time building a chair.  Irene was right there helping me build the chair. She seemed to be intrigued, curious or was it fascination?  Throughout the evening we took turns sitting in Danny’s Chair, sharing stories while a short distance away the hypnotic and rhythmic sound of the  waves crashed onto the beach.  Another magical memory I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.  My wish is that some day in the future I’ll meet Irene again, she’ll offer me a chair she built, we’ll sit around a campfire together reminiscing and I’ll listen to her underwater stories.

 

John at Arizona Hot Springs

We camped at the Willow Beach Full Service & Marina Campground on the lower Colorado River in Arizona recently and found some real treasures to report on.  The cost for an overnight is a bit more than we normally like to spend, but was well worth the cost.  The stretch of river just below the Hoover Dam is called the Black Canyon and the Willow Beach Campground is about 10 miles downriver.  We rented a boat from the Marina and spend the day exploring the North stretch of the river.  Being the winter season, we shared the river with only a handful of people, otherwise we were told it gets pretty busy in the summer months.  The crystal-clear water below the dam maintains a 53 degrees temperature year-round and in the mid-afternoon sun light, it’s waters reflects brilliant shades of emerald green. The highlight of our adventure was soaking in the Arizona Hot Springs.  There is two ways to reach these hot springs.  One is from the river as we did, the other is a about a two-mile hike from the parking lot at Whiterock Canyon on interstate 93 just south of the Hoover Dam.  We had the honor and pleasure of meeting John a local transplant to the area and the one responsible for building and maintaining the hot springs.  This is not an official duty of his, but rather a labor of love.  John said he has been doing this for several years and visits the springs about three times a week.  He regularly picks up trash left behind by people that lack respect for the beauty in which they come to enjoy.  The hot spring pools usually get washed out yearly from the spring floods and each year John rebuilds the sandbag dams that create the hot glistening pools.  The water in the lower pool is about 105 degrees while the upper pool maintains approx. 111 degrees.  This is a cloths optional hot springs so, if you are offended by sharing the pool with naked people, then I recommend you not visit it.  John was a wealth of knowledge about the springs and the local area and we thanked him for his dedicated service.  John told us about another hot spring about two and half miles upriver called Palm Tree Hot Springs where we ate our lunch and had the pool to ourselves.  While this pool is not nearly as hot as the Arizona Springs with a temperature of approx. 80 degrees, the view from the Palm Tree pool is magnificent as you are perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the majestic river.

 “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.  What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”  ~ Jane Goodall

Humans are naturally social creatures.  Not only do we depend on each other collectively for our survival as a species, but we need friendships with others to create meaning and purpose for our very existence.  So how does one attain a good relationship with others?  It begins by having a good relationship with yourself.  We all want to be heard, acknowledged, understood, loved and trusted.  To be Heard, we must listen.  To be acknowledged, we must aware.  To be understood, we must first look deep within and begin to understand ourselves.  To be loved, we must love ourselves.  To be trusted we must be honest with ourselves.  A relationship can be a brief encounter with another or as in the case of Josie and I, last for decades but not without extreme challenges.  Lately we’ve met some really inspiring, creative and honest people in our travels and want to tell you about a few of them.  Back in December, while in San Carlos, Mexico, I went mountain biking with a group of men and immediately connected with a man I call “G” from Canada.  We shared the same numbers for our ages, I’m 57 years old and he is 75 years young.  My hope is that when I reach 75 years young, I’ll be in as good a shape physically and mentally as G is.  Although we only just met, and knew him so briefly, I felt an honest and authentic trust between us.  A few days ago, Josie and I met a couple at the Buckskin State Park in Arizona while hiking by the name of Bob and RoseAnne also from Canada.  What’s up with this Canadian connection?  What prompted me to stop and speak to them is they were both using natural wood walking sticks they cut and finished themselves and were the perfect length to be used to build a Peace Chair.  After a couple of minutes talking, we felt an immediate connection with them.  Bob is a retired Steam Engineer.  Not sure if that is his correct title, but he said, “if it runs off steam, I like to work or play with it”.  RoseAnn spent her life in Service to others, either as a teacher/professor, then later as a social worker.  Real down to earth, authentic folks.  We cherished the short time we spent with them and look forward to the possibility of seeing them again if we make it up to their neck of the woods.  It is the relationships we nurture whether it be a few hours or a life time that gives life meaning, purpose and joy.  Next, I want to tell you about a creative and grateful person.  Just north of Lake Havasu City, we stopped to gas up Rosie (our home on wheels) and saw a woman smiling and waving at people as she held a sign that said, “Out of Gas”.  As I filled Rosie’s gas tank, I watched her collect money from people and before pocketing the cash, she kissed it.  I had done something similar a few years ago.  I was hitting that metaphorical brick wall again in life and decided to do a road trip, against Josie’s approval I might add.  I ran out of gas money to get back home, so I sold my books near gas stations.  One of the books I was selling out of the trunk of my car was called, “Filling Up Your G.A.S. Tank”.  I couldn’t resist this serendipitous moment, so we stopped, and I asked her what her name is, she said, “Anne”.  I gave Anne my G.A.S. business card wrapped in a dollar bill along with a signed copy of my book.  Finally, I want to share a story about honesty.  Rosie was due for an oil change, so we stopped at a place called “Brake Masters’ #176” just off highway 95 in Bullhead City, AZ.  Their motto, “An honest Brake Since 1983”.  We were greeted by Eric, an enthusiastic and charismatic young man who stood behind the service counter.  While sitting in their waiting room, I overheard a conversation between Eric and another customer that went something like this.  “We just checked you brakes sir, and you have about 60 percent life remaining on your brakes.  Come into the garage and I’ll show you.”  The customer had just come from a major car dealership in town and was told his truck required new brakes all round, front and back!  He stopped in for a second opinion at Brake Masters’ and discovered a new honest relationship.

