Chapter 16: Wyoming

Dave sat on a rather simple but sturdy wooden rail fence. Behind him about thirty feet his loaded motorcycle was parked. What filled his field of view beyond the fenced meadow were the Grand Teton Mountains from far on his left to far on his right.

Dave chuckled to himself. “Here I am, a man with intense sexuality, staring at the mountains named for three tits or teats by French trappers two-hundred years prior. He visually shifted his view to each of the peaks, the tallest nearly 14,000 feet tall.

Far in the distance, across the huge meadow, he saw a German shepherd trot across the field. His mind argued briefly and he conceded that the animal was a single wolf and not a domesticated canine. The wolf looked in his direction and paused in its travels, assessing the risk. Deciding there was none, it continued on across the meadow, disappearing into a small copse of trees to Dave’s left.

Dave identified with the wolf. He also compared the wolf to the attributes the Circle represented. The wolf was intelligent yet independent, with a strong survival instinct. The wolf was always courageous, willing to face any adversity that came its way. The wolf was a leader, in front of the rest of society. The wolf trusted its gut feel, especially for danger; thus, the wolf also represented wisdom that few others had.

Wolves are intensely loyal to each other and to the pack, yet they are free to roam. They are very social creatures. They do what they can to support the good relationships within the pack. The wolf is aware of its inner being – its spiritual connection with the Universe. The wolf is discerning yet willing to address emotional challenges.

Lastly, Dave recalled that the totem wolf is highly sexual and desires intimacy, yet also values freedom and independence. The balancing act was a constant duty of the wolf. He’d even been born under the Wolf totem in the month of March.

He thought about how most of the words he recalled about his totem also applied to the Circle – the members of the Circle and how they behaved with one another. He knew that Dakota would understand. In their discussions, she was unusually aware of the traits that underpinned the ethos of the Circle and also in touch with the spiritual ways of most Native Americans.

Dave periodically inhaled the rare mountain air. The late morning was clear and crisp, and the air empowering and energy laden. He strolled back to his bike and got on, adjusting the helmet on his head, zipping up his windbreaker, and donning some light gloves.

He continued to slowly meander until within the hour he pulled into Colter Village on the shores of Jackson Lake. The backdrop continued to be the Grand Tetons plus a billion trees. Dave also noted the various signs warning about bears and food storage.

Colter Village was a very campy-RVsy-vacation-family sort of place. He was one of the few single people in the vicinity. He found the lodge office and checked in, getting a room in the log cabin-type structure. He unloaded his bike, and then walked to the restaurant for lunch. Thinking of camping out, he recalled his simple mantra when he thought about this part of the trip: ‘I don’t do bears’.

After lunch Dave walked around the edge of Jackson Lake. The whole area was a subset of the Jackson Hole ski area a few miles away. Anything else in this corner of the state consisted of Yellowstone National Park just to the north.

After walking around, he decided he’d do an afternoon run. The temperature was mild, there was a light wind, and he hadn’t exercised for days except for the enthusiastic sex he’d shared with Dakota and Bree in Colorado.

Twenty minutes later, he started out on a run of indeterminant length. He trotted around the various lanes for the campground sites, taking in the sights of various families and their camping situations. There was about every possible combination from a simple two-person tent to a forty-foot recreational vehicle that looked similar to the luxury vehicle his mother and step-father had bought. He’d soon be meeting them in Montana.

After traversing all the roads in the Colter Village area, he went out on the main road and ran along the shoulder. Traffic was very light, so he was able to run on the asphalt road most of the time.

By the time he went out and returned, he figured he’d gone over twelve miles. The run rejuvenated him, and also reminded him that he needed to run more often to keep the rest of his body in shape.

Dave found a patch of grass near the lodge and used that to do some further exercises such as push-ups, sit ups, and the like. He was hot and sweaty when he finished.

