Screw Photobucket.
I spent a lot of time posting all these pictures, and when I finally post the blog, the pictures are all messed up. Most them are missing half. And clicking on them takes you to Photobucket's main page instead of the picture.
Again, screw you Photobucket. You've now wasted a lot of my precious, precious, expensive time.
Expect a bill and a call from my lawyer.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
The Road To Perdition
DEATH VALLEY, CA - I spent the night in a truck stop/casino parking lot on my way into the desert. It was a short, fitful sleep, but refreshing nonetheless.
By the way, I'm worried about running out of disk space for pictures on the blog, so I'm going to try Photobucket. We'll see how it works.
I was feeling a bit peckish after not having eaten in quite some time, so the truck stop diner was a real treat.
Guess how much this spread cost:
$3.99!!!
Just my kind of price. After chowing down, I ran down the road to grab some gas. I love the look of things around this part of the country.
I was really disappointed in myself for not taking pictures of Encino, NM while driving by in the daylight to Roswell. This place was a true ghost town. So I was pretty happy when I stumbled across this little spot on the way out to Death Valley.
The Valley was close and I was really pumped for it. I've always wanted to see the desert, especially right here.
I still haven't gotten used to just how bright the sun is here. It's so hard to look up its way. Blinding (you know, more so than the usual blinding qualities of the sun). But I'm no longer surprised by the abundance of life, even in the most difficult of conditions.
Once I got into the park, the first destination was Dante's View. Dante's view is a site that looks directly over Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the U.S. Directly across from Dante's View is Telescope Peak, the highest point in the park and one of the higest in the U.S. It's a lot to take in. You can see the whole valley from this spot.
I got a kick out of all the Hell-inspired names here. There was Hell's Gate, Dante's View, Devil's Playground, Devil's Cornfield, and, of course, where all the lawyer's go to play...
So, I'm up on Dante's View, chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool (as you guys know I'm apt to do) and enjoying the view. I've wandered out onto one of the points away from the parking lot. And I'm in the middle of nowhere. Check out the video.
Anyway, I standing around, taking pictures and the only other people around at this point are a boy and his mother. While I'm snapping some shots, the boy says to his mother, "Hey, mom. Look. A UFO. We should call the U.S. Army." His mom didn't even look up, instead walking back to the parking lot. I started looking around and discovered a black object hovering in the air between the peaks, doing some circles. It was strange and unbelievable. The boy ended up seeming bored and walked off. I started snapping pictures with my film camera and then switched to digital.
The thing looked black to me the whole time and oval in shape. I should have shot some video too, but the thing dipped down behind a rock outcropping and after I ran around it to keep my eye on the thing (this took maybe 10 seconds), it was nowhere to be seen. Completely gone. It was hard to get my bearings on just how far away it was because perspective is really skewed at altitudes like this. But the valley is at least several miles across and it looked like it was in the middle. Unfortunately, the pictures make the object look smaller than it really was because of the wide angle lens kind of compacting everything. I need to get the film shots developed and see what turns up.
Here's some of the best.
I guess that made up for Roswell letting me down. Or maybe they did receive my messages. No abduction though. Oh well.
So, I moved on with my day. I really didn't know what else to do. The thing had vanished and I had no control over it. Acceptance is the answer.
I am sticking with the statement that this thing was a UFO. After all, it was an object, it was flying, and I don't know what the hell it was, so...
I grabbed a few more pictures while on the peak.
While making the various steep climbs in a car, this is not the kind of sign you want to see.
There are so many sites to check out in Death Valley. I'm disappointed I didn't get to check out more, but the place is massive. I made a stop at 20 Mule Team Canyon. It was beautiful.
By now I was anxious to see Badwater Basin, so I rushed out to catch that. Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level. Whenever there is rain, it rushes down the mountains to this spot, collecting minerals along the way. Once there, it has nowhere to go as the Basin doesn't let out to any bodies of water. So over all the years, things head down there to stay. It's a giant salt flat. The salt reforms into different shapes over time and with each new rainfall.
Up close, the salt looked like hairs. It was strange.
The salt and sand were rock hard. I expected different I guess.
I had my compass with which also has a thermometer on it. Keep in mind that this is now November 20th... two days before Thanksgiving. (The time is set to the wrong time zone - it was actually 12:38).
