The Harvey Girls

Last night The Commander was beside Sylvie, and Kadizzle sat in his chair watching a very interesting show on Public Television about the Harvey girls.  The Harvey girls were the waitresses that worked in the railroad dining halls of the Sante Fe Railroad.  Kadizzle and The Commander had just been served breakfast by a Harvey girl about two days ago.  At the time Kadizzle had no idea what an important role these women played in the feminist movement.  If you get a chance watch the show.

The best part of the show for the Kadizzles was how much was done on the La Posada train station in Winslow.  Discovering the history of the place and the history of the woman who designed it was fun.  Mary Jane Coulter was the architect.  She always invented a story before she designed a building.  Her story for La Posada was about a Spanish Nobleman's house.  Coulter did an amazing job, and if money were no problem Kadizzle would have a house just like it.  The place has such a warm feeling, and fits so well in the southwest.

A planet of midgets

 As the Earth Module descended onto the planet Stapleton, near Denver the queen of the Planet met us in her royal garb.  The other midgets in the area were attacking the planet Earth. With the first warm day the Earth was under attack, but Earth had a defense, hooked to the garden hose Earth could spout water at the alien midgets.  Kadizzle and The Commander managed to capture the queen of the midgets on the left and she is spending the night in our camper at Cherry Creek State Park.  The queen is delighted to sleep in the camper, soon it will be birthday number five for the queen.  Hopefully the queen will not get home sick before morning.

I Want to Wake up in the Morning where the Rhododendron Grows, and The Snow Cone harvest

As a kid at camp back in the hills of West Virginia we used to sing " I wanna wake up in the mornin where the rhododendron  grows,  where the sun come's a peepin into where Ima sleepin and the song bird says Hellooo".   Well it did not quite work out that way, but it is a nice view of the Rockies from our camp site in Colorado.  A visit with the Snoocher Bear, and the Ticklepinch in Denver,  then we head home to Hazen, North Dakota to help with the snow cone harvest.

Harvesting snow cones in North Dakota is still done mostly by hand.  At the festival on the lake people warm up in the shacks where the various flavorings are heated.  Then with garden sprayers we go out on the ice and spray the flavorings.  A special sharp rake is used to curl up the ice.  The next part is done with a hand pushed machine that looks like a motor grader.   The machine puts all the ice shavings in a row.  It is a wonderful site to see all the various colored ice shavings on the lake in the sun.  Then sleds are pulled with the "coners".  The coners have a special scoop that they use to fill the little paper snow cone cups.  Finally the packers come behind and package all the snow cones.  Very few people know most of the snow cones in the country come from Lake Sakakawea, in North Dakota.  As part of the harvest festival people wear special goofy hats with a little fuzzy ball on the top and ear flaps.  It is a tradition to speak with a German accent and no matter what anyone says to you answer " ya that's different".   Later everyone pours vodka on the snow cones and does the snow cone dance on the ice.   Before the festival each person puts on a special white jumpsuit.  Drunker than hell trying to dance the polka on the ice everyone falls down onto the ice which has been splattered with the food coloring for the snow cones.   The result is a colorful bunch of drunks slithering on the ice with accordion music playing.

Wave Good by To Wheeling

 

My sister has become the local historian for my old home town Wheeling, West Virginia. Kate writes articles for the local paper, magazines, and gives talks to various civic organizations about local history. Kadizzle enjoys studying the history of his home town on the Ohio River so we occasionally share knowledge and stories.

When the country was fist settled the wild west started much further east. If you wanted to go west, the place you started from was Wheeling, which was then actually in Virginia. Remember West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the Civil War. At one time Wheeling was the capitol of West Virginia. So if you were going to head west you needed a lot of stuff. You needed, a wagon, food, cloth, nails, dishware, and of course some cigars. Just about everything to get you going where you could be shot or killed was available in Wheeling. It was not long before Wheeling became a transportation hub. It was a place where railroads, regular roads, and the river came together. It was close to Pittsburgh and it could get things to the Gulf of Mexico by water via New, Orleans. So Wheeling was sitting pretty.

George Washington spent a lot of time in his younger days in the area and many of his relatives ended up with land their. The first thing that made it to Wheeling in the way of transportation was the National Road. As a kid Kadizzle grew up about three blocks from the National Road. The road was the interstate of it's day. If you took off from the coast and wanted to go west, it was your only choice. When you got to the Ohio river that was it no bridge, but one day that was solved when the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time was built across the Ohio. The bridge is still there and still used.

