Leaving Jacksonville for the Ocean

It’s about 2:00pm on Monday June 30. I left Medford, OR about two hours ago, on my way to the Pacific Ocean, to a town named Gold Beach.

Right now I’m parked somewhere in the middle of the way, on a road called BLM‐34‐8‐36. Let me describe to you what I see around me.

I am sitting basically on the slope of a huge mountain. Beneath me there’s a few hundred feet of slope. Trees abound. Visibility is good enough to see the vast distances. Absolute quietness.

A motorcycle just passed by in the opposite direction, waving “Hi” at me.

It is so peaceful here. I love nature. I love green. Whatever involves green (trees, bush) and blue (water, sky)—makes me feel free and in touch with the greatest mother of them all—mother nature.

I am no stranger to nature. Let me all remind you that I live in Ontario, Canada. Ontario is beautiful, but the real deal lies elsewhere—in Nova Scotia at the east, and above everything—British Columbia at the west, including some of Alberta (essentially, everything in the Canadian Rockies and westwards). In my 5+ years in Canada, I found myself visiting Western Canada at least twice a year, totalling about a month or so annually. During the spring & summer of 2005, I actually lived in Vancouver, BC for four months, and I can barely recall staying at home at all. I used every minute of my spare time to hike, camp or simply drive those wonderful areas.

This time, however, is the first time I’m having the chance to connect to mother nature in the USA. Oregon State is really stunning. I am very happy to be here. To the people of Oregon—all the power to you!

A few years ago, I read Robert Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”. Until I read that book, mother nature didn’t mean much to me; as soon as I finished reading it, the traveling bug kicked in and within a few months I found myself taking my first trip to Canada for two months, a trip I will never forget. If you never read the book—get it and read it. Mark, if you are reading this and haven’t read the book I am talking about—may I please suggest that you do. Not that you are lacking any sort of inspiration to create beautiful music, of course; it’s just that that book and your music, together, form, in my mind, a perfect image of the connection between people and themselves and between people to nature. I am only thankful for having lived to listen to Mark’s music and experience nature as I have so far.

I would also suggest to all of you Mark Knopfler fans out there, who really liked his soundtrack album for “A Shot at Glory” and “Cal”—go tour Nova Scotia, and spend a week or so in Cape Breton Island by the ocean. Then play those CD’s again and tell me what you think.

Continuing my way to Gold Beach…

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Isaac