Desert Messenger

September 17, 2014 www.DesertMessenger.com 11 Traveling with Gypsy Jane by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) TRAVELING WITH GAY A-BANDON.....Bandon, Oregon I drove a full 20 miles from Coos Bay today before stopping in Bandon, Or- egon. I wrote my hiker friend that he walks further in a day than I drive. Dur- ing my almost three years of travel, I've had a destination and headed straight for it, not stopping a lot to take advan- tage of things along the way. I've missed A LOT of stuff. Now I'm determined to change that, just meandering along, seeing what life places in my path. So now that I'm just "slack-pack- SEE GYPSY PAGE 16 1265 W. Main St., Quartzsite West of McDonald's • 928-927-6014 Times Three Family Restaurant FREE BREAKFAST ! WOW! We are opening Wed. October 1 st To celebrate, we're serving a FREE BREAKFAST from 6am-11am Oct. 1 st plus Free Coffee! OPEN DAILY 6am-8pm 7 Days a Week! notice - notice - notice Sara and her crew will be in the kitchen! Cena and her staff will be serving you! I look forward to seeing all you folks again soon! ~ Carl Free Breakfast Choices: 1) Pancake & Bacon or 1 Egg 2) Biscuit & Gravy 3) French Toast & Bacon or 1 Egg Call Bud 928-583-3905 bUD'S Desert HANDYMAN Services Residential & RV Services Services FREE ESTIMATES! All Work Guaranteed! Plumbing Electrical Carpentry Yard & More! Not a licensed contractor Quartzsite Business Licensed ing" along in my camper, I decided to take the scenic loop out of Bandon and stopped at Coquille Point, my fi rst real view of the ocean this trip. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day: sunny and warm after a very cold night. And I couldn't have found a more beautiful place by the ocean. Sea birds circled the spectacular rock formations off shore; some rocks like small mountains; oth- ers like stalagmites pointing to the sky. I needed the exercise, so I walked for about an hour along the cliff and then back along the beach. Oh! Oh! Oh! That feeling of bliss is returning. From atop the cliff, I saw what looked like very large, stuffed sausages lying on a huge rock about 50 feet from shore. What where they? From that distance they didn't appear to be moving. I con- tinued walking along the cliff, enjoying the fresh ocean air and the spectacu- lar rock formations close to shore. The paved path ended in steep stairs to the beach; a nice round-trip loop, I thought. When I got closer to the rock, I could see that the plump sausages were seals. The rock was overpopulated to say the least, like sardines in a can. Every once in a while a seal would move a part of its body while staying in the same spot. I watched one seal advance from the wa- ter up the slanted rock face. It was tough going. It would lift itself off the ground a bit with its fl ippers and surge forward a few inches. I wondered if those rough rocks hurt its tender belly. The seals were fascinating, and I sat on a rock a long time, watching them. The ocean was very busy today, not making big waves, but many, many small, active ones. I thought about what my life teacher said about how we think

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