Aging Hippies In The New Millennium

Nobody Died But the US is on Life Support

2008-04-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Old Roomies Together After 30 Years
Bernard the Instigator is 2nd From Right and the Pretty One is Barbara.Neil with the Hat and el Escargot wid de Belly.
Front:Neil,Doug,Donna,Pat Back:Susan,el Escargot
el Escargot With Our Hostess Ginger
Spent the weekend of 29 March at the annual Nobody Died party,this must be the 7th or 8th iteration. Held on Ron&Ginger's land outside San Antonio(FL not TX),it's a woderful gathering of old friends from 30 years or more. Bernard had the idea when we all met at his brother Jeff's funeral. And with Barbara,Ron and Ginger and grateful participation,including clams&oysters from Cedar Key,live music,fantastic food and great vibes it's a REAL celebration of life,love and the pursuit of whatever. I'm gonna post this cause I got a rant coming and the juxtaposition would suck.Here ya go,Neil.

Return of the Slacker

2008-03-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

Yep,the return of el Escargot and he's max aroused. The state of our society has achieved a whole new level of absurdity' We seem more hell-bent on failing as an experiment in this country than on becoming something new and meaningful. A well developed sense of irony may be our best chance to parse the BS. Another FL election looking like a failed backyard scrum, the first John in 50 years jailed for violating the Mann Act, Posse Comitatus still MIA, half a billion spent by the party of the people on a pres campain(sp) while the economy tanks. ETC!!! Mentioning Iraq would make a very noticable change in my blood pressure. I don't plan on having lots of solutions but I DO promise to speak out against the idiocy that is laying us low.We should be ashamed of having become soft and complacent in the last 30 years. Those of us who now smile condescendingly at the Smothers Brothers need to remember how daring they were at the time.Rise up,people-this ain't the best we can do.

el Escargot

Thanksgiving & leftovers

2007-11-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was wild as ever. We start out thinking, gee, only a few people, then..and then...it grows! Thankfully! Lou and Linda arrived on Wednesday. Chuck came over. Much wine was drunk!! I spent Wed. readying all kinds of food so T-day would be "calmer." In that respect...it was! Bought a different kind of turkey this year (what was I thinking?). So, it was not my usual, fantastic, bird. Oh well...I made the mashed potatoes differently (again, thinking?) they were dry, what the hell? My famous sweet potato casserole? Not up to snuff either. And then....green bean casserole, which I have NEVER made in my life...passable. Everyone was gracious enough to say nothing. Or...maybe they thought it was good. They said so...but you know, you can't always trust that. OK, I have been making Thanksgiving dinner for over 40 years (yikes!)...this year begged for the old ways. My kids, Lesli & Miles, were here. Sammy's daughter, Kim, and her family were in St. Augustine. Daughter Molly, in Colorado. She is a vegeterian, eats "meat" once a year, Thanksgiving, and, this year she even added bacon to her dressing! Patte (stepmom for 54ish years) and her friend Julie, Brad and his father, Howard, Celeste (ex sister in law/now sister). We were able to eat on the patio. Lots of loud political talk, which I dearly love!! Generally, preaching to the choir type of thing, but very supportive! Lovely day. My niece, Gabrielle, her very newborn son, Max, and her partner, Nate came for dessert. All in all...a very great day. No raucous dominoes 'tho. Sorely missed. My personal favorite game. It is a family game which we play all the time, with lots of yelling, hollering, tapping of tiles, laughter. I was thankful to have loved ones all together.
Friday night, Jonathan & Tama, friends from Tuscaloosa, came for dinner. At that point there were 5 dogs communing. All quite happy, as were the 2-leggeds. We had a great time. It was great having them here! I cooked Picadillo which I don't think I screwed up! It was quite a rousing evening too. LOTS of political talk! Whoopee! Keep it alive, ripple it out to the universe!
Miles did mention to Lou that he was tact challenged!
A very old friend, from high school days passed away last week. We found out Monday, just in time to attend his memorial service. It was moving. He was a marine, back in the day. There were 3 full dressed Marines there. The flag was folded and presented to his wife, Vicky. They played taps, which always brings tears. Jimmy was dressed in his favorite Hawaiian shirt, which brought a chuckle. Ahhhh Jimmy, we'll miss ya!
Yesterday was Celeste's birthday. She wanted all the "girls" to go bowling. Let me tell you, girls is the operative word here! Girls we are not!! I sorta strained my back working in the yard a couple of weeks ago. Not healed. Left side. Not good when you have to slide with your left foot...it was nothing short of grueling! The highest score of the 4 of us was 88!! That would not be me!! Good music in Pinarama, lights flashing. Corky, our friend the owner, asked us several times if we wanted the "rails" up! Absolutely not!! Maybe we will overcome the gutter!! I felt pretty good today, but you know, it's usually the second day when your muscles scream!
12.06.07
Today is Cody's 13th birthday! In doggie years that's about 70. He's doing great!
Sammy keeps saying he's going to do his "turkey" blog...so I'm going to go ahead & post this so I can do another one!! Tired of waiting for "el escargot"
*Perky*

Onward Thru the Blog

2007-11-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

In response to the many requests to continue the blog(actually only one.Thanks,R)we have decided to keep posting ruminations on whatever as it's pretty good therapy and certainly cheaper than the standard varieties of shrinkology.Accordingly,we are asking our hordes of readers to submit suggestions on topics,format,good books,yoga postures and like that.Since our return to what passes for normality here,my main contrbution has been to stand around scratching my head and breathing thru my mouth.I NEED INSPIRATION,PEOPLE-help me out here!!!!Please limit your text to 5000 words or less and feel free to send pix.I remain your faithful servant(uh-huh)

el Escargot

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!!

2007-10-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

I take it all back. There is a lot to see in Florida! Once we finally packed up we went across the street to the Waffle House for breakfast. We pulled in and suddenly there was a man in uniform, a colonel, standing at the passenger window. With a big grin on his face and light in his eyes! He saw us on the road and followed us into the parking lot. Seems he owns 3 VW vans! A 68, which his son drives, a 73 for parts, and an 82. He was so excited to see us. He took pictures of us and our van. Turns out he is a flight surgeon in the Navy...shades of Dr. Lou! He and Sammy had a great time talking. Younger than us, so no Vietnam connection. After breakfast we got on I10. Not being champions of the freeway we turned off on Hwy 98. It was NOT raining! Overcast and cool but no rain. OK...I have never been to Panama City, Ft. Walton Beach, etc. Destin does look like the Truman Show...and the rest...like every other bastardized beach in Florida. Can't see the water for the fast food places, tourist joints, and CONDOS! But! Once we got past all that it was old, old Florida. We meandered down the road, oohing & ahhing at the woods, the narrow highway and glimpses of the Gulf and bays. Sammy saw the sign for "scenic" highway 98 (I thought that's where we were!) Back and down we go. Even more beautiful. Looking for a place to stay for the night. We're hoping to make it to Apalachicola. I have never been there and have always wanted to see it. We passed a turn off which said camping and cabins. Turn around and go down this road for 3 miles, Wow! The road deadended at the water. St. Vincent's National Wildlife Refuge. You can take a shuttle over to the island which is a preserve. It's now about 6, the sun is setting, we have no food with us, so decide this is a place we want to come back to and continue on. We make it to Apalachicola, find a motel, the Rancho Inn, check in, settle in, clean up and go into town for dinner. Caroline's Seafood on the river. A dozen Apalachicola oysters for $7.50! Sammy was in heaven. Really great seafood. Very nice restaurant. Never did rain. Up early the next morning. Walked Cody across the street, saw 2 convenient stores, I am on the hunt for COFFEE! Spot a restaurant down the street past the motel. Take Cody back to the room and go for the java. Sat in front of our room drinking my jo. Sammy was still asleep. There is a car parked next to our van with California plates. I was thinking how far he was from home, just like how far we have been. Interesting to be in the reverse. Pretty soon this guy steps out. We start talking...he lives in Half Moon Bay, left home July 5, drove north up the west coast, across the top of the country, down the eastern seaboard to St. John's River and straight across to the Rancho Inn. He has covered 12,000 miles! Following his passion of wildlife photography. I mentioned that I know the area where he lives and that I had lived on the Russian River. He mentioned he knew the area and used to live in Cazadero. I barely responded...it was too weird. He said he is a fisherman on the Bering Sea, out of Dutch Harbor. I was becoming more speechless by the minute. Found out he flew helicopters in Vietnam. I said my husband flew F4s. By this time I feel like I should see about Sammy. Thankfully Sammy was up...Sammy! This guy says he lived in Cazadero, flew helicopters in Nam....fishes on the Bering Sea out of Dutch Harbor where my brother fishes. You need to talk to him!! I am too stunned. Sammy's talking to him and I hear "Bottling Works"...that was a wonderful bar in Caz...everyone hung out there. Big stone fireplace, pool tables, old, old, bar..hippies from the hills above Caz playing bluegrass..it was your dream of a bar. Owned by 2 great gay guys. One night, while they were asleep, they lived above the bar, the rednecks burned it down. They barely escaped with their lives, their dog didn't. With that...I found my voice. I went outside and asked him if he knew Pat & Doug Douglas, or Kathy Gibson. OK, now I know I am in the Twilight Zone. Not only does he know them...he used to live in the "little" house between Pat & Kathy, around 1972, when I lived there. Don, his name, is a Nam vet, used to drive a 71 VW, had long hair and a beard. As we talked we find out he knows everyone intimately, knows current information about them all. Who is this guy? I'm afraid to touch him for fear he really isn't there. But...who knows how "they" take corporeal form! I mean....this is TOO spooky! I tried calling Pat but couldn't reach her, called Kathy and she answered! We have a witness! She talked to Don and what a reunion. We spent about 2 hours with him, off he went to the north, off we went south. We went into town, had Cafe con Leche, guava turnovers. There was a band playing in the square, the 3rd annual blues concert, bikers everywhere. Warm Florida breezes. River at the end of the street, marsh grasses, we are truly home! We went into the Apalachicola River Keepers headquarters. Spent an hour with them talking about the state of the Apalachicola river and many rivers in Florida. The man there had just returned from a 107 mile, week long, kayak trip from the headlands down. Fascinating story. Our last 2 days on the road, in Florida, were really profound. What a fantastic end to our journey.

