bozeman to missoula

got a ride after about five hours to missoula. tried to catch another ride from there, but the light ran out. talked to a guy smoking on his porch and asked about a place to stay. he suggested checking out the poverello center or trying to meet people at a bar. he gave me five bucks for a drink!
i ended up staying at the poverello center. i met some really nice people! one woman with a fantastic vibe said she had walked about 7000 miles this year! there were thirty people sleeping in the room where i took a top bunk. i forgot to get my earplugs out of one of the bags stored in an office and had a somewhat restless night.
each day the folks staying at this center are required to do a chore. i was pleased with this arrangement. there were so many hands in the morning that it was hard to find something for me to do. i was given a staircase to sweep.

bozeman snowman

found this image on a cool website whe i searched 'bozeman snowman'.

snow was falling the morning after i arrived in bozeman. so peaceful and quiet, i watched it out the big window from the cozy living room. after a leizurely breakfast i rode to the community food coop with ross, the other couchsurfer staying with our bozeman hosts. by the time we got to the store it had stopped snowing, and by the time we got back to the house it was starting to clear up a bit.
that afternoon we went for a walk in a little wetland area nearby. our host, kristina, showed us little places and things she liked about this place, like a spot where the sun illuminates the golden leaves of a stand of trees just right in the late afternoon. this was a special time of communing with each other and nature. we cooked a meal together in the evening and all sat together at the round table.
after dinner ross entertained us with his guitar and singing. i played a few songs too and worked on patching my trusty wool pants.

the next day the fog rolled in again. we hiked up into it in the afternoon, slowly making our way up to the 'M' on the hillside. this was our second experience of communion with creation. we got into a good discussion of spirituality on the way down. kristina says she is atheist, but lives as if she knows god.
the third couchsurfer, kia, was at the house when we returned. she was a perfectly complementary addition to our little group. we were four around the table again that evening, as she took the place of kristina's father. so nice to share meals! i sang the blessing song "for the golden corn...".

on this second day there was an important event i'd like to note. kristina's father had a talk with me about his needs regarding the couchsurfing arrangement. his needs differ a little from kristina's and they were trying to make it work for both of them. i had only planned with them on staying one night, but kristina had invited both ross and i to stay a little longer. her father felt it would work better for him if couchsurfers could stick to the plan that was laid out before arrival. in this case he would be okay with letting us stay through friday night if we needed that. we talked about other things too. anyway it was just important to me that he brought this up in such an open way and we were able to acknowledge each other's needs. this is the kind of work that needs to go on if humanity is going to get through hard times together!

on wednesday all us kids went for a hike in the snow up to palisades falls, a short drive outside of bozeman. this kind of community activity was becoming a strong theme of my bozeman visit! in the car we listened to modest mouse on the way up, and i was in nostalgic heaven, singing along and smiling. on the way down we spun out and went off the road! it was a gentle crash though and we got right back on the road, just a little shaken up.

ross made a satisfying breakfast of egg/qionoa wraps for kia and i on thursday morning. they both took off after breakfast. i ended up staying another night. it was nice to have some more solitary time and the chance to interact with kristina one-on-one.

minneapolis to bozeman

a ride came along on craigslist that ended up working out perfectly. this guy was coming through minneapolis and going to bozeman on monday. Hoop Rider had been unsure where he might stop between minneapolis and spokane, but his intuition had guided him to look into bozeman. searching 'permaculture bozeman' showed him there was some going on there. one of the people he contacted on couchsurfing.org accepted Hoop almost immediately. when the ride came through craigslist, with room on the bike rack, it seemed meant to be.

so early this monday morning Hoop filled the remaining space in the car and the long trip began. this time he departed without the hula hoop he had been carrying since maine. he had leaned it against the front fence by the sidewalk upon arrival at this third host's place. since he was running late to a workshop that morning, and distraction of an excited dog, the hoop remained there. it was not remembered until the next morning, when Hoop went to meet a friend for breakfast. the hoop was gone, apparently found by someone who thought they could use it. it could have been a child who wanted to play with it. he hoped so.