I peeled off one shirt and started to strip off everything else, but started to get concerned looks. Fine. I'll just suffer the heat, folks.
It's hard to see in this picture, but up on the hill side there is a small plaque indicating where sea level is located.
There was much more to see, so I had to be on my way. The road out to the basin is 17 miles long. On the way out there, I passed a hiker. I don't know where he was going or what he was doing, but he seemed determined. I spent at least an hour in the basin. On the way back, he was still chugging along.
I realized on this trip, I had never actually seen a desert. It was definitely different than expected.
I went to one of the meeting points of main roads, to a place named Furnace Creek. I was looking for something to eat and there's were some diners there.
Walking up, I could feel the juices flowing already. Food... good...
Then I saw the menus posted out front. $12.50 for a sandwich?! Who're they kidding. We live in the 21st century. I know food isn't plentiful out here, but there is no excuse for that. We all have cars. Food is reachable.
What these restaurants didn't realize is that I'm like a camel.
And by that, I mean poor.
I can go days without proper nutrition. It's all part of the territory when you decide to be a counselor. It's essentially like a vow of poverty. I feel confident I could handle being a monk if necessary. There are many "Ramen Days."
So screw their $12.50 sandwiches! I didn't need them! Back to the open road!
But first, here's the temperature in the shade by the diners.
I didn't know where to begin with things to see. On the road came across the first true desert sand I had seen. Despite what movies may show or what I was brought up to believe, there is not a lot of sand in the desert. Lots of rocks? Yes. Lots of dirt? Yes. Lots of sand? No. Not so much.
I stopped here for a little bit, checking out the rocks. These rocks have been here for millions of years, slowly showing the wear and tear of the desert. There were tons of rocks that had been etched by sand. The looked exactly like what I would expect dried dinosaur skin to look like.
The sun was slowly being lost and sure enough, I found myself constantly stopping by the side of the road to take pictures.
Here's my one bone to pick with Death Valley. I'm out there, in the desert for the first time, and I ask very little. I wanted to see a couple things and was totally let down. Not one single cactus. No coyotes. And not a rattlesnake or scorpion or tarantula anywhere. And it's not for lack of trying on my part. At one roadside stop, I found these.
I've seen enough Survivorman (two whole episodes) to know these are scorpion holes. But try as I might, no one wanted to come out to play. I think they were abandoned.
A thorough disappointment. Just a word to the wise, get your crap together, Mojave Desert. I'll be back through at some point and I don't want to be disappointed again. Yellowstone was nice enough to throw some bison, elk, and bighorn sheep my way. The Grand Canyon had to be a jerk and show me a black squirrel, but at least it was something. The only signs of animal life I saw in the desert were a couple ants. Don't let me down again, DV.
I had my first desert sunset and, yes, it was amazing again.
I love shots with the moon (even if the lens makes it look pretty small).
There were some sand dunes a bit down the road again and a whole caravan of people seemed to have stopped to go hang out. I was starting to feel the time crunch and wasn't too keen on getting a bunch of sand in my shoes at the moment, so I grabbed a shot and moved on.
I was in desperate need of some gas on the way out of the park. There was no way I would make it to the next big town without some.
Luckily, DV saw what desperate need I was in and decided to thoroughly screw me.
After a nice, long day of hanging out together, this is what I get? I felt violated.
So, I got enough to get to get me to the next stop and sputtered down the road.
There was a long drive ahead. The sun went down around 5pm and I needed to get back to the hostel by midnight or I wouldn't be able to get checked in, which means I would be showerless and bedless again. Not an option.
The roads through the mountains were long and winding. I didn't think I would ever get anywhere. Out on the main highways, I wanted some food. And what I really wanted was an In 'N' Out burger.
I was fortunate to come across one later in the night. Sweet relief! I chatted with a couple people and discussed alter egos before moving on again.
It became clear at certain point that I wasn't going to make it back on time. I talked with Chris though and he said he would help me get in after hours. Great news. Even if it meant I would be sleeping on some bench cushions.
I finally reached the Bay Bridge and couldn't have been happier.
