Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, and The Grand Canyon

We left Vegas tired but satisfied. Gambling wise, as a group I believe we were even- if not, up.

After I got my morning poker fix, we left around noon. Once again, the Rover was absent of any estrogen. G, L, A,D and C remain...we sound like a gay vitamin rock group (ED: look up GLAD if you didn't get that joke). The temperature soared to 100 degrees. Inside the rover, the thermostat flirted with 110. To Lake Mead for a refreshing swim.

I had heard prior to the trip that the beautiful blue water of this mammoth lake made it worth the stop. It lived up to the expectations although in that weather, after 2 nights in Vegas, I was ready for anything. Even one more bath in the Mississippi.

We waded into the placid lake slowly because the consistency of the ground gripped our feet like quicksand. I reached to the bottom with both hands and pulled up a clump of muck. I naturally sculpted it like a snowball and unloaded on the nearest unsuspecting troubadour. Welcomed friendly fire broke out. It's all fun and games until someone takes some muck to the mouth.

We cleaned up in the crystal clear water and packed back into our dry, boiling hot vehicle. After battling with high winds on the desert highway which the RV's body caught like a spinnaker, we came upon the famed Hoover Dam. Frankly, I expected it to be much larger. It was incredible, but I suppose Transformers and other Hollywood depictions prepared me for something unfathomable. A new suspention bridge casted a shadow upon the dam. The 1/2 complete U.S. 93 Hoover Dam Bypass Project was impressive (check it out: http://www.natuba.com/photo/5zZK98/).

Home

We got caught up in the action. In all the excitement of california and the hustle bustle of starting a new life, we failed to update our avid followers. All apologies.

Reporting from Studio City, CA.

D and I are getting our bearings here in Los Angeles County. It is the 15th of June and we have been here since the 11th at 4am. I drove into our last Wal-mart parking lot on a straight shot from San Francisco. 4 traveler remained. Since Vgas,we had lost 3 and added 1. Now just 2. The ones who will set up shop here. vacation will become life. Our holiday now our newfound reality.

Before I backtrack, let me tell you what Dan and I are up to. Dan's Aunt is one of the most lovely, funny and talented women I have ever met. She has taken us in on the nights where the Rover is parked in questionable locations. Since the 12th we have split time between her place in Studio City and on random side streets in Hollywood. I move into a studio apartment tomorrow :)

The Rover has become burdensome. It allows for aggravating transport but parking a 34' RV a chore in LA. I hope to have it sold soon. You know anyone?

How did we get here? Synopsis on the way.

cheers,
c

All along the western Front

The pacific ocean grazes my tired feet. Coast to Coast in 14 days. Almost surreal. San Diego welcomes us with open arms. The group spends the 6th day of June lying out and sailing in the bay.

After being landlocked for two weeks we reach the shore. Debbie rents us her place on Zanzibar-a fantasy land I only believed existed in a Tenacious D tune. The crew is happy to sprawl and we spend our Friday lounging on the couch. TV provides an outlet to reality of which we've been deprived.

Morning brings a refreshing relief from automotive living and we take to the beach. Although our gnarly west coast counterparts do not invite us to play beach volleyball or shred waves we entertain ourselves.

Sin City

Las Vegas: the city of dreams. With its famous hotels, its dancing neon lights, its fountain shows, and the gut-wrenching, empty feeling of losing $150 in 15 minutes, Vegas pleases the eye while abusing the wallet.

East-coast principles are about as valuable in Vegas as a broke college grad trying to sit at the $500 minimum blackjack tables. This was especially evident at the craps tables, where we all posted up the second night to take advantage of free drinks. Big Tex, Creepy Black Shirt Guy, and Bracelet Guy played across the table from us. We were initially appalled at Big Tex and Creepy Black Shirt guy's treatment of two half-their-age women, open-mouth kissing them prior to every roll. What were these respectable young women doing with Big Tex and Creepy Black Shirt Guy? We were perplexed until a police officer informed us that those women were in fact prostitutes. Creepy Black Shirt Guy is probably a Red-Dot Guy also. Disgusting. For those of you hoping to glean more details about our descent into Nevada's sordid pit of bottomless morals, you'll have to settle for the now cliche marketing slogan: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. But you can take comfort in the knowledge that we all emerged with our dignity intact.

Ali, the girl who joined us in Boulder, flew out on the morning of day two in Vegas.

bah bah bum bah bah bah bum california here we come

Can you hear me now?

Can you hear me now? Not in Yellowstone, or most of Wyoming for that matter.

