AZ’s “DIARY OF A DAMNED MAN”

Now one thing I have failed to mention in this documentation of the 2007 Rt 666 Highway to Hell Road Trip and that is Shelly has a small car. It is a 2007 AVEO and though people have doubted it I was able to get all of our travel gear in and on this car. There were 2 ice chests, 4 tubs, a tent, 2 sleeping bags, a quilt, 2 pillows, a suitcase, a duffel bag, 3 backpacks and other various miscellaneous items packed into this little 4 door wonder. The real pain in the ass which I had mentioned at the top of this tale is the huge duffel which had all of our sleeping items, basically our house for the next 3 weekends strapped with bungee cords onto the trunk of the car. Yet with cord flying unsnapping and hitting us in our faces we made it work. And it worked just fine.

We hit the hay pretty early and rose with the crack of dawn.

DAY 2 It was 5 AM and Shelly went to shower as I prepared breakfast. The skies above us were overcast. After we ate we tore down and packed up and loaded the car. We were on the road by 7 AM. I felt if we got out of the area we’d escape the rain, we stopped for some bevrages at a gas station,  and we also found we had a mutual taste for Laffy Taffy.

The further west we drove the clearer the skies were and the more boring and bland the scenery and landscape was becomming. By 11:59 we had traveled 725.5 miles into our trip. We needed to fill up on gas again. We were at Wilson Lake, KS and gas was $3.25 per gallon and it cost $31.50 to fill the tank. Ironically this was the exit to where I had originally planned for us to spend the first night, however the rain slowed us down and it would have proved  impossible or at the least unfulfilling for us. We had been won over by Perry State Park and the people that worked there and vowed we’d return there en route home.

The next destination would be Bonny, a place I discovered in 2000 when I made my second south-westward jaunt. Well-known for quality water-based recreation, Bonny Lake State Park is a pleasant combination of modern facilities and large expanses of prairie and riparian open space.

As we got closer to the Colorado state line and the landscape offered little to look at but the occasion group of cows or some horses, one thing was about to make it interesting. I was driving along when I saw a stud (male horse) on the north side of the road come up on another. The other must have been in heat and having worked with horses and on horse farms in my youth I knew what was about to happen. I just pointed with my arm and asked Shelly to look. The stud came up around his beau and BADA BIBG, mounted her. Shelly was stunned as these horses began to mate right there at the side of the road. For a moment she was silent and then we both simultaneously burst out into uncontrollable laughter. Passersby as always looked over at us and we just couldn’t stop, it fueled the fire even more. Whether they had seen what we had I do not know, but either way, from the way we must have appeared to them I’d would have wanted to pass our car as well.

At 2:11 PM we crossed the Colorado state line, and had driven 7 hours that day before we took the road north to Bonny. About ½ way from the freeway to the country road we were headed to, Shelly quickly took notice that the plant and rock life had taken a drastic change. Almost like there was a line dividing the two regions. The terrain went from grassy plains to a rocky desert like horizon. Again, this was something else I had failed to make a significant note of in the past.

When we got to Bonny a huge campground where I had set up in the dark seven years prior, it was crowded and this lake unlike the lake at Perry was very low. It was in fact the day before Memorial Day 2007.

Located on an oasis on the plains, Bonny Lake State Park offers a welcomed change from the rolling prairie and grasslands that surround the park. Nestled in the broad valley of the South Fork of the Republican River, at an elevation of 3,700 feet, Bonny Lake State Park has colorful vistas in the fall and offers a variety of year-round recreational opportunities.

We were assigned a campsite on the outer perimeter of the park, and this was a campground that I had refused to stay in years before for reasons that I will not document here. But at this junction we had no choice. It was overcast, the park was at 98% capacity, and we were tired and hungry and we had wanted all day to swim. But then the clouds once again found their way over our heads. Shelly began to suspect that I was either doing rain dances when she wasn’t in my company or that I was indeed, the Rainman.

Rainman and his Bonny Lass had been separated for 5 weeks just prior to this trip as the Air Force has the fairer half in training all the way in Tennessee. But would 3 weeks in each others company 24-7 prove to be overkill for Shelly and Alex? After getting through day one which seemed to be a breeze, and Shelly’s military training to help AZ with the organization of loading and unloading daily, getting it all down to a system in no time, it would feel like this just might work. But in 14 days would they have not driven each other crazy? Lets see.

And no sooner had we set up the tent and unpacked the car that it poured down rain. And this was nasty rain because it transferred all of dirt roads around us into mud. It was nothing short of NASTY. We sat in the car, and we tried to believe it’d be over soon. About an hour later as the news had predicted it had stopped, and we made the best of it, cooked and did what we could, despite the swarm of gnats infesting our site, to make it an enjoyable night.

In bed by 10 and we rose at 6 AM .

DAY 3, 5/28/2007, 8:28 AM Mountain Time we departed Bonny en route to Colorado Springs, and we had driven 976.8 miles so far and when we reached Burlington, CO were at 4136 Feet above sea level. We attained 5228 ft, at Rama, 6029 Ft and in Calhan at 11:15 AM we were at 6507 ft. My ears were a poppin!

We stopped at a charming little town full of restored vintage cars and a strange campground. Just weird enough to be cool, and not really scary. We found a gas station with a convenience store and a liquor store on either side. Shelly went in to change into shorts and I went to the liquor store to pick up some ice and refreshments for that evening. We would be meeting up with some friends. Well friends of mine for several years on myspace which turned into phone friends and now we were going to meet in person. This would lead to becoming a very fun oriented night, but more on that later. As I was in the store I was greeted by a very nice and helpful lady. I wanted to get some Tequiza a beer that Shelly and I both discovered we enjoyed quite a bit. I also picked up a nice bottle of imported tequila. Topping it off was a bottle of Smirnoff for a concoction I hadn’t tried since I was last in Colorado Springs.  It all totaled $75 and the lady actually made sure that ¾ of the case of beer was cold, and I helped her restock the store cooler. It was a lot more expensive for the small amount that I had paid for most of the time, but for the friendly service I received, and the air conditioning in the store, it was well worth it. Again, there was no hurry and we were taking our time, and this was nice. I changed into my first tank top of the trip so far as it was hot and this was by far the most beautiful day of the trip so far. In the distance on the horizon we could see the snowcapped Rocky Mountains growing bigger with each mile and Shelly took it all in as I smiled with a heartfelt grin reflecting my joy at her amazement. This is all I wanted from this trip. To show her how vast and beautiful our country was.

