Dan White

I will see you all at the reading after my urban trail run through this beautiful town. Tomorrow, leaving the city might be a slight problem. Aside from the fact that I will be leaving reluctantly, there is, apparently, a huge parade going right past my hotel around 8 a.m.!! http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Everything is elevated to a whole new level of quality in this city. Even the meatloaf is good out here. I had a fantastic reading at Seattle Public Library’s Ballard branch, sponsored by the Secret Garden Bookstore. The library itself is something you have to see. (It’s all green construction. There is a field of actual grass growing on the roof!!) The audience was fantastic. More about all this later, but I’m leaving for Portland this very second. (look for my interview in today’s Portland Oregonian. I’m speaking tonight at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 12000 S.E. 82nd Ave, Portland. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Thanks to all of you for sending me your stories about backcountry mishaps and truly enormous pack weights. You are doing wonders for my backpacking and camping self-esteem. I’m thinking of having some sort of contest for the best stories about overpacking, getting lost, etc. Stay tuned on that front. Meanwhile, I hope to see you all at the Ballard Branch of the Seattle Public Library tonight at 6:30 p.m. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

What a beautiful town. The people here are all smart and engaged with the world — and they all look about 20 years younger than they are. (I guess everyone eats well and does a lot of trail running. No swilling of double martinis out here.) I had a very good time reading at Village Books. I’ll crash for about 13 hours now and then I’m heading off to Seattle. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

For this week’s readings up in Oregon and Washington, I’ve unearthed some trail artifacts and a couple of really scary photographs and journal entries dating to the “Lois and Clark Expedition.” I’m looking forward to sharing a few trail stories with you (and hearing yours, too.) http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

If you are in the Bellingham, Washington area, and happen to be awake on the early side, switch on your radio and listen in on my brief live interview on KGMI at 7:15 AM PST. Immediately after the interview, I will board a plane and fly up to one of my very favorite places in America, the Pacific Northwest, where my “Cactus” tour will begin. However, I will most likely leave my backpack behind because he’s picked up a terrible odor from my last outdoor sojourn in the Southeast. (bear scat? Whatever it is, it won’t go away.) Anyhow, I’m looking forward to meeting readers and hikers up there. Many of the loveliest sections of the PCT are right there— Crater Lake, the Goat Rocks, the Pasayten Wilderness. The list goes on and on. Out in the Pacific Northwest, I ate too many huckleberries, stomped through pumice flats, and stayed…

And this just in — a good talk with influential lit blogger Little Clay Pig, right here in San Francisco. Actually, you should read that blog regularly; it’s a good one. Little Clay Pig By the way, this week I will figure out a way to put in clickable links for my readers. Sorry about that. What can I say? I am a total Luddite. Also, if you happen to be a reader of the Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant and NY Newsday, look for the LA Times review, which is reappearing in various places. Also, I had a really good podcast talk with the author Lisa Haneberg this week. I will include the link to that podcast at some point next week. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

here is the link to the story by Christa Martin. Don’t be scared by my huge, staring eyeball in the picture!!!! http://www.gtweekly.com/a-e/the-lois-and-clark-expedition-1 http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Hi everyone. Sorry I’ve barely blogged lately. The reason is total exhaustion, on account of a very loud, annoying rooster that has been keeping me up at night. A number of months ago, I mentioned the fact that this tin-eared, crazy chicken moved into my Haight Ashbury neighborhood. For months at a time, he was so dead-quiet, I figured his owners got sick of his racket and made capons out of him. No such luck. The rooster is back in action now, and he’s driving me batty. All day long he makes the same loud, horrible noises — “Muck-muck-magooooooooo!” I hope the chicken calms down soon. Until then, I’ll do all my writing down at the Mission Creek Cafe. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Here is the most updated list. Stop by and say hello. I look forward to meeting all of you. Date & Time Location June 4, 20087:00 PM VILLAGE BOOKS1200 Eleventh StreetBellingham, WA 98225 June 5, 20086:30 PM SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY Ballard Branch5614 22nd Ave. NWSeattle, WA 98107 June 6, 20087:00 PM BARNES & NOBLE12000 SE 82nd AvenuePortland, OR 97266 June 9th, 2007“Cover to Cover”/KPFA-FM Berkeley, CA3:00 – 3:30 PM June 19, 2008In-studio interviewKFOG– San Francisco7:30-8 AM June 19, 20087:30 PM CAPITOLA BOOK CAFÉ1475 41st Avenue Capitola, CA 95010 June 26, 20087:30 PM MRS. DALLOWAY2904 College AvenueBerkeley, CA 94705 June 29, 20081:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.“First Author, First Book” panel discussion.Anaheim Convention Center, Room 203 AAuthors include Kaya McLaren (Church of the Dog, Penguin), Scott Douglas (Quiet, Please, Perseus Books), Mark Sarvas (Harry, Revised, Bloomsbury USA), Daniel White (The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind—and Almost Found Myself—on the Pacific…