Goin' the Backway

Sabino, 13"x16" acrylic on canvas, b.steichen 2022

It's been a long ride but we somehow managed to make our way through selling a house, buying a house, countless boxes, the unpacking our old life into a new life and trying to build community in a new place. We have fresh eyes in a new place. It is quiet and calm. It is hard to believe we have been in this new place for a year and a half. The pandemic took its toll on so many of our travel plans but it's time to get back to it. We are ready. Catchin up.

Fasen Round Barn, Sartell MN

This gem, before we barely get out of our neighborhood to drive the backroads, the Fasen Round Barn was one of the first wonderful things I found. It was featured in the Minnesota's Preservation Alliance in 2006 "10 Most Endangered Sites List", however, it does not appear that the preservation will happen. No one loved it enough. So disappointing that this treasure is rotting away. The round barn is located in Stearns County just a few blocks from my home and will eventually get surrounded by building developments and dirt hills. City planning with roads and curbs is all plotted out. This past winter a part of the roof caved in and I fear that it will soon be gone. One day I will look over and it will be gone.

Marfa, 8"x8" acrylic on canvas, b.steichen 2022

We started Goin' the Backway (Sunday Driving) shortly after moving to St. Cloud, MN. We do it any day we want. It doesn't have to be on a Sunday. Sometimes we bring a friend. It's like Monday night Jazz on Thursday nights (at the Veranda Lounge downtown) or just knowing you don't have to be anywhere at all. You can do it any day that you want. The days all kind of blur together so who cares. That's OK. Life is an abstraction. I love it. 

Lake Wobegon Trail

Driving the back roads. Exploring the regional parks and nearby small towns. It takes just a few minutes and we are in the countryside driving along the Mississippi River to some great scenery. We drive through the farm lands, along quiet stretches of the Mississippi,  Watab and Sauk Rivers. We ride along all the great bike trails too and pass through beautiful lands and farms headed for Bolus, Holdingford, Avon, St. Joe or Albany. Great old barns, treasures, farmers markets, the Knaus Sausage House in Kimball Minnesota with the most amazing horseradish pickles, quiet cornfields alternating with soy beans, pickup trucks with pipes and lots of pine trees. I love where this all is taking me, new adventures, people, encounters, experiences, ventures and it's all influencing my paintings. Looking forward to balancing all that with some upcoming travels. 

 “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal!” – Paulo Coelho

   

Resiliency

I have grappled with writing about civil unrest for almost 2 years. I write and review, edit and rewrite. It never quite seems to provide the impossible picture of what transpired. I need to let just this go. I need for this story to be told but also have it 2 years behind me. 

The official report contracted by the state Department of Public Safety to objectively evaluate what the state did well and did not do well, was completed in early 2022. It basically paints a picture of state and city leaders caught off guard by the civil unrest and confusion regarding who should take the lead. The report states that the chain of command structure hindered timely and effective response to the unrest, that there was a lack of clarity among participating agencies and that law enforcement agencies used different approaches to handling crowds. No surprise there!

At the end of May 2020, George Floyd was murdered about a mile from our home. There is no questioning the tragic and unnecessary death by those sworn to protect and serve. There is no arguing about the horrors of what happened. I understand that enough is enough. There were peaceful protests, a lot of anger, outraged citizens, opportunists, outside instigators and full on civil unrest. We watched as the city's leadership fumbled in disagreement with the Governor. Minneapolis City Council Members made a call to defund the police with no plan for restructuring or plan for assisting with the problems at hand. So much failure, disappointment and lack of safety.

During the civil unrest, mayhem ensued and the 3rd Precinct neighborhood businesses were looted and burned to the ground. Our once quiet enough inner city neighborhood experienced constant and unprecedented street violence. The city handed over the police station to rioters. Cars and trucks (no license plates) raced around our neighborhood streets. We built barricades in our intersections to slow vehicles down. We saw no police presence. It took way too long and many days, for the National Guard to be called in. During the period of May 27-29, 2020, days were somewhat quiet but with each nightfall came unrest, uncertainty and fear. We wondered how long this could possibly go on.  We heard every pop of the marker canisters. We had ash and burned wood chunks in our yard from nearby burned buildings. We heard every shot of the rubber bullets, the crowds of protesters, rioters, looters and marchers. We saw every trolling thug looking for any opportunity to inflict harm or destroy property. We patrolled our alleys looking for containers of flammables. We checked in with our neighbors and compared stories of fear and discontent. We saw untrained and open carry civilian patrols. We knew the police wouldn't come if called so we carried a civilian patrol number in hopes of never needing it.

But wait, there's more, because apparently the pandemic wasn't enough. The burning and looting of our neighborhood business district and the roving carjackers weren't enough. The city allowed a homeless camp to be established which grew to 400+ tents just 5 blocks from our home. Many other city parks became inhabited with tents creating additional chaos. The more services that were provided the bigger the camps grew. It turned into a huge public health hazard which brought open prostitution. assaults, rapes. drug dealing. shootings and visible heroin usage.  