the countryside was beautiful to view along the way to bozeman, especially after passing into montana. Hoop and the driver, a younger man passionate about the outdoors who has worked as a carpenter and white-water rafting guide, got along well and chatted off and on throughout the trip. Hoop worked on making the arm bands to match the rainbow headband he had made in chicago. he meditated in the car, which he found more challenging than in a still, quiet space. they ate in the car, Hoop sharing some food he'd brought so the driver would not have to eat crappy road food.
Hoops new friend in the driver's seat said he would like to start growing more of his food and have some chickens. he went on to explain that an older man he knows had bought some property in montana and was thinking he would try to get some young folks out there to grow food. this is another example of a new kind of partnership between property owners and young farmers! this is always exciting news to Hoop Rider.

when the trusty car rolled into bozeman it was foggy and very cold. arriving at the house of the couchsurfing host, Hoop relaxed into the joyful embrace of new old friends. there was already another couchsurfer there, who had arrived the day before. Hoop had a good feeling about these two, a kind of familiar, comforting vibe.

the things i find through people

the night i arrived there was a pumpkin carving at one of my host's friend's house. we didn't get over there in time for carving, but went anyway and had some tea. it was a nice bicycle ride too. i really love riding at night! one of the people i met there told me about a singing event that would take place on sunday called 'singing in the light'. it is one of many community sings that take place in minneapolis it turns out. i was excited, but wasn't sure i'd stick around 'til then.
my host and her friend told me about sisters camelot, where there was opportunity to volunteer during the week.

laurel, who hosted me in milwaukee, lived in minneapolis before and had some suggestions for what i might get involved in while there. on tuesday it almost worked out to join in an apple harvest with fruits of the city. the location was too far outside the city and i didn't want to ride all that way. the carpool didn't come together.
i spent some time on the community computer at cafe southside, where my host was working, and later went back to help out in the adjacent community garden, 'paradise garden'. i collected some leaves from the alley. some had already been bagged up. i made a pile and put some in a compost bin, picking trash out. i wasn't sure what to do with the two bins full of stemmy plant material... thought i better wait to speak with someone. when i saw a man who looked like he was working around the property i asked him if he was involved in the garden. he was the owner of the property and gave me a contact. he told me his realtor had recommended that the space be turned into a community garden to increase the value of the development.
the main coordinator of this garden showed up eventually and i was able to work with her on cutting up the materials to help them get started decomposing in the bins. there is just too much air space when it is all stem! it would be best to mix such materials into a pile of other, finer materials like food scraps, wood shavings, leaves, and manure. they could allowed to dry out and begin to decompose in a rough pile and then be used during the growing season, when a lot more green materials are available.
this woman was a good christian and we talked a little about jesus. i told her briefly about my experience with the twelve tribes and what i had been learning. i still don't feel totally comfortable discussing or explaining what i feel about these things. she asked if i have a bible. i didn't so she gave me her little pocket bible. this is the second bible i have been given on this trip. the last one i left in eugene. this one was of a much more manageable travel-size. so i accepted it. this kind woman also asked if there was anything in particular she could pray about for me. i told her that i wanted to be able to understand god's will in my life so that i could do his work. so if she could pray for that...
we had not made much of a dent in the pile when we both had to get going. i was off to the sharing circle event i'd been looking forward to. i was a small and powerful experience including guided meditation, dancing, and song(led by me). this was definitely a place i was destined to arrive. the woman who led facilitated gave me $5 when we were on our way out of the building. i had just been thinking how i could have asked for donations for the trip... i didn't even have to say anything!

wednesday i helped out at a garden connected to sister's camelot. these generous folks grow a lot of their herbs there, but not much of their food otherwise. i helped turn and tuck in some compost. we disturbed some very comfortable rodents who had made homes in dry pockets. this can be avoided by keeping a pile evenly mixed and moist. but then, why do we not want them around? do they do more harm than good? regardless, it is a sign of a dysfunctional compost.
the next day i went and helped out at the kitchen bus of sister's camelot and then went over to bare bones headquarters, another group laurel had told me i should check out. soon after arriving there i was helping paper mache a ghostly figure. i told the artist that it reminded me of butoh. he said he does butoh and was very happy to meet someone who was interested in it and knows folks in the seattle community. he offered to give me a place to stay if i needed it.
heard from a woman working on another project at bare bones about a community just a little east of the tri-cities called anathath. it would have been great to visit them, but i decided to keep moving forward towards washington. almost home!
at the end of the day there i ran into a very old friend named rosie from washinngton. we had known each other briefly in my teens. it was so great to be reunited! such a surprise!
i went back for just a couple hours the next day to help out a little more with crafting and meal prep.

