The Desert 2022

On A Dark Desert Highway     Cool Wind In My Hair     Warm Sell Of Colitas    Rising Up Through The Air      Up Head In The Distance     I Saw A Shimmering Light      My Head Grew Heavy And Sight Grew Grew Dim      I Had To Stop For The Night      There She Stood In The Doorway    I Heard The Mission Bell     I Was Thinking To My Self       This Could Be Heaven Or This Could Be Hell      Then She lit Up A Candle    And She Showed Me The Way      There Were Voices Down The Corridor   I Thought I Heard Them Say ...

Eagles

Hotel California 1976

MONDAY: 

No real reason to hit the road butt A$$ early as we are only adventuring down the weathered two lane black asphalt for about 8 hours driving time. The brisk 11F / -11C morning made for a quick trunk loading of coolers, duffle bags, and on the I70West by 8am. Moab Utah was beautiful, just a hint as what was to come, and soon became just another fading image in the rearview mirror. We pulled off in Monument Valley once again and breathed out our standard Forest Gump jokes/references/quotes.  

The Dude assembled a couple of delicious wraps with fresh greens from the hoop house, tasty cracked peppered dry salami slices, and fresh homemade hummus for holding everything together inside. Before we knew it, Flagstaff AZ was also in our rearview mirror. Our destination was the sleepy valley town of Prescott AZ. To the locals, it is pronounced, Press-KIT like a beef brisket. After I was politely corrected I responded with," Oh, Like A Strong Merlot Wine, Press-LOT." 

Wendy is a blood cousin from the Reed side and ironically reached out Spring 20BLK Jack. Have you ever experienced Singing Bowls?? I highly recommend it. The visceral vibrational quality was remarkable and the flow throughout each limb was outstandingly relaxing. 

TUESDAY:

After Wendy served up a decadent breakfast, the three of us went tooling on over to Sedona AZ in the trusty rental car. Endless chatter ensued and we where always there before we knew it. 

Our drive from Prescott To Sedona allowed us to quickly visit Jerome before dropping down into Sedona. Jerome was an old miners town and the historic Audrey Shaft still stands in all its glory. This town produced tons and tons of Silver and Copper back in the 1920's. 

Audrey Mine Shaft is the largest wooden head frame still standing in AZ. This sucker was completed in 1918 to haul ore from the mine shaft 1900ft deep. That is 579 meters below the surface of daylight with cross tunnels every 100 to 200 feet. A the tiny little elevator car lowers these brave or hardy worker bees tirelessly for decades.  

They now have a bullet proof thick glass window covering the opening and strings of lights illuminating the shaft for about the first 1,000ft or so. Talk about a sight. The Dude and Wendy were snapping off a few photos when I captured the above shot. 

Our mighty rental car descended the switch back road like a sure hoofed billy goat effortlessly hopping from boulder to boulder. Dropping into Sedona offered nothing but one beautiful sight, if you appreciate an arid desert style landscape. 

I find these magnificent flagstone spears grounding and jaw dropping as well. Hiking around was super simple and VERY tourist friendly. Easily could have supported flip flops is what I am saying. 

These pockets of beauty are rather comforting and pretty grounding if you stay out of your own way. Wendy knew these loops well and that offered opportunities for trekking around more than the average tourist would see in a day. 

 

She navigated us to yet another postcard location. I found the vortex near this formation rather strong but feminine. Wendy ask something about the difference between a vortex and a spiral as I referred to it as. In my opinion I started off with, a spiral has a directional curve with a fixed point as a vortex is gravitating and consuming in a whirlwind motion. Maybe Yes, Maybe No 

The highlights from the week were always centered around supported full spectrum discussions. Sure, we had those superficial chats as well about sports, weather, and family dynamics. But we also pealed back the layers of those onions.  

The Dude was whipping up a tasty treat after another location conquered. Its not a complaint but there was no shortage of travelers at this particular sight. On To The Next Hike 

This was another rugged location that I enjoyed and talk about good juju, Like WoW. We happily climbed around and came to a rest at this ridiculously wild overlook. 

