Star Thistle

Siskiyou Summit pushed the van – now named Bug-Z – to the boiling point. Just 300 vertical feet from the 4200’ pass, we pulled over to let the engine cool before making the final push. We waited in a loud and hot void between the steady crawling semis and a wall of Star Thistle as far as the eye could see in both directions. Star Thistle is a particularly hardy and aggressive plant that dominates roadsides throughout the West. It has a beautiful yellow flower that turns into a spiked star sharp enough to go through a rubber soled shoe. As the green antifreeze (green in this case, doesn't mean eco-friendly) vaporized into the atmosphere, it struck me that we chose an interesting entrance into our global tour: the van issues are kind of like a blunt instrument forcing us to slow down, get out of routine, lessen our need for control and trust that it will all work out. Sure enough, we made it over the pass and drifted red-lined into Zac’s Auto Shop in Ashland, OR. There are a sea of Vanagon corpses and a few on life support in his parking lot. Hopefully, Bug-Z will prevail. A new cooling system is on the menu. Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter.