"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

"A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step"

Some journeys you think aren't meant to be. Than a change in your plans, life deals her cards and your meant to face her challenges as you navigate. For me I knew I wanted to get out and visit here but a pandemic of all things felt like it had its grips on everything going on in life. While we are all faced to deal with this new threat in our own ways, we took refuge in each other and tried to get by with the rules that our overseer's came up with for our well being. We were stuck in isolation for months on end in what seemed like a never ending time of panic. Now with all this slowly going away in my state, we entered into phase 4 of the safety plan and things seemed to be getting better. That's when I was able to make a get away after facing the scars the drama put on me. I had the bruises on my arms at the first step of this fun little journey but i didn't let that get me down at all.

The first day started with me sitting on my porch listening to my music on a speaker while heavily chain-smoking cigarettes and just listening to fireworks pop off in the distance at the onset of what was shaping up to be a gorgeous holiday weekend. Things are going good for me at this point and everything that I left behind me wasn't even worth going back too. I have a few concessions to make about that last point. I actually had a lot to go back too. A loving mom, a signed limited edition vinyl box set, a replacement charger for my recently deco-med laptop. And a edited copy of my novel that I got with print on demand services. But even with all those seemingly good things I was not in a hurry to leave little slice of an adventure behind me. But then I ran out of smokes and things seemed really limited in what I wanted to do of value while I was visiting. The internet then went out so all those playlists I was discovering and listening to while my was out at work went away pretty fast. That's when I got bored. But I realized I had no reason to be because everything was going just fine. I was getting alot of free food and was feeling pretty healthy. But on Friday I got sad and felt like coffee was the only thing I really needed to get me going. We went too a few pretty cool spots that we got some really good pictures from and since this part is meant to be a travel log I'll get to that soon

But right now I wanna talk about our Lord and savior Je'-sus Christ. And the Bible of all things. Because a lot of people claim faith and God but how many actually take the time to read the gospels? The OT? Live by righteousness and say many things about their God during the day and night. And His works I doth meditate on day and night. Even while I'm so far from home in a slightly unfamiliar place. And this all started in January. There in my version of the good book was a portion where you could follow days to read the scriptures and finish the whole thing in a year's time. So I began on Mathew and genises. As of the time writing this on my email cause I don't have a notepad, I'm on Psalms and Romans. I've read my fair portion and found the spirit of things I think are fair in there. I'd go as far too say that there is a great pride in all his wonderous. Works. And there are quite a few words that I took to reading that seemed very old timey and unrelatable in this day and age that seem like don't fit the vernacular lol lmao lmk omg.

There was some strange things happening around me, like a picture I took with a blue orb in it that I saw as Mana from heaven. Then I was feeling hacked as my phone was sending out random texts and calls on my behalf without me consiously aware of it. But it was a good thing because a pocket dial let me have a conversation with my brother and also my friend and rapper Isaiah. To which he wanted my address so I'm to assume he wants to send me some gifts. I'm hoping he sends me moldivite or a little cassette with his cosmic rose music with some unheared tracks.

But to get back on track my Bible reading had only strengthened my faith. And may have been spured on in part by a rainbow and a comment from my mom's twin, my aunt Jeanette. She simply wrote "gods promise" on a picture of a rainbow that I had posted onto social media