We were getting really close to Colorado Springs so we found a Safeway grocery store and went in and bought a bevy of food for the evening. This store had the most outrageous prices I had ever seen anywhere. For a beef state I was astounded by prices upward of $6 per lbs. for ground beef. So I opted to buy a couple pounds of buffalo instead as it was the same price and better tasting and better nutritionally. I also picked up a ridiculously priced watermelon and some other fruits and veggies. By the time we left the store we had spent $80 on food and charcoal.

The watermelon was to soak with the vodka. I had tried this in 2000 at the same campground we were headed to. Many urban legends tell of the treat and I thought time was on our side so why not give it another shot. And as it turned out, one of the guinea pigs gave it a run for the money later that night.

We got into Colorado Springs and it was busy. The traffic was slow and we were caught downtown. It seemed like forever before we got to the John May campground and Museum, a place I discovered 7 years ago, with great camping, great hiking, great facilities for showering etc and this time more accommodating  that we could have EVER asked for. I did recall that checking in and registering for a site was a bit of a hassle and time has provided little change as the elderly lady at the desk, which I ‘m sure is the same lady as year before, pretty much gave us cavity searches before collecting our money to camp for the evening.

The John May Campground and Museum Center is one mile from scenic Highway 115, a beautiful part of the country with paved roads, located at the juncture of the great plains, the high mountains and the semi-desert, w/ a large variety of birds and animals. The wildlife and a wonderful assortment of wildflowers and cactus greet you as you walk up the hiking trails.  There are beautiful scenic views visible in all directions. You know when you are there when you see the giant bug sculpture on the west side of the highway. This campground also hosts a bug and space travel museum.

3 PM As we pulled up to the entrance, the clouds overhead got darker and it looked for sure like a storm was about to close in. Yes, I did it again, I brought the rain. Would this be the last of it? When we parked we were greeted by Danielle and her boyfriend Jason in the flesh. They had just got there and already went a few rounds with the lady at the check in desk. They have some strict rules in writing at this place. It’s all common sense but she seems to get a joy out of reading your rights to you before you sign off.

A little over 3 years ago I had become friends w/ Danielle, she a Dutch girl that lives in America now. For the duration of our friendship till late last summer she also thought that I was Dutch till we talked on the phone. She really thought Zander was Dutch especially since I would write to her in her native language. Greg Miner once commented that he couldn’t think of anyone that looked less Dutch than me, other than maybe himself. The rain was staring to trickle and we signed up and paid to get in and found 2 great sites high above the others with the best fire-pit I had ever seen and a shelter with tables and voila, LIGHTS and power for our music, phone and battery chargers. This saved us when the rain poured down. Shelly and I couldn’t even begin to set up, so Danielle broke out some of her beer and yelled for us to get up there and drink with them.

Up till this moment I was really worried that maybe she and Shelly would not get along, Danielle being a more aggressive personality as Shelly is a mch more passive type. As well I wondered how I’d get along w/ Jason myself. However, after a few minutes Shelly and Danielle really hit it off as it seemed that we would be divided by the sexes. We all had a lot in common and this was indeed the makings for a fun-filled evening.

Jason and I it off as well. So the evening began and the girls were laughing and drinking beer. I had the Teqiza while Jason was drinking from Danielle’s “beers of the world” something that he would pay dearly for the next day. I had cut a big deep hole into the melon and tried filling it w/ vodka. Danni broke out some dip she made, which was a secret recipe that not even I could persuade her to disclose and we munched and laughed and played music while it rained outside of the shelter around us. We were in a good place and nothing could break the mood.

I put on a couple soundtracks and found that Jason had an affliction that I have as well. He has the amazing ability and love of rattling off movie lines. I though JSin Harmon and I were the only people that had this geek disease. Well it seemed that Jason and his good friend do the exact-same-thing as well. And it made this union of 4 personalities even stronger. And when the rain ceased and the sun broke out, Shelly and I set up our camp as our 2 new friends watched and offered to help, and then we all went for a walk up around the trail into the mountain, did some pix and returned to begin dinner.

After we ate some of Danni’s steak and some of my appetizers, we continue drinking and playing music and Danielle put on her viXXXens shirt and persuaded Shelly to do the same. Pretty soon they were dressing up like they were headed to a rock n roll club instead of a campground and Jason and I took pix and I made a video and it is all really funny. Yup the girlies were getting tipsy.

At some point we broke up and sliced the melon and picked away at it. Shelly sliced the cantaloupe I bought for her earlier and of us all it seems Jason was enjoying the vodka soaked watermelon the most. Another thing that would not be too kind to him hours later.

It was stating to get dark and the fire was dying and I had lit up the shelter and we played music and suddenly the girls got up on the tables and started dancing off of the rafters. THIS WAS HILARIOUS! They were like sisters or best friends. A blonde and a red-head in short skirts, vixxxen shirts and a in the moment attitude.

The spirits had hit them, and it was getting to Jason as well. I was pacing myself just to insure that nothing got out of hand and people would make complaints. All was well and when I felt the beer getting to me, I closed the shop and went to sleep.

DAY 4, 5/29/2007, We were up just after 5, the sun was very bright at the east as we were perched on the east side of the mountain range, so I got up and made coffee, and prepped breakfast. Shelly needed another hour, and Jason had been up all night/morning vomiting. He mixed too many brews of beer and added the vodka-melon to it. Not a good plan as he learned. Danielle and I drank coffee and listened to Johnny cash as I do by ritual every morning when I wake up from a tent. We chatted for a while, Shelly was up around 630 and we ate breakfast. Jason wouldn’t be able to get up till about 8.

As he lay helpless in the back of his SUV I asked loudly, “You boys sick, how about a nice greasy pork sandwich served up in a dirty ashtray?” To which he replied. “Weird Science” and slowly stood up.

Shelly got all the bedding packed and went to shower, and I got the rest of the things together. When she returned we said goodbye to our new friends and hugged and made plans to reunite. I showered, and by 845 AM Mountain Time were en route to our next destination, straight south to New Mexico, Land of Enchantment.

