Buffalo Road

Family

Lisa — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 02:11:48 +0000

My last travel adventure of 2019 was one to remember. In the 100th year of the NFL, I finally made it…my first game ever, to close down the Oakland Coliseum, cheering for my Raiders in the Black Hole. It was also my first time taking a train!

Everything about the Amtrak Coast Starlight was amazing! There was a die-hard Raider fan running the dinning car traveling southbound. In true Raider Nation fashion, he took to the overhead announcements when calling out our reservation by saying “Special shoutout to my Raider Nation in the house, your table is ready”.

When we arrived in Oakland we headed over to Raider Image. THE place to shop for all your Raider merch needs. We ended up befriending some super great folks who invited us to a motel tailgate that night. All I have to say is…wow. The Nation sure knows how to throw a party! We met some fellow Canadians, and crazy fans from all over. We had half the parking lot blocked off for the festivities, a DJ and a whole lotta booze. The rain that night did not even come close to shutting us down.

The hotel we stayed at was jam packed with fans too. The sound of Raaaaaaaiiiiiders…. was heard throughout the building all weekend long.

Bright and early on game day, tailgating was first thing on the list. Walking to the stadium in a sea of silver and black, you could feel the electricity. Wandering to each lot with all of the different characters dressed up, the music blaring and the kindness we were shown by everyone we met was so heartwarming. Meeting Gorilla Rilla was a true highlight for me.

Once inside the stadium to watch warm ups, we finally got to see all of those familiar faces up close. Got a signed Rich Gannon card as he came to greet fans in the Black Hole. MC Hammer even came out for the last game! The Al Davis torch was lit by Charles Woodson…who I have a not so secret crush on.

Once again, in typical anti-Raider NFL referee style, a bad call was made that cost us the game in the final moments. It was so bad that they in fact announced a public apology the next day. Still, that didn’t help take away the utter, gut wrenching feeling that the whole stadium was left with. I’ll be honest, I was fighting back tears. This is not how the final game in Oakland should have gone down.

I don’t want to end on a sour note, because that’s not what I want to remember. I want to remember the kindness I was shown by the city of Oakland, and the people we met who came for the final Coliseum celebration. A word that I heard over and over from fans during my visit was ‘family’. What I’ve always noted people saying since joining Raider Nation is that we are a family. And yes, we were welcomed in to this big crazy family with open arms.

I found my people, my tribe, my community – my Raider Nation family.

Pandora’s Box

Lisa — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 22:13:15 +0000

I’ve been home from a recent road trip for a few weeks now. I started writing a blog post as soon as I got back. What came out was not what I expected. I was hoping to share some of my experiences but instead a whole bunch of things I didn’t realize I was stuffing away popped up.

The desert has a strange way of opening up your heart like Pandora’s box.

So while I sort through that mess, here are some photos of the trip.

PS. The bear making an appearance is Grizz, my new road trip buddy. He is from the kids cartoon show ‘We Bare Bears’. I used to watch that in the morning with Osha when she was really sick.

Open the Gate

Lisa — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 23:44:44 +0000

This last road trip was a very different experience for me. I feel like there are still a lot of cobwebs and extra baggage that need some shaking off (both emotionally and physically). For starters, I have completely forgotten how to pack and organize myself on the road anymore. It’s been years, so I am definitely off my game when it came to the right items to pack and how to organize the car. But, in my defense, there was this new element that I think threw me off – the majority of this trip HAD to be carefully planned due to the overbooking of hotels in the desert for ‘Oldchella’ (what the locals were calling the huge mega festival ‘Desert Trip’). Usually I like to head out and see where the road takes me.

What I realized after traveling in this new way, was that I absolutely hated it. I didn’t like the rigid schedule, having to leave places sooner than I would have liked, and having no freedom of spontaneity. Because of this over-planning, I also didn’t like having to reschedule everything as a result of inclement weather heading home. Once again, we were turned away at Tioga Pass in Yosemite, literally missing the seasonal crossing in a matter of hours.

In the good old days it was different. No plans = no problems. Just carry on with no worries.

Side Note:
Another reason I hate planning on the road? Being disappointed. We really got screwed around by a certain hotel chain in this attempt to plan and be organized. Big shout out to Holiday Inn Express for giving away the room we had booked to someone else, calling us only hours before checking in. You really need to look up the definition of RESERVATION.

Always turn something negative into a positive right?

We completely changed our travel direction when we got the call that the hotel gave our room away, and finally stayed at the infamous Amargosa Opera House and Hotel near Death Valley. We met some amazing people there. It seemed like a gathering of kindred spirits. There was impromptu acoustic guitar music, dancing and great conversation. And a tour of the Opera House is a MUST! The next day we had the most perfect drive through Death Valley National Park. It is just as spectacular as I remembered.