That got me thinking that a rainbow was gods covenant between him and man. Either a covenant for his mercy and loving kindness, or to never flood the earth again as he did in the times of Noah. And also my dreams I believe in part are spirits coming to me on behalf of my Lord to warn me of things like wickedness and to follow him. A dream can be interpreted but in this stage in my life I'm begining to believe they may be guiding me in a very highly spiritual way.i had dreams that I was in a terrible bar fight with club bouncers after minding my own business. Then a dream of a bow and an arrow that the wicked may privily shoot at the upright in heart. The very next day I was in a terrible situation where I was minding my own business then was bullied and had baskets flung at my head that felt like a punch in the head. While I was making the man tea mind you. And a terrible fight ensued for the sake of me standing up for myself. Nonethe less I felt dupped. Like if the foundation is destroyed what would be left? The answer to that, my friend, is faith in the Lord. Even so the house was destroyed and my mom almost flung an agitated boyfriend into his casket with a frying pan. The whole thing was toxic. He made it quite clear that he wanted to be provoked so he can "go to jail" he "wanted to". Domestic violence aside I think the dream was to show me that no matter how much you can chose to forgive and be there for somebody, if there wicked, they speak loftily about condemnation and have fat eyes. He sure did shoot his arrow but someday my bow will fail me. If ever there was a day my friend this day was it. So I left the house and my dad picked me up and my mom was left to clean up the most destructive mess I've ever seen in that house hold to date. The broken glass coffee table takes second to it. Not a good time either that day was. Imagine being yelled at in your own home to clean up broken scattered shards of glass that some crackhead decided to break in your own living room. Not even nicley either he did it and said to me "Ryan get the fuck out here to fucking clean this shit up!" And that horrible time came in second place to this drama show. That aside can you see why I'm great full to get away for the time being. I'm truly having a fun time too.

Apparently it is an indignity to shave your b. Or to round your head. That's why, I'm assuming, alot of Jews I see have those thick curly beards. It's in their religion. It says that in the Bible next to where you shall not sacrifice blood to a false God. So be it. I recently shaved the edges of my beard and took a bath so I'd say it may have been an indignity. But other than that I'm doing fine. Not m. For the Sabbath. But Sabbath for the man. It's up to the son of man to Lord over that blessed day. So be it. Though thee hast sore broken us in the place if dragons. Our belly is cleaven unto the earth. Arise o Lord. So be it.

Let's get back on topic shall we? Adventure. This is why I'm here. To be playful in this game of life we all seem to be stuck in. And to enjoy it to the best of my capability. To that extent this place is a great place for it. Delaware water gap has great recreation trails for exploring and getting in touch with nature to have a refresh from whatever may be plauging you. Weather it be drama or an actual plauge of sorts. So nature therapy in that regard is relaxing and enjoyable to a great measure. Being that I'm so tired of my town half the time it's irrelevant when I'm here. When I'm near the stones and bowing down to the Lord in the wilderness I shall bear the fruit with me of that which has fallen into good ground. A trail blaazing misfit lunatic. That's what it's like here. When your worry's melt into nothing and fade with the green  encompassing you round about. Where the Rivers meet stones and bridges are made from fallen trees. Where a companion becomes a friend and the world becomes your foothill. Where the everyday stresses melt away into a captured photograph where the beauty of nature can be seen and shared by all. It's a bit deep to say all that about a measly hiking trail? I think not. It's like we humans are meant to be around green stuff and enjoy the smells of mountain air. It's all worth it in my book!