I know now anything can happen anywhere because it did. For those that haven't experienced anything close to this, this is how it goes. No one comes to rescue you. No one helps you. No one understands what it is like in your once safe enough home and yard. No one calls. Opportunists were everywhere. Crime increased. The news was constant. Crimes of opportunity, street violence, murders, gang violence, carjackings, high speed chases, sirens, stabbings, muggings, home invasions and no police presence. Untrained and unorganized armed civilian patrols. No illusion of safety. No protection. No help.

At the time I thought I lacked resiliency, hope and empathy but I later came to understand survival mode and trauma. I learned about fear and uncertainty. How it effects your state of mind and your relationships with people you thought you could count on. No one escaped 2020 unscathed, that I know. We all have a different story to tell about the pandemic and our spoiled little lives. Some fared better than others. Some got to throw civil unrest into an already difficult time. We may have been all going through the pandemic, but we were most certainly not all in it together.

                                        

The summer passed and by September, three months after the civil unrest, there were still no businesses open. No grocery, library, liquor store, drug stores, gas station, credit union, bank, a favorite restaurant, post office and others boarded up, torn down or in repair. We prayed for cold weather to quell the ongoing violence. Things happened to people we know. A friend assaulted in their place of business, another carjacked. There were glimmers of hope but they were like a dangling thread hanging from a hem all poised to unravel.

I know this isn't an Instagram "life is so beautiful" post. I know people adapt because that is what we do. Resilience doesn't happen overnight. People bounce back, reinvent themselves and adapt. We made a plan. We emerged from the mucky river of 2020. We relocated to a place that is peaceful and quiet. We bought a new home in a quieter community. We sold our Minneapolis house in a millennial crazed market. We half halfheartedly welcomed 2021 with air hugs, continued uncertainty, a side of hope and probably a few extra pounds.

• “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” 

• ~Robert Jordan

Coming Off The Road 2020

I wrote a lot in the middle of the dismay but I never wanted to publish it because every time I read it, it all sounded so horrible. It didn't seem like it could be a part of my charmed life. With a little hindsight, I want to believe we are coming out the other side of some very dark days. So I have taken a bit of fresh look at The Before Times and broken it down. In the end, two years later, our new life is beginning to emerge.

We left for extended winter travel at the end of November 2019. That seems like a lifetime ago. We had a wonderful 5 month itinerary. We headed south to Louisiana and spent a month in a rented shotgun style house in New Orleans. What a great time that was! Good music, amazing food and friends. The new year arrived and it is fair to say that is where the dismay began to creep in.

The first thing that happened is we lost our friend Riley. He passed while we were driving across Texas headed to Big Bend National Park. We continued on in a fog of loss all across Texas. Onward through New Mexico and into Arizona where we spent some time at Karchner Cavern and just as the sun was going down I hear that my friend David had died.

By the time we headed into California we found the solace of some hot springs and the beauty of Joshua Tree. We added a story to our books of a desert rat in the engine compartment of our van and a 3am drive down a lonely road to relocate it. In other news, driving around Joshua Tree in the middle of the night is actually amazing, quiet and still. It's an alien abduction type experience for sure.

By March 2020, just as we had made it to the farthest point in our travels, the pandemic became real and we made the painful decision to abandon our adventures. We cancelled reservations and drove like a bunch of spring break kids (without the drinking), back across the country. We slept in rest stops and returned home so that we could be “safe”. Everything was closing up behind us, the regional parks, hotels, campgrounds. On the positive side we did receive refunds for all our bookings even though they were all non-refundable. A spark of humanity in uncertain times.

A few weeks after returning home, and basically in lock down, we receive the unsettling news that our Louisiana long lost brother Terry was murdered. We had just a few months earlier, spent a lovely few fun days with him and his son in Marksville Louisiana on our way to New Orleans. While I was still trying to wrap my head around not being on the road, the isolation of the pandemic crept in. We lost John Prine, from Covid. He was such a treasure and fantastic story teller. He had a profound effect on my early music leanings growing up just outside of Chicago.

Zoom became our tiny connection with the world. I became a convert to Yin Yoga every night at 9pm. Thank you to Steve Murray. You were a shining star. Yin Yoga remains a saving grace.

When I hear people complain about 2021, I think no, 2020 that was the real lousy year.

Read more: The Boneyard

WXYG The Goat Guest DJ

WXYG, The Goat Guest DJ 04/02/22 

This station was meant for me. Album Rock. It was a sign that yes we moved to an OK place. 

So much fun. Thanks to Al Neff for being the copilot. It was so fun to make a playlist and do the show live on the air. Of course if I could do it all over again my list would be different. It's a great program and so fun to tune in each Saturday. 

You too can be a GOAT Guest DJ. Simply send us a letter telling us why you’d like to do it, and include a list of 25 songs that you think is your perfect playlist, stick it in an envelope, and send it to Al, at the station. The GOAT Guest DJ Program, exclusively on Album Rock WXYG.

