Road Trip

At roughly 9 am Friday, I said my final goodbyes to my family at the Tree and headed northeast towards Carlsbad, NM. I was a difficult ending for Laura and I, having built up a beautiful relationship over the last 2+ months. We created a special bond, and if and when the time comes, we may meet again. I am happy for her to have been given my position as live food instructor and although she may not have much experience, I know her dedication and passion will make her a great instructor.


Passing through two times zones, I made my way to Guadalupe National Park at about 6 pm. With about 500 miles of driving for the day, my legs where a bit cramped and I felt the need to get in a run before i would call it a night. I found an easy 2.3 mile trail just north of the park and once I completed the loop, turned around and ran it back the other way. Although it wasn't as many miles as I would have liked to put in for the day, it was enough to stretch out my legs and build up an appetite after a day of driving.

As I entered the park, I noticed that the campground was full. I then walked into the visitors center and was told by the park ranger that New Mexico has open land which is free for the public to camp on. I was warned that the land was rustic and may be spending my night with roaming cattle. Perfect!!! I would be happy to spend the night anywhere as long as it was free. When out on the road, I am not too keen on spending 20 bucks a night just so that I can pitch a tent for a few hours.

For me, this would mean a night of solitude. Alone, under the stars with a full moon over head, this is the life!! I found a beautiful spot, set up cam and made dinner for myself. The go to meal of nori, greens, tomato, shallots and avocado, with a smear of tahini, hit the spot.

As I watched the sun quickly dissapear over the horizon, I gave thanks to the Divine for a safe day on the road, my health and good family. Temperatures quickly dropped so after I breezed through a few chapters of Desert Solitaire, I snuggled into the comforts of my sleeping bag and called it a night.

What a beautiful way to start a road trip. Tomorrow, the peak of Guadalupe awaits my feet!!

Stocking up....

With the possibility of going a few days without access to organic fruits and veggies, I decided to stock up in Tucson before my trip. Also,I am proud to say that I haven't bought a bottle of water in over 10 months so 5 gallons of Reverse Osmosis water from the Tree should get me through a few days.
So I stocked up with the following foods-
2 gallons of fresh kombucha
2 dozen bananas
3 tomatoes
2 avocados
Lots of nori sheets
1 jar tahini
5 Lbs hemp seeds
1/2 Lb bee pollen
1 Lb goji berries
wild barberries
raw cacao beans
lemons and limes
shallots
1 Lb MSM
2 Lbs dates
5 mangoes
In case of emergency-Granola

Hopefully this will last until I hit the Smokeys!!

My Last Run in the Desert

As I prepare to leave the Tree, I have to go out for one more run. The moon is out and spring has finally sprung. I feel the need to connect with the high vibration of the mountains, so today's run will be under a full moon. I give thanks to the hills of Patagonia for providing me with a playground to move my body over the last 9 months. This land is so magical and I know it will be tough to leave, but I look forward to my adventures and getting down to business in Connecticut.

I am feeling stronger than ever and with limited working over the next few months, I know I will be able to take my body and my training to a much higher level.

Shalom Shalom Shalom
Peace
Peace
Peace

Another Chapter Comes To An End

Wow!!, I am 2 days away from closing the book on another chapter in my life. On Friday Morning I will depart the Tree Of Life and once again, head east to Connecticut.

I am so grateful for the last 9 months that I have been able to serve here at the Tree. I have had made life advancing changes and have connected with so many amazing people. Having the opportunity to teach people through my experiences has been so wonderful and I hope to continue that throughout my life. I realize that it is part of my dharma to be in service to others and help shine a light out onto the world.

Over the next year, I will be doing quite a bit of traveling. These opportunities to connect with others and share what I have learned here at the Tree of Life will be priceless. I cannot forget the amazing teachers at the TOL who have put in so much time and effort to see this place be a sanctuary for life transformation.

