May 4, 2026. The wind Greg predicted came yesterday afternoon. Not quite as intense as forecast but strong enough that I packed up camp. I still have one eye on the truck camper occupying the spot I can't wait to get. The moment he starts rolling out I'm moving.
Three California Condors circled the canyon directly in front of us for about five minutes yesterday. The largest bird in North America. You could hear the air whizzing as they cut through it on each pass. The scale was wrong at first in a way I couldn't place, and then I understood what I was looking at. Incredible to watch.
My files have been transferring to the new drive all day and overnight. Woke up to 30% complete. The Arizona Strip coats everything in a fine layer of dust within the hour. You don't see it in the air but you feel it on every surface. The enemy of electronics. Everything stays covered when not in use.
I'm becoming clearer that I need to make more talking head videos. Just me, the camera, a specific topic. In some ways these are the easiest videos to make. In others they're the hardest. There's what I'd call a vulnerability hangover afterward, a path of rumination about what I should have said or said better. But that discomfort is probably exactly why they're worth making. The drone footage of these places comes easily. Speaking my heart into the camera is much harder. I'm having to gently force myself to interpret the nervousness as a good sign.
I've been looking at myself this way more broadly. I seem to be completely over any struggle with my phone and the nicotine vape. Both just stopped. With both, I noticed the action had no intention behind it. It was mindless, and I had to take back control. The larger question I keep coming back to: what are the things I'm doing that are actually ways of avoiding the harder thing? That compulsion to share my experience directly, however uncomfortable, is worth paying attention to.
The water in my jugs right now is noticeably better than what I had before. Primo water station at Walmart, 54 cents a gallon. I've developed strong preferences about water. Metal drinking containers over plastic too. Probably psychological, maybe something subtle about scent and taste. Either way it's real.
It's going to heat up by the end of the week, mid 90s by some accounts. Too hot for this spot. More wind tonight too. We may choose another adventure, but we can't stray too far. The North Rim opens May 15 and we need to stay in the area. For now though: a couple of friends for morning coffee and an evening fire, spectacular scenery, no overhead aircraft. Just the condors. This couldn't be better.