So I'll take it on in pieces. Or parts. The first trip was a day with my sisters landlord Kevin. Who took me on a scouting expedition to seek out some spots that might be worth going to on everyone's day off. I'd say this was a successful trip.we got to a bunch of different possible locals for a day out. Also he told me about some of the history of the area that we were in along with some interesting stories of his own misadventures and run ins with park rangers. We started by heading to Tom's Creek so we can use the rest area to relieve ourselfs. On the info board there was a story about how it's called little Egypt according to the story of Joseph and his brothers journey to Egypt in the OT. So I was just telling Kevin how I recently read that passage in Genisus. And about Pharos dream where Egypt would be cursed with a seven year plauge. And about how Jacob was the only man of God who was able to interpret dreams and how he told him to harvest the crops to save Egypt from the seven year plauge. And how there Jacob sold much of his harvest. And that's why Joseph and his brothers made the journey too Egypt.because their father told them to go to the stores there so they don't die. And that's what I found very fascinating about little Egypt or Tom's Creek. But Kevin was telling me all about how the land there wasent even owned by the state, and it was all federal. And how they wanted to buildd a dam to power the city and long island but did not go through with it. He spoke of how everything in that area would've underwater if they went along with this plan. Also about 100 year leases with farmers in the area who had crops and farmstands. And how when the lease was up they were forced off the land. Not to mention the not so great history of the native Americans in the area who were given blankets with smallpox in them and how that all went. We went to three or four different spots that day. The first one was this waterfall I never got out of the truck to see. Because so many tourist come to the area the parking lot was full of people with out of state plates. Florida, New Yorkers, New Jersey. So we didn't stop. That place was up the side of the mountain a little and up away on the side. So we went to another spot. A beach by a lake in a valley. There he pulled to the side so I could get out and have a peak at the beach. I walked up wearing my mask because it was a little crowded but not too crowded. It was a nice spot. The only caveat is that you have to pay somewhere around 7 dollars to park there and stay for a while. Same with party beach. So then we went to the wagon trail. Old timers call it that because it's where the old farmers used to take their wagons and then cross over the river to the other side. Kevin showed me some cool things there like an old well dug hudreds of years ago and an old cannon on the side of the valley aimed to the other side of the river. It was a cool trail we took the truck through. Jamie's car wouldn't have made it there so he warned me if I took the girls there to take batjacks ride. After wagon trail was party beach next to zion church and a graveyard. The church was refashioned into an office of design that is hardly used by anyone. After that we took to go home and got to talking about politics. First things first I don't know all that much about how are countries run and I know alot of people have different opinions of how things should be done. We got to talking about how these buisneses are Korean run because they get granted money when they move here. Kevin's ex military from Korea so he seemed upset about that. Not as upset about how their ruining the state parks although. On the sign by the booth it said that the feds were putting 111million dollars into this area and 10billion in all the parks. Don't quote me on those numbers but it was something absurd. And he said, what's all that money going to a parking lot? Which I agreed with and suggested all the money is probably going into the pockets of a wicked few corrupt politicians or senators or something. Which he did not really have an opinion on. But most of my opinions politically are just repurposed quotes or ideas I hear from podcasts. Which alot of people have a hard time seeing where these ideas spawn from. So we made it home and I ate a 索 and sharted and took a shower and waited for Jamie to come home. That was one adventure. I supposedly was supposed to help him at home Depot but he had doctors early that day and got everything done before he got around to taking me out.

The second time out was a journey with my sis to find a trail and enjoy the day before sunset. That day I remember sitting through traffic alot because they were doing road work. Luckily we hit the side road where Kevin took me home so I told her to turn onto it so we didn't sit in traffic jams forever. That lead us to a nice neighborhood and a trail called hidden lake which was very fun indeed. There was a lot at the end of it where the lake was and I observed two people fishing on it. We decided to walk back down the road where we came in to find that trail we saw. On the trail I caught a nice close up picture of a frog that I had almost stepped on. That was a cool trail. There are these large boundaries of rocks along the woods that we decided was put there to divide land. In my mind I was just wondering if it was some type of alter used by settlers. Idk. The frog was cool. After hidden lake we took off over to Tom's Creek and got into all sort mischief there. There was a sign for bears so I was a little on eddge but enjoyed the scenery still. Gorgeous river with stones all by it and a nice wide walking path. Nature therapy and like I said brings alot of peace and serenity with it. We dumped out some empty water bottles we had left in the car and took off down the road to hunt for some dinner. We had Chick-fil-A that night. They have the absolute best chicken sandwiches I've ever seen

So the next thing I wanna write about is the day we set aside to go hiking with our good friend Jackie. We took off after dropping her car off and went to this really nice spot. The hiking trail was a road that was blocked off that was wide with two lanes and had a few other hikers on it along with us. The best part was dipping off to the side road where you could go down by the river and enjoy it up close. We saw these natural rock formations in the middle there and hoped along it while taking pictures of the scenery. It was a fun day. That was on a Thursday and afterwards we went to hunt for something to eat. We had Chick-fil-A that night. Didn't I tell you they had good chicken?