Traveling in the Twilight Zone ;)

okay, I'll try not to complain this time. There were many aspects of the trip that I enjoyed and one that was straight out of the Twilight Zone.  Of course reuniting with Jeff was the main highlight (more fam pics to follow.) Serene moments like this were also high on the list. I was surprised by the spectacular scenery along I-70 coming home. Just west of Green River is basically more of the North rim of the Canyonlands!  Very pleasant surprise. Avoiding Price and Soldier's Summit was a blessing in itself.

I had the most incredible, really unbelievable experience on the return trip through Moab. Since so few read this blog, I'm going to tell you. If you recall (from prior posts) how much I disliked the development around Moab as I drove up to Idaho, then this will blow your mind.
Approaching Moab, on Highway 191 South from Green River, I was dreading the sight of hot asphalt, construction and all the misery that goes along with "progress." Surprisingly, as I drove along waiting for the congestion, road workers and all the new buildings, I never saw them. The highway was two lanes with no sign of recent work. I drove further and soon I saw all the quaint little buildings and charming sites that I remembered from years ago.

I had strong thoughts of my friend Tom who loved to base jump from those fantastic red rock formations. He died in a freakish accident over six years ago. All those famous formations were visible, not blocked by any tall apartment or business buildings. I kept looking for the development that bothered me so much on the way up, but I didn't see any of it. I thought it must be at the other end of town. But as  I continued on, soon I was on my way out of Moab and still driving on a two lane dusty road. Then came the shock. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw pitch black asphalt, double lanes, with cones and machines and a lot of construction. Ahead, once again just my quiet two lane road. I thought to pull the van over, get out and investigate, but then I heard these words in my head:  "Don't try to figure it out, just enjoy." Somehow I know this was a message from Tom.  He used to give me the same advice about my spiritual insights and "Cosmic Transmissions" back in the 80s; "Just notice, give thanks and carry on" he would tell me.  So, Tom, strange and inexplicable as it was, I took your advice and just enjoyed. Thank you! Coming home was very nice. Perception is a fascinating thing!   

Rescue Mission (Part Deux)

Be sure and read the August 13 Part One post first, so this will make sense.
Part One was written BEFORE I got to Boise. In other words, the real trials and tribulations lessons were just beginning. About twenty miles outside of Boise I called my friend Jonathan to tell him the road was really rough and it was shaking my van so badly that all the stuff I picked up from the floor (after the near catastrophe at Bernalillo) was falling out again. The pavement was in that grooved/pre-prepped condition you've seen before the asphalt is added. I couldn't believe how badly the van was vibrating. I thought it would fall apart!  I told JC it felt like the rutted road to Chaco Canyon (one of the worst.) 

Truly "riding the rim" 

Izzi wonders "WTF?"

When I finally pulled into the Riverside RV Park in Boise, I told the office manager I needed to go to Big O Tires before I even set up. I wondered if the rough road had damaged my tires or if one or more of them were low on air.  She said I was in luck because there was one close by (less than 5 miles.)


 I navigated there with my GPS phone and just as I was making the turn into the Big O lot 
 I heard a loud explosion.

My van lurched to the right because the back right tire literally blew out at Big O in their parking lot!  STOP and really think about how incredible that was. Part of that rough ride was because my tire was "going south" at 75 mph!!  After driving one thousand miles at freeway speed, going through FOUR mountain passes with sheer drop offs, rough roads (sometimes gravel at the RV parks) and much of this in 90 to 100 degree heat, the tire blew pulling in to the Big O. What a blessing!  I wanted to prostrate on the spot.  Truly a miracle that it happened in such a perfectly safe place and seemed related to my Mercy Mission to rescue my long lost "brother." 

The next morning (August 14, at 10am) Jeff was released. I don't think I'm up for posting all the details of that, but it was extremely emotional.  Since then it's been both fabulous and challenging. This is not going to be an easy adjustment for him.  He will continue to be on parole for a long time (several years) and required to stay in the Boise district. I don't see how anyone coming out of prison can make it without help from a friend or family member. He was released with just 66 cents --  not even a buck for bus fare. He is totally indigent.  He had a box of papers, books I had sent him, and a few toiletry items. That was it. He had a distant, vacant look in his eyes when I first met him.  Amazingly, just hours later, after a shower and change into street clothes I brought him, he looked great at our reunion lunch.  


Since then I've taken him to get more clothes, groceries and supplies, signed him up for food stamps, got his one month voucher for a sleezy motel, been to Parole and Probation (twice), taken him to other required locations and today bought him a used (but very nice) Trek bicycle. He's going to have to figure out how to navigate Boise by bike and bus to get a job and continue making all his required meetings. I hope he's lucky and he can get a job before his voucher expires. Most  importantly, I hope he can stay away from his former vices and the kind of seedy influences that got him in trouble in the first place. To me, all the junkies and addicts hanging around these required meetings are a huge problem, but apparently "the state" thinks the problem is allowing him to bike with his family on the famous Boise greenbelt bike trail / River Run.  THAT is prohibited. No wonder prison recidivism rates are so high.  