I did end up sleeping on a cushion that night. Which wasn't so bad. I would only end up sleeping for a couple hours before people started getting up and moving. But everyone was happy to see me back and I was glad to see them.
A good day.
By the way, I'm worried about running out of disk space for pictures on the blog, so I'm going to try Photobucket. We'll see how it works.
I was feeling a bit peckish after not having eaten in quite some time, so the truck stop diner was a real treat.
Guess how much this spread cost:
$3.99!!!
Just my kind of price. After chowing down, I ran down the road to grab some gas. I love the look of things around this part of the country.
I was really disappointed in myself for not taking pictures of Encino, NM while driving by in the daylight to Roswell. This place was a true ghost town. So I was pretty happy when I stumbled across this little spot on the way out to Death Valley.
The Valley was close and I was really pumped for it. I've always wanted to see the desert, especially right here.
I still haven't gotten used to just how bright the sun is here. It's so hard to look up its way. Blinding (you know, more so than the usual blinding qualities of the sun). But I'm no longer surprised by the abundance of life, even in the most difficult of conditions.
Once I got into the park, the first destination was Dante's View. Dante's view is a site that looks directly over Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the U.S. Directly across from Dante's View is Telescope Peak, the highest point in the park and one of the higest in the U.S. It's a lot to take in. You can see the whole valley from this spot.
I got a kick out of all the Hell-inspired names here. There was Hell's Gate, Dante's View, Devil's Playground, Devil's Cornfield, and, of course, where all the lawyer's go to play...
So, I'm up on Dante's View, chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool (as you guys know I'm apt to do) and enjoying the view. I've wandered out onto one of the points away from the parking lot. And I'm in the middle of nowhere. Check out the video.
Anyway, I standing around, taking pictures and the only other people around at this point are a boy and his mother. While I'm snapping some shots, the boy says to his mother, "Hey, mom. Look. A UFO. We should call the U.S. Army." His mom didn't even look up, instead walking back to the parking lot. I started looking around and discovered a black object hovering in the air between the peaks, doing some circles. It was strange and unbelievable. The boy ended up seeming bored and walked off. I started snapping pictures with my film camera and then switched to digital.
The thing looked black to me the whole time and oval in shape. I should have shot some video too, but the thing dipped down behind a rock outcropping and after I ran around it to keep my eye on the thing (this took maybe 10 seconds), it was nowhere to be seen. Completely gone. It was hard to get my bearings on just how far away it was because perspective is really skewed at altitudes like this. But the valley is at least several miles across and it looked like it was in the middle. Unfortunately, the pictures make the object look smaller than it really was because of the wide angle lens kind of compacting everything. I need to get the film shots developed and see what turns up.
Here's some of the best.
I guess that made up for Roswell letting me down. Or maybe they did receive my messages. No abduction though. Oh well.
So, I moved on with my day. I really didn't know what else to do. The thing had vanished and I had no control over it. Acceptance is the answer.
I am sticking with the statement that this thing was a UFO. After all, it was an object, it was flying, and I don't know what the hell it was, so...
I grabbed a few more pictures while on the peak.
While making the various steep climbs in a car, this is not the kind of sign you want to see.
There are so many sites to check out in Death Valley. I'm disappointed I didn't get to check out more, but the place is massive. I made a stop at 20 Mule Team Canyon. It was beautiful.
By now I was anxious to see Badwater Basin, so I rushed out to catch that. Badwater Basin is 282 feet below sea level. Whenever there is rain, it rushes down the mountains to this spot, collecting minerals along the way. Once there, it has nowhere to go as the Basin doesn't let out to any bodies of water. So over all the years, things head down there to stay. It's a giant salt flat. The salt reforms into different shapes over time and with each new rainfall.
Up close, the salt looked like hairs. It was strange.
The salt and sand were rock hard. I expected different I guess.
I had my compass with which also has a thermometer on it. Keep in mind that this is now November 20th... two days before Thanksgiving. (The time is set to the wrong time zone - it was actually 12:38).
I peeled off one shirt and started to strip off everything else, but started to get concerned looks. Fine. I'll just suffer the heat, folks.
It's hard to see in this picture, but up on the hill side there is a small plaque indicating where sea level is located.