From 1880 to 1930 Wheeling was the richest city per capita in the country. Steel mills, glass factories, drug companies, wire factories, coal mines, and a host of other industries had taken root there and the cash was piling up. With all that cash mansions started to sprout like weeds. Wheeling had some incredible architecture, and Kadizzle thought every city was full of marble mansions. Kadizzle grew up with kids that lived in these homes. One friend lived in a three story marble ensemble with an elevator and a marvelous marble staircase that spiraled upward only supported from the wall. Some of these homes had carriage houses that would have been considered mansions in their own right. Almost every one had a tennis court, a swimming pool, and vast well kept grounds.

Up until the end of World War II the placed boomed. The parts for tanks and guns were cast at Blaw Knox. There were machine shops, pipe factories, and steel cables were made. As a kid Kadizzle remembers driving by the blast furnaces with amazement. It all came to an end. The war ended, the west moved west, and Wheeling fell into decline.  In the 40's Kadizzle's grandfather was mayor and his name is on the bridge in the picture.

Wheeling had an astounding collection of churches and also a good collection of whore houses. When you told someone you were from Wheeling they either asked you about the Jamboree where Johnny Cash got started along with many other country stars or the prostitution where many young men got their first sex ed course, or should I say intercourse.

Among other histories, Wheeling had an interesting history of crime. The racetrack on Wheeling Island was a favorite spot for big time gamblers from Chicago, and locally you could get about any illegal entertainment you wanted. Growing up Kadizzle remembers the neighborhood bar with a backroom for gambling, and all the illegal slot machines found in almost every drinking establishment.

Sadly one solution to run down housing in the 60' and 70's was “Four lane it”. Wheeling got four laned. Route 70 went through the heart of Wheeling. The on ramps off ramps, and off shoots ate up most of the town. Now there are no slums, and there is really not much of a town. So when you cross the Ohio River right after you cross the bridge, and before you go through the tunnel, wave to what is left of Wheeling.

Once Upon a Time

In a land far away, and a time long ago Kadizzle lived in a mansion, actually two of them,  a least part of one.  Kadizzle grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia.  In 1894 Wheeling was the richest city in the United States.  With so much wealth incredible mansions sprung up everywhere.  Sadly no one could afford to live in these houses and many of them were turned into apartments, or torn down.  There were a lot of these Great Gadsby houses.

Young and freshly out of college Kadizzle had a decent income and needed somewhere to live.  Somehow Kadizzle ended up on Howard Hill.  Howard Hill was were the gazillionairs of the 1920's lived in our town.  The first attempt to live in luxury ended Kadizzle up in the servants quarters above the garage of a rich old lady.  The old lady had an apartment remodeled there to put Kadizzle up.  The old lady was eccentric to say the least.  She farted like a truck backfiring when she walked across here huge living room.  The living room featured a unique picture of the universe with light actually coming from some of the stars and planets.  The woman's husband had been an avid stamp collector and he built a huge walk in safe in the basement to store the stamps.  Kadizzle lived there in the early 70's.  The stamps had lasted this lady a long time.  If she needed money she just went into the vault and got some stamps to sell.  Claiming Kadizzle had broken her washing machine she had poor old Kadizzle evicted.

So down the street to Shadow Knoll, probably the most splendid mansion in it's time.  The rich old fellow who originally built it must have been rolling in cash.  All the stone and wood was imported from Europe.  The garden as you approached the front entrance had geek statues, and urns.  By the time Kadizzle moved in things had fallen into a state of disrepair.  The living room which also was used as a ball room was huge.  It was so big the kind old lady who now owned the house lived in the one big room.  When the house was originally built the  owner got mad at his wife.  He let her live in the original mansion, and build an equally large addition for himself in the back.  It was in the addition where Kadizzle lived.  In the main home there were magnificent features like a Tiffany stained glass skylight over the landing leading to the second floor. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's, or perhaps Winslow, Arizona.

