A Conversation for The Empty Road
thought provoking
minorvogonpoet Started conversation Jan 21, 2018
I like this. It's thought provoking.
Do we really know where we want to go? When we get there, is it any better than here?
thought provoking
cactuscafe Posted Jan 22, 2018
Ah yes, the road to nowhere.
Love this picture. Horizon. Wide sky. Empty road. The distance.
And the poem. Thought provoking, indeed.
All very philosophical.
That was always one of my favourite Talking Heads tracks, 'we're on the road to nowhere ... its all right ... pom pom pom
thought provoking
Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor Posted Jan 22, 2018
I spent all day on the road to *some*where...the chiropractor's, the dog groomer's, to drop off Lola, the dog groomer's, to pick up Lola...
thought provoking
Caiman raptor elk - Inside big box, thinking. Posted Jan 23, 2018
Sometimes the nothing "there" is still better than the one you already have.
The picture reminds me of a fruitless hitchhiking attempt in France. Similar road (not as dry though) and no cars at all. Had to walk the lot.
thought provoking
Caiman raptor elk - Inside big box, thinking. Posted Jan 24, 2018
The details are a bit hazy, but I'll give it a try.
I was walking with a friend in the French Pyrenees on one of the long distance trails toward Santiago de Compostela (not for any religious reasons though). We were going from campsite to campsite, so on this particular day, we probably had a stretch that we considered as too long or not scenic enough (otherwise we wouldn't have been hitchhiking in the first place). But as said before, this was fruitless. Later on in North Spain we had a similar problem. There were cars on the road, they just didn't stop. Our long hair and beards may not have helped, together with the recent Basque terrorist activity at the time.
Apart from that we had a good time, with a bottle of wine a day (once a bottle of whisky, because there were no shops for three days and carrying three bottles of wine on your back was not practical). One thing we did learn was that a Jurancon wine tasting session in the early morning on a day that turned out to be tropical (40 degrees C) is not a good idea. It took two hours of extreme sweating and drinking a lot of water to get over it. (I never again drank that much water on one day. No hangover though)
Another observation was the difference between France and Spain. The French Pyrenees are green and at the Spanish border the vegetation stops (except for some dry branches). Regarding the pilgrims route: In France you sometimes meet some people on the same trail. In Spain on the other hand, there were always pilgrims in sight in front and behind you, usually several individuals or small groups, evenly spaced toward the horizons. (The lack of trees may have contributed to the visibility, now I come to think of it).
And so we get back to the sense of "nowhere". They had a lot of that in North Spain.
thought provoking
Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor Posted Jan 24, 2018
Wow. Sounds like a memorable adventure.
I knew a monk who used to make the pilgrimage every year. He'd fly over from North Carolina to start the trek.
thought provoking
cactuscafe Posted Jan 24, 2018
Wine tasting in the morning, to be avoided, especially in 40C
I like the picture you paint, CRE, (Caiman, Raptor, Elk). (Interesting name) I feel as if I'm on that road.
So Mister D, your friend the monk flew out very year to make that pilgrimage? Now that's dedication.
I've never done an obvious pilgrimage. The walk from the carpark to our beach in the summer is kind of like a pilgrimage. And on the way back we stop in town, go to the local shop to buy a paper, water, and roasted cashews or crisps. Not obviously sacred, but special to us.
Crisps on the road.
I've seen a long straight deserted road though, like in this picture, but I can't remember where. . It was kind of dusty purple.
Where was that road?? It could have been in my Gran's viewfinder. She had slides of Arizona.
thought provoking
minorvogonpoet Posted Jan 24, 2018
Ther are bits of the pilgrim route to Santiago near our old house in France and several of the villages claim to have been stops on the route.
That confused me, because I couldn't see how the various bits met up, until I did some research and found that, in France, there were several routes. I think they meet up eventually near the frontier with Spain. So I've walked bits of at least some of the bits, as it were!
thought provoking
Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor Posted Jan 24, 2018
that you walked that road, MVP.
I checked: this road is in the Mojave National Preserve in California.
thought provoking
FWR Posted Jan 25, 2018
Riding roads to nowhere is half the fun, rather like life, it's all about the journey not the destination. I do love Californian/Nevada roads. Lovely shot and words.
thought provoking
Caiman raptor elk - Inside big box, thinking. Posted Jan 25, 2018
I am aware that there are several different ways to get to Santiago. The stretch we walked was part of the GR653 "Chemin d'Arles" route from Arles to Santiago. We started in Auch (France) and stopped at Jaca (Spain), crossing the border at the Col du Somport. The main reason for different routes to Santiago is where you start and thus where you want to cross the Pyrenees.
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thought provoking
- 1: minorvogonpoet (Jan 21, 2018)
- 2: Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor (Jan 21, 2018)
- 3: cactuscafe (Jan 22, 2018)
- 4: Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor (Jan 22, 2018)
- 5: Caiman raptor elk - Inside big box, thinking. (Jan 23, 2018)
- 6: Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor (Jan 23, 2018)
- 7: Caiman raptor elk - Inside big box, thinking. (Jan 24, 2018)
- 8: Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor (Jan 24, 2018)
- 9: cactuscafe (Jan 24, 2018)
- 10: minorvogonpoet (Jan 24, 2018)
- 11: Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor (Jan 24, 2018)
- 12: FWR (Jan 25, 2018)
- 13: Caiman raptor elk - Inside big box, thinking. (Jan 25, 2018)
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