The Church of the Open Road Press: 2022: THE CHURCH OF THE OPEN ROAD’S YEAR IN REVIEW

Thursday, December 29, 2022

2022: THE CHURCH OF THE OPEN ROAD’S YEAR IN REVIEW

Pandemic in the rearview mirror? Maybe. Maybe not.

Let’s start with a view of Northern California’s queen…

…and a Siskiyou County winter scene.

Here’s a reminder that the (one and only one) good thing about a prolonged drought is that you can ride year round.

A February trip to the Mendocino/Sonoma Coast…

…to spot some passing whales.

A month-of-March fog slips across the Sonoma Coastal prairie.

Austin Creek redwoods rebound after last year’s fires.

Late March and still no rain.

An April visitor.

A visit to the remote reaches of the Eel…

…where nameless roads must lead somewhere.

Photo-shout-out to the people of Ukraine.

The coast being so near, we visit often. This here’s Point Arena.

Project!

Final visit to a dear friend’s home.

Curious visitor on the Hood Canal…

…this Hood Canal

Edward recuperates. (He’s such a good boy.)

Grand Moto Guzzi experience! Piaggio invited twenty riders to try out the Moto Guzzi V85 TT Adventure tourer. The bike does not disappoint

Remnant at Bodie.

Bixby Bridge near Big Sur.

Toward Humbug Summit… …after.

The Church of the Open Road publishes a book! (Twenty bucks! See your local, independent book retailer.)

Artsy-fartsy foliage in the ‘hood.

Best read of 2022 (outside of my own book ~ see above): George Saunders is such an accomplished ~ yet new to me ~ author. In Lincoln in the Bardo Saunders mixes historic renderings of the awful period after Lincoln’s son’s death, with the musing of those ghosts who live in the cemetery, existing somewhere between here and the afterlife. Having early in January of ’22 been diagnosed with pretty advanced prostate cancer ~ cancer so often synonymous with ‘Oh crap! I’m gonna die!’~ I was quite taken by this historo-fantasy.

Immediately upon finishing it, I decided to pick it up again just to see how Saunders did what he did in this Mann Booker Prize winner. Once I got into the rhythm of his prose, this became a fabulous read. [News flash! Six months after completing radiation my December PSA test showed the prostate back well within normal range.]

Shots of the Year:

Historic Blast from the Past: The ’71 Super Beetle ~ so many adventures!

Best photo from someone else: The spiraling stairs of the Point Arena Lighthouse. Thanks, Brother Tim! (The discerning eye will note me climbing down.)