A Living Magazine - Day 51 - You Are My Canby Girl

Great spot to sleep and I wanted more of it. But, I was up and out of there by 6:00 am. I walked slowly back toward McDonald's. My feet felt so much better--not yet 100%. I caught this nature's painting of the sunrise...

It really is cool to see the sun rise and set every day. The restaurant had this neat little fountain that the birds loves to bath and drink from. I was a bit dubious about the color of the water. I chalked it up to algae growth in a closed system, but who knows?

I had done much of the heavy lifting (transferring picture and video files) for the day's post the night before, so it was simply a matter of filling in the text while I nursed my coffee.

The trip to the next destination - hopefully Canby - would be a very straightforward trek up Route 99E through several towns along the way. Google Maps is very precise, and over and over again, its distances matched my pedometer reliably. I could estimate the kilometers on the pedometer (it is has no miles setting), and also the amount of time it would take. I am a consistent 3 mph walker (that is about 5.04 km/hour) with my pack on, and only improve my time by 1/3 mph with the pack off.

For anyone else who must convert km's to miles, an easy rule that stays relatively accurate up to about 30 miles is this: 5 km's = ~ 3 miles. I had 12 miles to cover that day, so I anticipated seeing approximately "20.00 km" on the pedometer when I walked into Canby. Similarly, since I walk at 3 mph, it was easy to estimate that it would take about 4 hours. In case you're curious, the actual conversions are...

1 Kilometer = 0.621371 Miles
1 Mile = 1.60934 Kilometers

Of course, the numbers anywhere right of the second decimal place are insignificant. So, for easy recall, I just use the 0.6 and 1.6 rule. While I'm at it, let me give some other interesting facts about walking (numbers are approximate)...

1 Kilometer = 1,409 steps
1 Mile = 2,268 steps
          _______ 

1 Kilometer = 60 Spent Calories (Kcal)
1 Mile =  96 Spent Calories
          _______ 

1 Kilometer = 2.35 Grams of Fat Burned
1 Mile = 3.78 Grams of Fat Burned

So, for the coming walk of  12 miles (I'll keep it all in mile units), I would be taking 27,216 steps, spending 1,152 Calories and burning 45.36 grams of fat. All of this is slightly different for different people. I have a slow metabolism. I weigh about 185 pounds. I am 47 years old... All of these factor in. What is quite surprising is the amount of fat that is burned in that distance. That is two 1/4 pounders with cheese!, supposedly...

Why do I say, "supposedly"? Because, a lot of this is generalized. Much is still not understood about just how different one person's body uses these processes as compared to another person. When I say that I often only eat one meal per day, that is because my slow metabolism deals with that food in such a way that not much more is needed (especially on days when I am not walking a long distance).

And people are largely ignorant about the whole Calorie thing. I hear the inaccuracies of this ignorance all the time. People think if a piece of candy is 100 Calories, that they are "consuming" those Calories. Dead wrong. Calories are expended, not consumed. They are NOT little pieces of food. The listing of Calories in nutrition labels indicate how many would need to be spent in order to eliminate the stuff that makes up that piece of candy.

Moreover, Calories in food-stuff are determined by the release of energy, a breakdown of that stuff, using an acid in a laboratory. And, the amount of Calories then printed represent the dissolution of the entire food item. But the body does not entirely do this. We poop out some percentage of what the body doesn't use. No one even commonly knows these things. Dieting using Calorie counting is absurd for this very reason. Too many factors in the equation are missing to practice Calorie counting, including the actual amount of an item that is used by the body (and everyone is different in this regard), the rate for usage of some ingredients over others, not to mention the means by which carbohydrates are converted by the liver and stored as fat or burned and spent as instant energy.

The stupidest possible thing a person who is trying to lose weight can do is eat sweetened, "non-fat" food. Replacing natural fat with carbohydrates, trains the body to convert them into fat. The nervous system - which includes that useful organ we call a brain - NEEDS fat, and it needs it first. Once carbs have replaced fat in the metabolism of food, blood-sugar is compromised and made unstable. When fat is then consumed too, it is immediately stored, while the carbohydrates are still converted and also stored with the dietary fat--simply making more fat.

People sit around eating carbohydrate-rich snacks, expecting to feel full, but they never will. Why? Because carbohydrates pass quickly through the gut, leaving it hungry for more. People should rather eat protein, combined with natural snacks--moderately, because the stomach holds them longer, before passing them on to the small intestine. You can over-eat carbohydrates all day and night and still feel hungry (this is also reinforced by the positive-feeling effect of serotonin boosts in the brain, due to the pleasant taste). But, you can't over eat protein. If you do, you will throw up.

