Enjoy the outdoors

It feels nice to sit down and reflect a bit on the past couple of days.

I'm sitting in a cute, organic coffee serving cafe in Davis, CA, and it's a beautiful, hot day. It's kind of crazy how much has happened in the past two days- it's impossible to explain it all, but here's a short summary:

After a wonderful evening at Spring Lake Regional Park, we started Day 4 with another early morning run on some of the nearby trails, and then headed to Oceansong, a farm and wilderness center near Occidental. (A sidenote on the run- we kind of got a little turned around at one point and asked two women to help us out. Turned out that one of them was an environmental engineer and the other was close to retirement and was then going to sell all her possessions and sail around the world for the rest of her life- the love for the environment seems to dominate everyone's mind up here!)

Oceansong was absolutely amazing! I didn't want to leave! We had the opportunity to interview an on-site resident named Annie, who truly portrayed a passion for environmental education, the wilderness, farming and gardening, and obtaining a much deeper understanding and connection to land and nature. Speaking with her and wandering around the gardens stopping here and there to try some fresh spinach, broccoli, and raspberries was calming and inspiring. Annie emphasized the importance of local efforts and community and most importantly, something that Oceansong teaches to all their young campers in Coyote Camp, we should enjoy nature- enjoy and discover the amazing wealth and beauty of the outdoors.

With Annie's advice in mind, Emily and I drove to Bodega Bay, checked into our campsite at Bodega Dunes (which I highly recommend) and then went out to Bodega Head to watch the waves crash into the stunning coastal cliffs. After a hike, we decided to take full advantage of the wind and fly a kite (I completely understand why Bodega Bay is nicknamed "Blow-dega" Bay- it was SO windy).

Day 5- this morning we got up, packed up camp, and drove here, to Davis, the bike capital of the nation. With bike racks outside every establishment and way more bikes on the roads than cars, this college town near Sacramento is sure to help highlight some 'going green' trends and help me work through some of the contradictions. Our plan is to bike around the city chatting with people and then catch the Farmer's Market tonight. I'm looking forward to letting RITA rest today and jumping on my bike.


So in closing, here's a quick 'Green Tour' suggestion to everyone: park your car, jump on a bike or just go for a walk, stop and chat with a neighbor, and connect a bit more with your surroundings...from what I've learned, I think it's a must do in 'going green'.

Until next time...