Pilgrimadge West ... Chapter 3

I think God, Spirit, the Mystery, whatever you want to call it lives in the turquoise waters of Alley Spring. I was on my way to the Current River when I came upon a huge line of traffic stopped in the middle of Hwy 60. I waited for about 10 minutes. I looked at a map and realized that I could go around it (the long way). It was a fortuitous detour because I saw some of the most beautiful country. The detour took me right by Alley Spring and its working mill. Just gorgeous. I'll post pictures soon. I was on my way to spend a great 4 days with my friend, Liz in Fremont, MO on her chicken and organic vegetable farm. She has built a berm and lives there with her 2 kids, 11 cats, 1 dog, gazillion chickens and rabbits, and other various wildlife. We met 4 years or so ago in the middle of the Current River. We're sort of kindred spirits. She raises moving pen chickens, very cool. It was a new moon in Cancer and we did all that "homey" stuff like cooking, canning green beans, picking blackberries, it was great fun! I met her friend, Jan, a painter and the three of us had a great time. Liz and I floated 2 sections of the Current River: Weymeyer to Van Buren, and Van Buren to Big Spring. Really beautiful. The spoonbill fish were at Weymeyer or close to it and they were gorgeous just swimming really slowly around. I swear some were as long as my boat. Since the Current is so clear, you can see everything at the bottom. I think that experience was to show me what one of my earlier life choices could have been like. I'm a little envious, I gotta say. It was very restorative and I appreciate her friendship and the time there.