There was much more to see, so I had to be on my way. The road out to the basin is 17 miles long. On the way out there, I passed a hiker. I don't know where he was going or what he was doing, but he seemed determined. I spent at least an hour in the basin. On the way back, he was still chugging along.
I realized on this trip, I had never actually seen a desert. It was definitely different than expected.
I went to one of the meeting points of main roads, to a place named Furnace Creek. I was looking for something to eat and there's were some diners there.
Walking up, I could feel the juices flowing already. Food... good...
Then I saw the menus posted out front. $12.50 for a sandwich?! Who're they kidding. We live in the 21st century. I know food isn't plentiful out here, but there is no excuse for that. We all have cars. Food is reachable.
What these restaurants didn't realize is that I'm like a camel.
And by that, I mean poor.
I can go days without proper nutrition. It's all part of the territory when you decide to be a counselor. It's essentially like a vow of poverty. I feel confident I could handle being a monk if necessary. There are many "Ramen Days."
So screw their $12.50 sandwiches! I didn't need them! Back to the open road!
But first, here's the temperature in the shade by the diners.
I didn't know where to begin with things to see. On the road came across the first true desert sand I had seen. Despite what movies may show or what I was brought up to believe, there is not a lot of sand in the desert. Lots of rocks? Yes. Lots of dirt? Yes. Lots of sand? No. Not so much.
I stopped here for a little bit, checking out the rocks. These rocks have been here for millions of years, slowly showing the wear and tear of the desert. There were tons of rocks that had been etched by sand. The looked exactly like what I would expect dried dinosaur skin to look like.
The sun was slowly being lost and sure enough, I found myself constantly stopping by the side of the road to take pictures.
Here's my one bone to pick with Death Valley. I'm out there, in the desert for the first time, and I ask very little. I wanted to see a couple things and was totally let down. Not one single cactus. No coyotes. And not a rattlesnake or scorpion or tarantula anywhere. And it's not for lack of trying on my part. At one roadside stop, I found these.
I've seen enough Survivorman (two whole episodes) to know these are scorpion holes. But try as I might, no one wanted to come out to play. I think they were abandoned.
A thorough disappointment. Just a word to the wise, get your crap together, Mojave Desert. I'll be back through at some point and I don't want to be disappointed again. Yellowstone was nice enough to throw some bison, elk, and bighorn sheep my way. The Grand Canyon had to be a jerk and show me a black squirrel, but at least it was something. The only signs of animal life I saw in the desert were a couple ants. Don't let me down again, DV.
I had my first desert sunset and, yes, it was amazing again.
I love shots with the moon (even if the lens makes it look pretty small).
There were some sand dunes a bit down the road again and a whole caravan of people seemed to have stopped to go hang out. I was starting to feel the time crunch and wasn't too keen on getting a bunch of sand in my shoes at the moment, so I grabbed a shot and moved on.
I was in desperate need of some gas on the way out of the park. There was no way I would make it to the next big town without some.
Luckily, DV saw what desperate need I was in and decided to thoroughly screw me.
After a nice, long day of hanging out together, this is what I get? I felt violated.
So, I got enough to get to get me to the next stop and sputtered down the road.
There was a long drive ahead. The sun went down around 5pm and I needed to get back to the hostel by midnight or I wouldn't be able to get checked in, which means I would be showerless and bedless again. Not an option.
The roads through the mountains were long and winding. I didn't think I would ever get anywhere. Out on the main highways, I wanted some food. And what I really wanted was an In 'N' Out burger.
I was fortunate to come across one later in the night. Sweet relief! I chatted with a couple people and discussed alter egos before moving on again.
It became clear at certain point that I wasn't going to make it back on time. I talked with Chris though and he said he would help me get in after hours. Great news. Even if it meant I would be sleeping on some bench cushions.
I finally reached the Bay Bridge and couldn't have been happier.
I did end up sleeping on a cushion that night. Which wasn't so bad. I would only end up sleeping for a couple hours before people started getting up and moving. But everyone was happy to see me back and I was glad to see them.
A good day.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Update Coming
I was working on a blog and uploading pictures when I had a computer freeze-up. I'll update this more later. I'm kinda burned out on it right now.
Viva Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, NV - Vegas is a blur. No, not because my time there was too wild and crazy. It just went by in a blur.
I was on the phone with Eric when the ocean of lights came into view. I quickly realized just why I could see the damn city over 100 miles away. Madness.
I never really did get my bearings straight while there. It was just a bit too much for sleep deprived me.
The strip is just insanity. If you haven't been, picture the most touristy spot you've ever been to. Now multiply that by 1000. Now put neon everywhere. And showgirls. And then throw a cherry on top. After it's been soaking in mescaline.
That's about right.
Oh yeah. And Wayne Newton.
The strip is exciting and there's people everywhere.
Don't bother going beyond that. What a hellhole.
I wanted a place to sleep for the night, but the Sin City Hostel had already shut down the front desk. I really didn't like any of the parking lots I drove past (that sentence is funny - kind of sounds like I'm a connoisseur of parking lots now).
And I wanted an In 'N' Out Burger.
But no. None of the above. All I managed to do was get all twisted around and lost in Vegas. So, a couple hours after driving in, I pulled out and moved on down the road.
It's probably for the best. I'm sure it could have ended up bad news for me.
Christyle, this is for you.
I was on the phone with Eric when the ocean of lights came into view. I quickly realized just why I could see the damn city over 100 miles away. Madness.
I never really did get my bearings straight while there. It was just a bit too much for sleep deprived me.
The strip is just insanity. If you haven't been, picture the most touristy spot you've ever been to. Now multiply that by 1000. Now put neon everywhere. And showgirls. And then throw a cherry on top. After it's been soaking in mescaline.
That's about right.
Oh yeah. And Wayne Newton.
The strip is exciting and there's people everywhere.
Don't bother going beyond that. What a hellhole.
I wanted a place to sleep for the night, but the Sin City Hostel had already shut down the front desk. I really didn't like any of the parking lots I drove past (that sentence is funny - kind of sounds like I'm a connoisseur of parking lots now).
And I wanted an In 'N' Out Burger.
But no. None of the above. All I managed to do was get all twisted around and lost in Vegas. So, a couple hours after driving in, I pulled out and moved on down the road.
It's probably for the best. I'm sure it could have ended up bad news for me.
Christyle, this is for you.
Another Hole In The Ground
METEOR CRATER, AZ - Alright, time to play a little catch up. A lot has happened during my adventure back from Albuquerque, so let's break it down, entry by entry.
I headed out with plans to get through New Mexico quickly. Just across the Arizona border, I stopped off at a roadside store in the Navajo Reservation. It had some beautiful stuff, but what really caught my eye was the small food stand selling "Navajo Tacos." They make frybread, which is basically a funnel cake that isn't sweet, although they do sell it with cinnamon if you so desire. But a Navajo Taco is when this piece of frybread (the size of a plate) is covered with pintos, beef, chili sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cheese.
Let me tell you... good stuff.
I enjoyed this Southwestern delight while talking to a couple from Arizona who had the same thoughts about lunch. Turns out, they were travelers as well. Only their journey was only lasting about three days. They had a small camper and said they got away whenever they could. The husband was looking forward to retirement so they could travel more extensively. He encouraged me to "enjoy it now," while I could.
After this, I cruised down the rest of the way to the meteor crater. I've always wanted to see this.
I ended up being a bit disappointed.
First off, the entry fee was $15. Is there anything that's still free in this country. I just want to look at your hole in the ground. For free. Please. The museum wasn't all that interesting and my leg was killing me (by now, my "broken" foot was feeling better and even my shin I split open felt fine, but my calf was, and still is, aching from too much dancing - and this whole place was stairs). And everything was spread out inside.
But I paid my fee and I walked the stairs (or limped around them, to be more specific). The crater itself was nice. But I think maybe the buildings were too close. Or maybe didn't have a choice but to be that close. Either way, the whole thing was difficult to put in perspective. It was monstrous but didn't end up looking all that big.
I walked part of the edge and tried to take it all in. It was really hard to get a good picture up this close, also.
My hope was to see the sunset here. It was getting later in the afternoon, so I figured it was worth sitting around waiting for it. I already had my fill of the crater, but this seemed like a great place to watch the sun settle for the night.
