Monsoon Hits Vegas

The locals call it monsoon but it's mostly a great lightning show in the surrounding mountains. Also the reason we quit posting last nite-too beautiful to sit at the confuser. So there we were in Zion(Bob Marley again-the lion in Zion).After our dog-free shuttle adventure lasting 6 hours,we returned to Driftwood Lodge and a cocktail and smoke. Then it's off to another wonderful meal at the Bit 'n Spur. Best chile verde I've ever tasted(sorry Shelley). Just another day in Paradise. Up in the AM and a last breakfast in Zion,then into Springdale to make one last sweep for any items we may have missed. A stop at the truly wonderful Doggy Dude Ranch to pick up Cody the Wonder Dog.Thanks to Philly and Hannah at the DDR. Sadly bidding adios to Zion,we head west thru the Virgin River Gorge,another beautiful spot. We wend our way into Vegas and pick up Miss Flossie and ditch the rental car. On the Blue Diamond highway and up and over the long grade to Pahrump. It's now a month since we arrived and the Pahrump gang has been so great but we gotta get a move on. The current plan is to leave Flossie here,rent a car and leave Saturday for Sonoma County and the Cosmic Convocation. we tried to rent Bohemian Grove for the CC but were refused as not being reactionary enough. So it goes.

Miss Flossy,Zion & Doggy Dude Ranch

Sitting in Pahrump watching lightning over the mountains,glad for the rain in the mountains (wish it was here!) and hoping for no fires. Been a wonderful interval since the last post. We dropped off the van in Vegas for routine maintenance(thanks Lou for the tip)and headed for Zion Canyon in Utah. Spent the nite in Mesquite,Nev on the state line. Prettylittle town and really booming-lotta folks from Utah find the new casinos in Mesquite all they need and 2 hours closer. Great dinner in a place we stumbled on,(Follow your feet,grasshopper>) Then it's up and on to Zion(I hear Bob marley). Perky wll now describe Zion with asides from el Escargot. Zion....man oh man...Zion canyon was created by the Virgin River. At one time the river was at the top of the walls. Gravity and sandstone created what you see today. And what you see today makes you awestruck. We have seen some fantastic, awesome sites on our journey. We did discover that there is a Grand Circle, which we accidentally have seen most of! Fortuitous blunders! But Zion is truly indescribable. You stand at the bottom of the canyon and look up, and look up, and up! At the top of these rock canyons are trees! Granted they are not huge, but they are there! There are little crevices in these massive rock walls where dirt has accumulated and plants are growing! Once upon a time Paiute Indians lived along the Virgin River which wends its way thru the canyon. Then the Mormons arrived. They cut down all the trees, hired the Indians to do their work and the rest is history. I dreamed and fanticized about living there back in the day. What an incredibly peaceful place. It truly restores your sense of wonder. I fully understand why the native people revered the earth. If you take the time to really look, and be, it is truly humbling. We all live surrounded by so much concrete, road rage, smog (I believe they call it inversion layer now), that we don't see the world. This journey has brought our mother earth back to us, and we are so thankful for that. Zion has "outlawed" cars! Whoopee! There is a shuttle that takes you through the canyon. One shuttle replaces 28 cars and in 2006 reduced CO2 emissions by 24,201 pounds per day . The shuttle runs on propane. So, because we have THE Cody dog we cannot ride the shuttle, nor can we go in the canyon. We couldn't leave him in the motel room, or the car...so we can't go. We looked at the map and decided to take this road up to the Kolob Reservoir. The road looked long on the map to me...but off we go! Now, we noticed that the car's right front tire was very low. We put air in it in Mesquite. We watched it and it seemed ok. Didn't go flat again....We figure the road to the reservoir will be beautiful and it will assuage our not going up the canyon. Well...it was fantasically beautiful. Ever changing terrain and colors of the rocks. Red, gold, tan, even some black striations. Up, up we go, round and round, utterly neck wrenching! Well, we got almost to the top and there was a sign that said Lava Point Outlook. Off the paved road we go. Onto a graded gravel road, only a couple of miles! The outlook was stunning! We were above Zion and all the mesas. The vista was stunning. Never did figure out where the lava was or why! We did see houses along the road, not many. A sign that said Kolob Freeway 125 mph, Sane people, 25 mph! It was 69 degrees up there!! Absolute heaven! Overcast, perfect! So, we go back out the gravel road and I say to Sammy, we should check the tire before we hit the road. Yep! It was flat! On the rim....ok, this is not good. We are in the middle of nowhere, I mean, where else should one have a flat tire? On the freeway? How boring! So we tie Cody to the fence, empty the trunk, and along comes an angel! 2 gravel trucks came out of nowhere, and a 3rd pickup behind them. This sweet, sweet, samaritan stopped. He changed the tire and followed us down the 22 miles back out to the main road to make sure we made it all right. By the way, people only live up there in the summer. No electricity, no snow plow in the winter. Can you picture us changing the tire? We could have done it but it wouldn't have been pretty! We got back, took a shower and had a wonderful dinner at Switchbacks. Met a great, fun couple at dinner. We checked out the next morning. Decided to drive thru the tunnel at Zion, and then go on to Bryce Canyon. Now that was another incredible drive. Beautiful formations all around us. Huge rock walls and formations of all colors. When we emerged from the park we were in open terrain. Rock mountains surrounding us in the distance, simply beautiful. The colors don't quit! We arrived at a junction, Mt. Carmel, where we see a sign that says Bryce Canyon 60 miles. Oh no, what do we do now? So, we went into the Thunderbird Restaurant to have a piece of homemade pie and talk about what to do. It is 2 pm, we've been driving, oohin and aahin and we're tired! We decide to go back to Zion/Springdale, the town. Sammy had seen an ad for a motel that is pet friendly, yay! What a perfect place! Our room was huge, patio in the front and back, overlooking the beginning of the canyon, surrounded by huge rock walls. A field next door with cows, pecan trees, meadow down to the river, grass! Absolute heaven! Decide that we need to simply relax, and the Driftwood Lodge is our new home! No more driving! Just communing with our surrounds. Great dinner in the outside dining room with canyon views, Springdale has the very best restaurants and wait-staff of any place we've been. Up in the AM and on the shuttle(totally free and runs thru the entire town of Springdale;everyone welcome).Into the park and change shuttles. The Golden Passport FREE pass for seniors came in handy. Up the canyon into the greatest geological history lesson I've ever seen. You can spend all day on the shuttle getting offf at the severalstops to hike,take pix or just hang with yer mouth wide open. We got to go on the shuttle because there is a Doggy Dude Ranch just outside of Springdale costing the same as the pet charge at the motel. We woulda paid more. Turned out to be win-win. Cody got to spend time with loving folks and lottsa dogs and we got the canyon. Gotta Go
el Escargot&Perky