Rain, rain, rain......

2007-10-19T09:04:00.001-07:00

OK...while we have not seen any rain in 4 1/2 months...this is a bit much!! Had no idea when we left Vicksburg what we would be encountering. It was raining in Vicksburg...but not like this! Of course we stopped in Pensacola. What a bright idea!! It was pouring all the way in and didn't stop. Little did we know there has been 12 inches since Tuesday! We parked "Flossie" in the parking lot, on a slight incline...what a bad idea. There was water standing in the back, inside, had to pull everything out and rake out the puddles. Thankfully, only a few things got wet...and we are almost home. We had work done on the van in Santa Fe...seemed like all was well but looks like they didn't tighten all the gaskets/screws and we have an oil leak for the first time in thousands of miles. We stop about every 150 miles and add a pint. Great fun in the rain! Now we're actually considering taking the freeway all the way home. What do we want to see in Florida anyway? According to the weather channel there will be rain all the way home...whoopee! I am glad that there is rain...the southeast needs it....but jeez!!!! We added a pint, wiped out as much water as we could and will be heading out...the van is a mess. We got some red chile ristas...they are dripping hot sauce on Cody's head, on the floor. Sammy said we can find our way back to Santa Fe by the peppers that have fallen off! Is running the last leg causing this mess? Or do we have too much crap? I am a freak when it comes to keeping the van organized and clean...but...it's ok...home is around the corner...later, gator...

Santa Fe Deux

2007-10-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

We left Royal Gorge and took a back road thru the mountains on our way to Santa Fe. Drove by the Sangre de Cristos, which are spectacular, thru beautiful canyons and wide open valleys. The aspens changing into their fall clothes are so beautiful. A bright gold that shimmers and shines with the wind and sun. The fascinating part is the gold that emanates on the mountainside thru the fir and pine trees. Dark green with these splashes of gold. Along the road, at the summit was...all of a sudden out of nowhere a sign that said Bishop's Castle. Stop!!! We have to see this. I cannot do it justice. This man has single handedly built this incredible castle out of stone, concrete, wrought iron outside walkways, stained glass windows. He was working while we were there, stirring concrete and non-stop talking at the top of his voice. "9/11 was an inside job..they wanted to put the Patriot Act into place and it worked, we gave them Homeland Security...no plane hit the pentagon..measure it folks, the Constitution is being dismantled.. I have to say I agreed with everything he said. He has quotes from the constitution painted on signs all over the place. "They" have bankrupted Social Security by stealing money from it...on and on. What a wonderful find. Back on the road trying to get to Santa Fe. You know that story! We did make it!Our second stop in Santa Fe has confirmed my first impression-this place rocks!!!GREEN CHILES RULE AND CHILE VERDE IS ON EVERY MENU.Very cultural city with an amazing art colony,views to die for and the weather is close to perfect. Shelley was so wonderful to us! She took us all kinds of places. One of the most special was up to the Santa Fe Ski Area. We rode the ski lift over 4,300' up to 11,250 ft (scary as hell with no snow to break your fall-like it would anyway).The aspens are turning yellow and gold and the mountain sides are ablaze. It's glorious. (Perky here....I was really surprised that Sammy & Shelley were scared. I told them there was a guard rail that would drop down in front of us but they wouldn't let me do it because they were afraid I would rock the boat! I was in my glory...guess I didn't have enough sense to be afraid! Finally I just reached back and pulled the rail forward and they were much happier. I have a most hilarious picture that I took of Sammy & Shelley in the lift car. Shelley is smiling and looking so beautiful....Sammy is staring straight ahead, wide eyed, and not even blinking. He was beautiful too, in an introspective sorta way!! At the top it was worth it all! At 11,250' you could see all the mountain ranges for 360 degrees. As far as Colorado & Arizona. In the distance was a huge black cloud...quite a storm brewing. Lightning! Not the brightest idea to be on top of a mountain, open to the elements. We took pictures and rode the tram down. The colors on the mountains were spectacular. Huge swathes of color, bright gold and some orange. Just don't have the words to draw you a picture.
We had a wonderful time in Santa Fe. What a complete city! So diverse, but the American Indian culture influence is prevalent. The food is out of this world. Shelley & Bart know all the best places! Shelley took us out to Madrid which is a really cool, old town which has seen many transformations. Shelley and I made hot pepper jelly and, I must say, it's excellent! It was great fun and easy! I'll be making some when I get home. Course...I won't have Santa Fe jalapenos! It got really cold - 32 - one night. It was cool weather the whole time we were there.
Our last night we went to Dara Thai. The first Thai food since we left home. Really, really good! No Sing Ha tho'.
With reluctance we hit the road for home. Our first night was Amarillo, then Bowie, TX, then Shreveport, then Vicksburg, MS. Vicksburg is very historical and beautiful. Hope to spend some time there someday. We stayed in a motel right on the Mississippi River. It started to rain when we left Bowie, and hasn't stopped since!! We knew we HAD to get the windshield wipers fixed for the trip...we figured we would see rain. We left June 5, the first rain was in Eureka Springs (15 minutes worth), then Oklahoma City as we were driving out, then, believe it or not, Pahrump for 10 minutes. (That's when the driver's side just uh, uh, uh and the passenger side wiper flew off!) So, yesterday it rained buckets, the wind blew like crazy and we bounced along. The wipers worked! Today...was worse! Found out there was a tornado in Pensacola and that would explain all the high winds and heavy rains we dealt with. Arrived safe and sound in Florida. "Flossie" seems to be balking. For the first time....

Onward Thru the Fog

2007-10-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

Bidding a reluctant farewell to Custer and the Rocket Motel,we head south thru yet more beautiful South Dakota countryside to Hot Springs,a wonderfully funky old town.Back in the mid-70's,a developer was preparing a site for homes.The bulldozer came up with bone fragments which proved to be from mammoths.Work was stopped and the city bought the land from the developer for what he paid.The excavation continyes today and is the only in situ site of it's kind.Only about 24 feet have been exposed and there is 65 feet left to excavate.Stunning.

Next up ,Nebraska.An error was made in map reading but the real error was going to Nebraska at all. We wanted to see the fossils but the road didn't veer off like it looked on the map. Leaving as soon as possible,we hit Wyoming and we were back in heaven.Thru Cheyenne and on to Colorado.Beautiful day with snow-capped Rockies to the west,rolling golden hills with antelope grazing to the east.Into Ft Collins and the wonderful Mulberry Inn. We unpacked and went into town to do laundry! Much needed! Had a great lunch and back to the motel. Sammy watched his first football game! Gators vs. Auburn. Great game except the Gators lost...When checking in,the desk clerk asked"What kind of room would you like?"Being in an exuberant frame of mind,i replied"first floor,2 queen-sized bed,pet friendly and a hot-tub."She didn't even blink-"Smoking or non-smoking?"says she.A real change from a fleabag in Nebraska.