At 1158PM we had traveled 1321.3 miles and were in Raton NM. Gas was $3.46 per gallon and it cost $30.75 to fill the tank. We had a destination in mind, but decided against it when we saw another campground had a lake, we had purchased tubes and had our heads set on swimming and playing in the water. And it was getting late in the day. We were ahead a day as far as our “schedule” and the next stop; we’d stay for 2 nights. Our next stop may as well have been the Twilight Zone. Our next stop was Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Located on the edge of the eastern plains at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the town became a key stop on the Santa Fe Trail and later host to outlaws, Rough Riders, and silent screen stars. Kit Carson, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Teddy Roosevelt, and Tom Mix all strolled these streets. 65 miles East from Santa Fe off I-25, Las Vegas is surrounded by recreation and wilderness experiences, all within easy driving distance of this charming, modern town where the historic buildings and eclectic architecture sit as silent reminders of the rollicking railroad era that began in 1879.

Our overall impression of the populace was not a good one. The first thing we took notice of was all of the motels that lined the main street. There were far too many motels for a place that didn’t seem as though it had much to offer anyone but a place to stop and sleep. I went into a gas station to ask directions to a grocery store and there was nobody there to respond to my query. People were pumping gas and roaming the store and for all I knew it was a virtual free for all. And being impatient as I am I walked out to the car fuming and we drove down the main drag looking for the Tourist Information Center. And when I finally found it, all the doors were locked but one and it had the feel of a virtual Romero zombie ghost town. I did find a lady to answer my question and she was nice enough and sent me to Lowes Super Save. BIG MISTAKE!

Shelly didn’t want to leave the car in fear it’d be burglarized while we were inside. The cars and the people in the lot all reflected one thing in our mind. Meth tweaking thugs! Las Vegas had already left a bad taste in our mouths. Inside I spent the time shopping dodging the zombie like morons inside and once in line I could have EXPLODED. Yes, I am impatient as I noted however, I actually was only 3 carts back in one of two lines and I was in line 3 x  longer than I was in the store shopping for all the goods I had filled the car with. The lady at the register was a jabber jaw; she had to talk to everyone that walked into the store. Not even paying attention to what she was doing. Yelling over peoples heads, talking at length to the lady in front of me, the softball coach that walked in the door, the mayor, town doctor, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. Or at least it seemed. By the time it finally got to be my turn, the mouth must have seen the look of extreme displeasure on my face, and apologized 3 times to me for taking so long. Upon leaving I asked where the campground was located and pointed across the street and said, down that road passed Wal mart. WAL MART WAL MART! Had I only known there was a Wal Mart I would not be in Lowes Super Save.

As I walked to the car my wonderful lady had put on The Sisters of Mercy knowing it might cheer me up. She knew how long I was in the store and knows me well enough that I was inside boiling over. MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE STUPID over and over in my head. I wonder if my thoughts were so loud that people could hear the voices screaming out of my head. Shelly musta’. As we loaded the already overloaded car with goods the bag boy who bagged my groceries while staring at me in some kind of hero-like worship trance was standing by the car and just gawking at us, waiting for my cart. I got in looked at Shelly and asked, “What The Fuck Is His Problem?” and her reply was maybe he knew of me from MK. I thanked her for playing Sisters and we drove passed the Wal Mart and passed a Drive In that  we planned to go to the next night (HAD IT NOT BEEN CLOSED). The campground we had chosen was Storrie Lake State Park.

Laying on the boundary between the Southern High Plains and the Southern Rocky Mountains, Storrie Lake is on the high plains just east of the Rincon Range portion of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Storrie Lake boasts consistent winds that provide excellent conditions for sailing and windsurfing. It’s not difficult to view the geese and ducks that flock to the lake during seasonal migrations, and there are walking-trails through sagebrush-covered landscape spotted with cactus, yucca and wildflowers. There are also mounds and mounds of fire ants between the campsites and the water. But the fire ants would prove to be the least of our troubles and hours before we’d stumble upon them, we’d have to deal with the rest of the piss ants of Las Vegas.

We got to the campground and it wasn’t all we had wished for but would be a suitable place to chill for a couple days before going to Sedona. It would be cool not to have to wake up, eat, pack and drive. The campground was pretty cool. We camped facing the lake, with the mountains behind it which was incredible. The shelter was actually an adobe like structure which I really thought tied in the state and the culture and there was wide open space all around us so it actually seemed like we were alone most of the time. The showering facilities were really nice and the bathrooms were exceptionally clean. We’d be able to take in the stars above us at night and the bright and hot sun during the day. Once we were set up I dropped Shelly off at the showers and went to Wal Mart for more supplies.

Now up until now I think I have only been to a Wal Mart 3 times in my life. In fact, I know so, and I went to a few Wal Marts during our vacation, more than I have previously. And one thing is consistent. The same type of people no matter where you go seem to shop at Wal mart. They really do. It’s very strange. City to city, state to state and region to region, it may as well be the same families, because there’s just something about them that they all have in common. Maybe if I explore my conspiracy theories, it could be a government mind control thing to further homogenize America to make us all the same. The way that Hollywood and the music industry has slowly turned the American population into mindless zombies offering little if no freedom of choice and the chemicals in the food, and in the fibers of the clothing as well as the music that is played in the store buried with subliminal messages deep inside with the same message into everyone brain to get them to buy the same product, wear the same khaki pants and blue shirts and cut their hair the same and play the same music and become obsessed with American Idol so that freako free thinking artists have no target group to market their talents to. Think about it, it makes sense actually. That’s how I feel about Wal Mart and the Wal Mart shoppers.

I got back and Shelly was ready and we made an attempt to go swimming but the wind was so powerful that there was no way that we could have gotten 3 feet away from the shore so we walked back and actually had to tie the tubes down w/ bungee cords to keep them from blowing away. So we listed to music and had a nice dinner and a few beers leftover from the previous days and layed on our Mexican blankets, listening to some Norwegian music and looked up at the stars. We were tired and by 10 PM took it to the tent.

