Outdoors "We need wilderness because we are wild animals. Every man needs a place where he can go to go crazy in peace. Every Boy Scout troop deserves a forest to get lost, miserable, and starving in. Even the maddest murderer of the sweetest wife should get a chance for a run to the sanctuary of the hills. If only for the sport of it. For the terror, freedom, and delerium..." from "The Journey Home" |
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Photo of shoreline at Long Lake, NY, part of the Forever Wild region in the NY Adirondacks.
It's true. We all need wilderness. I know I do.
Living as I do now, just across the San Francisco Bay from the bustling, wonderous, but often overwhelming city of the same name, I have to escape on a fairly regular basis. I work five days a week right in the heart of it-- the blaring horns, screaming drivers, ranting loonies, and claustrophobic clutter of buildings. When I get away, it's a reprieve for my soul as well as my body. How do city people get used to a sky without stars?
When I slip off into the countryside, I have a few things I really enjoy. Any time is good for a hike. There are all kinds of wonderful hiking trails in the Bay Area. There's also some really incredible countryside out in all directions from this place: the redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains, the desert to my south, the Sierra Nevada range rising in glory above the flatness of the Sacramento Valley, the Mendocino shoreline, and so much more. Even hiking the urban "jungle" has it's upside.
Wilderness is not all woods and mountains. My number one love will always be the oceans.
Sunset on the Florida Bay, off Sand Key |
I also enjoy SCUBA. I have to admit, this part of the Pacific sure ain't what I'm used to back east, but I'm the type who can enjoy diving in a swimming pool, just to breathe the bottled air. Fishing is another favorite outdoor pursuit. I must admit that I haven't spent much time at it since I came to California, but I intend to get back into it. |
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Away from the water, I enjoy hunting. I realize that this isn't a particularly popular pursuit these days, especially out here. And it's surprising to many folks, the quality of hunting that is available in this part of California. If you share any of these interests, feel free to follow my links and see if you agree with other things I have to say. Some other links can be found right here. |
 Sunset in the Gulf Stream, return from Nassau, Grand Bahama |
Copyright 1997 Elwing Enterprises
All text and photos by Elwing Enterprises unless otherwise noted
Last revised: May 13, 1999.