Dave had seen a stretch of beach on his trip through the campground. He walked there, stripped down to his athletic shorts and then dove into the water. His swim was very short. The water was icy cold. As he got out, he was laughing; he speculated that someone could die of hypothermia in water that cold after only a few more minutes.

Two young women were sitting on some large rocks watching him as he emerged from the brief swim: one was a blonde, the other a brunette. The brunette said, “That was daring. You’re my favorite shade of blue.”

Dave looked down at his chest and legs; both were more pink than blue. He smiled at the two, “Pink, perhaps. Another ten degrees colder and I would be blue, and any longer I’d be an ice cube.”

The blonde said, “We saw you running out on the highway. You were going pretty fast, at least compared to our usual pace.”

“I was burning off some excesses over the past two weeks.”

“What excesses? What do you mean?”

Dave chuckled and thought of the various diversions since his concert in Albuquerque. He decided to be a little teasing, “I made a couple of new friends and wanted to spend time with them rather than exercising. We ate, drank, and cavorted for the past two weeks.”

“Are they here or are you alone?” the blonde asked.

“The two women are headed back to Albuquerque on their way to Sarasota, Florida; so, yes, I’m alone. How about your two? From here?”

The brunette volunteered, “We’re here from Seattle. We work together on the staff of some trade magazines. Mostly, they’re aimed at high end real estate spenders in the surrounding area, but they’re community based.” She paused and asked, “What do you do?”

Dave had a rehearsed line to give out for that exact question without revealing his rising star status. “I’m tied in with a band and we do special gigs around the country. I make enough to keep the wolves from the door.” His comment made him remember the wolf he’d seen that morning.

“You do anything in Seattle? Might we have heard of you?”

“Not yet. I doubt you’ve heard of me, but we do have something coming up there in three weeks. I have to talk to my agent to get more specifics – the location and so on. There are others that often join us for our gigs including a whole band.”

The brunette said, “If we gave you our emails would you send us information about where and when you’re going to be performing. We’d show up, if for no other reason than to pay homage to another person that loves the mountains.” She gestured at the peaks on the other side of the lake.

Dave shifted the conversation, “I had a spiritual experience this morning just sitting and looking at the Grand Tetons. I think they’re the most majestic mountains I’ve ever seen, certainly on this continent.”

“Oh, we did, too. We hiked around one of the lakes this morning – about a seven-hour loop. It gave us the same kind of metaphysical experience. Even as we speak, we’re sort of decompressing from that.”

The blonde asked, “You camping, in an RV, or in the lodge?”

“In the lodge. I don’t do bears. I don’t even want to think about them being a threat, but all the signs around here sure remind you that they are unpredictable critters.”

“We’re in the lodge, too. We’ll walk back with you if your headed that way?”

“Sure.” Dave pulled his running shoes on his feet and just carried his t-shirt. The shirt was one from his concert in Dallas, but neither girl noticed.

When they got to the lodge, Dave draped the wet shirt over the handlebars of his motorcycle. He commented, “These are my wheels. It’ll dry faster out here in the sun.”

The blonde asked, “I forgot to ask what kind of music do you sing?”

Dave responded, “Usually country, but we do some of popular songs, too; unless they get into rap, punk, or grunge. We like ballads and love songs, but also jazzy stuff that people can dance to.”

Brunette said, “There’s a dance after dinner at the main lodge. Would you join us, please? We’d love your company and you’re alone, too.”

Dave shrugged, “Sure, sounds like fun. I’m Dave by the way.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. We’re Lucy Stetson and Naomi Clark.” She pointed at herself and then her blonde friend.

Dave headed for the door to his room. “I’ll meet you here at six p.m. for dinner, if that suits you?”

“Yes, perfect. FYI, the food here is great and they mix a generous cocktail. We were here last night, too.”

After a shower and an hour practicing on his travel guitar, Dave met Naomi and Lucy in front of their room in the row at the lodge and the three went to dinner.

Drinks and inner gave them all a chance to assess one another. Dave chose to be purposefully evasive about his new singing career and rising stardom.