Daughter molly was working in denver till late so we were on our own. Sunday Molly and room mateMichael took us to breakfast at a New Orleans style eatery that served GRITS,the first since Arkansas.We moved in with Molly and passed a most wonderful few days. Molly works a lot but loves her job with a regional publishing company.She tookus to Mishawaka,a roadhouse on the Cache de Poudre River up the canyon.Breathtaking beauty.Molly made us dinner and next day it's off to Estes Park a charming little town in the mountains next to Rocky Mountain Park.Couple more days soaking up Ft Collins culture and laughing with Molly and we bid sad farewell to the baby of our four,just don't get to see her often enough.

Made it as far as Royal Gorge and fell down for the night.Up early and off to see Royal Gorge,a very impressive piece of engineering and spectacular-still the highest Suspension bridge in the world at a little over 1,000 feet.And the floor of the bridge is freakin planks!!!we of course drove over it and back in Flossie since the exit from the park on the far(south)side was closed for the season.Lots of the park facilities and services shut down around mid-late Sept at all the parks this far north.Take heed,Louie.

On to Santa Fe which seemed a short hop on the map of the whole country which was the only one we looked at.Duh!Realizing our error,an intense discussion ensued revolving around stopping for the night or pressing on to Casa de Bart&Shelley.The discussion ended with our pressing on and not speaking.This mode transitioned into darkness,rain,steep hills ,one working windshield wiper (passenger's)on a 75mph freeway in a strange countryside.Lotta second gear,cursing,smoking Pall Malls,writing a short story in my head about a guy who knew he was gonna be a traffic statistic and his coping mechanisms and Perky asking me where is my sense of humor"This is an adventure"We arrived alive at the casa thanks to cell phones.And there we still are while Flossie gets some R&R and preventive maintenance.More on Santa Fe and the Casa later.

Beyond Bozeman

2007-09-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

I love alliteration. Headed out of Bozeman forJellystone-bout halfway this fellow pulls up longside and paces us while waving a model VW van.He pulls in front and in a few miles signals a left into a turnaround. Follow him in and he presents us with a Hot Wheels VW van circa 1966. She's red and white! He spotted us in Livingston bout 25 miles back and chased us down to give us the model. that's the kind of trip it's been.

Into Yellowstone and the glories there-Mammoth Hot Springs,etc,etc.Out the East gate and on to Cody for the night.Up in the AM and on to the Big Horn Mountains (thanks Louie). Breathtaking and, once again unique unto themselves. Next stop Sheridan,Wyo. for a short R&R since we both had a touch of somebody's revenge. Perky was SICK. Next to our motel was the busiest(swear)drive thru Dairy Queen in the country-a line of cars 10am -11pm no shit. So we could count cars while recovering.Off to the Devil's Tower featured in "Close Encounters".beautiful drive,lots of antelope and deer.The tower is awesome and another power spot. On to Sundance(not Redford's) and Deadwood notorious home of an HBO series. Apocryphal stories abound but a lot of shit went down there in the mid-late 1800's. It's all casinos today but the flavor has been kept alive.

A slight miscommunication takes us on a drive to Sturgis, SD where we blow the budget on must-have Sturgis stuff including the ugliest hat i've ever owned. Retrace our steps to Deadwood and on to Hill City SD, gateway to Rushmore. Salami,cheese and wine in the room and off to the south in the morn.

Beautiful drive to the truly awe inspiring Mt rushmore and the story of the family who fronted the project. Didn't do diddly for my patriotism but did inspire me concerning the tenacity of a person with a vision. Which was reinforced and surpassed, at the next stop-the Crazy Horse Monument.

The Sioux tribal elders decided their people of all tribes needed a place sacred to them all to make a tribute to their heritage.They hired a sculptor,Korczack Ziolkowski, who lived and worked alone for the next seven years in a tent in the Black Hills.He married and had 10 children and the family continues the project today.Talk about tenacity!You can feel the spiritual side of the place very strongly...Crazy Horse Monument is a MUST see. It is a fantastic story...about the sculptor, his life and vision, and the Indians chose him to do the sculpture. We pulled up to the visitor center/museum. Sitting in the van organizing ourselves, have to leave the dog! Up comes this really cool man, a little younger than we...another story about the VW van he used to have. He was very excited. He works at the museum. What a job! It has been wonderful to see the light in people's eyes when they see the van and remember their experiences! Jay went to Nebraska in the early 70's to work with VISTA. If you don't remember, VISTA was the "in-country America" Peace Corp. A very wonderful program! He was from New York, still has the accent! Great guy. We had a great time communing with him! The museum at Crazy Horse is the best native american museum I have seen. Very moving and complete.

Next...we went thru Custer State Park. What a beautiful park. Didn't see enough so went into the next town - Custer City - to spend the night and go into the park again tomorrow. There was a Buffalo roundup scheduled for the weekend. The wildlife we saw in the park....antelope, mountain goats, wild turkey, prairie dogs, bison...everywhere! Fantastic! Have you ever driven down the road in the country and noticed a single lane, sorta dirt road going up into the meadow and hills? Well...we took the road!! What a feeling to be off the road and going where few go. So peaceful. We had gone a ways and saw 2 horseback riders going across the hill. Man oh man...how I would have liked to been riding with them. Two girls, they were chasing an antelope for fun. We saw the corrals where the buffalo/bison will be herded into. They cull the herd, sell some at auction, the rest, they vaccinate and return to the wild. This happens once a year...and if you want to go to a fabulous place on vacation, see wildlife, and incredible beauty...talk to us and we'll tell you where to go! There is a huge cluster of giant rocks in the park. There is one that has an opening at the top that looks like the eye of a needle. At least 75' tall. Met some great people at the site, one of the ladies gave me a smudge stick she had made. Had gathered the sage and tied it herself. Very touching. We took the wildlife loop. Went up to the top of Mt. Coolidge. We could see Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse all in the distance. A 360 degree vista. Could see the Badlands in the distance too. The Black Hills are very beautiful. The WPA built the majority of structures in all the state parks. A very proud part of our heritage. We need something like it today! At one point we were surrounded by bison. They were all over the road. What a great experience!! I am in love with Prairie Dogs!! Did you know that Prairie Dogs hug and kiss when they greet each other? They are sooo cute! They pop up out of their holes, stand on their back feet and jump up and down! Run around, yip, and are generally cuter than you can stand!! We drove a total of 67 miles, thru the park, in about 5 hours.

Back tothe Rocket Motel in Custer,straight out of the 50's and a great meal across the street.Custer City is a really cool little known jewel.south Dakota is itself a jewel,much more beauty than i expected.So go say your prayers and get a good night's sleep.More later.

el Escargot&Perky

To Pahrump With Love

2007-09-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say "Love ya" to all the special people we met in Pahrump,mostly at "Our Bar." And to Chris,Charlie,Dana and Gabe much love and we truly miss you.Thanks for everything.Come see us anytime. All our love