Our time in Palm Springs was so relaxing. We finally had a stretch of days with no plans. So even though we wanted to check out a local cactarium, head up the tram and visit a date farm, instead we opted for the absolute best thing ever – just sitting by the pool, enjoying the dozens of books we bought from Powell’s in Portland earlier in the trip.

As mentioned earlier, the weather was rough headed home, driving through everything from blinding torrential rain, hail and heavy winds. But because of this, we had one day where the rain would let up every now and then, and at every corner we turned there was a huge rainbow. I’ve never seen so many rainbows in my whole life all jammed into one day. I could not get Desperado by the Eagles out of my head. Perhaps a little message from the road trip gods…

I like to be organized and on top of things like schedules and planning in my life back home, but this is not how I like to operate on the road. Good to know.

Above all, I got a little bit closer to where I think my life needs to be headed. After years of devastating loss, and lack of travel, life started to feel really heavy. I still miss all my little ratties and our llama Starman like crazy, but I know they are with me. And although I don’t feel that I am completely on the path just yet, at least I am not lost in the woods anymore.

Goodnight Sun, Goodnight Moon

Lisa — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 07:22:28 +0000

It’s time to get out on the road again. Time to visit with friends and begin to heal.

Today I dusted off my favorite 2012 Road Atlas. It was the one I used to plan the last big road trip that ended up lasting three months. It was the trip that inspired this blog. When I picked it up from underneath the front passenger seat in my Xterra, a piece of paper fell out from it that had the words ‘Solar Eclipse’ on it. I had a strange feeling, knowing that this was somehow meant for me at that exact time. I jumped online right away to check out recent solar eclipse activity. The last one was on September 1, the day Osha died. I felt like it was her way of saying it’s okay for me to move on to my next adventure in life and that she will be with me.

Osha’s sister Luna, named in part because she was so crazy and full of energy as a baby, and for her bright white moon-like body. Even her face with its dark patches looked like the spots you see on the moons surface when it is full. Seemingly honoring her name, she passed away on August 18, the last full moon. As I look up into the sky at tonight’s harvest moon, I know she will also be with me.

Forever my sun. Forever my moon.

Messages From the Other Side

Lisa — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 16:19:36 +0000

Quite a while ago I got laser eye surgery. For almost a year afterwards (and still a few random times here and there to this day), I would get ready for bed and go to remove my contacts. This is the best way to describe the subtle ways I have been adapting to the last few weeks.

This is what life feels like now without my little ratties.

My temporary role in this world as a rat mama was an honor and a privilege. It became such a part of who I now am that I still go through the motions. I’m not sure who I am without them. It’s not that having them in my life was some mundane routine I would subconsciously repeat. They became a part of who I am. They became my everything. My life ritual.

Every meal that I eat, I still start to put some food aside for them. Every loud noise that happens, I still wonder if they heard it and are scared. Certain times of the day I still instinctively look at the clock because those were the times when they would wake up for a mid-day snack. The evenings are the worst. This is when I wonder why I can’t be sitting with them, watching Grey’s Anatomy, Night Shift, Longmire or the handful of shows that were on when I cuddled with them at night. Their sleeping quarters are still as they were before they left this world. I can’t bare to tear it all down and let the room be empty. It’s all the physical proof I have that they were here. Their presence was everything.

It’s difficult for some people to understand the weight of a non-human death. Some people see you as ‘taking it too far’ or wondering why it’s a big deal because ‘it’s just a pet’. They belittle your loss and make you feel like you should move on quicker because it wasn’t your flesh and blood, it wasn’t your ‘human’ family. Well, they were my family. They are now as ingrained in my DNA as is my biological family.

They changed me, and shaped my perspective. I am a completely different person today because they were in my life.

I would like to think that they are still with me somehow. This is the only way I know how to move on. A few days after Osha passed, I was in the laundry room and about to transfer some clothes from the dryer into a basket to take upstairs. But before I could, a little black whisker jumped into the basket out of nowhere. It was one of Osha’s. I could feel her in the room with me. And for a single moment, I was okay. I keep praying for more moments like this. Messages from the other side.

Desert Rat

Lisa — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 23:38:58 +0000

I have taken a bit of time away from the road to be a mom. A rat mom specifically. In the past four years I’ve had the privilege of adopting and caring for seven beautiful little rats. Anyone who has been a rat parent knows how much love they bring to your world, but also know how many unfortunate illnesses they can have. This has been a full-time job, but one I would not trade for anything – even if it meant time away from the road. They have all transformed my life forever.

Currently, Osha and Luna are in their senior years. There are good days and bad days health-wise so I cherish every moment with them.

Sometimes it is difficult to think about traveling again because that means I will no longer have my precious little ratties in my life.

I feel guilty for missing the road because this is what goes through my mind. I’ve been sorting though old road trip photos and trying to remind myself that the two are not mutually exclusive. I can appreciate all the time I have had with my rats and still have a love for the road.

