6.08.2011

When presented with the choice of a decent portion of high quality
food or an unlimited quantity of low grade good, I recommend quality
over quantity.
In unrelated news the van is back in the road, though somewhat
shakily. It was repaired in Las Vegas, and we made it to Oklahoma
City before it started to go wonky again, but the Aamco guys found the
issue. They also broke the speedometer, but that won't slow us down -
he he. Now we're driving, but it not smooth. I'm not saying I have
doubts, but I think it will be a long night.

Best,
Jim

6.03.2011

We are still stranded in the city that never sleeps. The van was
supposed to be repaired by tomorrow, but due to bureaucratic
warranties and technicalities, it now looks like Monday will be the
day of our departure.
LV gets a bit depressing the more you see of it. Just one block from
the strip you can find scores of empty apartments. Signs on the sides
of the buildings read things like, "Live here. Eat for free," and,
"first month free. Some of the windows in the occupied dwellings are
covered with aluminum foil. I realize that the people who live in the
aluminum foil covered places may work all night, and sleep all day,
but it only ends up adding to the, "what the he'll goes on in this
place" vibe. Walking back and forth from the garage where the van is
further cements the notion that the strip is a shiny veneer on the
otherwise grey and run down desert city. It is not uplifting.
Anyway, we're getting away from that for awhile. We're in a rental car
moving swiftly towards the grand canyon where we'll shoot some more
video for Dave's project. Morale is a bit low at the moment. Driving
is not the same without the rally wagon. It is true that our rental is
both reliable and comfortable, but it lacks character. I, perhaps we,
feel as if we've left a man behind. Sorry Rally.
I leave you with this question. Has our being stranded in Las Vegas
been a blessing or a curse?

Best,
Jim

6.02.2011




Stranded in Las Vegas.  This place is exhausting, and I don't drink or gamble.  
The Rally Wagon's transmission has failed, so we are in Vegas until Saturday.  We were quite lucky to break down here. Earlier in the day we were in Death Valley where it was 100 degrees (about 38 Celsius) with no cell phone reception.  That would have complicated things.  Now we're switching hotels daily because we are able to get insanely cheap rates for one night stays, and we're seeing what there is to see.  
There is plenty to see.  
It looks like our return home will be more of a race across the country than a leisurely southern experience. That is too bad. I was looking forward to the slow southern journey. 
There will be more to read here later. 

Best,
Jim