Links

Hey gang,here are some cool websites to check out(Text is a quote from the blogger Help menu on adding links)Lesli's Blog ,Believable Lies,Tom Rush - Singer/Songwriter - Club 47 Concerts,
WMNF 88.5FM - Home. Megafun awaits.

el E

Addendum to lost Wages

Correction to last nite's wine fueled rant-the Cosmic Convocation is 9 august,not September.Chuck the bird sitter-you can breathe again and quit muttering about thoughtless assholes. The Perkster & I are headed to Zabriskie Point,overlook at Death Valley and the old opera house at Amaragosa.This aint Disney World.

el Escargot

Lost Wages,Reflections on

Howdaya splain Los Vegas?Not just to a fookin alien from 2 parsecs away but yer neighbor who's never been there? The city that copied major attractions from all over the world(and time) & grew them bigger and covered them with lights,lotsa.lotsa lights and built glass enclosed walkways above the streets & sidewalks so the people in the elevated walkways can feel better as they gaze upon the hordes below while their horde continues to shuffle in a basically clockwise fashion? The city of the $3000.00 MARTINI(thass rite folks)with diamonds in the glass? Obviously,I could go on but no. There's also a sensual,edgy side to LV. Duh,there's a real "I'm not Hunter" moment. Anyway, Vegas is what it is-Sodom&Gomorrah or a real blast. "I can't think for you, you'll have to decide." Bob Dylan said that. As for Perky & me, we're gathering our forces for a shift to the redwoods of Sonoma,many details in committee. We do hope to (still) be there around 9 September when our Elder,Lou,has called a convocation to rival Bohemian Grove.Wouldn't miss it. We'll be writing the script(such as it is) for the next phase during Phase 2. Special love to Leli,Steve,Miles,Kimmy,Todd,Avery,Shelby,Lacey and Molly. Miss you all and think of you the time.Hope you each have this kind of chance. Special love to the whole Menendez family for the loss of their beloved Marta. Peace&love

el Escargot

Pahrump, etc...