Sammy&Gabrielle

Update-healdsburg to pahrump to bozeman

2007-09-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

Sittin in Bozeman,Montana and somehow not surprised to be here,but glad to be here. Been really busy time with lots of no connectivity or cell phone.Drinkin Pinot,listening to KPIG and the creek running by with special commentary from Perky and her old friend Susan and smoking cheese(Thanks pal). back to the narrative. We reluctantly left Healdsburg and hit The City for a couple of days with Lou,Colleen and the gang. Seal Rock,the BV,the many,many treasures of San Francisco faded into the rear view mirror of our rented PT Cruiser as we began the truck to Pahrump. Through Tonopah, past secret govt installations and brothels,through the night we rolled. 13 hours and we're home in P'rump. Next chunk of time was taken up with replacement of Flossie's generator with an alternator. Details available by appt-you
bring the Jameson's.
By packing and mailing several boxes of vital shit gathered on the road,we were able to get Flossie down to take-off weight. Hugs and kisses with our hosts in P'rump and we're on our way to Vegas and points NE. First stop Cedar City,Utah.A stop at the visitor's center on the way out of town after camping at the KOA made us rethink our route to Salt Lake. Instead of freeway it's off across the mountains north of Zion to Bryce Canyon "only an hour and a half." Course that time estimate doesn't consider the Cedar Breaks,magnificent little known park at 10,000 ft about halfway to Bryce nor does it consider 50 Harley riders from New York in convoy each of whom had a VW story to share.
But we finally made Red canyon and Bryce Canyon and we're so glad we did. Spectacular doesn't cover it. Otherworldly formations in more shades of red than I've ever seen. Interesting factoid,geologically speaking the floor of Bryce is the same age as the roof of Zion and the floor of Zion is the same age as the roof of the Grand Canyon. After much oohing and aahing we made our way to Panguitch,Utah and a motel straight out of the 40's. Looking at the map,we realized we had made a grand total of 6 miles toward Salt Lake. So it goes.
Break in the narrative-it's become hard to tear ourselves away from the beauty and grandeur we are surrounded by every day.Plus the change in seasons has suddenly come to our attention meaning more color,cooler(colder)weather and the joy that fall brings to Floridians.Computer time has really taken a back seat.So it's gonna be thumbnails till we catch the blog up to real-time.Perky will fill in details as she sees fit.Back to the tale.
Salt Lake sucks,Antelope Island in the Lake is a trip.Took the back road from Logan Utah up Logan Canyon with the Logan River alongside.Magnificent drive.Made Bear Lake and found an old motel on the lake.A couple from South Africa,Kerry&Dot,were checking in at the same time.He reminded me of old friend John Hyman and the 4 of us talked nonstop till bedtime.
Northward in the AM and into Wyoming.Stopped in Alpine for the night and into Jackson the next morning,driving with the Snake River longside the road.Jackson is very beautiful but yupped up and crowded.The Tetons are not yupped or crowded-they're breathtaking,different from any other mountains we've seen.Then it's Yellowstone and jaw-dropping shit around every bend and there are lots of bends.Next morning there was ice on Flossie which required scraping so it's down the road for this cracker.
Headed to Bozeman Montana where Perky has old friends from way back.Wonderful people,Susan and Horus.Horus and his new wife Hanna have 80 acres on the Gallatin river where they supply the venue for weddings plus 3 cabins on the creek running thru. The "Cowboy cabin" became our home for a few days.Thanks Horus(and Susan for setting it up).Oh yeah they also have a 3 story tree house.It was a great time with the extended family there including Susan's S/O Freddie,the crazy Puerto Rican doctor.many peace pipes and much wine later we departed and headed back to Yellowstone to cover unseen territory and beat the predicted snow storm.And there our tale ends for the evening.Hope you're on the edge of your beanbags till next we meet.

for Chuck

2007-09-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

This will be brief-need to get Chuck off my back about the Tetons.Also wanna say thanks to old pal Neil for his kind words, support,humor and kickass blog.A fairly detailed post covering the missing days is in production.

El Escargot

Pahrump, Nevada

2007-09-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

ù § V>

Before we leave Pahrump to return home we want to let you know a little about the area.
When we first arrived here, July 2nd, it was the heat wave from hell the first week. We survived and actually have acclimated! Pahrump is 60 miles west of Las Vegas over the Spring Mountains. About 45 miles east of Death Valley, and about 100 miles from Area 51. Also only 70 miles from the controversial Yucca Mountain. The mountains to the west of town are the Nopah Mountains which you drive thru on your way to Death Valley. From Vegas you drive the Blue Diamond highway west, and climb up to 5,400 ft and go over the Spring Mountain range. Once over the summit it is a long valley ahead of you to Pahrump. The town is at an elevation of 2,725'. The name Pahrump comes from the Southern Paiutes. Pah meaning water, Rimpi meaning rock. Pah Rimpi became Pahrump, the Paiute description for springs or flowing water emerging from rock. There are springs here and at the turn of the century they grew cotton in the valley. The valley is 26 miles long and about 12 miles wide. Population 32,000, no movie theater, several large casinos, gambling is available just about everywhere. Brothels are not allowed within the city limits, here or in Vegas. So they are all on the outskirts of town. Mesquite grows prolifically here. Free movies were shown every Friday night in the park. That was great fun! No bugs, breezy, and very pleasant. We are staying about 9 miles from "downtown." There is no downtown....there are 2 traffic lights. The first light is bordered by the Nugget Casino, Terrible's Casino, Walgreen's, and the Bank of America on the 4 corners! Quite a representation of our culture...eh? That is the main intersection. Lots of fast food places. No Denny's or anything like it. Restaurants stay open until 8 pm. If you get there at 7:45...forget it! The Casinos have on-going buffets which are not bad. Art Bell lives here. Lesli and I drove out to his compound. You have never seen so many antennae in any one place! He is quite a character. There is also a sizable retirement community here. Very diverse...lots of bikers, tattoo parlors, Boys & Girls Club, Masons, Rotary, 1 Science of the Mind church and 1 metaphysical church...and of course 5 Baptist churches, Pentecostal, Catholic, Episcopal...etc. The Science of the Mind church has a labyrinth, which I walked. A teepee sits next to it. Very peaceful place. There is a Pahrump Valley Museum. It's not very big inside but has a lot of old historical stuff from the area that people have donated. Old buildings have been preserved and taken to the grounds. Lots of old farm machinery and tools. A representation of the old town is being created. They're the ones who told us how to find Art Bell's house, and all about Heidi Fleiss wanting to open a brothel for women! Honeysuckle is highly recommended by local nurseries as a great plant for your yard. Grows easily and likes the desert!
The night sky...oh the night sky...starry, starry nights. The Milky Way begins on the northeast horizon and dances across the sky to the southwest. You can see the "clouds" of stars. We sit on the front porch at night in awe. Speaking of the night sky...oh my god, the lunar eclipse on August 28th! We knew from AOL Sky Watch the time it was to begin. We decided we may never have this chance of clarity again. We stayed up until 2:30ish AM to see the beginning of the earth moving between the moon and the sun. The sky was clear as a bell, the moon was a bright white and then it began...we sat on the south side of the cottage with no obstruction of the sky. No ground loom, just black mountains in the far distance. Because of the brightness of the moon, there were no stars. As the moon began to darken and turn red the stars began to come out. Once the eclipse was complete you could see a billion stars! We watched the darkened moon until about 4 am and decided we didn't need to see the return after all. The night was cool, a slight breeze, and the heavens above. I will remember it the rest of my life.
This property is slightly above the town, so you can see the lights in the far distance 9 miles away. It is silent 'cept an occasional dog barking in the distance. They say there are coyote, oh how I would love to hear them....but we haven't. Lots of ravens! We have seen road runners, quail, and jackrabbits with big ears! The sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. The mountains show them off so well. The mountains are rock, rocks of all colors, no vegetation, and they loom so beautifully. The light bouncing off the many colored rocks changes the colors. It's never the same. Mt. Charleston is due east of our front porch. It is 11,000'. Clouds formed over it and we could watch the storms up there. Beautiful lightning but no thunder. You can see that in ancient times there was tremendous earthquake activity because you can see where the rock mountains were once horizontal and are now vertical! When you drive to Shoshone on your way to the entrance to Death Valley you see the most amazing mountains with abrupt stops and then soft gradations of land down to wide open spaces. Once this was all swamp, trees, wetlands and dinosaurs, mastodons, and wonderful ancient creatures. It's easy to see what it must have been. Your mind's eye can imagine it with the help of the land. We have experienced 2 major dust storms that covered the valley. Dust devils are constant. Have tried to capture one on camera but they don't last long enough. Dust devils are sand tornadoes. The wind sucks the desert dust up in a twister and runs across the sand for a short distance. They're really neat to see! There is something in the area referred to as "poof" dirt. Let me tell you that sand/dust is amazing. When you drive off the gravel road onto the dirt it looks like normal dirt...but no! All of a sudden you can't see out the windshield, there is dust covering the car in a flash and it's an inch thick! Yes, I speak from experience! Few houses have "lawns." How refreshing! Most yards are landscaped in desert rock, cactus of all kinds, mesquite, and cowboy/western motif! Very low maintenance! No wasted water here! Or chemicals to leach into the groundwater.
The mountains allow you to easily watch the days get shorter! Watching the sun set over the mountains in one area, and now the sun is so much farther south. You can really see and appreciate the changing of the seasons. My brother said when September comes the weather changes. It was 65 at 6:30 this morning! Fabulous. Only 98 today. It was 104/106 in the day last week!
Politics...like everywhere there is change. Nevada is mostly Republican. Clark County/Las Vegas is mostly Democrat. However,the tide is turning and the Democrats are gaining. There is also a large population of "non-partisan" voters. Believe it or not...Pahrump has become a regular stop for the candidates running for President. Dodd was here; Hillary was here. Richardson is supposed to be here today. Pahrump is considered to be a key in winning the state of Nevada. Go figure?
It's been quite an experience being here. Living with rock mountains, sand, cactus, is so very different. All the farm animals that "Charlie" has, have been a treat. Did you know roosters crow anytime? They gather at least a dozen eggs every day. There are currently 5 baby chicks. The house piglet, "Gumball" is now in the barnyard. Pigs, piglets, geese, chickens, cows, a horse, 6 dogs of all sizes, 1 cat-"Tiger"...that's about it! We will be sad to leave but the road is calling us! Lots of must see before we arrive home.