Goat Guest DJ April 2, 2022

Changes -  David Bowie Hunky Dory 1971 Everything stopped when this came on at a party.He was singing about us. It amplified what was going on

 That was ____________      by ____________________ on WXYG the Goat

I'm Betz today’s GOAT GUEST DJ  

We’d like to thank Cetera Investment Services, Heller & Thyen Law Firm and Lily’s Wings Burgers and Things for sponsoring the program and helping to keep the goat heard.

important early influences -
amazing grace coffee house on campus of Northwestern University - counterculture Chicago Folk Scene, TRIAD radio underground station - King Crimson, Hawkwind, John McLaughlin, the Aragon Ballroom - Albert King, Paul Butterfield and the fantastic Mike Bloomfield 
 
That’s the Way the World Goes Round - John Prine 1971 
Somebody Else's Troubles - Steve Goodman
Born in Chicago - Paul Butterfield Blues Band w Mike Bloomfield 1965

Because the Night - Patti Smith 1978 

Absolutely fascinated by Patti Smith and her story. Her life with Robert Mapplethorpe began as a love story and ended as a eulogy. The young artists, inspired together in the late 60’s in New York City. They made art together. Mapplethorpe encouraged her to sing. He is best known for his photography, powerful, black and white portraits. Smith, a poet, singer, writer and artist became an influential figure in the early punk rock scene. They remained friends until his death from complications from HIV/Aids in 1989. Women in rock were so lacking in power and Patti Smith was amazing and trans-formative. The collaboration with Springsteen, epic really.   

 

Spirits in the Night - Bruce Springsteen 1976 Great powerful story teller. A National Treasure

Locomotive Breath Jethro Tull 1971  best rock flute solo ever hear the pistons scraping 

 

Powderfinger - Neil Young 1972

Imagine - John Lennon 1971 Big impact on my life being opposed to the Viet Nam War. This song is about injustice and inequality…Imagine… a world where there is peace and acceptance of everyone. 

1980 early days I remember where I was. I was at the beginning of my career  

 

I’d Love to Change the World - Alvin Lee 10 Years After 1971 Guitar Gods moody  

 

Bridge of Sighs - Robin Trower (guitar god) (James Dewar vocals) 1975 Guitar Gods

These Days - Jackson Brown For Everyman 1973  How did he write this when he was just 16?. So heartfelt…always fresh. I was at a  music festival in San Francisco I think in 2018 and I sat in the tall trees. He was playing solo piano. It was cathartic

The Rain Song - Led Zeppelin 1973 Jimmy Page wrote it but the brilliance to me  is always Robert Plant’s vocals. Houses of the Holy establish, inspired and spurred the imagination.   

 

Green River - Creedence Clearwater 1969 That iconic hook. Call and response. Fogerty is brilliant. He wrote, sang, played lead and produced most of their songs. 

Paint it Black - Rolling Stones  It’s 2013 and I am in Hyde Park in London. People are milling about and someone tries to sell us Stones Tickets. We are like WHAT? Turns out the Stone were playing later that day. We returned later with our picnic dinner and joined hundreds of people outside the walls of the concert. Perfect sound, amazing crowd.  

Room to Move - John Mayal    Hard harmonica

Samba Pa Ti - Santana 1970 Guitar Gods

Little Wing - Derek and the Dominos Clapton and Duane Allman Guitar Gods Best version ever. 

Duane Allman died 1971 motorcycle accident. Derek and the Dominos. Played on Layla with Clapton. Finest guitarists. Muscle Shoals session work 22 years old 1968. Muscle Shoals Fame Studio.

Recognize people in my life and concluding statements

I want to thank my husband Lyle Johnson for “buying the ticket and taking the ride”, and all the people here and gone that encouraged me to live a creative life, travel, sing, make art and share stories. They are all my true inspirations. Thanks to the Goat. This was an absolute blast!

Ending Song

A Song for You - Leon Russell 1970 Stunningly beautiful. Hauntingly heartfelt composition.

Alternative songs

Anything from Pink Floyd  David Gilmour is a guitar god

Anything from the Allman Brothers

Oh Well, Peter Green Fleetwood Mac 1969 Guitar Gods

Wooden Ships - Crosby Stills Nash & Young 1969  No Nukes! 

For What it’s Worth - Buffalo Springfield 1966 It just works

 

 

Revamp

Big Sur 20"x20" acrylic on canvas
B.Steichen 2021

Like so many other things during the pandemic, the Just1Backpack Blog has fallen by the wayside. Lots of reasons really. The past two years have been crazy times for everyone. Blame the lack of content on the pandemic and the dystopian times we have been witnessing. There just hasn’t been much to write about that wasn't disturbing (the Civil Unrest 2020), mundane (setting up a new home), stories filled with general dismay (the pandemic) or grief for lost loved ones. Travel opportunities fallen by the wayside, but I am hopeful we have turned the corner on that. It's time to get back to living a creative life with more travels, adventures, stories, music and art. We miss our friends and hope there will be safe and fun gatherings coming up soon.  

Check out the revamped website that includes a new header name, Half Way to Anywhere. It just makes more sense to me right now. It includes old stories, recent art works, updated photographs and a store.

Things are starting to come together. How many times have I said that? There are more stories to tell, travels to experience and art to make. As always, stay tuned.

Read more: Halfway to Anywhere