Saturday Night Soup for the Soul (23)

s I continued my manic "1000 miles in 36 hours" road trip thru central Oregon, I raced the short distance from Twickenham to the John Day National Monument "Painted Hills" unit, arriving in the evening sunlight. I Needed Loving, Needed A Friend I Needed Something, That Would Be There In The End. On A Rough Ride To Heaven Want To Get Inside, What Will I Do? This once was volcano country. Eons of eruptions laid down layer upon layer of ash of differing chemical composition. Later, it got covered with other layers of earth, and then the landscape raised, buckled, and tilted exposing the brightly colored ash layers. Click the pic below to see a panorama that I half-assedly (colors are mis-balanced) digitally constructed from a series of shots I took. The exposed ash fall layers that comprise the most spectacular geological features of the Painted Hills Unit in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument are nearly devoid of plant life. The reasons as to why start with the clay-rich soils. The initial part of any rainfall (and there is little – less than 41cm (16in) per year) is immediately absorbed by the clay component of the soil — think clay-based cat crapping litter. Once the top layer of clay is saturated with water, it becomes impermeable to any succeeding rainfall, so the rest of the precipitation quickly drains away; in the process, the draining water flushes away any organic matter that might have built up on the clay eliminating another factor in the establishment of plant life. Little available water and little organic matter results in a very inhospitable environment. He's so divine, his soul shines Breaks the night, sleep tight His ever loving face smiles on the whole human race He says "I'm somebody" He's got his eye on your soul, his hand on your heart He says "Don't hurry, baby Somebody up there (somebody) likes me After I left Painted Hills, I was started to get road weary and drove until I saw a motel in Proneville, Oregon which is where I crashed for the night. This Road Trip Diary be continued next week... 1. and 3. Rough Ride is from Paul McCartney's "Flowers in the DIrt" CD. This song was on my mind all week, though I did not listen to it until putting the soup on the burner this morning. I fricking love the words. Always have and always will. Very true for me, and reflects life as I have experienced it. Is this true for you? The Soup closes with a rare LIVE version from a sound check. 2. Somebody Up There Likes Me is Miss David Bowie at her best. From the Young Americans LP. All of this makes it's way into this week's soup. You can get your bowl of Saturday Night Soul for the Soul by clicking the jukebox.