More Friends,Blackberries,Plums and Redwoods

2007-09-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

That's Terri & Keith in the "T" bucket! Terri won it in Reno at Hot August Nights car show. It's quite a rig. They drive it in parades and take it to the Healdsburg square on music nights. It's way cool!
There is nothing on earth like a redwood. They are magnificent. The one I am standing in front of with my arms outstretched is just one of many "saved" by Col. Armstrong. There were acres and acres of virgin redwoods when the white man arrived. Then, Guerneville became known as "stumptown." Armstrong decided to preserve what was left up the canyon, thus, Armstrong Woods Park. We have hundreds of hours spent there. A paradise for children and others! There is an open theatre area where Shakespeare is performed in the summer. The sun filtering through the redwoods is so beautiful, it is quiet, and the forest smells are wonderful. Redwoods are so unique. When the "mother" is cut down, babies sprout up around the stump. Where we first lived in Guerneville, the stump in our yard had 5 babies around the stump. Today they are all about 100' tall. Redwoods survive forest fires because of the thickness and wetness of the bark, no bugs attack them, and they stand, watching us all. The largest one left is named after Col. Armstrong, she is 308' tall, 14.6' in diameter and 1400 years old.
August was a time I really looked forward to when I lived on the Russian River. Plums and blackberries galore! (Plus, autumn was just around the corner!) It was time to make jam! The kids and I would head out armed with buckets, long sleeve shirts, and a board. We would go to the dry creek bed and truck in. It was 1 blackberry for the bucket, 1 for the mouth! The shirt protected our arms from the thorns, and the board was to flop down on the brambles to walk in and get more berries! Sammy and I went out to Cazadero to see my old friend Pat (you know, she came to see us from northern California on her way ? to Wyoming right after we arrived in Pahrump!) There were 3 plum trees on her property! Wowee! 2 of them so laden that the limbs touched the ground. They were small and black. Not like the ones I used to pick. No matter what size they were they were sweet! The bigger ones were not more ripe than the smaller ones! We filled a bucket with the plums and blackberries. I was determined to make jam! And make jam I did! I was at the music night in the square in Healdsburg, there is also a farmer's market going on around the square. Pat didn't know what the plums were called...and there they were. Elephant Heart plums. Now, isn't that the most beautiful name for a plum? I was able to make jam and my heart and soul were filled. Can't tell you how much it meant to me.
And me-dam fine jam

Redwoods,Friends and F4's

2007-08-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Say what you will,Healdsburgians know how to get down with a party.The town turned 150 years and some of the dancers may have been there for the first birthday.Never saw so many grey hairs boogying away.The wine was flowing,music was great,atmosphere was peace&love-a real celebration!!Classic cars,including Keith&Terri's T-bucket,all on the town square.Every town in america should have one day a year set aside to celebrate who they is.

Next day off to Ron's deck for coffee and medicinal smoke-Ron,Mailyn,Lou,Colleen,Pat,Terri,Keith,Perky and el E in attendance.Somehow we lost our sense of time and Ron,el E,Pat and Perky had to haul ass to the Wings Over Wine Country airshow at sonoma County airport but we made it and even slid into a great parking spot.Made our way thru the gate and straight to an F4 on static display.(Perky made us go for which we are eternally grateful.)Up the long ladder and down the short rope and into the cockpit for the first time in 35 years.Like t-shirts and blue jeans,cockpits seem to have shrunk.after squeezing our fat asses in,ther's an audible click and we're home.We(Ron&I)have between us 3000 hours in these cockpits and every one of those hours came rushing back,in color with g's.Somewhat shaken,we exited the aircraft,back down the ladder,momentary confusion,hugs and tears all around and "Let's go get a drink" had us back on the road.

Hwy 395, Mammoth Lakes, Hot Springs, Tioga Pass

2007-08-25T11:29:00.001-07:00

Mammoth Lakes....you climb and climb to each lake. The first lakes, Twin Lakes, have a canal connecting them. The wind was fierce! You could barely stand up! Screaming down the canyon. It was wonderful. On up to Lake Mamie and Lake Mary. There was a large area of dead trees at one end of Lake Mary. The water level had dropped 75' which is supposedly natural. The trees were killed by co2 emmissions from the lake. Not natural. Eerie to see. Mammoth Creek begins around Lake Mamie and travels down the mountain, across 395 and there is a section of Hot Springs. The springs are no longer accessible because the temperature has risen, geysers have begun, and are unpredictable. But we were able to get to them and take pictures. Owens Valley is truly amazing. Mammoth Creek continues on and empties into the Owens River which then feeds Crowley Lake. A fantastic visual lesson in geology. You stand there and look up at the Sierras which loom above you. Turn around and it is wide open valley. Back on the road north. Heading to Mono Lake. Mono Lake is a nesting area for seagulls! Imagine all those seagulls from the Pacific flying over the Sierras to nest! The road across Tioga Pass (Hwy 120), through Yosemite, turns off 395 at Mono Lake. We stopped and bought a loaf of Sheepherders bread....yummmm and headed up. Tioga Pass is only open in the summer. You could still see some snow up high. The pass at the summit is 9,4oo feet. The lakes are crystal clear and blue as the sky. There is a place where you can see Half Dome in the distance.

The rock formations look like someone took a trowel and smoothed them out. Then there are boulders just sitting here and there, as if someone said, oh, that rock would look nice there! The trees and formations thru the pass are spectacular. We emerged on the west side and took a fun, winding, switchback road down. Spent the night in Oakdale and up early the next morning heading for San Francisco! We stopped at one of our favorite tourist shops on Fisherman's Wharf and bought 2 for $24 fleece jackets! Had nary a jacket with us and figured we needed them. We did! Hallelujah!!!! Had a great lunch, went to another favorite stop, The Buena Vista, for famous Irish Coffees to go! On to 101 north, over the fabulous Golden Gate Bridge, heading to Sonoma County, to see friends, the redwoods, music, the river, bay leaf trees, the mouth of the Russian River at Jenner, Goat Rock. We arrived at Terri & Keith's in Healdsburg, about 2:30 and the communing with friends began! Keith greeted us, Terri was still in LA at that time, Ron & Marilyn came over. We were home! The next day was hanging out with the above, music in the town square in Healdsburg, dancing, food and fun! On Thursday we all gathered at the Windsor Town Green for music and dancing! Lou and his friend, Colleen, came up from San Francisco to join all of us! The band, The Heartbeats, was fantastic! If you ever have a chance to see them...go! They are a cover band, complete with costumes! Very danceable and fun! We all went back to Terri & Keith's for swimming and the hot tub! Not a lot of sleep that night! On Saturday we headed for Guerneville via Eastside Road. I lived in Guerneville and on the Russian River for 10 years. It was great to be back home. It's a place which touches my soul. We went to Monte Rio to see if the Pink Elephant bar was still there. It was! Then up Bohemian Highway to THE Bohemian Grove. The "spook" place. Spook as in "those people". If you don't know about the Bohemian Grove....google it. Your skin will crawl. We drove into the parking lot and turned around. Don't want to have to answer any questions to those people. Back on Hwy 116/River road out to the coast. We ventured out to Goat Rock first, drove down the dirt road to Marilyn's old house. It was part of a radar station during WWII. Then down to the beach. It was a bright, clear, windy, beautiful day! The Russian River empties there. In the winter, when it rains 50-75 inches the river floods, and widens the opening. All kinds of driftwood piles up. Back in the day people would build makeshift dwellings out of the huge pieces of trees. Can't do that anymore....like so many other things. One of the highlights of our visit was all the political talk! Each of us supporting the other and offering any new information! Very energizing! The spiritual and political climate of the River area is so comforting! Like minded people everywhere...even the air! We went out to Jenner for a drink at the River's End. And a look at the mouth of the River from the north side. Big ole fat seals sunning on the beach. We stopped at the Blue Heron, in Duncan's Mills, where I used to work. Absolutely the most wonderful job I ever had. Bartending is still my favorite thing to do. She is closed right now, but I met the new owner and we had a great talk. I was able to share about the good ole days. He remembers it and wants to bring it back. Wahoooo! Should reopen in September...or so. He is committed!A mention of the weather-foggy first thing and cool,60 or so.Fog burns off around 10 leaving crystal clear blue skies,warming to 80 or so.cooling in the evening to the mid 50's with a bazillion stars.Perfect.Drove up to the top of Fitch Mt. in Healdsburg for the meteor shower with Ron & keith-took wine and medicinal Mary Jane,laid on our backs in the parking lot with our heads on the curb to avoid neck strain.Fabulous show till we got actually cold,also mightily stoned.Rest of the week passed with the return of Pat(remember her?),trips to Cazadero and Guerneville,picking blackberries and plums and making jam,generally hanging out and wine and more wine plus cheese.GOOD cheese,Ron.Enough for now.