Why I hate traveling (Part One)

This could also be called "Why I LOVE traveling-- My Sandpaper Teachers"  or  ONE THOUSAND MILES of Lessons:  I've certainly had some miserable experiences fabulous opportunities for putting the Dharma into real Practice driving from ABQ to Boise to rescue my "brother."  You'll hear more about the rescue mission in Part Deux.  Just 20 miles out of ABQ  (Bernalillo exit on I-25 North) a car in the far left lane decided to exit right.  He crossed all the lanes directly in front of my five ton RV van. He cut in so close I swerved and had there been a car next to me it would have been a nasty crash, very nasty as in I probably would have rolled the van. Even so, the sudden jolt sent most of my belongings crashing down out of cabinets and bags into one giant mess in the middle of my van.  Nice start, eh? Yes, but grateful that Izzi and I survived. It seemed like a bad omen.  It was!  And, just the beginning of a series of  unfortunate events, as Lemony Snicket would call them.   

There was the elderly curmudgeon at Bloomfield (NM) who was shaking his stick and telling me I couldn't park at the Carson National forest ranger station.  Maybe because this "way mark " made it a sought after stopping point?  That's my van peeking out behind the tree. Great spot, actually. I felt safe there. 

I stopped at a little park in Monticello, Utah for a late lunch. The place was empty when I parked.  But soon a hoard of skate boarders arrived.  Izzi cannot stand kids on bikes or skate boards because some little neighborhood rug rats teased her when she was a pup.  So now she barks her head off at the sight of them. She was soon drowned out, though, by the noise from the guy who just had to fire up the massive riding mower in the heat of the afternoon. Yep, people are my teachers.  Ahhhh.  We left.  

  

Cosmic Connie asked about Moab. It was always one of my favorite places.  I mean look at this naturally occurring mammoth stupa as you approach.  The rock formations are honestly out of this world, but in their quest to live near these spectacular places (like Sedona and now Moab) people have yet again ruined the very places that inspired them to move there. Now instead of the awesome natural landscape you see man-made megalithic monstrosities that made me want to cry. All the beauty blocked, triple-wide blacktop expansion and asphalt work in the 100 degree heat, traffic jams and exhaust fumes. In a word, it was awful. I didn't even stop.   

The little Shady Acres RV park in Green River was my oasis. Cool, after a brief rain storm, breezy, and the nicest shower facilities I've found on the road. A welcome respite from the road wars.  

But trouble was determined to find me the next day in the form of a "critter" that got in my engine (or vent system?) I heard the irregular scratching of little claws. Pack rat? Moab lizard?  I was totally freaked out thinking it might pop out by my feet near the gas pedal.  But then the smell of singed fur and the scratching stopped. But that was nothing compared to what transpired between Price, Utah and Soldier Summit.  I had forgotten why I used to take the long route from Green River through Salina and Nephi, rather than Price. This trip reminded me. It took three and half hours to make the 60 mile stretch of Highway 191 that involves the 7800 ft Soldier Summit pass. It might look benign in that web cam view, but not on the day I drove through. Just before reaching the actual summit, on one of the winding, narrow mountain curves, a cattle truck had collided with a semi.  This is a sight you never want to see and one that I will never forget. I'll spare you the details, but as I've told my friends, I became an instant vegetarian.  

I barely had time to catch my breath after that fiasco, and then found myself in the sprawl that is the Salt Lake City metropolis. It begins around Provo and continues all the way through the I-15 corridor into Brigham City and Logan. That was was a solid six hour white-knuckle run getting through the mountain mess then the metro mess. No lunch and only one quick gas up and K9 and human bio break. Not a fun day of traveling, IMHO. I finally collapsed in the parking lot of a country diner near Tremonton. The scenery was gorgeous, and most importantly, it was QUIET!  

  

My Twin Falls experience wasn't any better. I didn't make a camping reservation for Sunday night hoping I could find a cheap motel, take a real shower and sleep on a real bed. But, the thought of bed bugs came to mind when I actually saw the "cheap" motels. To avoid that and stay in a nice, dog-friendly place would have cost around $150 for one night. No thanks. So after wasting 90 minutes of tedious town driving, I ended up back on the freeway and found the "Bates Motel" of RV parks-- a wacky place in Wendell, Idaho. This place featured a coin-operated shower, that required a super secret system to enter. If you didn't find the hidden code on the hand-out sheet you would not get a shower. It looks much nicer in this pic than it was thanks to the fun fountain. The park smelled weird, like it might be on a EPA chemical clean-up site. (Turns out that was the forest fires nearby.) Bye bye Bates family (I was writing all this the morning of Aug 13 at their park using my WiFi and their power.)  Next update: the Boise / Riverside info.