Fairfield 18: Little Did I Know

In November (2019) I made another trip to Fairfield Iowa and the Maharishi University of Management (now Maharishi International University, its original name). This was the latest in a series of visits, the first of which I documented here. I overnighted on the journey in Champaign, Illinois, where I took this sunset photo from my hotel window.

The first several days of this two-week Fairfield sojourn were spent at The Raj, an Ayurvedic health clinic, where I received a series of treatments. One of my early reports on the Raj is here. I enjoyed and felt refreshed by my stay, more than I could achieve with the duties and distractions at home, but I was also eager to begin joining the folks doing their TM-Sidhi program in the Golden Dome.

After my time at The Raj I moved down to the campus Peace Palace, where the lower floor hosts meeting and consultation rooms, and the upper offers residential rooms to rent. After spending most of each morning practicing in the men's Golden Dome as part of the Invincible America Assembly, it would be lunchtime, and after that I would explore. Here is a campus map, only slightly out-of-date, from the university website. Click on the image to enlarge.

This first photo is of the back side of the men's Dome, and includes the solar panels.

Here's a panorama that includes the Argiro Student Center and the (relatively) new amphitheater.

The lobby of the Argiro, seen from an upper balcony.

Inside the old Student Union/Art Center, the post office boxes had been turned into an art installation.

The expansion of North Campus Village was in its final phases, adding housing options for those who wish to live close to the campus.

This increase has carried North Campus to the edge of Highway 1.

Adjacent to the scene in the above photo was the home of the regenerative agriculture program at MIU.

One of the interesting oddities on campus is the "silver shed." It held overflow meditation space for an assembly I attended in 1993, but is now the campus storage building. Inspect the foundation in this photo. The concrete triangle in the shade. What's that?

At some point the building was rotated about 17º so that the entrance faced due east, the most auspicious direction according to Maharishi Vastu® Architecture.

 

A sunrise photo. The Maharishi Tower of Invincibility sits between the men's and women's Domes.

Big changes were afoot: a meeting was called for all who practice the TM-Sidhi program in the Domes, "sidhas" for short. John Hagelin, the president of MIU, announced that starting on Dec. 7th meditators who had not taken the Sidhi course would be allowed to do their TM program in the Dome. The more enthusiastic meditators had been requesting this for a while, and, I noted to myself, there was space available in the Dome because of the decline in attendance at the now thirteen-year-old Invincible America Assembly.

 

The presence of non-sidhas meant several changes in procedures at the Domes. The interested meditators would apply for a Dome badge. Those accepted would have their own section marked off with tasteful screens, and use a particular entrance from the lobby. Sidhas would use the other entrance. Proctors or "angels" would check badges to ensure that the proper entrance was used by both, and to guarantee that the meditators would depart after 30 minutes (the sidhas go on longer). The sidhas, on their part, must be on their best behavior, and, for example, not discuss in the shoe room advanced topics to which the meditators have not been introduced. My reaction was hopeful; this was a step towards greater integration or camaraderie between the two groups.

I made a point of walking downtown to view this month's display at ICON, Iowa Contemporary Art, featuring Irene Murphy.

This exhibit showcased a particular one of her several styles, flowers in black-and-white.

Within a constricted medium there is still room for great variety of technique.

A new storefront on the town square, now moved to Briggs Ave.

A wine store in Fairfield!

One sunny afternoon I strolled on a portion of the Jefferson County Loop Trail, from Chataqua Park down through the Lamson Woods.

The weather had been cold, and the streams sported a skim of ice.

Near the end of my walk the woods opened up and the path widened as it passed by a large pond.

 I had a chance to visit friends as well as to sink into program in the Dome, making this another excellent visit. Once back in Columbus I planned to repeat the visit in March 2020, including treatments at The Raj. Little did I know what was coming.

The coronavirus pandemic appeared on the scene in January and February. By the time we appreciated the scope of the plague, I had already made my reservations at The Raj and the Peace Palace. In early March another trip seemed uncertain, so I queried the Invincible America Assembly, and they replied "Please, no out of town visitors on campus." The Raj was still running, however; it is supervised by an MD and classified as a health clinic, not a spa, and was allowed to remain open. In the end I drove to Fairfield and stayed at The Raj for seven days of treatment, and then drove home. No walks -- I didn't go outdoors for a week -- and only two short visits with friends, for The Raj had taken the step of not allowing visitors, but the reservations I had already made for lunch guests were honored. It was a good seven days, but I was then glad to be home.