No room at any inn OR Fortuitous Blunder

2007-08-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Correction to the last post-fromPahrump we took Hwy 160 to Hwy95 to HWY 226 TO HWY 168 to Hwy 395 in Big Pine,CA. This was our plan and only contained one flaw-the eastern slope of the Sierras in summer is a madhouse of fishermen,hikers,bikers etc and it was Sat nite.Nary a room from Lone Pine to Reno nor an empty campsite.Woe is us-sleeping in the car is for younger folks unless you got no choice. After a quick burger in Bishop and mucho map looking and teeth gnashing we head north on 395.Very dark,lottsa stars,10PM,resigned to a really long nite.Bout 35 miles up the road we spot a road sign that says "Lodging-next exit". Perky says let's check it out. So Crowley Lake becomes our next adventure. Up the dark road past residences,couple churches and 1 little store. Dark o the moon.Stop sign and sign saying library to the right.Perky says let's go right.We do and finally see a small sign saying lodging.We stop and I ring the bell and wait,knowing this is futile but maybe we can park in their lot.Light goes on upstairs and the innkeeper opens the door. HE"S GOT TWO ROOMS!!! After kissing him and crying,I register.Our room is freakin great-all pine panelled and rustic,7000 ft and crystal clear outside.Mountains all around and about 11:30 a huge red half moon rises from the East.Next morning we wake surrounded by beauty and fresh,sweet air.Command decision is made to stay another nite so we sign up.Off to Mammouth Lakes and more great beauty,really spectacular.Swing by Convict Lake on the way back to our room.Convict Lake has been used in many films and you can see why when you're there-awesome vertical cliffs dropping to this round,crystal clear lake.B ack to our little slice of heaven and a steak on the grill.Our heartfelt thanks to Randy at Mono Sierra Lodge for getting out of bed to rent us a room,which turned disaster into a really great experience.Perky calls these adventures fortuitous blunders.I prefer masterpieces of spontaneity.Please vote for your choice of desriptive label and post yer votes on the blog.more on 395 and Yosemite later-gotta go pick blackberries.

DESERT TO THE MOUNTAINS

2007-08-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

Before leaving Pahrump,couple of things bear mentioning.The infamous Hollywood Madam,Heidi Fleiss,has opened a laundromat in the Albertson's shopping center called "Dirty Laundry."The bathroom is straight out of a bordello and she plans to open a brothel for women customers soon.We,of course,felt it imperative that we do our dirty laundry with Heidi so off we went.pulled up in front and realized we were parked next to a red 71 VW bus,only the 3rd or 4th working bus we've seen since Florida.Met the owner,female truck driver and a real hoot.We gathered a pretty good crowd over the next hour.Then it's visit Heidi's pissoir and back to Rancho Charlie.saturday it's farewells and off in a rental car.Up Hwy 160 to Hwy 226 and then to Hwy 128 to cross at the very upper end of Death Valley.TRAVELLERS' TIP-this is THE way to get across DV between May and Sept.Very windy mountain road passing thru abandoned mining towns and one still occupied-Lida,Nev.Long climb up to 8500 ft,very spectacular.Off the main road and continue climbing to 10,000 ft and the ancient bristle-cone pine forest.These trees are probably the oldest living inhabitants of Planet Earth.Real attitude adjustment,makes you feel a little like a mayfly.Then it's down the other side to 2500 ft or so.Then it's climb up to 4000 or so and Hwy 395,our favorite road.The next chapter will have to wait-a gathering of the clan is happening this evening.Old friends are meeting at a free outdoor concert and farmers' market in Windsor,picturesque village about 10 miles from our current position in Healdsburg.The forecast is for a heavy wine and smoke front to move thru causing us to seek after-concert refuge in Terri&Keith's hot tub & pool.Life's hard,uh-huh,uh-huh.

Monsoon Hits Vegas

2007-07-31T11:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-30T22:26:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-07-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-07-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

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.

Shiprock, Four Corners, Mesa Verde...for now

2007-06-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Wow! There simply are not adequate words to describe this day. We left for Shiprock first. I have read all of Tony Hillerman books, they all take place in Shiprock and surrounding areas. Had to see the town and area! But more than that...the Shiprock Pinnacle. It rises 15oo feet above the vast, flat desert. You can see it from miles and miles around. It is a mass of igneous rock flanked by long upright walls of solidified lava. It is very sacred to the Navajo. (http://www.discovernavajo.com/) I can only imagine what they felt when first seeing her. It is no wonder it is sacred. On the way we passed the Northern Navajo Veterans Center and promised ourselves we would go back tomorrow. On to Four Corners. We stood on the marker that signifies you are standing in all four states at once! We have pic. Had some fry bread. I have to say, we have had a lot of fry bread on this trip and the best we have ever had was years ago as dessert after a most romantic dinner in Cherokee, NC. In fact the fry bread just may explain why we have gained weight on this trip. Jeez!! This woman came up to the van and started talking to me. She has a '76 beetle convertible! And the story she told about it. We have had great stories shared with us, have given out lots of our cards, and asked people to email their stories to us! Anyway....seems her xhusband Eric ? of the Rollo ship on the Bering Sea is on the series about the most dangerous catch. You just never know....

We arrived at the ranger station entrance to Mesa Verde. You look up, up, up the road...stunned by the height we are going to climb. "Flossie" balked, on no you don't! I'm not going up that road until you adjust my fuel air mix. OK, OK, we're hot as hell, driving thru the most beautiful country on the way, but! Sammy grabbed the screwdriver, got on his knees, told "Flossie" how wonderful she is and has been, adjusted her mix and off we went. Now, when we mention 2nd gear, we are not complaining, only trying to convey some of the mountains we have climbed! So 2nd gear it is...up, up, up, the vistas were nothing short of stunning. How did these people get up here? and Why?! As far as you can see in all directions vast, colorful, open desert. We drove in 20 miles and saw the most incredible ruins built by the Chaco people. A virtual city built into the overhang. They used ladders, and pulled them up behind them. You can take the walking, ummm, that's not quite the word, tour and go into the ruins. Then you climb back up! We didn't do it, sadly. I think I could have done it. But climbing straight up a ladder lets me understand what "lead in your ass" means! If you can plan a couple of weeks you must go to the Navajo Reservation area. Miles of the most beautiful country you can possibly imagine. I think we were up about 8,500 feet. The road we took back to Farmington takes you through Mancos Valley. Down you go to the most beautiful, green, tall pine trees, river, and cool air! It is just amazing. That valley is just as beautiful in its own way. The air smelled so good, it was about 8 pm, the sun wasn't too high, she just filtered through the trees and shadowed the road. We passed several very lively creeks. You smile...So we're sailing along, loving the cool evening air when suddenly! We smell a skunk!! Now, I know you will think I am weird...but I love to drive down the road in the cool evening and smell a skunk! There is something so real about it. So natural. It was a great experience. We arrived back at the motel about 9 pm. Went next door for a good hamburger and fries (weight gain?) and back to the room. We had been in Colorado all this time and boy was that fun! We figure we have been in 10 states so far. We are over 3,250 miles! We have managed to find decals from most of the states and have put them on the side window. And bless the van for being metal 'cause boy have we gotten the magnets!! Well, that was Wednesday, Thursday and the Vets Center and Canyon de Chelly will come later! We have stopped for the night in Holbrook, east of Flagstaff. Tomorrow we commune with the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert. It was really hot today, 108, and they are predicting higher for the next few days. We spent 5 hours at the Canyon today. We also get sunburned driving down the road. The Volkswagen was the perfect choice for our trip. We would not have driven anything else. Signing off now....except for El Escargot 2 cents worth.Soon to be a regular feature.You can't enjoy all this beauty without seeing the GRINDING poverty that exists in the midst of it.This is NOT the way it's sposed towork.Got to stop at the Navajo Vet Center and see them getting ready for their building dedication the next day.Traded my Vet Center T for a pretty apron for Perky(and me).Lots of Veterans activity among the Navajo.Actually saw a vet Code Talker at dinner outside Canyon de Chelly.The restaurant had a room dedicated to the Code Talkers.Way cool>Once more,nice people with VW stories And the beat goes on.More later.