From Cody, WY rt 20 took us to the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The passage was not the easiest, especially at 3:00am.Though we couldn't see most of our surroundings, we did notice steep grades and even a dam that we drove over as we passed through the mountains.

Entering the park, I was a little scared to see a sign that read "extreme danger: grizzly bear frequented-site". I was more scared, though, when a deer charged at the rover and ran right at our rear wheel, until darting away at the last second.

Because the official park entrance is not open at 3:30am, I pulled off on a turnout to park Winne and get some sleep. Rest was not had easily, though, as thoughts of hungry grizzlies plagued my weary mind.

We awoke Saturday morning and cruised through beautiful Yellowstone National Park. We passed towering snow-covered mountains, endless mirror-lakes, rolling rapids, and a few buffalo-- just on the way to the RV park, where we got squared away and then set out for more exploring.

We first hit the boiling mud-pool area, which looks like something straight out of a hollywood depiction of post-apocolyptic wasteland. The sulfuric gases prevent most life from taking root on the ground near the bubbling silver pools, and many fallen trees line the pathways. Don't get the wrong idea though, the scene was pretty spectacular, like nothing any of us had ever seen before.

We spent the rest of our day hiking around Yellowstone's Grand Canyon and waterfalls. What a sight-- words don't come close.

Dinner, sleep, and an early Sunday wake-up. We hit Old Faithful and the hot springs. Though impressive, Old Faithful didn't hold a candle to the many other natural wonders Yellowstone has to offer. The deep blue-gren hot srpings, on the other hand, were very cool and we hiked three miles checking them all out.

Lunch and we set sail for Vegas, passing through Grand Teton nat'l park which rivaled Yellowstone in its aesthetic beauty. Treacherous mountain passes challenged the rover. We made it safely out of Wyoming though (notwithstanding two more close-calls with deer), through 30 miles of Idaho, and more mountains in Northern Utah.

As I write we are refueling in Nowhere, Utah, 112 miles from the Nevada border and another 120 from America's playground. More details to follow-- stay tuned.

L

either way

In Cody, WY I scoped out a bank sign that displayed the temperature- 60 degrees. What a relief. I was thinking that this far north we were lookin at 40 at best. It made me think that either way, we would have to deal with it.

3 am mountain time, Only 40 miles out of yellowstone. Don't worry marla, jane, jean marie,sherry, and grizel. we appointed the narcoleptic to finish the last leg of the late night drives.

Dw, you ever think you'd fancy an 89 winne?

Stay tuned, we have seen the waste products of grizzlies.

GREEN

What do you get when you mix blue and yellow? Boulder, Colorado. From dreadlocks to post-recycled materials to free-range eggs and fair-trade coffee, Boulder is at the forefront of the Green movement, blazing the trail with no harm to the trees, of course.

The house we parked in front of separated waste into 8 different recepticles. Ironically, the rover we are driving in gets 8 miles to the gallon. It's good to know someone is doing their part; we promise to trade winne in for the next biofuel driven 'bago we come across.

Green is what you make it. Our contribution consisted of making the most of toilet water in the rv by both brushing our teeth and washing our faces before urination. Greenness presented itself in all forms from being forced to listen to a river roll while walking home at 3 am or being reminded that we weren't in new jersey anymore due to dreds. All in all the scenery of boulder was spectacular and its residents equally majestic.

To garner a true appreciation for the ways of the west one must take an afternoon hike through the Flatiron Mountains of Boulder,Colorado. Wade through frosty streams, scale rocky cliff faces, and pause to take a family photo at the summit with blue skies and the setting sun at your back. An experience like that will open one's eyes to what it means to go green.

Going green is freeing your mind, body, and soul to the rhythmic flows of boulder street bongos--it is allowing your scenic surroundings to bring all senses to a harmonic halt--flowing with the currents of exhilirating rapids--making dates with random hobos to share an experience of learning the secret to the harmonica--green is living in the moment and trusting the beauty of people you encounter through your days.

This avant-garde outlook features prominently in Boulder. So much that the citizens of this green-haven are mobilizing a grassroots effort to bring green to Capitol Hill. The concept: replacing our sliding dollar as currency with carbon credits, establishing a central carbon-trading regulatory entity, Gaia, charged with maintaining carbon-credit price stability and emissions caps.

These activists are modeling the way right at the heart of this vocal movement,scenic Boulder, CO. We just hope the rest of the country heeds their message.

Ride on,
L,D,G,Aj,Al