We have been here a little over 2 weeks now. And what a 2 weeks! It's great to have this chance to spend so much time with my brother and his girlfriend Charlie! Advice, do NOT go to Hoover Dam unless it is the dead of winter. A true, ridiculous, thought-provoking, trial. No one in their right mind would try to blow up the dam. Come on, think about what it would take. One interesting thing, Lake Mead is still about 25 feet low. A big, white, edging around the lake.

So, of course, we arrived when the heat wave from hell hit. The 1st night at dinner Sammy spilled red wine on Charlie's white skirt. The 2nd day I was exhausted, sick to my stomach, legs ached, I now know, all due to dehydration. The 3rd day Sammy fainted, and turned green....no, he turned green, then fainted! Scared us all, but, he had his episode too. We have acclimated now. Not to mention drinking gallons of water! I think his biorythms were down! You think?!The next thing, he spilled a gallon of Kool Aid all over the kitchen floor. We were in Walmart the second day, we left Cody in the van, over the loudspeakers in the store we hear, the owner of the red Volkswagen van with Florida plates, your dog is barking and needs to be tended to. Sammy and I are not together...so I drop everything and go out to get Cody. The manager saw me and said it was 110 outside and no place for a dog. All the windows were open and he had water, but separation anxiety had kicked in. We knew it was hot but! Sammy came out and we hurried to leave! As Sammy is backing out he backed into a truck in the parking lot, the guy came out of nowhere, saw us, but did nothing except start yelling, which caused a shouting match between the crazy person who just sat there while we backed up and did nothing and, us. A crowd was gathering...we could NOT get out of there fast enought. Not like we are low key or anything! He had one of those trucks that are raised up (so stupid) so we backed into his tire. You could tell the guy was not all there. But who was in that heat! I mean...it was 111! The next thing Sammy did was run a knife straight thru his hand. That was fun! Luckily my dear friend Pat, from the River, was visiting us. She is a nurse and had all the proper goodies on hand, stopped the bleeding, and fixed him right up. The first week we really felt like dogs. Barely moving, lolling about, fixated on the temperature. Oh! It's 10 am and 106! Wow! Oh! It's 2 pm and 114! Wow! Oh it's 8 pm and 80! Yay!! The nights really do cool off. Every night the sky is so clear, and full of a billion stars. The Milky Way is so distinct! When was the last time you saw the Milky Way? Another new experience... A dust storm! Covered the entire valley, couldn't see the street, which is 2 acres away. It was not a "Hidalgo" type sandstorm but we were impressed! My friend Pat and her grandson were here for a day! They were on their way from Mendocino County and going to Wyoming. We are not on the way! But, she thought so! What a wonderful friend! We had a great visit! Then Lesli arrived on the last leg of her journey! We have had a wonderful week with her. The heat wave has moved on and it is only 110, max, each day. In fact, when it is 100, or 102 you think it is quite pleasant! Our brains must be baked! We took Lesli up to the date farm at China Ranch. It's about 40 miles from here, actually in California. You drive thru the most amazing canyon to get there. It's desert, desert, desert, all of a sudden the canyon. High, high walls on both sides, we were actually driving in a wash. Then! An honest to god oasis! Just like in the movies! Date palms, trees, and an eensy creek. The creek is part of a river that begins in the Owens Valley, goes underground for miles and miles, emerges there as a creek and goes back underground. Lesli and Gabe explored the creek and woods surrounding it. Cool in the shade! Crawdads in the creek! No eek events! Our next day trip was to Mt. Charleston. You can see the peak from here but you have to drive thru the desert for about 75 miles around the mountains you can see from here to get up there. We were anxious to see some trees and be UP! Mt. Charleston is 11,500 or so feet high. We could only drive up to 8,500'. Beautiful, very tall, Ponderosa Pines. The water coming out of the faucet was cold! Heaven! We had lunch at the Mt. Charleston Lodge. I am quite sure the mafia used it as a meeting place. It is technically in Las Vegas and it just has that "feel." 2 story ceilings held up by tree trunks! Quite elegant and lovely. We passed Creech Air Force base on the way. Six, 737, airplanes fly out of there every day, transporting workers from Las Vegas to Area 51. They bring them back in the evening. Your tax dollars at work!!