P&El E

Angel Fire and Beyond

2007-06-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

I wanted to title this "Tucumcari to Farmington with deepest apologies to Lowell George" but Perky sniffed. sittin in a room in Farmington,New Mexico gettin a Beatles sound track on Larry King Live on CNN.Perfect for my last couple days. NO,my last three weeks. The wonderful THINGS you discover in places you shoulda gone to see long ago.Speaking only for myself bout the "shoulda."Anyway,we split Taos in a hurry due to our fave dog being unwelcome ON THE GROUNDS of our motel and an approaching 300 lb baad lookin cleaning person. Much more great photos than any we've taken. There's a pretensiously funky side to Taos that still has a great appeal. Pretensiously funky breakfast and 2nd gear up the bigass mountain to Angel Fire. Not the pretensiouly pretensious ski area;but next door to the National Viet Nam Monument. Bout 11000 ft and panoramic views. Back to Taos & onward thru the fog.Over the spectacular Rio Grande Gorge bridge (Perky says it Needs some changes safetywise)(you see, Perky walked across the bridge and she knows!) and into the mountains for real. Nuttin for miles but grandeur.Few vehicles and lotsa 3rd & second gear while wishing I had changed the fuel-air mix on the van. Friends, you gotta see for yourself'. Turned into many miles before shuttin her down. Perky found a great motel,got semi-second wind,ate at 11(how Euro)and fell down like.......well,like REALLY tired people. 'Somewhere in there we decided to take today to deal with THINGS that needed us. So we did. Oil change for Flossie, banking for El E. Straightening the van for Perky. Tomorrow we are off to Four Corners and Mesa Verde, the real reason we are still here. We've come too far to miss such beauty and history. Then, poor us, it's south through Arizona, Canyon de Chelly, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, the crater left by the former volcano, Grand Canyon and the Beatles in Las Vegas. Expect to make Pahrump by Christmas and invite you all to come and share Noel with us. No, seriously folks, we should be there by the weekend. Looking forward to the 4th with Chris and familyand only sorry that you won't be with us. Keep checking the blog and please check out the pics. It's must easier than sitting through our showing ALL of them to you when we return. Signing off for now....

On the road again,sorta

2007-06-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

El Escargot here.We made all of 75 miles today-BUT WHAT A FREAKIN DAY!!!Perky will fill in the details while I dry off.Some of the most incredible countryside I've ever experienced-Santa Fe to Taos,a piece of truly beautiful America.At this rate we should hit Pahrump by Labor Day.So it goes.

Well! Hello! Where do I start? I haven't re-read the blog so will start where I think I left off! On second thought...let me start with today, Sunday, June 24. We reluctantly left Santa Fe. If you haven't been to New Mexico-GO! We said goodbye to Shelley & Bart and headed north to Taos and Angel Fire, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We stopped for gas and hit the road. Soon we were in 2nd gear, and 2nd gear, and 2nd gear. I can't spell, urrmmm, but it was kinda like that! All of a sudden we were in 3rd gear! Wahoo! We're almost speeding along and to our left we see a river! Wow! It's actually full of water. We are getting there when we are "speeding" by and we see a beach to our left, with about 50 plastic flamingoes!!!! And a restaurant! Eeerrrr! Let's go back and eat lunch. We turned around and discovered it's the Rio Grande! And a place called Emundo. We crossed over the bridge and we hear music. A guy is playing the guitar on a stage in the trees by the river. And there is the restaurant! With huge mountains surrounding us there is the most lovely place you could hope for. We walked down to the beach. Sammy ordered while I let Cody walk in the river. He came back with the best sandwich, on sourdough bread. We had this delightful lunch, listening to music, breeze thru the trees, water rushing over rocks...oh man! I had to take my shoes off and walk in the Rio Grande! Wouldn't you? I must say it was very rocky, of course, and slippery. I thought a couple of times I might fall in. I told Sammy to walk in...how many times do you have a chance to walk in the Rio Grande? He did and fell in!! It was hilarious!! We have pictures! In a way I had hoped to fall in. It was a perfect place to swim, the water was a perfect temp and the sun was hot. So, bless his heart, he got out. Luckily we have lots of clean clothes and he was able to change. Back on the road, 2nd gear again, but not for long. You can tell when you are about to reach the summit, and the anticipation of what is on the other side of the rise, well, you can just imagine. But I can tell you, unless you have driven that road, your imagination will fall very short. It was nothing short of spectacular. There before us were the 13,ooo foot mountain ranges, a wide, wide vista with the Rio Grande Gorge in the middle. Storms over the mountains, rain falling from the clouds, a camera cannot possibly copy it. There was a pull off. With a little stand selling elk and buffalo jerky! Of course we pulled over and got some and watched the most awesome sight I have ever seen. Back on the road, the wind was blowing fiercely, the van was rocking, and we were gawking! Shortly we arrived in Taos. Oh my~ We are also planning to go to Angel Fire but the weather is not inviting us to continue. So, aw gee, guess we'll have to spend the night in Taos. We find the Kachina Best Western. Complete with Kiva Indian dancing at 8 pm on the grounds. Mountain trout with pinon nuts, fresh vegetables, for supper. OK, we have died and gone to heaven! There was a slight glitch...this Best Western does not take pets. We didn't know that until after we checked in. Oh Cody. You little shit! We were trying to hide him, and he chose this time to really show his separation anxiety. Bark, bark, bark. Hopefully, the beautiful drumming will drown him out. We do not want to be thrown out of the best place we have stayed so far! We went to dinner and the dancing. When we got back to the room, the 4 bikers next door, Sammy had talked to earlier, said Cody was having a bad time.. Jeez! But all is well now because we are back in the room and he is quiet. I had to sneak him in the van, drive up the road to take him to "relieve" himself. Well, folks, it's time for bed. Will finish tomorrow.

The road into Santa Fe is beautiful. New Mexico is stunningly beautiful. A couple of most wonderful things....talking on a cell phone while driving is AGAINST THE LAW!!! Whoopee! And...there is a building height limit!! Double whoopee!! We didn't see any building over 3 stories, and those were rare! All the architecture is pueblo design and so enchanting. Can you imagine how Tampa, or your town, would look if the tallest building was only 3 stories?! You can see for miles in all directions. We had a wonderful visit with Shelley & Bart. Their house is to die for. Pueblo design, high, high, ceilings, wood beams, terrace overlooking the hills, patio that is lovely, a very comfortable home. They were very gracious. Our first night Shelley cooked us all steaks and we carried on until rather late. Shelley & I went sightseeing each day. I saw their land, high hill area. Can see why they wanted it. She took me to Madrid. An old coal mining town, which was obviously settled by hippies back in the day. Not very yuppiefied. The buildings are still the old ones. Out houses. One store had "our" kind of bumper stickers. I am sooo excited! I bought one that said..."Where have all the hippies gone?" It's on the front bumper! Sammy had bought a sticker before we left home that said, "All who wander are not lost." The store had the tee shirt!! Happy Father's Day! I connected with my sweet cousin Karen. She has lived in Santa Fe since 1981. We all went to Gabriel's restaurant for dinner. The food in New Mexico is wonderful. What a great time we had with Bart's friends, Brian & Gene, who drove the moving truck out with all their "stuff." The gang of us had a great time. Fabulous margaritas! The next morning we started early and got a lot of their stuff unpacked. Great fun! Sammy & Bart stayed home and Shelley and I took off.

AT&SF

2007-06-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here we is in Santa Fe at the lovely new home of Bart&Shelley.One lesson learned-always cross Texas thru the Panhandle&Amarillo.A real "duh" when you look at a map.aginghipez's Public Gallery - AOL Pictures.Click here for pix.More to follow.For loads of laughs and insight into a really deranged philosopher's mind tryBelievable Liesold friend Neil Crabtree will rock you.

Santa Fe is some town,kids.Bart&Shelley(B&S)have a great place with incredible views.Soon come pix.It gets hot in the afternoon but mornings&evenings are cool and glorious.The day we arrived,two friends of B&S,Brian&Gene got here with all the household goodies in a 28ft truck.They made it from Tampa in 2 1/2 days.Took us 2 1/2 weeks!!Brian&Gene are great guys and we passed a lovely evening at Rancho B&S,drinking wine & eating steak.Life on the road is hard.Been touristaing around since then.Had the best mole' I've ever had!(Sorry,Angelica)I'll sign off&get on with my chores and let Perky fillin the gaps.Shelley&Perky been too busy bonding to post so this is it till we light somewhere in Northern New Mexico this evening.Off to Taos&Angel Fire,a Viet Nam memorial at 11,000 ft.Then Ship Rock and Four Corners.We hope to arrive in Pahrump before the 4th.Thinking of you all.Latex

Happy Solstice!!

