fall's break & ... the strip?

it's fall now. still hot, but divine in the high mountains surrounding. it was the season after midsommar's aftershock and pine valley burning. she recovered well enough to make it to a party near the summer ski resort at the lake. a well deserved, unpaid proper vacation.

we stayed home most of september to get caught up, one bill at a time, and settled for some local hikes nearby. she got some fabric and rice to make some cute not ugly microwavable heating pads. "you should sell those at the local senior communities." maybe, other people need 'em too though. she had them steeping with the fabric cut. a small batch of 4 to test it out with different scents. calming, relaxing, pain relieving, the main goal here.

winter's approaching soon though. no matter the warmer climate, the sun still sinks lower earlier and earlier, leaving less and less light after work each day to get some fresh air. another unpaid day off granted upon request and a weekend in sedona with a campsite referred to by a local? oh hell yeah. hadn't been back since high school.

let's roll... friday morning. again.

lunch on the road

freshly made navajo tacos from a food truck in the middle of the desert? sign me up. authentic af. "yá'át'ééh, we'll stop by on the way back and get some jewelry."

reggaeton from the old days on blast in between the desert highway tunes. perfect weather, clear forecast all weekend, it couldn't have been a better start.

she was too nice to have 'em remake it without dairy. not that much anyway. tastes too good to care. worth a couple stabbing pains later no shits. for real.

the edge of the world

a second home

last visited before sophomore homecoming. a cool blast from the past. deer in the meadows, not a soul in sight until we got there. the last open spot overlooking the red rock castles and energy vortexes.

a recurring color theme...

the green was calming. not intentional. the blanket? walmart on the way since she forgot it at home. new sleeping pad green or navy? easy. the camping chair was first, better than beige, long after the gifted birthday leggings.

fire rolling in autumn 

the chill was perfect. a phone call home with service. a guitar jam, snacks, and snuggles in the tent. new gear was a game changer. ahhhh. now this is the life with manageable pain for her and good spirits all around.

halloween try-on

night one complete. 2 hours to the trailhead. "omg that looks like a fun meadow to frolick in." driggs gets the zoomies. it's spooky season. an old bedsheet with 5 holes cut in it. "hold still bud... wait... stay... all done!!" uneven zoomies again. "good boi. now let's go hiking." zooms into the car again.

well, there was no parking to be found, and we wanted some quiet time which was hard to find in such a popular area, so we changed the plan entirely, and headed to a spooky town we hadn't been to before...

jerome and a new route home

roses, records, and spooky gifts

an old copper mining town. ghost tours. narrow, winding streets. where are we camping night 2? not sure yet. can't go back, maybe there's a new place. we'll think about it as we walk around.

spooky retail therapy

restaurants. open doors. all the desert spooky things you can think of, and then some of course. she got an unplanned vintage stephen stills record just for the song "go back home." killer wah pedal psychedelic vibes. a $40 "treat yoself" splurge.

3 sites picked out... on the road again

first? too sketch. second? completely full. third? dark now, not enough car clearance. sleeping in the cracker barrel parking lot in vegas? real bed is only 2 hours further. at least we had a good start, explored a new town, gifts covered, camping essentials approved, ending a day early to just rest.

but first... dinner

in a dive bar on route 66. she got a beer and a burger while catching the kick-off of the most important rivalry game in the intermountain west. not a good year for any of us that year. just sports though. maybe next year. per usual. "would driggs like his own patty and a bowl of water?" absolutely, gracias muchacho. "it's on the house, with fries."

making the best of unplanned situations, car karaoke, the open road, unexplored territories, and... 

we were driving by... no stops were made, just wanted to show him some real big city lights, strobes, and a "remember when we got lost in wendover? not tonight bud. another time soon pal. don't worry. plush bed coming soon."

it's not a real "adventure" if everything goes to the plan ya know.

just keep on goin.' especially when it's difficult. spirits up, bottoms down... or however that saying goes... 

live lagom. pa siempre. skål.