The next day Lesli & Gabe went hiking in the desert behind the house. Mind you, while there may be houses once in a great while, it is DESERT! They found lots of wondrous things. Deep holes ground into the rock where the ancients ground their corn, or whatever. Perfectly round. Then flat places where you can see that they ground other things. A weird raised tunnel looking thing that "something" lives in. About 3" high, 3 inches across. Who knows? So, the next day Gabe insists that they go again, and I am to go too! I must say this journey has reminded me, on occasion, of how old I actually am! No right minded, 65 year old woman, should go hiking in the desert, especially allowing her 12 yr old dog to go too. Yep! it turned into an event! I did mention that 6 pm might be a little early...but no! So off we go. I got to see the special things, it's getting hotter, my legs are beginning to trudge, Cody is acting strange...Lesli and Gabe are climbing the rock mountain with Samantha, the long haired Chihuaha, keeping pace with them. Cody begins to wander off, will not come when I call, my voice is echoing off the rock mountain, the wind is blowing, maybe he doesn't hear me? I clap my hands, a signal he knows, nothing. I have sense enough to be in the shade of the mountain, I do have on a hat! But, and this really pisses me off, I can't climb to the top. What do you mean I'm older and no longer a gazelle!! And the damn dog won't come, appears to be disoriented. I finally figure out he is walking around the bottom of the mountain looking for the easy way up! And he found it! So he goes to the top. Meanwhile Lesli & Gabe have come down. And the dog is up and it's hot, hot, hot. the water we have brought has turned hot. No leash for the dog. Gabe goes back up to get Cody. I find a long piece of levi material that someone has sewn together, and left just for us, a leash!! Lesli starts back up to give it to Gabe to leash Cody. Cody is whining because it is so steep to come down, and his hips are groaning. Gabe is trying to coax him, I have visions of a tumble down. Jeez!! Thankfully, Lesli had brought her cell phone! I can tell you now, I was not going to walk back with a limping, disoriented, panting, dog (that would be Cody, not me!). I called my brother to rescue us. Hear the music? He loaded us all up and we were saved! Hiking in the desert is really not a great idea! But it was an adventure! That night there was a party at Charlie & Chris' bar! We showered, got dressed and off we went! Great band, lots of bikers, good food, a merry time was had by all!! No eek event there! It was great to see my brother, Chris, and Charlie bouncing around behind the bar! It was so tempting to go back there and help. The crowd was really eclectic. They handle everyone so well!! You can tell they love it, and the people love them!
Lesli is leaving today. We will miss having her here! We have had a wonderful week! - Perky

It's a dry heat,my ass!

Let me start by saying we have arrived in Pahrump,end of Phase 1 & beginning of Phase 2.Been out of wireless service for a couple of days or too beat to post.Canyon de Chelly defies description,pix don't capture it all.The mystery of the Anasazi and the Chaco people and where and why they vanished is enough to make you finally laugh out loud at our pitiful attempts to grasp all of the past.We spent 6 hours and 3 days would not really suffice.Great campground and fine motel and views of the modern Navajo living much the same as their ancestors.Reluctantly back on the road & southbound thru the Arizona countryside.very beautiful but very different from New Mexico.For me,New Mexico is "de bomb."Shelley sure knew what she was doing.Made Flagstaff and shut her down for the nite.Painted Desert and Petrified Forest in the AM and Meteor Crater for Perky.She saw all those sites 45 years ago.Flagstaff was interesting,lots of history and cool shops,many trains,Grand Canyon stuff all about.Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings so it's the same as Pacific Time.Thusly the sun begins it's daily east to west journey freakin early.So we do too.On to Kingman and lunch at the Silver Spoon,historic Rte 66 joint.Lots of 66 stuff on this part of the journey.On the map,it's a straight shot up Hwy 93 to Vegas,so off we go.Course the map doesn't mention the Homeland Security checkpoints at at Hoover Dam resulting in a 1&1/2 hr tailgate in first gear.Score one for the bad guys.Huge new boondoggle bridge under construction.Fairly easy transit of Vegas and on the Blue Diamond highway to Pahrump.Then up the looong grade to the pass.Bout 1/2 way Flossie begins to act funky so it's pull over and let her cool down.Back to the position I Swore I would never again assume-knees in the gravel and head in the engine compartment under a blazing hot sun.Duct tape and major promises of sacrifices to VW gods got us up the hill.Hill hell,it's a fooking mountain.Then the long downgrade under construction to Pahrump.VICTORY.!!!
Against all odds we have arrove.Home of Chris,Charlie,Dana,Gabe and more animals than I can begin to name.And now the residence of Perky&El Escargot.At least it didn't take us a whole month to get here.More later.