I had slept very little the night before because I sat on this computer updating the blog forever. Uploading pictures is a painful process. So, I settled down in the small theater there between showings of a film explaining how the crater got there. I drifted in and out of consciousness for 17 glorious minutes until the next show continued. I should have just kept sleeping through that too.
Off I hobbled back out to the lower edge so I could wait out the sunset. While there, two couples walked down. One woman was talking non-stop. It was quite a display. Anything and everything, she rambled about it. Finally, at one point, there was a break. She stopped, stood still, and turned her head slightly, like a dog that just heard something ding against the dinner bowl.
Then she started again.
"Omigod,canyoubelievehowsilentitisouthere?It'sjustsoquiet.Canyouimaginelivingouthere?I can'tevenimagine.Itmustbesoquietallthetime."
I was about to comment on the matter. "You know, I hadn't noticed the quiet over the sound of your meaningless gibberish."
Then I remembered that I'm trying to be less rude. So I stayed quiet. I chalked the bad mood up to my hobbling around and still feeling questionable about spending $15 to see a hole in the ground when the national parks only cost $25 for a week's fee.
I kept waiting for the sunset. The colors out here, especially in a section of Arizona this full of red, were going to be spectacular.
And that's when someone came along to kick us out.
"It's five o' clock and time to go. The site is closing."
"You've got to be kidding me."
I put up a bit of a fight, but then just gave up. This thing felt doomed from the get go.
I left with the best I could get.
Once on the road again, I headed out toward Las Vegas.
Note: If you haven't figured it out already, this all takes place prior to "A Fire In The Sky."
I headed out with plans to get through New Mexico quickly. Just across the Arizona border, I stopped off at a roadside store in the Navajo Reservation. It had some beautiful stuff, but what really caught my eye was the small food stand selling "Navajo Tacos." They make frybread, which is basically a funnel cake that isn't sweet, although they do sell it with cinnamon if you so desire. But a Navajo Taco is when this piece of frybread (the size of a plate) is covered with pintos, beef, chili sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cheese.
Let me tell you... good stuff.
I enjoyed this Southwestern delight while talking to a couple from Arizona who had the same thoughts about lunch. Turns out, they were travelers as well. Only their journey was only lasting about three days. They had a small camper and said they got away whenever they could. The husband was looking forward to retirement so they could travel more extensively. He encouraged me to "enjoy it now," while I could.
After this, I cruised down the rest of the way to the meteor crater. I've always wanted to see this.
I ended up being a bit disappointed.
First off, the entry fee was $15. Is there anything that's still free in this country. I just want to look at your hole in the ground. For free. Please. The museum wasn't all that interesting and my leg was killing me (by now, my "broken" foot was feeling better and even my shin I split open felt fine, but my calf was, and still is, aching from too much dancing - and this whole place was stairs). And everything was spread out inside.
But I paid my fee and I walked the stairs (or limped around them, to be more specific). The crater itself was nice. But I think maybe the buildings were too close. Or maybe didn't have a choice but to be that close. Either way, the whole thing was difficult to put in perspective. It was monstrous but didn't end up looking all that big.
I walked part of the edge and tried to take it all in. It was really hard to get a good picture up this close, also.
My hope was to see the sunset here. It was getting later in the afternoon, so I figured it was worth sitting around waiting for it. I already had my fill of the crater, but this seemed like a great place to watch the sun settle for the night.
I had slept very little the night before because I sat on this computer updating the blog forever. Uploading pictures is a painful process. So, I settled down in the small theater there between showings of a film explaining how the crater got there. I drifted in and out of consciousness for 17 glorious minutes until the next show continued. I should have just kept sleeping through that too.
Off I hobbled back out to the lower edge so I could wait out the sunset. While there, two couples walked down. One woman was talking non-stop. It was quite a display. Anything and everything, she rambled about it. Finally, at one point, there was a break. She stopped, stood still, and turned her head slightly, like a dog that just heard something ding against the dinner bowl.
Then she started again.
"Omigod,canyoubelievehowsilentitisouthere?It'sjustsoquiet.Canyouimaginelivingouthere?I can'tevenimagine.Itmustbesoquietallthetime."
I was about to comment on the matter. "You know, I hadn't noticed the quiet over the sound of your meaningless gibberish."