DAY 5 Upon waking I made another massive breakfast, and waited to the sun to rise to the point that the temperature would rise as well. It was a long morning being that till now our mornings had been rushed. We waited till it got warm and by 10 were laying on our blankets getting some sun. Shelly had me completely cover her in 75 SPF sunblock. I put on Hawaiian Tropic 0 SPF tanning oil. The wind was strong and warm so we didn’t really feel the heat. At around 1130 we took the tubes out to the water. We pushed out, it was damn cold. It was not something we wanted to back out of since we had our hearts and minds intent on playing in the water. It was not to be. Staying in didn’t make it any better so we got out and went back to the blankets. Again I had to lube my lady up. But sometime over this period over a couple hours some of my oil got on two parts of her and Shelly ended up getting horribly burnt on two spots. And I who never burns was about to discover that my back, for lack of a better word was basically, FUCKED.

Of course we didn’t realize this till much later. My back would be a hindrance and just inconvenience; Shelly’s burns looked as if some flesh was actually damaged. So it seemed it was time to go back to Wal Mart and buy some aloe and Bactine. When we returned we saw that the drive In was closed but on weekends. This of course reflected what we had already known about the town, this place was freaking weird.

Las Vegas, NM: If there is white trash and/or rednecks in the southwest, Las Vegas is where they call home. The whole place was assbackwards like the backwash of an Indian town, such as New Castle or worse. We got a bad vibe from the place 5 minutes after we were there. There were a lot of tweakers meaning there for sure is a lot of crystal meth damage/abuse in this hole. We didn’t want to leave the campground really which had little to offer but clean showers and a quiet place to relax. Other than that we wanted to get the hell out of there as soon as possible, and wed do that as soon as the gates were open the next day.

We nursed our wounds, had a pleasant as possible evening, got to sleep and were ready to head to my favorite place in America, Sedona.

Day 6: We were on the road at 6:45 AM and had already traveled 1439.2 miles into our trip. We were well rested and ready for what lie ahead, a placed I wanted to share with Shelly more than anyplace we’d be on this trip. The cabin at Slide Rock Lodge owned by my friends Joann and Andy. But before arriving in Sedona we had to travel Old Route 66 west on Interstate 40 through scenic New Mexico.

Once we got to Route 66 I had to take Shelly to Clines Corner. She needed to change and I took this opportunity to buy her some earrings crafted by an area tribe. Clines Corner was built by Roy E. Cline in 1934,  in the middle of New Mexico for people to stop, shop and eat.  Never did he realize he would have to do it again in 1937 when the highway moved slightly north and renamed Route 66 & U.S. 285.  But he did and today Clines Corners Retail Center sits at that same intersection where it has become not just a rest stop for weary travelers but a place to shop, dine at it’s full service restaurant or grab a quick Subway Sandwich and hit the highway. Cline’s has grown in size to over 30,000 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space in one location. The Curio Shop (New Mexico’s largest Gift Ship) located in the main building is Famous for it’s unique line of Southwestern Gifts. 

From there we went to Albuquerque where we needed to fill up on gas. We had now reached 1616.4 miles of the trip and gas was $3.39 per gallon here and it cost $34.30 to fill up. And we stopped again at the Continental Divide or Great Divide (7,275 ft)  which is the North American portion of the mountainous ridge which separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, 1) those river systems which drain into the Atlantic Ocean (including those which drain via the Gulf of Mexico), and 2) along the northernmost reaches of the Divide, those river systems which drain into the Arctic Ocean. A secondary, non-mountainous divide further separates other river systems that drain into the Arctic Ocean (including those which drain via Hudson Bay, James Bay, and Ungava Bay) from those which drain into the Atlantic Ocean (including those which drain via the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway).

 We took some photos and picked up some beverages, and reached the Arizona State Line at 12:53 PM and crossed into another time zone. I was getting excited as one of the most scenic and beautiful parts of our trip was just ahead between Flagstaff and Sedona. I knew Shelly was in for a surprise, but she had no idea since I had not told her what she was about to experience. We needed to fill up again at Meteor Crater, Arizona where the price skyrocketed to $3.55 per gallon and it cost $31.54 to fill the tank this time. We had traveled 1901.7 miles thus far.

The Barringer Meteorite Crater (also known as “Meteor Crater”) is a gigantic hole in the middle of the arid sandstone of the Arizona desert. A rim of smashed and jumbled boulders, some of them the size of small houses, rises 150 feet above the level of the surrounding plain. The crater itself is nearly a mile wide, and 570 feet deep. When Europeans first discovered the crater, the plain around it was covered with chunks of meteoritic iron - over 30 tons of it, scattered over an area 8 to 10 miles in diameter.

We got to Flagstaff just after 2 PM and I tried to find the local Coldstone Creamery to treat Shelly to, but I took the wrong exit and decided we’d do it later and proceeded to Hwy 89 A south from Flag to Sedona. This is where I got to see Shelly’s face brighten in amazement.

The drive from Flagstaff to Sedona is breathtaking … you drive around this one bend in the road, pass a sign that says “View Point” and you’re suddenly surprised by this breathtaking view of an area where the Oak Creek Canyon begins and becomes Cottonwood Canyon. From skyscraping pines to the red rocks, the road winds down and canyon through really tall, vertical mountains covered in lush plants, pine trees, and red rock formations of all shapes. A knockout which is considered one of the top 10 most beautiful scenic drives in America. It is my favorite and I suspect it has become Shelly’s as well.

At 3 PM we arrived at Slide Rock Lodge where I was greeted by Joann with a big hug. We sat in the office for a few minutes and chatted and then we checked into our cabin. Sine 2000 I have returned to this lodge annually if not semi annually, and it’s all due to Joann’s warmth and all around friendly manner. Other than that it’s just about my favorite place to stay the night that isn’t outdoors. Located one half mile South of Slide Rock State Park and six miles north of Sedona city center on scenic route 89A, in Oak Creek Canyon, it is surrounded by tall pine trees and a spectacular display of the red rock mountains.

Composed of a one story log cabin, nestled at the base of the red rock buttes, with twenty individual rooms preserved with its original beauty and charm. The room interior is a knotty pine with high beam ceilings, small sitting area and private bath. Our cabin has a wood burning fireplace. There are no telephones or televisions in the rooms and there is private creek property complete with nature made swimming holes. The natural beauty, fresh air and serenity helps you escape the hectic pace of everyday life and create memories to last a lifetime.

Once we unloaded the car it was off to Basches the huge grocery store which just happens to be on the other side of Sedona, thus giving Shelly the chance to see the beauty of downtown and the surrounding scapes so abundant in Sedona.