I sit and think to myself about leaving this community and heading back east. Patagonia is very nurturing. No traffic lights nor traffic to deal with on a daily basis. With only 1000 residents, you generally see the same people daily and the ones I work with are very like minded, loving and caring. When you are living in this sort of womb it is hard to think how you can survive anywhere else. It's like when you go on vacation to some amazing place that you have never been to. You don't want to leave and feel like home just won't be the same. What I realize is that the individual makes his/her home what it is. Without showing any negativity towards the Tree, I realize that there is more to life then the Tree. I know Gabriel wants us to share with the world, what we are learning here. I also realize that the Tree will always be here, so if need be, I can return and be in service either in the garden or the kitchen.

I give thanks to all people who have came into my life over the last few months. With love and gratitude I send you my blessings!!

My Interview with David Rain

Yesterday I was asked by David and Katrina Rainoshek of www.juicefeasting.com to take part in an interview for day 16 of the Global Juice Feast. For those of you new to the term, juice feasting is a 92 day "feast" in which the faster drinks 1 gallon or more of fresh fruit and vegetable juices. What makes this program different from a traditional fast is that people generally have more energy to perform their daily tasks without the major detox symptoms of a 7 day to 14 day fast. Each day has a different subject and day 16 focussed on walking/exercise. I am so grateful to spread the word about the raw foods lifestyle and endurance sports Checkout www.globaljuicefeast.com to see the interview!!

Tag, I'm it....

I have just been tagged by Courtney of http://www.courtneypool.blogspot.com, so this means that I need to speak of 5 things that most of you might not know about me.

1-My first culinary experience happened at a very young age. One morning, before the rest of my family woke from bed, I decided to see what kind of art I could create with the ingredients located in my fridge. The only problem was that I would do this in my families newly remodeled family room. Bologna would be slapped against the wall, eggs dripped down the lamp shade, ketchup and mustard where smeared all over the place. I basically dumped out the entire fridge out onto the floor, ceiling and walls. Needless to say my father was not too happy with my version of culinary artistry and I think my bum was a bit sore after this episode.

2-Since graduating from high school in 1997, I have lived in 13 different locations. My travels have brought me to living in such places as Vermont, Boston, Colorado, Alaska, and Oregon. I have moved to various locations in and around my home town of Branford, Connecticut. Besides my last 4 year stay in CT, I haven't lived anywhere for longer than 10 months in the last 10 years.

3-Speaking of Alaska, in 1999, after reading the book Into the Wild, I spent a summer working at River Song Lodge in the Alaskan bush. I certainly did not have any of the adventures as Chris McCandless would, but I did get to have my own little adventures and live in an area surrounded by both grizzly and black bears. I was one of 3 chefs who would run 2 separate lodges , creating all the meals for up to 70 guests a day.

4-In 4th grade, all the students in my class had to give a book report that was to be video taped. We would have to dress up like a character in a book and give the report from the characters perspective. I choose to be the father from the book The Borrowers. Without practicing my lines or giving much of an effort, I went in front of the class with a suit that was way to small for me. Sweaty, nervous, and way to shy, I tried to pretend like I had actually knew what I was talking about. About 30 seconds into the report, I realized I couldn't go on and took the F.
A few years later, I would redeem myself by teaming up with my classmate Stosh and doing a report as one of the Wright Brothers. I aced the one!!!

5-Until going to culinary school, I consumed only 4 vegetables on a regular basis. Raw carrots, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, and black olives were the only veggies that would enter my body. I pretty much lived off of macaroni, bologna sandwiches, pizza, doughnuts, chips, and soda. My favorite breakfast was Cocoa pebbles drenched in whole milk and my favorite dinner was spaghetti and clams. I guess I can say that I have come a long way.

Now it is my turn to pass the torch. I hereby tag-
Suki-www.qito.wordpress.com
Audry-http://fulfillingmyself.blogspot.com
Catherine-http://cathparker.wordpress.com
Catra-http://trailgirl.blogspot.com

Here are the rules: Link to your tagger and post these rules. Share 5 facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them). Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Cracking the Code with David Wolfe

Okay people!! This is a must see event. A rare showing in Rhode Island, David Wolfe will be here to talk about the amazing powers of chocolate. My dear friend Nora has put together this amazing event. Lets show the love!!

For more information, or to sign up check out http://www.davidwolfeatrisd.com/