Huzzah for a gray whale! Beachside is in my neck of the woods, how fun! Sue-Meg looks great... if I ever go back to Cali I will have to check it out. And... thank you for speaking truth to drought. It will be hard to witness.
Thanks Mary Beth. Next time we pass through I hope we’ll be in less of a hurry. Perhaps we can meet for coffee?
The drought is horrible. The Colorado and the fires are getting the attention, but it’s also upending agriculture in Central and Eastern Washington. New cheese plants going in, the latest on your side of the Columbia in Boardman, and irrigated alfalfa replacing dryland wheat to feed the cows. Aquifers being sucked down so that towns have to drill deeper for warmer, saltier water. Towns like Richland expanding, but the aquifer full of nitrate from cow piss. And then the data centers.
What a gorgeous trip. I took a similar route with a former boyfriend after graduating high school. though in a little Ford hatchback in 1994, it was a little easier on the wallet ;)
To my earlier point about needing your work when there is little news coverage about droughts, this is the first I’ve heard of Coachella getting hit by bad storms! Thank you for the vital work you do, John.
Thank you so much, Nia. Drought is becoming endemic across much of the country. It’s having a huge impact on agriculture, and there’s no sign of change until it’s forced on people. And, as you point out, vastly underreported outside of specialist channels.
I finally got to read the second part of your road trip. I liked it all but this especially stood out: "In rejecting their parents’ patriarchal and authoritarian nuclear family, they forgot to ditch the misogyny, the racism, and the exceptionalism, to name but a few, and with nothing to replace the multigenerational families of the pre-war years, they were rudderless. For sure the sixties spawned a wave of intentional communities, the best of which survive, and a whole generation of volunteers, but the sociopathic seeds of Trump, Epstein, Big Tech, and the rest were there too."
It is such a beautiful coast, isn't it John? Lucky you for your explorations and the ability to pay those prices. Hard times for so many.
My most recent work is a book about a keyboardist which takes place in Marin County north of San Francisco and the city itself, in the mid-70s and early 80s. It discusses briefly some more positive aspects of the counterculture and how it changed the celebration of music as well as influenced much of that generation who are still loyal. Were they wayward? Perhaps. So was I--the best of them certainly thrived, so I was pleased that you added that aspect. From one water lover to another-- enjoy! The Surf thing is amazingly ridiculous. ~J
Times are indeed hard for many. I express gratitude every day that I have these opportunities.
That book sounds great!
The counterculture did indeed do a huge amount of good. I think we all thought at the end of the sixties that we had set the world on a new path and things would only get better. We had a slew of environmental legislation in the early seventies, struck a blow against corruption with Watergate, and had solar panels on the roof of the White House under Carter. But then the sins of the fifties (removal of a democratic government in Iran) came back to bite us with the hostage crisis, and Reagan took advantage of it to get in and begin the process of undoing all we’d gained.
As a new generation must prepare to repeat our work, I guess I’m hoping to help them do even better.
Love the look-back to San Francisco, the Didion essay, and your own limited ability to understand the dark edges of what was taking place back then. Creating a community in a social vacuum, cutting off the top of the wart but leaving the roots behind.
I feel like I may have mentioned this here in the past, so forgive any redundancy: My daughter's partner has been a Grand Canyon raft guide for years, but it is unclear how much longer any of those operations will be able to continue.
Apart from the price of diesel, your journey looks to have been amazing. Thank goodness for migrating gray whales, butterflies and chipmunks to give us something delightful to focus on.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth. Yes, the future of rafting in the Grand Canyon is unclear. The drought declaration here in Washington is now extended to state-wide, and of course Georgia and Florida just suffered fires.
Huzzah for a gray whale! Beachside is in my neck of the woods, how fun! Sue-Meg looks great... if I ever go back to Cali I will have to check it out. And... thank you for speaking truth to drought. It will be hard to witness.