Shelly took in the scenic drive to and through downtown Sedona the way a child would Disney World. Gasps and smiles were frequent and I felt that I had indeed opened her eyes to something that was otherwise invisible to her. Much the way mine were open upon discovering Sedona in 2000 on my second cross country excursion. And it made me very happy and gave me a fulfilling feeling that had been missing on my most recent journeys to the magical location.

Located in Arizona’s high desert under the towering southwestern rim of the vast Colorado Plateau, the city of Sedona is blessed with four mild seasons marked by abundant sunshine and clean air. One of Sedona’s main attractions is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Sedona. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from spiritual pursuits to the myriad of incredible hiking and mountain biking trails. The vortexes in Sedona are swirling centers of subtle energy coming out from the surface of the earth. They characterize Sedona as a spiritual power center. A vortex is the funnel shape created by the motion of spiraling energy. The energy of the vortexes interacts with whom or what a person is in their inner self. It resonates with and strengthens the Inner Being of each person who comes within about a quarter to a half mile of it. This resonance occurs because the vortex energy is very similar to the subtle energy operating in the energy centers inside each person.

I had spread my mothers ashes at the Airport Mesa Vortex in Oct of 2005, a place that I hold sacrad as the most beautiful place I have ever been. It just happened to be on the way to the grocery store.

We still had beer left over from Colorado but decided to pick up the newly introduced to the western region, Miller Chill, which is excellent with food. I had also chosen 2 very hearty strip steaks to make for dinner along with squash, zucchini, potatoes, and peppers to make kabobs. After we picked up all of the essentials we drove back to the cabin and I prepared a nice dinner. I grilled the fillets “Pittsburgh Style”, and Shelly claims this was the best steak she ever had. Pittsburgh rare prepared steak is charred on the outside to enhance and protect the flavor and juiciness of the very rare beef inside. The best steakhouses know exactly what you mean if you ask for your steak “Pittsburgh Style.” If you try ordering your steak this way, and they don’t know what you mean, you’re probably better off changing your order than you are trying to explain it. 

We spent some time sitting outside of the cabin on the private patio till we could barely stay awake and then went inside for a nice night sleep on a very comfortable bed. I put on an AM station and at about 4 AM there was a program about UFO’s on the local broadcast. I enjoyed it and as the sun rose, I rose with it, put on coffee and took the car and some of the camping gear a few miles up the canyon to Cave Springs where I found an ideal campsite, set up and returned to pick up my lady and the rest of our belongings. As I packed the car and Shelly showered Joann and Andy walked over to bid me farewell and we chatted a few moment and exchanged handshakes and hugs. Shelly was ready and I then proceeded to take her to this amazing campground which is just about at the halfway mark between Sedona and Flagstaff, deep in the canyon, surrounded by towering  pines, cool running water and high bluffs, ripe for climbing and exploring. Shelly was in awe of the beauty of this campground which Joann told me about when I first met her back in 2000.

At Cave Springs the scenery is unmatched, the stream is stocked with trout, and if the fishing isn’t your cup of tea, you can always go swimming, or hiking. The campsites in each campground are located right on the banks of Oak Creek, if not, they are not very far from it. There are several hiking trails in the vicinity. Some lead up the canyon slopes to offer good views of the surrounding scenery. The creek is bordered with paths that lead along its picturesque course.

After getting settled in it was time to go into town. We had a plan to meet an old buddy of mine at The Cowboy Club, the “only” place I will eat out in Sedona. It’s just a tradition. I hadn’t seen Joe since 2000 and we lost track of each other for about 6 years till he looked me up late in 2006. I have known Joe since the late 80’s when I rented a house next to his pizza place in Columbus, Ohio. Shelly and I walked around for about a half hour and then voila we ran into my old buddy.

It was lunchtime and  DAY 7

Joe walked over and handed me a gift, it was every episode of the old Fox sitcom “Get A Life” the series starring Chris Elliot, on DVD. I couldn’t believe it. What a memory on this guy. So he grabbed a stack of photos from his truck and went into the restaurant for a 1 PM lunch.

The home of “High Desert Cuisine” The Cowboy Club Grille was originally the Oak Creek Tavern; it was the gathering place for Sedona’s early settlers.  The décor is Country and Western, showcasing the second largest set of Longhorn horns in the United States, as well as wooden walls and a number of prominent Cowboy Artists’ works.

The Cowboy Club a casual, family-oriented dining area with full bar. Featuring the finest in Buffalo and Angus Steaks, as well as Rattlesnake and Cactus Fries! We obviously all 4. I treated Shelly to a Prickly Pear Margarita, which is a must for first timers, and I had a high end silver margarita myself.

It was great catching up w/ Joe however our server was the worst I had in all the 7 years I’ve been going to one of my favorite eateries ever. In the last the service has been impeccable, but this time out she was just about as bad as the best of servers in Indianapolis. If you’ve been to any of Indy’s 12 fine restaurants, you know what I mean. Joe showed me many pix of his new place complete with cats and we made arrangements for me to drop off some camping gear to lighten the load of the car at his place in Tempe to make it easier crossing the border into and out of Mexico. It would prove later to make all of the difference.

After lunch Shelly and I returned to Cave Springs and walked down into the creek and explored some regions that I hadn’t discovered the previous years on my visits. We also make 4 hiking sticks from branches we found on our walk. Much to our surprise we followed a trail to a nice swimming hole with a cliff at one side. We knew we’d be coming back to this spot for a dip. We hiked around for a couple hours and made another journey to the store.

On the way back I drove Shelly up to the airport above where I had laid my mother to rest and where we’d be hiking the next day. We also did a little sight seeing and drove out 179 south where to my discontent there was massive expansion and development going on. Yes, I had seen Sedona grow over the last 7 years but since I was there the same time the year before, was in total disbelief at the mass construction. Images were conjured up in my mind of how Hunter Thompson felt a few years after he found his solitude at Owl farm in Woody Creek decades before outside of Aspen. 

In the words of David Allen Coe, “Ain’t there nothin sacrad no more!”

We got about 4 miles out of town and turned around and came back to the campground where Shelly relaxed as I did a lone hike about ¼ up the side of the canyon behind our campsite. I came back down, relaxed myself and took my time preparing dinner and a campfire which by the winds would have it’s flames fanned to nothing in a few short hours as opposed to many long hours. Dinner was nice and we enjoyed the last of our mead that we had brought along on our trip.