 

A November 2020 visit was completely scratched off the calendar. March of 2021? Who knows? The best-case scenario might be another Raj-only visit. The Dome, completely closed for several months and then available on a limited basis, will not be open to those who don't live on campus for a while to come.

Canada (2019) Part Nine: Galatea Lakes

Tuesday, Sept. 17 (2019). This was our last hike, the day for us to tackle our "goal" destination after two weeks in the mountains: Upper Galatea Lake. The previous year we'd made it almost to the lower lake, but weather and time had turned us back. We were determined to succeed this time. It would be work; it's a 18.6km/11.6 mile round-trip, gaining 806m/2644 feet to an altitude of 2230m/7316ft.

Joan and I rose early to have breakfast and then grab lunch fixings at the Market Cafe of Pomeroy Kananaskis. We drove out to the Galatea Lakes parking area and hit the trail at 8:00am.

After a brief downhill we reached the bridge across Galatea Creek.

In case you were tempted to ford it --

Shortly thereafter we crossed a modest footbridge over a tributary flowing down from the mountains; this stream would be with us for miles. At the far side there was a trail sign.

Left green circle, our destination. Right circle, our starting point.

The next section began with uphill switchbacks, followed by repeated crossings of the stream on replacement bridges,

each revealing damage and wreckage from the floods of 2013. Joan and I would eventually cross ten bridges.

This first zone was largely in the woods. Then the trail climbed away from the creek and entered a zone of mixed woods and rock falls. In places the water had cut itself into a deep canyon.

Joan and I noticed, along a short stretch, several spray-painted purple markings on the trail and finally a purpled stone sitting in the middle of the path. Trail maintenance markings, perhaps? Or hikers from a school with purple colors? Another mountain mystery.

The climb continued with more creek crossings. The way ahead did not yet appear any shorter.

A major landmark was a flat grove suitable for a pause and a bite.

The grove continues to the right of this photo.

Over the last few years Joan and I have discovered the importance of snacks, particularly for me. Last year we made it all the way to Lillian Lake before eating anything, and Joan told me that by the end I was plodding in slow motion. After sharing a chocolate bar with her, I took off so fast she could barely keep up. (My fasting blood sugar is near the low end of normal). This time, we were stopping every 90 minutes or so for a small snack -- usually dark chocolate from Le Chocolatier -- and my efforts were much steadier.

Flood damage is visible most of the way to Lillian Lake.

After climbing a final, stubbornly steep stretch we emerged on her shores.

This photo looks back the way we've come.

In season Lillian is mobbed by overnight campers, but in mid-September it was deserted. She does host, however, a spiffy solar-powered biffy, and most welcome it was.

After another chocolate stop Joan and I continued up wooded switchbacks until we emerged into the rocky zone.

That saddle is Guinn's Pass, even higher than Galatea.

It's still uphill from here! Looking back at Lillian ...

The trail marker where the path to Guinn's Pass intersects.

We approached the lower Galatea Lake.

The route to the upper lake dipped down to the shoreline and then hopped over that far ridge, revealing this view.

Joan and I continued on the path at far right in the above photo, searching for a congenial lunch spot. We chose this one.

The prominence is Mount Galatea, the highest point in the Kananaskis range at 14,500 ft. During lunch we spotted a golden-crowned kinglet, and, high above, a golden eagle cruising around the peaks. Next, a more panoramic view of the upper lake.

Joan and I explored a bit of the terrain. There were several shallow bear diggings, indicated yummy bulbs had been present. Deeper diggings would have indicated that the target was ground squirrels.

The view from the shore of the lower lake on our return.

We spotted our first fellow hikers of the day, two figures ahead of us on the Guinn's Pass trail,

Click on the image to enlarge.

who disappeared from view as we marched on. When we reached the junction Joan and I met two women from Red Deer who also decided to tackle the pass. Then we saw people coming up from Lillian Lake; clearly, the wave of those who start later was catching up to us.

