symphony for the soul

Desert beauty, coastal solitaire...Winding through roads of evenly surfaced hard gravel (quite similar to pavement when dry), banking into turns as frequent as color changes in the earth. This is grin-full/tension-free riding, provoking thoughts and memories of the deserts in southwestern US; I am happy to be in country like this. The air moving accrossed my face feels good as I casually cruise from the desertscape to the rock and sand of the Chilean coast. Different colored, sized, and types of rocks, and up & down through hills and valleys, this is a desert geologists dreamscape. I am tempted to stop and crack a few random rocks, but when I dismount the moto, the warmth of the sun is so strong that to remain off the moving moto for too long doesn´t appeal. Anxious to see the coast again (altough its only been a matter of hours) a picture or two will have to do for now.

On the coast the temperature suddenly becomes cooler. The oceanfresh crispness of the air feels good, its is OK now to rest off the bike for awhile. There isn´t much traffic on this road, most commuters stay inland on the paved highways- fast, but straight and boring. I prefer this route-slower, but quiet (except for the crashing waves), beautiful, and offering an endless blue nothingness to gaze out on meditatively.

Decided to stop in the quiet, bayed town of Tal Tal to gear up for camp (tonights cuisine: soup.....water, onion, tomato, carrot, garlic and a pepper to go with some pasta, bullion, oregano, salt and pepper stashed on the back-in remembrance of Bolivian menu), and throttled off in search of a suitible site for the night...

The hundred or so possible campsites passed en route the 10km to mine were all equally beautiful, with small spots of sand woven into the maze of rocks and boulders on the beach. Groups of families/friends in two, three, and four tent "pueblitos" were scattered thinly about the coastline, and yet still plenty of hiddenbeach-treasurespots for one to claim as home for an evening. Out of site & out of mind-if one preferred, which I do this night.

I followed a two-track sand path down to an unnocupied stretch of coastline just before sunset. One thing Chile is not short of is coastline. Built the tent & firepit, and combed the rockbeach for oceanic treasures, bathing in the last bit of salty sunshine. Sipping soup to the animate sound of the waves in a sort of "breathing" pattern reminded me that even in my solitary state, I am never alone. To relay this message in a more barefaced way, I decided to start a fire to let my presence be known among the few other far off campfires glowing along the coast. The warmth given off by the fire below and by the stars above embraced me with a suggestive good night hug, and I was off to dreamland, in this land of dreams.