Thanks Mary Beth. Next time we pass through I hope we’ll be in less of a hurry. Perhaps we can meet for coffee?
The drought is horrible. The Colorado and the fires are getting the attention, but it’s also upending agriculture in Central and Eastern Washington. New cheese plants going in, the latest on your side of the Columbia in Boardman, and irrigated alfalfa replacing dryland wheat to feed the cows. Aquifers being sucked down so that towns have to drill deeper for warmer, saltier water. Towns like Richland expanding, but the aquifer full of nitrate from cow piss. And then the data centers.
This is “the market“ in action.
What a gorgeous trip. I took a similar route with a former boyfriend after graduating high school. though in a little Ford hatchback in 1994, it was a little easier on the wallet ;)
To my earlier point about needing your work when there is little news coverage about droughts, this is the first I’ve heard of Coachella getting hit by bad storms! Thank you for the vital work you do, John.
Thank you so much, Nia. Drought is becoming endemic across much of the country. It’s having a huge impact on agriculture, and there’s no sign of change until it’s forced on people. And, as you point out, vastly underreported outside of specialist channels.
i love your watery travel tales❣️
Thank you, Sara!
I, too, have a diesel and I’m about ready to follow you up the Coast. Wish my pocket book luck. 🤪
I love that you have gone on this journey and shared it. How was the Coast in the van?
Also, that Didion piece! So damn good. Love hearing your initial experience with it. Your reaction was no doubt shared by many.
The coast was gorgeous! Looking forward to reading your take.
And thank you for that Didion piece! The timing was perfect.
I finally got to read the second part of your road trip. I liked it all but this especially stood out: "In rejecting their parents’ patriarchal and authoritarian nuclear family, they forgot to ditch the misogyny, the racism, and the exceptionalism, to name but a few, and with nothing to replace the multigenerational families of the pre-war years, they were rudderless. For sure the sixties spawned a wave of intentional communities, the best of which survive, and a whole generation of volunteers, but the sociopathic seeds of Trump, Epstein, Big Tech, and the rest were there too."
Thank you so much for reaching, Kirie, and for your comment.
It is such a beautiful coast, isn't it John? Lucky you for your explorations and the ability to pay those prices. Hard times for so many.
My most recent work is a book about a keyboardist which takes place in Marin County north of San Francisco and the city itself, in the mid-70s and early 80s. It discusses briefly some more positive aspects of the counterculture and how it changed the celebration of music as well as influenced much of that generation who are still loyal. Were they wayward? Perhaps. So was I--the best of them certainly thrived, so I was pleased that you added that aspect. From one water lover to another-- enjoy! The Surf thing is amazingly ridiculous. ~J
Times are indeed hard for many. I express gratitude every day that I have these opportunities.
That book sounds great!
The counterculture did indeed do a huge amount of good. I think we all thought at the end of the sixties that we had set the world on a new path and things would only get better. We had a slew of environmental legislation in the early seventies, struck a blow against corruption with Watergate, and had solar panels on the roof of the White House under Carter. But then the sins of the fifties (removal of a democratic government in Iran) came back to bite us with the hostage crisis, and Reagan took advantage of it to get in and begin the process of undoing all we’d gained.
As a new generation must prepare to repeat our work, I guess I’m hoping to help them do even better.
Love the look-back to San Francisco, the Didion essay, and your own limited ability to understand the dark edges of what was taking place back then. Creating a community in a social vacuum, cutting off the top of the wart but leaving the roots behind.
I feel like I may have mentioned this here in the past, so forgive any redundancy: My daughter's partner has been a Grand Canyon raft guide for years, but it is unclear how much longer any of those operations will be able to continue.
Apart from the price of diesel, your journey looks to have been amazing. Thank goodness for migrating gray whales, butterflies and chipmunks to give us something delightful to focus on.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth. Yes, the future of rafting in the Grand Canyon is unclear. The drought declaration here in Washington is now extended to state-wide, and of course Georgia and Florida just suffered fires.