Then I remembered that I'm trying to be less rude. So I stayed quiet. I chalked the bad mood up to my hobbling around and still feeling questionable about spending $15 to see a hole in the ground when the national parks only cost $25 for a week's fee.
I kept waiting for the sunset. The colors out here, especially in a section of Arizona this full of red, were going to be spectacular.
And that's when someone came along to kick us out.
"It's five o' clock and time to go. The site is closing."
"You've got to be kidding me."
I put up a bit of a fight, but then just gave up. This thing felt doomed from the get go.
I left with the best I could get.
Once on the road again, I headed out toward Las Vegas.
Note: If you haven't figured it out already, this all takes place prior to "A Fire In The Sky."
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
A Quick Thank You
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who reads the blog.
I truly appreciate it. Getting on here and spitting out my random crap helps with the loneliness that creeps in every once in a while on the road.
And I really want to say thanks for the comments people leave. By no means do I expect anyone to leave comments. I would be writing this thing even if no one was reading it and my happiness doesn't rely on anyone else telling me they thought this or that was funny or special. But it does help to keep me from feeling like I'm shouting down a well, which is nice.
Thanks again, all. And take care.
I truly appreciate it. Getting on here and spitting out my random crap helps with the loneliness that creeps in every once in a while on the road.
And I really want to say thanks for the comments people leave. By no means do I expect anyone to leave comments. I would be writing this thing even if no one was reading it and my happiness doesn't rely on anyone else telling me they thought this or that was funny or special. But it does help to keep me from feeling like I'm shouting down a well, which is nice.
Thanks again, all. And take care.
A Fire In The Sky
INTERSTATE 40, AZ - I'm speeding down the open road when I see it (this is the part where I pretend I'm typing this while flying along the highway). A giant purple spot in the sky. For a moment, I have flashbacks of yesterday and secretly hope that a UFO is descending.
It looks a bit as though the sun hasn't set all the way yet, despite the fact that it is after 10pm. Like perhaps it got tired and settled down for a bit in the middle of the desert.
The glow is intense and gets brighter with each passing mile. It begins as a pinkish hue that gradually darkens to a violet as I advance. In the center is a white spot.
I'm still more than 100 miles from Las Vegas.
What the hell is going on in that city? I have a temporary flash of National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, specifically the part where the Christmas lights are first turned on and we see the electric meter of the house spinning in circles. That's probably what Nevada's meter looks like right now. And all because Vegas is that crazy tacky bastard... the one every town has. Like the house on the corner of Oakland and Mercer which uses every holiday as an excuse to load up the already overstuffed lawn with whatever symbols of that particular time of year the owners can find. I think I counted 9 Santa Clauses once.
Now, with Christmas on the mind, I think back to the stories of childhood and the three kings. Three men following a star. Now this purple-ish cloud in the distance is like my guiding star. Only, instead of a finding a baby in a manger when I get there, I imagine it will be some transvestite prostitute named Peppermint who actually thinks he's (she's) fooling anyone with that choker collar over the Adam's apple.
God bless America.
It looks a bit as though the sun hasn't set all the way yet, despite the fact that it is after 10pm. Like perhaps it got tired and settled down for a bit in the middle of the desert.
The glow is intense and gets brighter with each passing mile. It begins as a pinkish hue that gradually darkens to a violet as I advance. In the center is a white spot.
I'm still more than 100 miles from Las Vegas.
What the hell is going on in that city? I have a temporary flash of National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, specifically the part where the Christmas lights are first turned on and we see the electric meter of the house spinning in circles. That's probably what Nevada's meter looks like right now. And all because Vegas is that crazy tacky bastard... the one every town has. Like the house on the corner of Oakland and Mercer which uses every holiday as an excuse to load up the already overstuffed lawn with whatever symbols of that particular time of year the owners can find. I think I counted 9 Santa Clauses once.
Now, with Christmas on the mind, I think back to the stories of childhood and the three kings. Three men following a star. Now this purple-ish cloud in the distance is like my guiding star. Only, instead of a finding a baby in a manger when I get there, I imagine it will be some transvestite prostitute named Peppermint who actually thinks he's (she's) fooling anyone with that choker collar over the Adam's apple.
God bless America.
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