The Earth Module settled on Cochiti Lake in New Mexico-half way to Denver.  Up early, we blasted out of Cottonwood and made the stiff climb to Flagstaff. The wind was behind us and the mileage was better than usual.  Somewhere after Flagstaff, the brainstorm hit to have breakfast in Winslow.  Many years ago, the Kadizzlites ate there at the train station which has been restored.  For years, we have tried to get there at the right time for breakfast.   Today, we made it.  The 1930's Mary Colter designed train station has been incredibly restored and improved.  Wonderful art is everywhere, and the breakfast was worth the 12 year wait. The rooms at the station hotel have the famous people that stayed in them labeled on the door.  The architect, Mary Colter, who designed the building is the same one who designed  the lodge at the Grand Canyon and many other famous buildings in the southwest.  If ever the chance presents itself, make sure you stop here, eat, and if nothing else, at least enjoy walking around the building and looking at the art.

Friends on the Trail.

Over the years we have made many great friends.  Traveling it seems so easy to meet and enjoy the company of new people. Today we said goodby to Al, and Debby.  We have known them about a week, but they seem like old friends.  It all started when Kadizzle checked to see when they were pulling out.  Kadizzle and The Commander envied Al and Debbie's camp site.   Al and Debbie had no plans to leave, but conversation ensued and the next thing you know we were hiking and motorcycling together. In the evenings we enjoyed beer, wine, and conversation.  This is how it usually goes.

At Lake Roosevelt we met Gary, Len,  A nice Canadian couple, Dave, Max, and various other folks including the Captain.  Some of these people we have met in years past.  Martha and Ron stopped by and we spoke of books and traveling.  We spent a lot of fun time with our old Canadian friends,  Barry and Lorna playing The Idiot and The President.  Darch had us over for dinner and introduced us to the Handlebar Bar.  So many nice people, and each has a different spin on life.  Always we invite everyone to visit and sail with us in North Dakota. Darch, Barry, and Lorna may actually stop this summer. Our oldest traveling friend never appeared this year,  Ed is still in his Casita somewhere warm.
 
The motorcycle has brought a new spin to our adventures.  Motorcycling on deserted difficult roads is not something one should do alone.  In no time driving around a camp site you can find another old fellow with the same problem.  He wants to ride, but needs a partner.  Len was a good partner at Roosevelt Lake, and Al and I had some good rides together near Sedona.  Back on the Salt River Kadizzle also found a good rider for adventures.  When Kadizzle rides the rough trails The Commander needs someone to play with.  This has worked out well.  Kadizzle rides with the husband, and The Commander hikes with the wife. 

Our friends on the trail have several commonalities.  All love the outdoors, most sail, most bike, and we seem to hit a run of ex airline pilots.  Just about everyone seems friendly and easy to talk to.  Advice flows like water, and you can always learn about a new spot.  The Kadizzles have been traveling for so many years it is inevitable we meet some of the same people everywhere we go.  When people finally let go of their job and realize they can relax and enjoy life they become different people.  Rarely do you find a grumpy specialist in a campground.  If you don't like your neighbor move.  If you don't like the weather move.  If you are bored move.  So many things can be cured by hooking onto your house and moving it.  When you get tired of seeing the same people, go somewhere else.  Tired of the same stores, the same town, or whatever, move.  When you travel their is no excuse for being a grump.  When you drive, you don't have to be anywhere at any given time, so if it is too windy, stop.  If you are tired, stop. 

A life full of choice, and no preset plans is something most of us are not used to.  Once you get used to waking up with a ton of free choice on your hands, it is hard to give up.  Remarkably the active life is good for you.  Sitting in a coffee shop bitching with the same people everyday never lowered anyones blood pressure.  Don't put off what you have worked your entire life to enjoy.  Tomorrow may not come, and if you die holding a winning lottery ticket, that is not a good thing.

Sugarloaf Mountain.

Hardly a day goes by that we do not come across the former home of the native people that inhabited this area.  Yesterday was no different.  Kadizzle took off with The Commander on the back of the motorcycle.  After a long ride across the flat country, the cycle climbed up onto Sugarloaf Mountain.  First, we stopped to investigate a ruin Kadizzle had found a few days ago.  In the process, The Commander spotted what appeared to be a wall on the top of Sugerloaf Mountain.  On the cycle ride in Kadizzle speculated a ruin should be there.  The site was a superb lookout position.  A bit of an argument ensued as to who was the discoverer.  Kadizzle had the insight, but The Commander actually made the find.