2007-06-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Could not finish last night...way too tired! Not sure where I stopped...so repeats are possible. Eureka Springs is the most wonderful place. We had a hard time leaving. We visited the Quigley Castle. Not a castle that you have in mind. A house that this lady built out of rocks in the area. The house has 28 huge windows...maybe 5'x15' . Built entirely of lumber on the land too. She wanted to bring nature indoors so 4' of bare earth was left between the living space and the walls. Mrs Quigley planted flowering, tropical plants that grow up to the 2nd floor! What a brilliant idea!! The plants are over 55 years old now. The gardens are a dream. Her rock gathering cemented in the most wonderful designs. She collected fossils, crystals, arrowheads and petrified wood and shaped them into her designs. We also visited the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue. Albert was there! Big cats, bears, monkeys....then on Saturday we attended an honest to god Pow Wow. I have been to Pow Wows before, but not like this. The drumming touched your soul. The regalia I have only seen in pictures. 2 of them with POW-MIA dressing. The dancing brought tears. Because we were so close to Indian Territory many tribes were represented. What a wonderful experience. We had dinner that night at Gaskins, a former bear hunters cabin. Had a splendid time there! Reminiscent of my days at the Blue Heron. We saw lots of lightning bugs! The flowers were beautiful. Hung out with the owner who is very cool..of course! Sammy did realllll good finding that place! There is an "historical" loop you can drive thru Eureka Springs. The "oldest" part. How those people built there and lived there is beyond me. On the top is the Crescent Hotel. They say it is seriously haunted! How come, since I kinda believe, I never get to see the ghosts? The grounds of the hotel are glorious...lots of weddings held there. I took pictures of some of the houses..all I can say is WOW. I have never seen homes like these. Sadly, it was time to leave. No wonder we have been on the road 2 weeks and are only a little over half way to Nevada! We have such fun traveling. We both love to stop at the drop of a hat. On to Oklahoma and Route 66! Well...it took us a while to get out of Oklahoma too. Route 66 is a really beautiful drive thru the country. It parallels the freeway somewhat and is pretty easy to follow. Saw lots of interesting places. Must say we didn't get very far. I think we did 100 miles in one day. We visited the Route 66 national museum in Elk City. Not that was fun! Got up yesterday morning and decided we needed to get our asses in gear! Did our first freeway stretch! Thought the van needed to blow it out, that's our story and we're sticking to it! It was a good choice. The scenery was wide open! We stopped in Amarillo to see the buried Cadillacs! What a trip! Of course they are now spray painted in an array of colors and designs. Many coats of paint. I suppose the paint is preserving the Caddies, they have been there at least 40 years! Buried in an open field that you can see for miles in all directions! We blew thru Texas, crossed another time zone so we gained an hour - Yay! - and arrived in Tucumcari! The road in is spectacular. You can see for miles and miles and miles. Lots of mesas/buttes...you can really see that this area was once swampy and full of water. Sure 'nuf...this was a dinosaur area! have quite a museum here. We are at 4,000 elevation. Had a very relaxing and necessary stay at the Best Western. We are heading to sightsee and Santa Fe to see Shelley and my cousin Karen! Will post more later. peace & love, the aging hippie travelers!

Addendum byEl E.: Great "Buffalo Burgers," 3 huge wind farms actually supplying power to the grid, more wonderful people and beauty abounds. Travelling in an old van will beat you up.It's not the VW,it's the heat & the wind. Solution:Start early,stop often & stop early. May take a while but it's better for your overall condition. We still truckin!!!

Two thousand miles,two weeks & two posts

2007-06-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

It's hard to make spare time on the road & riding facing the stern in Miss Flossy @ 65mph while two-finger typing aint my idea of a good time. Some El Escargot road rules before Perky takes over: 2 day old roadkill is better than fresh Taco-Tico. 3 lefts make a right. The ground and VW beds are harder than they were just a few short years ago. Cell phones are not perfect but then neither are we. Enough bs. The trip to this point has been incredible. Met a guy today who said "There's nuttin wrong with this country-people just don't get out in it enough." The sheer beauty of the countryside on "Blue Highways" will soothe your soul. El Escargot signing off.
We left Alabama and headed for Mississippi. We wanted to drive part of Natchez Trace. We did 60 miles worth. Really beautiful and very historical. Of course my favorite historical marker was Witch Dance. Supposedly the witches danced by the light of the moon, wherever their feet touched the ground was burned and nothing grew there again....so fortunate to see so many Indian mounds too. Natchez Trace is a drive through beautiful pine groves and woods. We made it to Helena, Arkansas that night. Let me tell you...Arkansas is beautiful!! And...VERY southern! Saw lots of rebel flags...The next night we spent in the Army Corp of Engineers campground at Joplin on Lake Oachita. Our site was on sort of a peninsula, lake all around us. There was a bass fishing contest for deaf people. Our camp mates were signing. Great experience. Saw a beautiful sunset and sunrise! The road up to the area and onward was so...how many times can I say beautiful?! We took all blue highways. The roads to Eureka Springs were unbelievable. I have never experienced so many switchbacks in my life! We spent a lot of time in 1st & 2nd gear! There was a spot on the map - Sammy's Throne - it was on a pale blue highway...off the off roads! I don't think we ever went faster than 25 mph. I loved the road..loved driving it. A perfect road for a Volks. We actually did find it. A very primitive campground...maybe 15 sites, someone had thoughtfully set wood for a fire at each site. Another great experience. We finally made it out to the regular blue highway and on to Eureka Springs. Let me tell you...an old friend lived there in the 70s. She used to talk about what a fantastic place it was, all hippies and "people"...she gave us a beautiful ceramic bowl that had been made there for a wedding present. I have always wanted to go there. Of course it is somewhat yuppiefied these days..you know.."they" always move in. It is a very old and historical town. Up and down...how people lived there a hundred years ago is beyond me..how did they build their beautiful victorian houses? Jeez! We could barely drive the "loop." And that's all for now.Currently in Tucumcari and still hoping to bring this blog to realtime. Peace&love

Perky&El Escargot

Stars fell

2007-06-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

After an extremely eventful beginning we have arrived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama! We arrived in Sopchoppy, Fl, at Wally's the first evening. Little did we know what a huge menagerie Wally had. Let's see...1 mule, 30ish Boer goats, 10+ turkeys, untold numbers of guina hens, 2 pot belly igs, roosters, 1 Emu (she makes a sound like a soft drum so you think there are drummers in the woods!), 1 dog...I think that's it. His wife, Shirley, "rescues" baby possums & squirrels, raises them and returns them to the wild. Well, Cody went crazy. He wanted to chase everyone. He paced and paced, became more and more anxious...kept him on the leash, which aggravated the problem. Gave him drugs which did not work. He was so upset all he did was eat and eat. There is not a sound out there in the woods. The stars were fabulous. We slept in the van and did quite well. Had a great visit. Left the next morning. Had lunch at a true southern restaurant. Ate like pigs and hit the road. Cody in the back, laid on the floor, quiet as a mouse...we knew he didn't feel well...We were exhausted and stopped in Prattville for the night. Only to discover that Cody had quietly thrown up all over the floor, the seat, himself...he couldn't walk, he could barely move. Well...we were freaked. Cleaning the van was no little task. Cleaning Cody was no easy task. The motel took dogs!! Our room had a jacuzzi tub...oh my! We hoped the rest would help us all. The next morning Cody seemed better. We went on to Birmingham. We went to Sammy's
old hood and to Vulcan Park, big honking iron man built for the 1904 World's Fair. Then a visit with Sammy's folks at the cemetery and on to Oneonta,Locust Fork and Blow Gourd(swear to god).Best Western takes dogs!!! Great bbq with the cousins-wonderful people we don't see often Next day,switch rooms(jacuzzi again!)and off to the back roads.Graveyard full of Hazelrigs and Swann covered bridge and a revival tent(pix to follow).
Dinner with the cuz's at Phillip and Pam's palatial palace,Ginger,Bill,Mickey & Wesley in attendance.On to Tuscalloosa and Jonathan,Tama,Sputnik,Blue and Dinky,yellow dog democrats.They sure know how to do the hospitality thing.Mucho fun and some needed down time.Manana begins Phase 2 of the tour.Cody is better but showing his years like never before.Perky and El Escargot are fine and really looking forward to the Ozarks and whatever else awaits.
PS:Forgot to mention Moundville,ancient Mississippian settlement.S last visited nearly 60 years ago,first field trip 1950?

Update

2007-05-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

Slight delay leaving Tampa due to tech difficulties. New departure set for 2 June. Then we be rocking!!! Peace & love,
Sammy, Gabrielle & Cody

2007-05-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

Coming To Your Driveway Soon