the second person i stayed with, in NE minneapolis, is currently attending one spirit interfaith seminary school. i'd never heard of such schools before! unity among religions! finding the commonalities and cultivating acceptance for all traditions.
the daily quote on the day i looked at the site was from barbara hubbard, who is in the video on this recent post.

"In order to fulfill your higher purpose, you have to find others to join with you. You’re not going to be a conscious activist all by yourself. Instead of finding someone and joining your genes together to make a baby, you start joining your genius with that of others to bring something new into the world. … There’s an intense flash of joy that accompanies what I call the ‘fusion of genius.’ So, instead of your work being a sacrifice, it becomes a fulfillment."

then i did a google search for interspirituality. very important work i feel.

at the sharing circle on tuesday i had been told about a workshop that would be led by kaia svein. this is who i had found the sharing circle through and i really wanted to meet her. also the workshop sounded like something i should be part of... "Deepening the Practice of Inter-being with Other Peoples & Species"
so that saturday morning i got up early, packed my stuff, and moved to another host's place. she'd decided to join me to the workshop and drove us there, which was a relief since i was running late, as usual.
the workshop was wonderful. i cried during a guided meditation in which kaia read a poem about endangered species. i shared the song by joules graves, we are healing ourselves. and we learned the dandelion dance!
in the evening my kind host drove us to the bare bones performance! it had heart like cirque de soleil, but was not quite as spectacular or long of a show. i really enjoyed it anyway and loved that it was done in a park, among the trees! the live music was a really great aspect of it, and one of the coolest puppet techniques was these inflatable beasts! they rose out of big eggs and took their shapes like fat animal spirits (octopus, buffalo, and eagle).

did you know the 21st was world singing day? on this last night in minneapolis, i attended the song circle i had been told about my first night in town. it exceeded my expectations. there were about fifty of us in one big circle of chairs. all ages were represented, from the baby to the grandparents. i learned some new songs and got to share 'rainbow warriors', to which barbara contributed a wonderful piano accompaniment. the spiritual energy that soared throughout the space awed us.

"I have seen the power that music has to uplift, inspire and bring people together. In fact, I think music might just be the catalyst needed to transform this world."
-scott johnson (world singing day)

madison to minneapolis

hoop left his host's in madison around 12:30 on monday. no ride had come up on craigslist, so it was hitch-biking that would have to get him the 200+ miles to minneapolis. there had been a suggestion from mike, in milwaukee, to ride some of the beautiful countryside north and west of madison. hoop felt out that idea, but decided that it was more important to attend the hoop jam on sunday and then make the trip quickly to minneapolis to ensure that he could attend a sharing circle that was to take place tuesday evening.

the spot he chose to try hitching from was on the shoulder of a lesser highway coming out of madison just before the junction with I94. heading for minneapolis. the bicycle trail that had been hoop rider's most traveled path during this stay led most of the way there. on the way one of the bolts on the front fender of the bicycle fell out, and the chain really needed some lube, so hoop decided to stop in at revolution cycles, which is right on the trail. he bought a bolt and installed it for $3 and the nice shop keeper let him use the house lube for free!
the home of the buddhist nun, where hoop had worked on the cobb oven with periphery, was also on the way, so he decided to stop in, see the oven, and deposit a bag of kitchen scraps in the compost. the decorations on the oven turned out beautifully! a drop of water on the front and a flame on the back. chodin was happy to have some tips on composting, and hoop was glad to have a chance to connect more with this kind soul. she mentioned that she collects hoops... which hoop rider had noticed in the garage during the previous visit. they are for the children to play with.