The decision was made to make an assault on the peak, but first the crew decided to go to the end of the road.  As we had lunch on the end of the  road, The Commander insisted the crew hike to another suspect site.  The site, from a distance, appeared to have a man made wall.  Kadizzle was skeptical because it was right beside a mining road, and Kadizzle thought it might be part of the road.  When we got to the presumed site, it turned out to be neither.  Apparently, miners quarried stone along the whole mountain road.  The stone was nicely stacked in a way that would resemble an Indian ruin from a distance.  To rest, the miners must have just sat on a chair and soaked in the view.  Kadizzle took his turn sitting in the old card table chair beside the road.  The chair was in delicate shape, and when Kadizzle told The Commander to sit down for a picture, she tumbled over backwards.

Next the Kadizzlites made the hike to the top of Sugarloaf.   The top did have a ruin that was thoroughly picked over.  Not a shred of pottery could be found.  To the north was an excellent view of the gap that led to Sycamore Canyon.  Sycamore Canyon had to be a very important travel route in ancient times.  Who ever sat up on Sugarloaf mountain had a commanding view of the gap.   So many of the sites we have explored in Arizona seem to indicate there were lookouts posted to guard the community, and no doubt this was one.

Camp Kadizzle

Excellent hot air balloon day.  Six went by in front of our camper.  They are still up and unless they get a wind shift they will come down to the southwest. One balloon may make it to our yard.  Good think our pictures are digital or we would have busted the film budget.

The solar panel is harvesting electrons, The Commander is making hot cereal, and the day is slowly coming to life.  Ranger Jerimy chased the horse campers out of the fist spot we chose.  Good thing we did not settle there.  Apparently it is an antelope sanctuary.

If the day goes as planned the Kadizzlites will take a long motorcycle ride to hunt for some Indian sites.  There is great consternation about when we will head north.  The Commander insist we stay warm right here, but with some ungentle persuading we may be off for New Mexico by the end of the week.

Wholesale Insanity for $20 a Day

 

The Commander often assures Kadizzle he is crazy, but today Kadizzle met the competition. Across the highway and over the hill is the Angel Valley compound. Perhaps you remember a couple years ago when the head guru there overcooked some customers in the sweat lodge and killed them. This is the place full of angels, vortexes, and every strange phenomenon imaginable.

Bored Kadizzled decided to cycle over there and search for a good hike. Normally the compound of the crazy is gated, but today the gate was open so Kadizzle followed the signs to the visitor and welcome center. On the way in Kadizzle noticed some nice RV camping spots and thought that perhaps there would be a way to chisel a good spot. Kadizzle suspected that you would have to be a bit goofy to qualify and soon had his suspicions confirmed.

Behind the desk was a nice lady probably older than Kadizzle by some years. Kadizzle was very tempted to ask if they still cooked people, but managed to restrain himself. Instead he inquired about lodging. Indeed you could rent an RV spot, but the price seemed excessive, $55 a night. The hostess explained that for that price you could experience the vortex, see angels, and maybe even some UFO's. Mrs. Hostess said angels and UFO's had been spotted last night. We are camped nearby and sadly they must have been visible from only the Angel Compound.

Kadizzle told the hostess that $55 was a bit steep and asked if there were any exceptions for the poor or crazy. Hostess said that the price was set by some process that put them in harmony with the universe. Kadizzle asked if they had any events going on and the Hostess was not sure, but did mention Ishawa had just been there and done a presentation. Since Kadizzle was not familiar with Ishawa he had to kind of dance around a little to figure out who Ishawa was. The answer came pretty quickly. Ishawa was from Sirus, you know the star we all see in the sky at night. It is great to hear from Ishawa because he lives 2,500 years in the future. To hear from Ishawa you have to go through the channeler who happens to be at The Angel Compound. After they killed the people in the sweat lodge service it does not appear you can pay to be cooked anymore, however for a fee you can get in touch with Ishawa, or wander into the magic stone maizes. What a bargain to be able to experience whatever you can fantasize or imagine for $20 per day. Kadizzle recently turned 65 and in all those years it does not seem he ever experienced so much craziness in under four minutes.