But, how we do simply roll along either believing the myths of the food industry or our own, and our friends', invented myths. We rely too heavily on the "official" statements of "experts." But, in the end, there are NO experts. No one REALLY knows much about what is going on. For a dumbed-down and often CAREless population, that is an unbelievable statement. Some of you will reject it out of hand. It is worth thinking for yourself, finding out things for yourself, making your own deliberate and well-educated decisions. No one, and I mean NO ONE, knows what is better for you than you do. My unasked-for advice?: Trust your ability to determine things for yourself, and a bright new world will open up for you. Food and dieting trends and fads are only small examples of just how much we rely on people who don't fully understand what they are studying.

It was time to head out. Here are some images from the hike...

The only kind of American bill that isn't tied to DEBT.

Finally, I see a blackberry farm. There are 100,000 times more bushes along the roadside.

Cabbage? I couldn't tell.

Not sure why I took this. Maybe the combination

of "Open" and "Closed" signs, or the color of the building?

This is a strange fruit bearing tree. The fruit is the size of apples, with a different kind of stem.

I saw one in Salem and tried a tiny bite. At first it definitely tasted like an apple,

but then a strange film covered my teeth and the taste

became very bitter. Definite spittable moment.

Serious bummer.

I kept seeing plants I couldn't recognize being farmed. Are these beans, or maybe peas?

A small tree farm, called "Beautiful Farms".

I was psyched to see Aurora come along. I think it could have been renamed, "Antiques Alley"...

Want a reasonably priced historic landmark house?

Aurora went by quickly, and I entered Clackamas County...

Somewhere a Barbie Doll walks on crutches.

Clear clean water.

I checked my pedometer and saw that I should be pretty darn close to Canby. But I saw a sign saying, "Welcome to the City of Barlow." I was confused for about 1/4 mile, at which point I actually did enter Canby. Apparently, Barlow is a bit like Canby's front door step...

I found the McDonald's right away, and settled in to transfer files, touch base online, and rest. My feet were fairly tender at that point, especially the left foot. They would remain that way for the rest of the day...

Table with a strange view.

When I'd located several possible sleeping places on Google Satellite, caught my breath and cooled off a bit, I took an especially slow walk around the area...

Not sure what this sculpture is referencing?

A town garden walled by catmint (Nepeta). I thought I'd see an

opium den like scene of a dozen kitties lounging around chewing at the plants.

This is Canby's Vietnam Era Memorial. Cool to see a full-sized "Huey"...

I used Google Translate and got kind of a confusing result for the above:

"Depreciation believed in war."

Still seeing palm trees, even in Northern Oregon.

Cool!

I was pretty sure I knew where I wanted to sleep. It was essentially (and fortunately) right across the street from McDonald's. But, I've learned much about the way light works at night. What looks like a good open field can sometimes be illuminated by street lights at night. I hypothesized that this might be the case. There was a lot more waiting and resting before dark. I have perceived the shortening of the days. What had been an 8:30 pm sunset in Grants Pass was now approaching 8:20. Because of hills and other objects on the western horizon, it was more like 8:15.

Oregon (for me) has ranked second to Arizona for having the nicest sunsets.

Still, another 45 minutes would be needed after that to allow the shadows below trees to sink in sufficiently for sneaky sleeping. I'm glad I waited too. The area I was looking at was indeed lit by several streetlights, except in the very back. I needed to either find another place, or discover a means of skirting the edge of the field until I got to the back.

I huffed a bit, and then walked down to a road that led to the fenced off power station. There was a large, heavy metal gate with a big gap between its doors, and a path that led to a field that looked promising. I tried stooping down to pass under the chain that held the doors closed, but got my walking stick caught on it...like a dumbass.

I backed out, took off the pack and passed it through, followed by my self. Though the field was brightly lit from parking lot lights on the hill above, it was well-shielded from view. But I got a big surprise when I walked around a bush at the corner of the path to find, what looked at first like a dumping area - trash, old mattresses, food containers and wrappers, etc. - but was, in fact, another homeless guy's little "yard". He had a tent set up on the side of this spot, with a light on in it. I didn't actually see him. But, I made a hasty retreat back under the chain of the gate and up into the parking lot from whence I came.

It was still too light to try my walk along the edge of the other field, so I decided to kill time by going to Safeway to use their restroom.

Upon walking back out of the parking lot, the night was now dark enough. I even saw a good space in the middle of one of their little groves of trees, but it would be a last resort, since it was essentially in the middle of their parking lot.

While waiting to cross the road again to my chosen field, a small, young black woman with very short hair walked up beside me. She was carrying a little backpack too, and she looked so thin that her female features were not immediately apparent. In the dark of the street, I thought she might be a boy until she spoke with an African accent of which I couldn't recognize the origin, "You looking for a place to sleep?"

I said, "Yes, actually."