On our way back ...

We paused on the Lillian Lake shore for another snack and biffy visit.

Among the incoming hikers was family of three: Mom, Dad, and a toddler carried high in a backpack by Dad so the kid could see ahead. Balancing that load must be an acquired skill.

A bold chipmunk kept an eye on us, probably a least chipmunk.

The sun played peek-a-boo, sharing time with brief showers that lasted just long enough to persuade us to don our rain jackets. But our return hike was basically dry.

Heading down the valley.

The air grew warmer as we descended. Late-starters were having fun on and around the bridges lower down. Finally Joan and I reached the parking area at 5:15, 9¼ hours after setting out, a pace of 1.15 miles per hour -- including snack stops, lunch, bird identifying, gazing at mountains, and so forth. Because of these factors our hikes are often in the 1¼ to 1½ mph range.

One woman in the parking area, with husband and dog waiting in the wings, asked Joan, "How far is it?" Joan replied,"Where are you going?" Her response, "Where did you go?" Joan: "We started at 8:00!" With that our questioner lost interest.

The following day was our last in this visit, and after checking out we drove down to Canmore to browse shops and art galleries. Of course, we swung by Le Chocolatier to pick up treats for ourselves and friends and neighbors back home. Large interior windows provided a view into the works.

We also spotted a hang glider gradually descending over the town!

Then it was on to Calgary and the airport hotel, where we had dinner with Barry Ronellenfitch, who I met almost two decades earlier at a retreat. The next morning Joan and I flew off on a day-long trip back home.

This Canadian visit was another great success; we do love the mountains. Our plans for 2020 were made over the next few months, but then upended by the coronavirus. Our fingers are crossed for 2021.

Canada (2019) Part Eight: Kananaskis Fire Lookout

On Sept. 16, 2019, Joan and I decided that, due to the iffy weather forecast for today, we'd hike up to the Kananaskis Fire Lookout, a journey not too high nor too strenuous.

We drove down Highway 40, discovering along the way that a number of the day use areas and pullouts/trailheads were already closed and gated. Perhaps this happens automatically after Labor Day. We continued to where the fire road leaves the highway, the place to begin unless you are staying in one of the Kananaskis campgrounds. The road is locked so that only authorized vehicles can use it, but the gate is far enough along that two or three cars can park here without blocking access.

It is as if three different services need access to this road, and each requires its own key: the barrier is sealed by three locks, and the key to any one will suffice to open the way.

Joan and I set off and soon discovered bear scat -- not fresh but not terribly old either. Fortunately the sight lines along the road are long.

Shortly thereafter we encountered spruce grouse. Here's a guy,

and a gal.

Sometimes multiple "grice" at once! Our count for the day would be four males and one female.

Also along this stretch we interlopers were chastised by a red squirrel.

The rolling up-and-down stretches had easy footing because there were no roots to worry about, but then transformed into a steep uphill hike, including switchbacks. Eventually the fire lookout complex came into view.

The lookout is residential and not to be disturbed.

There are benches for visitors.

A registry as well.

A chilling wind blew steadily up here, but Joan and I found a more sheltered stone bench and viewpoint for our lunch break. Here are some sights; first, zooming in on Upper Kananaskis Lake, which we've explored much of.

In the next photo the edge of Upper is at far left, and much of the Lower Kananaskis Lake stretches in front of Mount Indefatigable, which we had visited five years before to reach a viewpoint above the lake.

On our way down we spotted some Canada jays (known as the "gray jay" prior to 2018),

and also juncos, which have a number of variations. Unlike the slate gray juncos we see in the winter in Ohio, this one had the coloration of the Oregon variety.

On our way back after the hike Joan and I stopped at the Kananaskis Valley visitors center. Plenty of exhibits were sprinkled around; I could envision campers spending a rainy day here. One of the staffers told us that a grizzly had spent much of the previous day in the meadow next door, for which the center had a big-window observation room.

Tomorrow, our last hiking day on this visit to Canada, we would try to reach Upper Galatea Lake, our 2019 "goal" destination after having been toughened up by the previous two weeks of hiking.