Driving away from the compound Kadizzle could not help but think of how prosperous this insane little spot up the creek from John McKains ranch is. These people are selling insanity wholesale and apparently making good money at it. If you ever have been to Sedona you know the land is extremely valuable around there. This former human bakery sits on land that would be worth 20 or 30 million dollars easily. No doubt this scam is all run tax free in the name of religion. In summary Kadizzle learned today that one should never underestimate what you can sell to seemingly conscious Americans. Our country can supply you with any kind of insanity you wish to indulge in. If you want to see angels, no problem, UFO's fine. Pay your $20 and The Angel Valley outfit will let you walk into their maize of stones and assure you that indeed you did experience the vortex, see angels, and waved to the guys in the UFO's. It is so nice of Ishawa to stop by from Sirus now and again just to let us know what is happening 2,500 years in the future.

Will the Migration Start?

This morning's balloon display looked like it would be perfect for awhile.  The balloons went to the south of us on a quick air current and then dropped to come right down where we sit.  It appeared like we would get some spectacular pictures,  but on the way back they came down close, but no cigar.

Yesterday The Commander took a mountain bike ride with our friends.  She came back bruised and scratched,  and Al got a serious injury to his ankle that will take a few days to heal.  Kadizzle had a great motorcycle ride.  Out on a point exactly where there should have been an Indian ruin, there was one.  Al and Kadizzle had been searching for a road up the mountain you could see from a distance. Kadizzle found the road, but the gate was shut.  The gate was not just ordinarily shut, it was welded shut.  They don't want someone up there.

The Commander is wild with energy this morning and insisting on an adventure.  Hopefully the adventure will not be too strenuous.  Red Rock State Park may fulfill our needs today.  Kadizzle has to keep moving to keep the chub off.

If you hear yelling and screaming it will be Kadizzle fighting with The Commander about the migration.  Kadizzle wants to migrate.  The Commander wants an iron clad guarantee it will be warm every day.  Chuck from Hazen says he will meet us in New Mexico for some motorcycling.  Kadizzle would like to blast out of Sedona on Wednesday,  The Commander is afraid that if she is hit by a snowflake she will melt.   Our plan is to go to Cochiti Lake.  It is our new stopping point in the transition.   We have not explored that area, and it should give us some new real estate to discover things.

A SPLENDID DAY

The day is off to a great start. The Commander will rent a mountain bike and go riding on trails with our hiking friends.  Kadizzle gets to do whatever he wants unsupervised at his own pace. Does it get any better?  Perhaps a trip down to the model airplane airport to BS with some of the flyers.  Next, a casual motorcycle ride looking for new roads for the upcoming big ride.

Wonderful hot air balloon display this morning.  Two vary large balloons landed close.  It was almost unbelievable, but the second balloon landed within twenty feet of the basket where the first guy came down.  Perfect day with no wind.  Everyday the long string of ATV tourist comes winding down the road.  Kadizzle will no doubt meet them somewhere back in the wilderness.  Being the person farther down the line in that mess does not look like fun.  You get to eat dust for ten miles.

Balloons for my Birthday

Look closely and you can see all four of the hot air balloons that showed up to celebrate Kadizzle day. (click on the picture to make it larger)  At first it looked like they would all get blown to the west, but the winds of fate blew them right to the campground where the Earth Module resides.   A nice start to a good birthday.  Erin called in the morning with birthday wishes, and Kadizzle thanked her for the balloons.  Off to Sycamore Canyon with some camping neighbors, and the day began.  Sycamore Canyon was a splendid hike with many wonderful pools, many of them with rocks to dive from twenty feet high.  On the way back down the trail Kadizzle could not resist the temptation and stripped to his birthday suit and jumped in.  The water was could and the family jewels were in jeopardy, but it was refreshing.  For the grand finally we met Kadizzle's sister for a good round of Mexican food.   So he would never forget Kadizzle married The Commander on March 21,  1976.   As everyone knows to celebrate this momentis day the Earth stands straight up and the equinox occurs.  The universe is in harmony.  

Life in the Earth Module

Waking up with the sun in the Earth Module the coolness is apparent.  We don't use the furnace and even the desert cools at night.  The Commander wanted to get some extra winks so Kadizzle crawled out of bed and got the coffee going.  To take the edge off the cold Kadizzle lit the little propane heater Gary gave us.  Without enough storage capacity we wake up with somewhat of a power shortage.  Until the sun comes up and the solar starts cranking our power is low so there will be some brief generator time to get us by.  The Commander is up and packing lunch for today's adventure.  Off into the unknown we will hike with friends today starting at 8:30.   Things are moving faster than usual.