It was a very nice, quiet and tranquil setting. We were in bed early and enjoyed a wonderful nights sleep.

Day 7. One week later. I was up by 5 AM again and started coffee and breakfast. It was Saturday morning and later in the AM my friends from Mesa, Michellio and Katie would be joining us for a day and a half. Shelly and I had a nice breakfast and we cleaned up around the site a little and took a walk down to the creek to swim. It was a little crowded and we were there for a while but didn’t swim for too long. Cave Springs was at capacity and there were as opposed to the years before and abundance of children all around, making it less of a sanctuary and more of an annoyance.

When returned the girls were setting up on the other side of our site and we all chilled out and laughed it up before caravanning down to the swimming hole where I decided to climb about 3 feet up one side of the rocks and jump several times into the pool of water below. It was exhilarating to say the least. Katie and Shelly goofed off in the water and Michellio decided to stay dry and observe and record the events on her camera. As we continued to have a good time the retreat we had discovered became crowded with pre tees who were loud, rude and too much for us to handle so we gathered our things, made a path to the site, changed clothes and drove back out to the store. We picked up ore items for dinner and the girls got alcohol because they decided they wanted to party a little. I cooked, played DJ and the hours passed, the fire died out and it was back to bed around 10 PM or so.

We had big plans the next day and the day after that it was off to Mexico. But between now and then there was Jerome.

“America’s Most Vertical City” and “Largest Ghost Town in America”.  Located high on top of Cleopatra Hill (5,200 feet) between Prescott and Flagstaff is the historic copper mining town of Jerome, Arizona. Once known as the wickedest town in the west, Jerome was a copper mining camp, growing from a settlement of tents to a roaring mining community. Four disastrous fires destroyed large sections of the town during its early history, resulting in the incorporation of the City of Jerome in 1899.

Founded in 1876, Jerome was once the fourth largest city in the Arizona Territory. The population peaked at 15,000 in the 1920’s. The Depression of the 1930’s slowed the mining operation and the claim went to Phelps Dodge, who holds the claim today. World War II brought increased demand for copper, but after the war, demand slowed. Dependant on the copper market, Phelps Dodge Mine closed in 1953. The remaining 50 to 100 hardy souls promoted the town as a historic ghost town. In 1967 Jerome was designated a National Historic District by the federal government. Today Jerome is a thriving tourist and artist community with a population of about 450.
Jerome sits above what was the largest copper mine in Arizona and produced an astonishing 3 million pounds of copper per month. Men and women from all over the world made their way to Arizona to find work and maybe a new way of life. Today the mines are silent, and Jerome has become the largest ghost town in America.

DAY 8 Monday June 4: We got up and I made a breakfast and coffee. We helped Michelle and Katie pack and all planned to meet in Jerome. I had discovered this old copper mining and ghost town a year earlier thanks to one of my co-workers in Chicago . I really like Jerome and so do a lot of bikers and Hells Angels. We all did some shopping and the girls had a beer at a biker bar which used to be a bordello back in the day. I walked to a couple stores by myself and picked up a few souvenirs. When I returned we all walked up to the Haunted Burger and ate a nice big lunch. The burgers at this place are incredible.
 
After some walking around and a drive to the old mine entrance, we said our goodbyes and our friends went south and Shelly and I went toward Sedona taking our time and picking up a few last minute items before loading most of the stuff for the drive to Mexico the next day. But before we did that I took her on a hike up the high back wall of Oak Creek Canyon above Cave Springs. Our hiking sticks were finished and we were dressed for the challenge. This would be the highest Shelly had hiked in her life. And she was a little scarred but made it like a trooper. She was flustered when she reached the top which peaked and over the other side was a valley of lush green pines below the rocky top at which we had made our destination. It was beautiful and as soon as she got her wits about her, she took in the sheer beauty of what till this moment I had never seen before. I have preserved this moment for eternity on video tape. Along with the look on Shelly’s face as she reached the top.
 
Shelly thought going back down would be harder, but as an experience hiking veteran I proved it would be a lot easier and you only had to rely on balance. There was an amazing cactus flower on the way down that I thought would look nice if she posed next to it. My suspicion was correct. I took two and they are both lovely.
 
After showing and cleaning up the site we had dinner and got to bed at a decent hour, our goal was to be on the road by 6 AM. And we were.
 
DAY 9 Tuesday June 5: En route to Mexico we had made arrangements to drop off the camping gear at Joe’s house in Tempe . I figured it would make getting through the border patrol stops a lot easier by giving them less to search. We got to Joe’s and his place was beautiful. A sprawling Arizona style home with a perfect backyard and crystal clear swimming pool. Also his 3 cats. We maybe spent about 30 min total and were on the road to Puerto Penasco.
 
At 12:35 PM we were at Gila Bend AZ right north of the border. Gas was $3.29 per gallon and it cost $30.10 to fill the tank.
 
So far we had traveled 2414.3 Miles
 
We stopped only once before the border and it was at Ajo , AZ to buy Mexican Car insurance which ran $34.50 and we were now 2452.7 miles into our trip.
 
At 4 PM we were in Puerto Penasco Mexico .
 
After checking out the Fiesta De Cortez which was under a massive renovation we decided to try out the Hotel Vina Del mar which was suggested to us by a gentleman at the border pushing time share condos. The room was approx $67 per night and we were staying for two nights and 3 days. We had an Ocean front room with a sprawling pool and other amenities. We were right by the fish market and shopping district so I knew exactly where to take Shelly for dinner.
 
As we walked to a sea side 2nd floor restaurant, we were approached by many vendors. I bought a second cowboy hat and Shelly looked for one that fit her personality as well. Along the way we were stopped by a guy who would continue to be a thorn ion my side named Jorge. Apparently as always, he saw my hair and tattoos and figured I was into drugs, which I am not. I guess image profiling goes beyond the US border. He kept coming to me and telling me he could get me anything I wanted. I said cool, but no thanks and told him I did not do drugs. We got to the restaurant and went up, ordered two huge margaritas and some cerviche and our entrees. For those of you who do not know, cerviche is a form of citrus marinated seafood salad that originated in its current form in the Viceroyalty of Peru. The marinade used in ceviche is citrus based, with lemons and limes being the most commonly used. This being said, all citrus will do. In addition to adding flavor, the citric acid causes the proteins in the seafood to become denatured, which pickles or “cooks” the fish without heat. It has for the better part of a decade been my favorite dish.
 