Our last look see around Sedona was driving up a canyon northbound for a short distance. We were quickly losing precious daylight but adventured on just the same. And was I ever thankful that we did. Phuc YES

This peaceful easy creek is fed by a natural under ground spring and the flowing water is crystal clear. The locals are very protective of this area and Mother Nature thanks them. The sounds of rushing water dancing between naturally formed waterfalls were priceless. I set my phone near one flowing pocket and record the audio of three plus minutes. Just The Sound Of Meditating White Noise 

Wendy even asked," So I Think You Like This Place?" This creek provided me with the soothing tranquility that I didn't even realize I was desiring and I already had a pretty righteous day. Little did she know, my pockets were full of collectible pebbles. You Know Me

WEDNESDAY:

The Dude and I loaded up the cooler once again and made tracks towards the actual town of Prescott. Wendy and her family currently reside in Prescott Valley. 

Just a few twist and turns north of the town Prescott, we found the Watson Disc Golf Course. The temperature was another perfect low 60F / 15C with an abundance of sunshine. 

This disc golf course has a proper 18 Baskets with multiple tee pads and basket placements. There were very few simple holes and you could have easily lost a disc or two if you weren't paying attention. I make note of that because I backed way off the power drives and focused more with precise lay ups. 

My control was outstanding after about the 3rd basket and I threw very well. I definitely missed a number of my par putts but felt solid with my overall play for a new competitive course. Again, commanding views.

And above, here is a new one on me. A disc walking cat!! Dogs, you bet!! Kitty Kitty on a leash?? The dog is obviously well know because she interacted with all her human friends as they arrived but refused to look my way. The cat, totally thought it was a dog and mirrored the same behaviors. Pretty Cool

From there, we casually drove down to the heart of Whiskey Row. This place was nothing but saloons, gambling halls, and hotels by the early 1870's. Some of the saloons brewed their own beer for 12 1/2 cents a pour. In 1901, a disastrous fire tore through four of the city blocks. So some of the original hotels still stand and talk about chalk full of apparitions. Currently, hotels and saloons, all the employees dress in their 1870's clothing which brings such richness to these conciliate brothel style watering holes. The True Wild Wild West

THURSDAY:

Paolo Soleri landed on The Dudes radar and we talked Wendy & Logan into checking it out with us. The scamper south took about 40 minutes and it's almost in the middle of nowhere USA.

Paolo did not consider himself a visionary but more of a true realist. Over 8,000 determined volunteers created this community of Arcosanti. The ambitious experiment was to build a community were humans are forces to interact with each other through its pedestrian walks, multi use buildings, and vertically dense design standing in contrast to the the urban sprawl of the early 1970's.  

These amazing structures were all hand built and each building is properly angled or positioned for passive solar gains, water capturing, and is even built on a cliff side for afternoons breezes. 

How can one not critically think about our roles in creating a balance between the built world and the environment for the good of humankind and the planet. During the tour, my mind raced. 

The questions that bubbled up for me were all the whys. Why has fellow mankind ... Why do they keep secrets from ... Why would you roll into town and act like ... Why imply that its someones fault?? Why is it so flipping tough to be the better human?? 

I ended up sending out a number of photos to my friends during this tour. How can one not send positive vibes from a magical place like this. So this is the amphitheater and there are three building facing in towards the stage. Only one building is obviously photographed in this shot above. All the first floors are residential and the second floors are all classrooms. 

The photo above is one of the four work sites. This particular sight is where the worker / residents fabricate copper bells for selling in the gift shop. Our tour guide was just ok and I was disappointed about NOT touring the Ceramic Kilns, Wood Shop, Rooms That They Rent For Vacations and Visiting Families, Gardening Plots, and Their Solar Farm. Phuc-N COVID  

FRIDAY:

And before you knew it, the car was traveling north. Way Too Quick 

But not before another first. The Dude wanted to hit a coffee shop in Flagstaff. So we stopped for fuel and walked over to this hut. We were greeted by two pigs on a leash. First A Cat, Now Pigs

This week held just about everything really. We were on the move all day but felt as if there is so much more to explore. Our visit with Wendy and the family was extraordinary and their hospitality was impeccable. They unselfishly looked after us at all times. We shared stories of past travels way into the late evenings. Never would have guessed that we had not crossed paths in 30 to 40 years. 

It hadn't occur to me how badly I needed to get the Phuc away from GJ. Our hearts are always in need of a rejuvenating outing but I wasn't tuned in to how disconnected I really was. I can't blame it on the full moon but folks have been rubbing me the wrong way and traveling was ideal for my soul. Another Successful Road Trip

GOALS

1. Breathe And Appreciate 
2. Remain Present Around Others
3. Liquidate Some Assets
4. Bitchin Early February Radio Show MCR
5. Schedule And Update My Calendar 
6. Plan The Next Road Trip 

I Leave You With This Video Montage From The Week

Cheers