Lake Havasu claims to have some of the best fishing in the country.  Fishing is not the primary reason for our visit here, nor is the famous London Bridge.  Having said that, I did catch a few fish and we traversed both over and under the London Bridge.  We tend to gravitate where there is water, especially since we got a couple of inflatable kayaks that are small enough to store in the back of our Roadtrek.  We’ve enjoyed a wide range of living lifestyle since going fulltime on the road.  While boondocking (Free camping) just north of Lake Havasu City, I met a fellow traveler by the name of Don Doehring living on the fringe of society.  As you can see from the photos of his home on wheels, he is an interesting character.  I asked Don for permission to enter his domain and if he would like to have a conversation with G.A.S.  “Sure, I’m full of gas”, he said, as I was greeted with a warm and friendly smile.  He has handwritten quotes from many of the wise sages of history on the side of his van and on the inside of the passenger door is a sign proclaiming him to be a nudist.  I’m grateful he was not currently practicing this freedom of expression and was instead sporting a speedo.   As our conversation unfolded, I discovered that Don, like so many people this day and age had lost most of his material possessions (house, car, ect…) because of medical bills resulting from his wife, Pamela having lost her fight with cancer.  Instead of dwelling on his losses in life, he chose instead to fix up his old van, fill his trailer with his tools, hit the road and live the modern nomadic lifestyle which he has been doing for several years now.   He has a daughter and two grandchildren that live in California he adores and will be visiting then soon.  I had brought the “City of Rocks Chair” to sit in while we visited and of course he was curious about it.  I shared a few of my favorite stories about my journey within and some my intentions of how Share-A-Chair can help transform people’s lives.  You can read some of these intentions in my Natures G.A.S. Stations book and learn how you can share your free G.A.S. with others.  While I have many friends and acquaintances that currently own a Peace Chair, Don is hereby the first to officially be given the tittle of Honorary Chairtaker and has been gifted the “City of Rocks Chair”.  Like a caretaker, one whom assists others with their health and wellbeing, a chairtaker accepts the responsibility of caring for their own health and wellbeing and sharing with others the healing qualities of G.A.S.  And so, all you that currently have a Peace Chair are henceforth an honorary Chairtaker.  I would love to see some photos of you sitting in a Peace Chair along with your story.   The message I want to share with you is that life can really suck sometimes.  Other times it can be miraculous, exciting, and even awe inspiring.  What you choose to focus on will influence the experience you have.  You are destined to experience the stories you share with others.  What stories are you sharing with others?  X>

The second Peace Chair I’ve constructed since our G.A.S. Adventure began was built in City of Rocks, New Mexico.  Like Rob’s Chair, I gathered sticks from our recent travels.  What I find mind boggling is how long it took me to change the length of the two main supports that create the V configuration of the chair.  In the past I’ve always used sticks between 60”-70” inches in length for the V part of the chair and 48”-56” for the X configuration for the back of the chair.  I only had four short sticks with me (approx. 54”) and being in the middle of the desert in a City of Rocks, I wasn’t going to find any longer sticks, so I decided to build one anyway.  What I created was a more compact chair that sits lower to the ground but still fits my body size.  I was soooo excited at this new discovery that I spent the day sitting in the Rocks, reflecting on the past, being in the present moment and imagining the future.  Like Rob’s Chair, I’ve carried it with us hundreds of miles.  From New Mexico, Down to San Carlos, Mexico, up to Minnesota and back here to Durango where we’re currently spending time with Eric and Lauren before we head south again to warmer climates.  Not sure where the City of Rocks Chair will end up or with whom it will be gifted, only time will tell the story.  Until then, remain grateful for the ones you love, be aware of how that makes you feel and get up off your ass and do something inspiring.