Naturally I felt obligated to have their Shrimp Diablo and Shelly had a stuffed fish dish for herself. The service was good ad being that we arrived after the weekenders had gone home; it was almost as though we had the place to ourselves. We took our time and had a couple margaritas and did some browsing at the stores which seemed to be more aggravating than pleasant being that everyone was in our faces. If they weren’t trying to sell time shares they were pushing whatever art or craft or clothing they were selling. It was very annoying. The more we ignored them the more that we were accused of being honeymooners. I guess since we looked so happy and were on each others arms it was the assumption, and it was amusing. Especially when one person who had directed us to the Hotel Vina Del Mar called Shelly my “beautiful wife.” We went with it.
 
At one point I told Jorge I was looking for a good bottle of tequila, he said come up to my bar. Well what was his bar was upstairs from the shops on a side street and it was pretty scary. He said he’d have to run out for the tequila and asked me for $20, he said show me the money and I said show me the tequila. He ran out as Shelly and I stood inside the vacant bar save 2 skanky Latina bartenders who now in retrospect most likely would have given $5 or $10 blow jobs or a fast fuck for $20. When Jorge came back w/ the tequila, I gave him $25 $5 which was a tip and we went to our room and changed into or bathing suits. FINALLY we would get to swim for as long as we wanted. We had the pool to ourselves.
 
The pool was beautiful and pretty big by hotel standards. There was a poolside bar that actually had stools in the water where you could sit in the pool and be served. There was a big cage with 3 parrots inside which 2 days later would provide some disturbing entertainment. The hotels restaurant “Maria Bonita,” was part of the complex and we’d eat breakfast there over the stay. And their breakfast were fantastic as wed later learn.
 
After some swimming we went to the bar and sat in the water as the bartended entertained us. This guy was great, funny and went out of his way to accommodate us. He mixed strong drinks and played some music for Shelly and also played some funny songs for us as well. A little later he fired up the hot tub for us and we sat there for a bit and swam till dark. At dark we showered, had a beer and went to “Maria Bonita’s’ which wasn’t much fun rely. So we went to the room and had fun there. I brought along some Robert Rodriguez movie soundtracks and we had a killer night and fell asleep in a bed for the first time in many nights.
 
DAY 10 The next morning we were out of the room at 6 M. It was Tuesday and we were hungry. But Puerto Penasco was not as busy on a weekday and we walked around looking for a place that was open to eat. Much to my dismay, Jorge saw us. WTF it was early, and this hustler was up already. We make very quick small talk and walked away. We waited around and “Maria Bonita’s opened. We sat outside with the ocean air blowing at us and the sound of waves crashing and of seagull and pelicans.  A stray cat that was used to being fed would beg at or feet and we fed it. And an injured or deformed footed seagull that could not eat on it’s own w/ the other seabirds had learned to fly to the wall of the restaurant to be fed and we fed both of them over the next 2 mornings. The breakfasts were FANTASTIC and the tortillas were by far the best either of us had ever had, and we are big fans of tortillas.
 
After breakfast we had plans to drive over to and spend some time at the beach. So after we bought a cool cowgirl hat for Shelly and a wrap as well we were off to the beach. Now this would be the first time Shelly had seen the ocean and this day would be the first time she’d be IN the ocean. The only problem was, getting there. We were accosted by salesman jumping in front of eth car to push time share on us. The area was much more overdeveloped than it had been in the years that I had been going there. In fact it was making our romantic getaway a pain in the ass. We could not turn a corner without being hounded by someone selling something. There were now strip clubs and nude bars lining the streets. This was not the Puerto Penasco that I had first enjoyed. It took awhile but we finally found parking and walked over the bank to the beach. We grabbed a spot and no less than 3 min we were approached to buy something, then again and again and again. In fact the only time that we were on the beach that we were not harassed was when we were in the water. For 90 min it was a non stop parade of beach/street vendors not letting us lay, kiss or sunbathe. Finally as the tide got closer and closer it was no longer worth the hassle. In fact in 90 min we were approached NO LESS than 20 times. It was time to go.
 
When we went back to the room and showered we walked and shopped and found a place to eat tasty tacos for lunch and we really inhaled these delicious things. We walked back to the hotel taking pictures and found a little cantina next to the hotel and had a few $1 margaritas. We chilled out there for awhile and spent some time in the pool and then decided to take a nice long walk ISO of a nice place to have dinner later that night.
 
As we walked on a nice Mexican late afternoon we stopped into some more expensive specialty shops and I actually found a section that had books and tokens of Chicago’s own Rick Baylass of “Mexico One Plate at a Time” TV show fame. Rick also owns and operates one of Chicago ’s finest restaurants Frontera and TOPOLOBAMPO 445 North Clark Street.
 
On our walk we discovered what we would later find to be one of our most pleasant of all dining experiences; El Delfin Amigable or The Friendly Dolphin, 44 Alcantar Ave. www.friendlydolphin.com, when we walked in to look at the menu a very friendly server gave us the grand tour. This place was beautiful and had been visited by many celebrities whose photos adorned the walls. We decided after cleaning up this is where we’d have our last supper in Mexico 2007.
 
 
Founded in 1985 by Gaston Rochin, The Friendly Dolphin Restaurant has been a Rocky Point family tradition for nearly 25 years, giving proof of the great taste of its cuisine and the friendly service provided by the staff. It has become a place to share both our tradition of flavorful seafood from the Sea of Cortez and typical Mexican cuisine served in a festive atmosphere with your friends and family.
 