One Red Flower

Lisa — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:14:30 +0000

The ancients called the desert the place of divine revelation. But for women, there is much more to it than that.
A desert is a place where life is very condensed. The roots of living things hold on to that last tear of water and the flower hoards its moisture by only appearing in early morning and late afternoon. Life in the desert is small but brilliant and most of what occurs goes on underground. This is like the lives of many women.
The desert is not lush like a forest or a jungle. It is very intense and mysterious in its life forms. Many of us have lived desert lives: very small on the surface, and enormous under the ground.
A woman’s psyche may have found its way to the desert out of resonance, or because of past cruelties or because she was not allowed a larger life above ground. So often a woman feels then that she lives in an empty place where there is maybe just one cactus with one brilliant red flower on it, and then in every direction, 500 miles of nothing. But for the woman who will go 501 miles, there is something more. A small brave house. An old one. She has been waiting for you.
Don’t be a fool. Go back and stand under that one red flower and walk straight ahead for that last hard mile. Go up and knock on the old weathered door. Climb up to the cave. Crawl through the window of a dream. Sift the desert and see what you find. It is the only work we have to do.

Women Who Run With the Wolves
-Clarissa Pinkola Estés Ph.D.

Change

jladmin — Sun, 19 May 2013 19:09:11 +0000

Sometimes roadtrips can be more than you ever expected. Sometimes they can feel like you’ve lived an eternity in only a couple weeks. Sometimes they can open doors to places you never imagined and imprint you with experiences that fundamentally change who you are forever.

I love when roadtrips take on a life of their own, when they almost personify themselves, giving you direction, guiding you through the experience. I truly believe if you trust that the road will take care of you, she will.

Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.
– Mark Jenkins

Take The Long Way Home – Part Five

Lisa — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:11:03 +0000

Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park was an interesting place – beautiful no doubt, but there was just something a bit ‘off’ feeling about it for me. The whole time I was in or near the park I felt really uncomfortable. I guess the still burning forest fire welcome into the east entrance was a bit off putting, but I couldn’t quite shake it. I ended up meeting someone a week or so later who wasn’t surprised by my reaction. Apparently the area was only used my Medicine Men and only for very special occasions. There are also stories of it having an ‘evil spirit’. The energy in the area is very strong so the explanation seemed to fit. According to historical records there were no known Native Americans ever having live in what is now Yellowstone National Park.

Bitterroot Mountains

This had to be an easy highlight of our recent 3 month road trip. Beautiful people, great hiking and amazing beer! We stayed in a cabin at the foothills of the Bitterroots and enjoyed our week so much I can’t believe we hadn’t discovered Montana sooner.

Craters Of The Moon

So Roadie (he actually is the roadie for our band Mojave, well more like drunken mascot) decided to hit up my last bottle of Bitterroot Nut Brown Ale when we got to the campsite at Craters of the Moon National Monument. What a great find – chosen solely by seeing the name on a map. There are so many great hikes in the park and ranger guided cave tours. The moon-like landscape attracted NASA and the astronauts of the Apollo for part of their training.

Crater Lake

All I can really say about this place is wow – if it isn’t on your list, it should be!

Mount St Helens

We were not only fortunate enough to catch the mountain views (it’s typically socked in) but the wild flowers were in full bloom!

Santa Fe

The long way home is sometimes the best way home – even if it is at only 9 miles per hour.

Take The Long Way Home – Part Four

Lisa — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:28:48 +0000

Michigan

On our way back west after visiting family in Ontario, Paul and I stopped in Grand Rapids to see a friend. We found Stella’s, a really sweet vegan friendly restaurant to meet up! When I saw the whiskey menu I was in heaven. Obviously I ordered the moonshine sold in mason jars…

Omaha

Yep, somewhere in middle America. I LOVED it! So what if I’m giving Michael Phelps head? And maybe I’ve lived in a small town for too long but did you know you can reserve extra large balcony seating for movies? Not only that, did you know they offer table side service – food AND alcohol? Also, this is the home of Mutual of Omaha and my first experience seeing lightning bugs. Road magic!

Mount Rushmore

Meh.

Wind Cave

Wind Cave National Park was AWESOME! This is where I saw my very first Bison in the wild. You can see a calm in the eyes of these gentle giants that is so different from their captive brothers and sisters. Oh, and the cave tour was pretty sweet too.

Badlands

So there are two really interesting things you’ll see when getting close to Badlands National Park. The first are the billion signs for Wall Drug. If the five cent coffee doesn’t lure you in, this cigar smokin’ card playin’ badass should do it. The next is a sign for Prairie Dogs. These cute little guys want your peanuts and aren’t afraid to let you know. Turn off the I90 towards Badlands and start looking for the 15 foot giant statue of the Prairie Dog on your right.

Once you get into the park itself you’ll be blown away by the landscape. There’s just something so beautifully haunting about it.