I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."

The reason I love living in Arizona the most...the ability to be outdoors 365 days a year. I love the smell of fresh air, the glory of the sun, the strength of the mountains, the beauty of the landscape where the desert meets the pine trees. When it gets to hot in the valley, another world awaits you a couple hours to the north. Flagstaff is filled with pine and hundreds of miles of Mt. bike trails, payson has the majestic Mogollon Rim which is home to my favorite spot in az, Bear Lake, and way up north you can discover pinetop and the surrounding peaks and valleys , which is home to the White Mts, Los Burros Trail, and Sunrise ski and mt bike resort. I think there are only a few places I could live in the U.S besides Az... Oregon, Colorado, and Montana (and newport, ri)

When I first discovered i would be in Akita, I was happy to see that Akita has an abundance of nature and outdoor activities. Since I have been here, I have been itching to discover these places, Lake Tazawa, Oga Peninsula, Mt Chokai. Without a car, this adventure has been postponed until this past weekend. I call the past few days, my week of nature and happiness.

Last thursday I had the chance to go kayaking up north with some friends, the day was cold, rainy and gray, and I couldn't have been happier to be in the ocean on a kayak. The landscape looked like a Bob Ross painting , a cloudy mist hungover the lush green hills. The color of the ocean was a mix between turquoise and dark blue. The contrasting colors between the ocean, trees, and clouds was magnificent. There was about eight of us, in full wetsuits , kayaking together in perfect harmony. Kayaking is one of my favorite activities at home... I have three distinct memories of kayaking

In Maine: Ocean kayaking to a deserted island with wild buffalo, camping for the night and sleeping under the stars

In Newport: Ocean kayaking/surfing with Monge riding the waves into Baileys Beach

In Akita: Ocean kayaking to a small rocky beach, jumping of rocks into the ocean.

Now it was a cold , cold, day and after an hour or two in the ocean, we followed it up with an onsen. An onsen is a public bath/hot spring which rejuvenates the body, mind, and soul. This was my first time at an onsen and the setting could not have been more perfect.

Over the weekend, I went to Lake Tazawa for a camping trip with the other ALT s in Akita. Now when I camp, I have to camp right! Good food, great beer, even better people. We picked up some becks beer, jack daniels, brats, kettle cooked chips, and veggies. My town has a foreign foods store, so the comforts of home are not too far away. Luckily i also had my warm clothes, because it is starting to get real cold, real fast. The camping crowd was good, drinks were flowing, smiles were abundant, we were getting rugged baby! There was even a late night jam session with Paul and Joni Mitchell and an even later night swim in the ice cold lake! Cant be near water without going in... Except for the early birds waking me up at 6am and Bens alarm from hell waking me up again at 8am it was a fabulous night. Sunday, I got to hike up a nearby mt, make new friends , and prep myself for my hike up Chokai in a week. I had never quite hiked in a setting like the one Sunday, there is so much green here, I am mesmerized each time i look at it. This hike might crack the top three hikes I ve taken all time...

Appalachian Trail (my favorite)

Escualido mt

Spur Cross trail

And what better way to end a rugged outdoor weekend....Mexican food in Japan! Chips, guac, and burritos

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. "