I know this is a bit of a tease for those of you wanting me to get to the motorcycle already. I assure you, it's on the way. In the meantime, let's take a stroll with Kearson the carefree camper. The last few weeks since my return from visiting back home I've done quite a bit of it (approaching vagabondism). I've been hanging around the Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens area mostly, being a camper bum, exploring, swimming, finding my chi and all that. But I also have been seeking new employment. A job well away from the city and suburbs, and hopefully one that comes close to my idea of adventure, while also allowing me to enjoy the virtues of the Pacific Northwest... but I'll let you know how that's going next time. The views in these mountains can only garner the utmost elation and euphoria. I've been hanging my head of late near Mt Rainier, down a dusty forest road where a clearing sits on the side of a cliff that overlooks mountains, hills in the distance, and the valley below. It's wonderful. Up here the air is crisp, the birds sing their tunes, and I sit and wonder about it all, about the world below, about what I'm doing with my life, about my family... and I realize, for now, this is what I want. And that I don't have all the answers, nor probably ever will, and that's ok too. "It's not enough to just live, you have to have something to live for." That something might as well be the simplicity and solitude of nature. When I'm up here I'm the closest I've ever been to raw contentment, merriment, and hopefulness. I can quiet my mind, steady my pulse, and breathe. Seattle and the surrounding area can be a drag at times with 3.5 million souls all trying to share the same space, I like how quiet it is here - how slow it moves. Showering in creeks, gazing at the stars, saying hello to wildlife that stroll into camp, eating dinner hunched by a campfire - it's my kind of bliss. My dad had this hilarious expression when we would go camping when I was younger, after a meal, if he was thoroughly impressed by his cooking prowess, he would declare "Like Kings Man, Like King's." I've said those words aloud a lot lately, and y'know, it really sums it all up. Onto the video: Mt St Helens gets a bit of a reprise, Mt Hood and Mt Adams get cameos, I say hi to Bambi at camp, visit Clipper Mine, and the Motorcyclist is alluded to. Till next time...

• published: 17 Jul 2014
• views: 18