"You can sleep with me." I thought maybe she was saying that there was a spot she knew of nearby. 

I asked, "Where?"

"Anywhere," she answered. This totally threw me off. It took a second for me to realize I was being propositioned--probably for money. "Been watching you... You look good," she said, "I'll follow you."

This was the first time, since leaving Maine that I'd been in this situation. I wasn't quite sure what to do. I'm usually so focused on the practical needs of the moment, that I never even think about sex. Of course, I knew that I wouldn't take her offer, but I wondered (feeling bad about how thin she was) whether I might be able to help her somehow. I was cashless, using only my debit card that day, so I couldn't even give her a couple bucks for food. But a strange thought - like clearly spoken words - came across my mind: "This is trouble."

Unfortunately, I'd painted myself into a corner by already revealing that I was looking for a place to sleep. All of these thoughts rushed through my mind in the space of about five seconds. Mentally, I went through all the half-assed excuses I could think of, and then just looked her straight in the eyes, and, smiling, said, "I just can't do that. I'm sorry."

She looked left and right, then down at the ground, looking back up to smile at me. "...'s OK," she said, and reached out to shake my hand. I shook it, and she turned and walked south down Route 99E, passing out of my sight. I admit, I stood there, closed my eyes and prayed through the Spark that she'd find security somehow in her travels, in a safe place where she wouldn't have to risk her health and her life by selling her body. Then I moved on, crossing the road to the only shadows along the side of the field.

I stood there waiting for the traffic to be held back by red lights at either end of the block, then made my move along the edge, scooting out and behind a corner of the trucking company fence there. It was a good spot. I was not visible in any direction, except way down by the Panda Express parking lot, and they had just closed.

After the tarp was laid out, and the sleeping bag, I lay there for a couple hours, simply thinking about everything I'd seen, the people I'd met and the places I'd come to know. The black girl was on my mind. Why did people have to be in situations like hers? There were no easy answers, though everybody seems to be willing to offer one... or twelve--including me. It made me sad. I knew then and there how very blessed and fortunate I was to be living this life--doing this work, by choice.

There has to be a way for people to address what is going on, besides simply ignoring it and turning away. All the postcard-like sayings shared on Facebook, and their associated "likes" nd affirmative comments, political debates, religious fluff or hard-assed, Rush Limbaugh-ed lack of sympathy mean NOTHING, when it comes to tackling the gears in the system that need changing-out.

The simple truth is: Not a single one of us (myself included) should be blaming anyone but the face in the mirror. Every day that we go about doing our "normal" routine, is another day of destructive complacency. Every day that we think went smoothly for us, is another day that a BILLION people went to bed without eating enough; millions without shelter, access to water, access to healthcare... 

And, all of that - if solved - is just a list of problems that allow a bare existence. Only after those have been solved will these multitudes of suffering souls be able to actually find ways of being happy, in addition to simply surviving. Happiness is SO important, that it is sought even when a person has no pot to piss in. Hence, the abuse of alcohol (for example) to bring even a false and short-lasting sense of satisfaction. Why not?

This is NOT meant to be a cut throat world of social Darwinism and tough love. Frankly, I believe that any political leader not taking some kind of tangible action NOW, as a FIRST priority, to eliminate human suffering (due to income inequality, caused by our debt based economy) in America, is doing something akin to committing treason--left and right, and center.

Furthermore, social religious groups should not get a break in this regard. Morally--since they all believe their way is best, they should be making community service (according to whatever belief system they have duct-taped together for themselves and are ramming down the throats of everyone who doesn't tithe the 10% that allows entry into heaven) their first priority. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, house the homeless, give companionship to the lonely... BEFORE your minister, rabbi, imam, etc, get his/her pay raise; BEFORE the new wing is added to the church, temple or mosque; BEFORE the chain link fences that are erected to keep the riff-raff out of the yard, are erected. For GOD sake, PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH. 

Touching the bodies, or the hearts, of the desperately poor and the terribly suffering is not an opportunity for hand washing afterward!; using those clean hands to then pat each other on the backs for doing something rare. It is, instead, the opportunity (perhaps the ONLY one) to constantly let the spirit cleanse the soul of the giver (for believers) or make a material world more comfortable (for the non-believer), while lifting up the ones who have lost the ability to help themselves - for WHATEVER reason - to a point where they can then pass on that same kind of giving.

To give is to love. But it will take more than giving. It will take SACRIFICING - doing the uncomfortable or awkward thing - to really make a difference. Everyone needs to do it, for it to work. Until we become the Congregation of Humanity, instead of a squirming pile of squabbling ideologues--shirking our human responsibility to our sister and brothers, we will remain close to being the animals we supposedly evolved from; the only difference being--animals are innocent.

I don't remember falling asleep...

Canby Sleeping Place