Journal and Photo update - June 4th

           This past week I read an article that explained in depth how we humans tend to sleep with only half our brains resting at a time when sleeping in a new environment for the first time, and how it impacts our health. Survival mode. This really got me thinking about how this relates to my journey. Very rarely do I spend more than 1 night in any given location before getting back on the path in search of the next image. The shell, my van, always remains the same, but the surroundings are always different. A wooded pull-off here, a Fred Meyers parking lot there, a rest stop, a camp spot, a Walmart, a small town street. The sleepscape is always changing and I'm consistently adapting to a new location nearly every night. It certainly makes some nights easier to rest than others. I couldn't tell you how many mornings I have awoken and forced to figure out what state I was in. So much movement becomes overload for the memory.

          Recently, I have been conducting an inventory on my mental health, the world around me, and how I approach life. Learning to slow down while on the road is difficult when you see a path of endless possibilities ahead, but it is needed for a marathon such as this. I often tell people I am not one of those "van life" people but simply a photographer using a van as a vessel for my project. I don't care much for trying to sell some lifestyle of living on the road. For me, living in a van is simply part of the process while trying to document the country. It is not what defines me, but one of many tools on my journey.

      I have been practicing the art of shutting up. I have been working towards controlling my opinions and not giving my input towards every issue or topic that grazes my social timeline. Instead, learning patience in my thoughts and allowing the world to breathe around me. Screaming my opinion around the internet like a heated scholar isn't going to do anything for the situations at the heart of my fever. Instead, I have been doing my best to listen, absorb, and focus those intentions towards my being. After all, if we want to change, that change has to start within us before we can project towards others those intentions. 

     I have been stepping back and evaluating everything around me. The world, I feel, is consistently becoming over-processed. From the food we eat to the way we consume social media, we are being filled with tons of unneeded ingredients that only preserve the product we consume and offer little benefit for us in return. We consume more and more, often never giving a second thought to what we are putting in our minds and bodies, and how they are being impacted. Instead, they simply fill the immediate need for satisfaction.

I have been making small steps to correct both of those issues in my life.

      This past week, after chasing sunrises and sunsets on the southern Oregon coast, I made my way up to Pacific City to visit a fellow photographer, Ben Moon. We connected on many levels, from living in a van with a dog to photography and more. It was nice to be surrounded by him, his girlfriend, and other people that understand the path I am on from a ground-level experience.  We all share the same passions and it was nice to sit down and talk shop about topics that interest us. Above that, I slept about 16 hours a day in his parking lot, related, sure, to the topic I opened this post with. I had landed in a location where my brain knew I was safe. My body shut down for a few days allowing itself to rest. I felt guilty just sleeping the days away instead of spending more time socializing, but Ben understood. After all, he had been there himself for many years. Between slumber and talks, I spent a few hours chasing light for photographs, Freedom in tow. It was all very relaxing and much needed.

        From there, I made my way north. I drove to Astoria, Oregon, the most northwestern town in the state before reaching Washington. With very limited options on boondocking spots along the way, I eventually found myself crossing over the Columbia River, into Washington state, and sleeping at a rest stop on the water for a couple of nights. From there, I made my way north to Seattle for a couple of days. A friend from Atlanta is currently house-sitting a beautiful home just minutes from downtown and it was a great excuse to see them, get out of the van, into a home, and hone in on some work. It is really difficult to get into "office mode" while spending so much time in a van that serves as a space for every other need in your private life. Having a desk, stable wifi and a large window is nice and will help me focus. I will be here for a few days organizing photographs, editing, writing, and more before making my way back south into Oregon to backtrack down the coast (I love the coast). From there, I will be diving deeper into the guts of the state to finish my photography work there. 

Here are a few images from the last week

love yall,

Ryan

(Cape Blanco Lighthouse)

(1/8000 second exposure of sunset over the Pacific Ocean)

(Heceta Head Lighthouse)

(Sunset over 3 Arches Rock)

(Family roasting marshmellows at a fire pit - Pacific City)

(Sunset over the Pacific Ocean)

(Sunset reflecting in the tide pull along Cape Lookout State Park)

(Pacific City beach)

(misspelled sign - TOO not TO)

(Ben Moon)

(Man buried in sand as child runs behind - Cannon Beach)

(Highway 101 overlooking) 

("Indigenous Genocide is Ongoing" spray painted on rock wall)

(Rest stop sleep spot along Columbia river)