The decoration of each of its four areas creates an ambiance that makes its clients feel like at home, always being welcomed by Gaston Rochin and his family. Oh!! And do not be surprised if all of the sudden you see Don Gaston accompanied by the mariachi singing a song for his friends, one of those songs that really gets to your heart. After our walk we went back over by the pool. This is when I saw 2 of the parrots that were on one side of the cage preparing to have at it. The male began viciously biting the female on the neck. And the back to back style they began to mate. There it was just like the horse, in front of my eyes parrots fucking! And afterwards what I had to behold I will not go into here other than the female reminded me of the guy in John Waters “Pink Flamingos” when “Surfin’ Bird” was playing.  And the male ignored the female and began to gawk and screech at the female that was isolated from them by a stretch of wire on the other side of their cage,

We decided to drive to the Friendly Dolphin as it was getting close to dusk and we parked just outside. We went in and we greeted and taken to whichever part of the restaurant we wanted to sit. We found a dining room that wasn’t too crowded and took a seat. We were treated like royalty and even the owner came over and at with us and we talked about the expansion and over development of the area and he told us about the international airport they were putting in. He also asked if I was a rock musician. Well that was better than being mistaken for a worthless piece of shit drug abuser. Amazing how many people I know in the biz w/ long hair that don’t fuck w/ drugs yet how many people blend so easily into society and are hard core abusers. Just like sexual deviants, child molesters and serial killers. They blend in. Why draw attention to oneself? But we were treated like rock star royalty, and  that was fine with me.

The entrees here were fabulous, and we had some kick ass margaritas and cerviche. Shelly had one of the fish specialties, a type of soup and I of course went for their shrimp Diablo, one of the best I’ve ever had. A trio of mariachis came over late in our dinner ad I paid them to do 3 or so songs for us. The little guy was by far the mightiest singer and he played a mean trumpet. This was one of those dinner experiences you never want to end and we were so full that it did indeed came time to be over.

During our 3 day visit to Mexico the only alcohol we had purchased other than what we’d order at a bar  or restaurant was the tequila we bought from Jorge and a 6 pack of Tecate and a 8 pack of Tecate Light and this would last us days outside of the Mexican border. Unlike my previous visits to the country this was not a party trip. But a getaway for a couple that many of the natives thought were Honeymooners.

We drove back to the room, and parked outside of our door and changed back into our swim suits for a night swim. We were exhausted and with all of the walking we had done felt the effects of fatigue. We were 3 times zones from home, rising each morning at 5 AM and ceasing each day! Carpe Diem! Should have been on Shelly’s license plates. We fell asleep with our hair and bodies still wet from the pool with the A/C cranked on high. We awoke w/ sore throats.

DAY 11 Wednesday morning it was up and at em. We packed the car with everything but what we needed and went for a walk. We did some shopping doing our best to avoid Jorge, to no avail. He called me over to show me a dart board he must have found in the trash somewhere. I tried to get out of talking to him, but he would not stop. So as I turned to walk away I swung into a really fat Mexican lady who was up in my face with a box of Chicklets and they went all over the ground. I was pissed now. I picked them up gave them back and walked away from the area I knew Jorge infected. It is a sad day when you cannot shop at the far edge when you want to avoid the most annoying native of them all.

The way this lady was in my face was how 85% of the people were in Puerto Penacsco. Aggressive and relentless, making it IMPOSSIBLE to have a good time shopping. We did some shopping and went back to Maria Bonita’s for breakfast where we sat with the gull and the cat again, and we enjoyed the final time we get to see the flocks of seagulls and pelicans. Again the breakfast was outstanding.

We went back to the pool for a dip, returned to the room, showered and loaded the car and made our way back to the US border. I had planned to go back to the beach before leaving but it just wasn’t worth the harassment we’d be forced to endure. This was not the Rocky Point I knew of before and we pretty much decided we wouldn’t be back, based solely on the American presence of the Burger Kings and there resorts, developments and US owned time shares with a hard sell by the locals.

We left Puerto Penasco at 11 AM and crossed the border with ease. The borer patrol guard scanned our ID’s and noticed Shelly’s sticker for the Department of Defense and we were waved through and told to have a safe trip. I dropped off some postcards and at 2:20 PM we were in Gila Bend where we washed the car and got gas. We had traveled 2711.9 miles gas was $3.28 per gallon and it was $30 to fill the tank. And Alex was getting hungry but Shelly was not.

We were ahead of schedule sing the car was not searched and made it through 2 more roadblocks w/ ease due to Shelly’s sticker for the Air Force. Instead of staying north of the border before Phoenix, we decided to go to Joe’s in Tempe, drop off his gift and pick up our things and head toward Flagstaff. The traffic in Phoenix was HELL. There was also a dust storm that was worse than the one we witnessed on the way in. On the way in it was very entertaining, we saw at least 10 or 12 dust devils, which are like mini tornados in the desert, and the devils we saw were the largest I had ever seen. On the news there were warnings for driving and the winds had been very overpowering in Phoenix the last few days. The local drivers didn’t seem to care, they drove fast and like mad.

I was very hungry so we made a mistake and stopped at a Wendy’s on the out skits of Phoenix. This would create a bad reaction we’d feel for many days. This may have also been the final time we’d ever eat Wendy’s again.

We arrived at Joe’s around 4 PM and loaded dup the car and felt ill the entire time. We made our way out of Phoenix north towards Flagstaff. The traffic was horrible till we got about 20 miles north and it lightened up. I took over the wheel. On the way we stopped by Apache nation and took some photos and got some beverages. Shelly was really feeling ill at this point. I felt it a bit myself but bad because of her condition and not fully being able to enjoy the scenery. And the drive seemed to be taking longer than I remember or maybe we just weren’t in a hurry.

At 8:15 PM on June 6, 2007 we had arrived in Flagstaff Arizona. We had traveled 2951.5 miles and I got a room at the Motel 6 for $65.09. We checked into room 211

Flagstaff holds many special memories for me. On my first trip back from Mexico in 1999 I had camped in the forest of the mountains here and heard the greatest radio station I had ever heard in my life. It was KLOD FM aka Loud Radio.

I had a radio show in Chicago that began the Spring of 1999 and it was when MK ULTRA was reaching its pinnacle. So we expanded onto the air with a weekly radio program called MK ULTRASOUND which featured music and interviews with the band of the genres we had represented. In June of the same year I was so blown away by this station that I wrote to the program director to tell him how great the show was. I found out upon his reply that he spearheaded the metal radio station in Chicago once known as G Rock and a few of Chicago’s mightiest radio celebs actually used to work for him. In fact the owner of rebel radio, Scott Davidson who ran the station that carried MK ULTRASOUND, had actually got his start w/ Guy aka the G-Ster of Loud radio. SMALL WORLD.

After a couple correspondences, Guy offered to pick up my radio show and have it played on his Sunday night rotation. Less than a year later after a merger of Loud Radio and another conglomerate, we were syndicated nationwide with them. So as I mentioned I have a soft spot in my heart for Flagstaff AZ.