October 9, 2010
Ricardo and I woke up intending to drive to Crown King, Arizona, to do some hiking and perhaps camp out for the night. We departed Phoenix that morning and headed north on Interstate 17.
We exited Interstate 17 approximately an hour north of Phoenix and merged onto a dirt road stretching into the Prescott National Forest. The road seemed to go on for miles and miles.
At one point, Ricardo asked if we could stop so he could take me to see his favorite rock.
After parking my truck in a safe place on the side of the road, the two of us hiked up a short trail to his favorite rock. The quartz crystal rock was about five feet tall and magnificent. I could see why he was drawn to it.
We both climbed on top of the rock, and Ricardo began pointing out various sites in the surrounding mountains. I appreciated him taking the time to share all of these things with me.
As we were hiking towards my truck, we paused to take in some of the surrounding scenery. Ricardo snapped the following photo of me with his cell phone.
After we completed our hike, we continued our drive to Crown King. One part of me felt bad for subjecting my truck to the dire conditions of the dirt road because I felt like my truck was all that I had, and I needed to take extra good care of it. But another part of me was enjoying the adventure.
Ricardo and I eventually made it to Crown King, and we spent the next couple of hours exploring the tiny mountain community, which appeared to be overtaken by some festival or community event. I told Ricardo I felt like I was at a family reunion.
We had dinner at the local restaurant, The Mill…
and then decided to leave Crown King and head back towards Phoenix, understanding that if we came upon a place that felt good for camping, we would stop for the night.
We seemed to be chasing the setting sun as we made our way back down the long, winding dirt road toward Interstate 17. A roadrunner crossed the road directly in front of my truck during the drive.
Roadrunner offers the following wisdom:
• Proper use of speed, Understanding rapid change
• Agility
• Evading capture through quickness
• And then at another point during our drive we had to slow down to make way for a cow to cross the road.
• Cow offers the following wisdom:
• Being alert to danger
• Contentment
• Connection to the Great Mother Goddess
• Love
• Connection to the grasses
• Sharing through community – Copyright www.animalspirits.com
Eventually, we made our way back to the interstate. About a half mile before merging onto the entrance, we found a place to pull over and take in a really beautiful sunset.
We set out a couple of chairs and watched the sun disappear over the horizon. The crescent moon followed close behind, and about an hour later, the sun and moon had disappeared completely, leaving nothing but the stars and the Milky Way to fill the night sky. We spent the next few hours gazing at the various constellations and having the most amazing time.
We eventually returned to the interstate and headed back toward Phoenix. We arrived back at Ricardo’s place sometime later. As we approached the house, Ricardo’s close friend called to see if Ricardo was going out for the evening. After Ricardo told him he was not, I asked him to invite his friend over and see if he was interested in me doing a card reading for him. His friend arrived shortly afterward, and the three of us spent the next several hours getting to know one another through the cards.
Ricardo’s friend went home around 12:30 AM, and we went to bed shortly afterward.