This is the first of what will hopefully be several posts about my travels this summer. Two days ago I left Los Alamitos, CA where I grew and where my dad still lives and drove out to New Mexico for my Big Circus Adventure!
Thursday morning I left a little later than intended, but for a great reason. I had breakfast with one of my oldest and dearest friends before hitting the road. I finished my bagel, used the restroom one last time and jumped on the 605N, enjoying KROQ as a soundtrack while taking note of all the places I knew before getting to the ones I had yet to discover.
The first hour or so of driving is always the hardest. The body and mind need a little time to sink into that fact that they will not be doing anything but absorbing the vibrations from the road and watching white lines while avoid red tail lights. Once in the groove though, I can go for hours. As long as I don't have to pee. I got as far as Barstow before this occurred. Thankfully my car is pretty darn gas efficient and I didn't stop for gas until Needles (and at that point I still had almost a 1/4 tank left). It turns out this may not have been a good idea because Needles has the most expensive gas I have seen thus far.
I had been taking pictures of signs that I found interesting along the way, but the "You Are Now Entering Arizona" sign somehow snuck up on me and I missed it. As I passed the London Bridge I remembered a picture my friend Rachelle had sent me at least 10 years ago after she had moved to Bullhead City. I wanted to stop, but felt the need to keeping on trucking and get to my destination in Flagstaff, AZ.
It was pretty much smooth sailing until Flagstaff. The freeways there are little weird. At some point several come together at once and I had quite a bit of trouble finding the 17N. First there were signs for the 17, but then, once followed, turned out to be only for the 17S - convenient! So, I turned around and headed back, but again, no signs for 17N, so I jumped back on the 40E before I could be mislead again, only to find I had again gone the wrong way. Thankfully, my friend Gabby was able to direct me to her house from that point. When I got there we spent the first hour or so catching up and then met her friend and went to dinner. We had some local beer, which was quite tasty and some healthy veggie food. That night was mellow and we enjoyed lounging around together. The next day we were all up pretty early - Gabby and her boyfriend went to work and I got my things together to start another day of driving. This time I decided that it was my roadtrip and my time and I was going to stop at every little goshdarn thing I wanted to. And I did.
Less than 10 miles out of Flagstaff I stopped at Walnut Canyon National Monument. There was a steep hike down a couple hundred stairs into a canyon where indigenous people had once used the cliff outcrops for dwellings. It was beautiful and the fresh air was awesome. I could definitely tell it was almost 7,000 feet elevation though - I had a little trouble catching my breath. Once down on the trail I stopped on a rock and meditated for a short time, listening to what I thought was the sound of cars whooshing around the roads above the canyon, but came to realize was just the lovely wind rushing through the canyon itself. On my way out I couldn't resist buying a poster for $1.50 - it was marked down from $9 so you see how I had to get it.
Once back on the road I felt ready to drive for a while, ready to let my body sink into driving mode. But that didn't happen. About 30 miles from Walnut Canyon was Meteor Crater, one of the best preserved meteor craters on the planet. I had to stop, no? Yes. Before leaving the car I slathered on a coat of sunscreen and put up the sun-shield thingy to try to prevent my car from becoming an oven. This did not work.
Though admission prices were what I would consider steep considering the natural - and in my mind, therefore for everyone - nature, I'm glad I stopped. The crater is over 2 miles in circumference and is deep enough that it could hold the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty (the Eiffel Tower would stick out of the top a bit still). I looked at it from several angles, took a picture of myself in front of it and found a rock on which to meditate and feel the past in the present and how it's all connected. I did look in the gift shop, but I refused to give them any more money after turning our collective history into a tourist attraction... Oh wait, that's a lie. I bought a map of the Southwest. Oops!
Then it was back on the road again for hours...
driving...
driving...
driving...
more driving...
I kept getting intrigued by all the trading outposts along the highway. "Authentic Indian Jewelry" "Handmade" "Moccasins for the Whole Family". I was torn. While I wanted some memorabilia, I didn't want to be just another white chick commodifying Native American culture. But, I also wanted to support the people who actually made the jewelry/rugs/pottery/etc. as their livelihood. But, I didn't want to be such a consumer, just buying willy-nilly. Finally, I had to stop and eat and use the restroom and I told myself, "If I'm going to stop, it's going to be at one of those little outposts, not at some McDonalds touting rest stop." So I did. And I just happened to stop at Continental Divide, East of which all water runs to the Atlantic and West of which all water runs to the Pacific... go figure. I bought some icecream and some "hand made" earrings... so sue me.
When I got to Santa Fe, my couch surfee's home was easy to find. Unfortunately, my couch surfee also works the night shift and was not there to greet me. I found the key she left for me and got all set up, so I decided to search for food. When I got back, her roommate was back from his rafting trip with 5 of his friends. They offered me wine and told me I was welcome to join them outside by the fire, but I had developed a heinous sinus headache that I was still trying to kill with Sudafed and Ibuprofen. Finally I was feeling a little better and was too tempted by the sounds of music and laughter from outside that I did join them. They sang and chanted and played drums and the guitar. I was elated. Bed time came soon after though and I was thankful.
I got up this morning bright and early. With an hour left before I had to leave for the first day of Circus Camp, I decided to take a walk and discovered that the place I am staying is only a few blocks from the State Capitol. Just across the street from it was a Visitor Center, which I decided to just poke my head into and see what they had. I wound up with an a$$-load of map and pamphlets that the woman said I should have. I'm now very prepared for all kinds of camping adventures in the nearby national forests.
I got back home and changed for camp and was off with plenty of time to spare. I got to the address that I had for the camp with minimal confusion, but no one was there. I knocked on the door and no one answered. It was locked. I was dumbfounded. It was only 15 minutes before 20-some odd women would be there for the first day of camp. Was I mistaken about where the camp was? Was that only the school's mailing address? Did the camp actually meet somewhere? The schedule didn't specifically say "at Wise Fool" or "at 2778 Agua Fria". I called my friend and got no answer, so I decided I had to go back home and get online and figure this thing out. It didn't seem there was anywhere else to go, so I called the director, told her I was late, but still wanted to do the camp. When I got almost back to the studio my friend called and told me I had been at the right place and that they often don't show up until right when something starts. Needless to say I was a little frustrated and angry. I took the last couple minutes in the car to cry the frustration out, then parked and shyly walked into the studio, where 20-something odd women were happy to see me and know that I had made it. From there it just got better. We went through the script and all got very excited about the production we will be putting on in less than a month.
Now I'm back at the house, looking for jobs and trying to stay cool - it's quite hot here. My couch surfee is throwing a small party this evening and I'm looking forward to black bean burgers on the grill.
Tomorrow Cecil wants to go out to a lake. I'm totally stoked.
Peace and Love.
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