on the side of the highway hoop waited and waited... and waited. this was one of the longest waits of his whole trip around the country. his arm and feet began to get sore, and after more than two hours he was beginning to consider options for staying another night. chodin would probably be glad to help... but just then hoop noticed a car had pulled over and was backing up behind him!
steve was on his way back from chicago and had been dealing with some car trouble that delayed him in madison. otherwise he would not be driving home at this time in the afternoon. he traveled by hitch-hiking when he was younger. he said he never offered gas money, that it seemed like an insult to the generosity of the driver.
he lives with his wife a little south of minneapolis. they have a small organic garden and want to produce more of their food some day. steve says he dreams of doing it with real horse power!
hoop rider asked if steve would be willing to partner with a young farmer, who could offer labor and knowledge of farming, in exchange for a place to live, and build a little house perhaps. many young farmers don't have land of their own, and this kind of arrangement is something hoop rider hopes will work out for him some day. steve replied, "that would be ideal."

hoops and coops

the main reason i decided to stick around madison until sunday was to attend the hoop jam at the center for conscious living. there were also other events i wanted to attend, but this was the most attractive to me. the weather, dumping rain off and on for the first half of the day, led me to stay in and spend more time with the computer. this was good, though i was getting stiff and sore from sitting so much. i had come down with a cold and i wasn't sure whether staying inside was helping me get better if i was also spending so much time in front of the screen.
so i missed the ecstatic dance, and i didn't get out in time to stop by the potluck at the place where i'd worked on the cob oven... nor to check out the mysterious exciting happening that my friend periphery had told me happens at one end of state street. but by the time i headed out the rain had settled down to the lightest drizzle and i barely got wet on the way to the hoop jam!

there i had a wonderful time and worked hard at learning to move the hoop up to rotate around my chest and shoulders. i never got it up, but made some progress. sarah sparkles and some of the others gave me tips and encouragement. it was great to be among a group of people having fun and also working hard at improving their hooping skills. these ladies are very talented and amazing! another man showed up about half way through, so i want't the only guy in the room then. i was told that the hoop has been an important part of his recovery from injuries incurred in some accidents. i am beginning to see the great healing and consciousness-enhancing powers of dancing with this simple object.

after the hoop jam i went to see if i could join the folks at lothlorien coop house, where it had been suggested to me i might be able to 'crash'. by mistake i arrived one block away at another coop, part of the same group of cooperative houses, called ambrosia. there i was welcomed and fed dinner, even though they had already finished their gathering. i then hung out in the kitchen washing dishes and chatting for a bit.
when i went over to lothlorien i found a few people in the main floor common space. with one of them i got into conversation about my travels and he asked me a bunch of questions about my experience in this 'economy of generosity'. he has been interested in this kind of travel for a while. it was nice to relate to him in this way and be able to give him some encouragement that it is quite possible and in my experience a wonderfully enriching way to live.
before i left i had another good interaction with a girl who was sitting in the library journalling. i interrupted her to say 'good evening', feeling somehow compelled to connect. i told her i was glad she had this time and space to just sit and write in silence, because we often can't find it. i said i was about to head back and do a little meditation before bed. she remarked that she had just been writing about how she wants to meditate more... and so we got into a conversation about meditation and its purpose. i decided to cut our conversation short and proposed we close it with an OM. that was nice, and with a brief handhug we said farewell.

computer time in madison

at this apartment in madison i was given unlimited access to the communal computer. this was a real gift, as i had the chance to explore some things on the web, coordinate the next leg of my trip, and work on this blog.

here are some videos i watched that you would also enjoy i think:

actually an audio broadcast,
this
piece that was put together at the bioneers conference in 2009.

this video of neale donald walsch and barbara m. hubbard in the south of france with lilou mace exemplifies the spirit of the hoop tour. i love these sweet elders.

it is said in the end of this video that, "the coming together of the hoops represents the world coming together." the world coming together...

these hula hooping videos i found through the blog of danielle, a hooper in madison who went to school with brian, my host.

sunset jam

'practice'

willy street fair

sarah sparkles