The hot air balloons got blown off course yesterday.  It will be interesting to see if they are up today, there is a little wind.  The module is warmed up and the clock says 6:30.  About 300 yards away is the model airplane airport.  With the wealth of Sedona this is the mother of all model airplane airports.  The airport has a long well marked runway.  Flying enthusiast can charge their planes batteries with an elaborate solar set up.  Covered seating is available for spectators and life is good for the hobbyist.  Talking with the flyers and watching them do acrobatics is fun.  Every type of plane shows up and the detail and work put into a lot of the planes is amazing.  Even model jets fly around here.  Some of the gliders get up and sail with the hawks.  If there will be balloons they should show up any minute. Kadizzle should be able to see them over his left shoulder heading down from Sedona.  Any minute The Commander will give the order " Get off your lazy ass and go turn the solar panel around".   Kadizzle will jump up in his sweat pants, salute and run outside to harvest the electrons.  So ring the bell and start the day.

Recycling Sedona

The Kadizzles have met so many nice people during our winter hiatus.  There seems to be a reoccurring pattern.  The people we end up hiking with are almost all sailors, mountain bikers,  and hikers.  Today we did our adventures with a couple that started sailing the Pacific at age 37,  Al is also a dirt bike motor cycle enthusiast as well as a committed mountain biker.

Today's plan was for the men to take the motorbikes up the nasty, nasty switchback road to the top of the mountain west of Sedona.  The women were going to hike to the Robbers Roost cave.  It did not take long for Al and Kadizzle to get lost in the maze of back roads heading to the mountain.  With more experience under his cycling belt the ride up the mountain was not as gruesome as it was last year, but once on top there was a moment of consternation.  Al has a more agile and power cycle than Kadizzle and he is a very good off road cyclist.  Somehow on a very steep section heading for a plateau Kadizzle managed to stall.  Fortunately all ended well and Kadizzle got turned around.  The road is deadly.  At points it parallels a shear cliff that would end the game.

Returning from the mountain we met the women who somehow manage to get close to Robbers Roost, but did not find it.  After lunch Kadizzle took off with Al again on more nasty riding along the power line road.  The road was put in to erect the power line through this rugged country and most vehicles would not stand a chance of following it.  Then we decided to take an even worse road.  This road had rock steps about two to three feet high.  Kadizzle had reservations about going down the steps knowing we would have to come back up.  Al had the protective equipment to deal with a crash, but Kadizzle was not armored.  With the exception of one bad bottoming out on a rock moment Kadizzles cycle escaped unharmed.  However, there were at least five close calls of disaster.

Here they come.

History is repeating itself as Kadizzle sits in the Earth Module looking north east.  The same hot air balloons he enjoyed watching last year are coming right towards us.  Currently it looks like they are getting blown to the west too far, but they are good pilots and may find an air current that will bring them down right on our roof.  If and when they get closer a picture will follow, stay tuned.

Sedona is our new address

Last night the Kadizzlites nested at Dead Horse Ranch near Cottonwood. Today the Earth Module was prepped to move up to the Sedona area. Filled with water we headed North. On highway 525 we went to our old spot from last year, but The Commander did not approve of the dusty conditions so we drove down the road near the fancy model airplane airport. Here we found a nice spot and set up. Kadizzle went down to the model airport for model airplanes and met a flyer he had talked a little earlier. In the earlier conversation Kadizzle asked the model airplane pilot what happened if he lost power or control when he was doing his strait up act with the plane. The pilot could make the plane stand up straight in the air and not move. The pilot said he had never had that problem. Well when Kadizzle returned the pilot said he had just crashed his plane doing what Kadizzle had asked about earlier. Kadizzle asked to look at the crashed plane in the back of the truck. This was a big plane with about a four foot wing span. Yup, the plane was crashed. Luckily he had another plane with him and continued his fun. He could make this plane stand still pointing strait up motionless. Kadizzle has a good bullshit session with the gentleman and asked many questions about the little planes. The amazing small engine could produce 2-3 horsepower.

When the airport visit was over Kadizzle took of on the cycle for what he though was a brief exploration drive. In no time Kadizzle was lost on some wonderful roads, and what Kadizzle had planned as a three or four mile ride turned out to be thirty miles of lost wandering before he got back to the camper. The ride went through some of the most scenic land in the country. The red cliffs up near Sedona so many people come to see were in the background and Kadizzle found the area was more vast than he had anticipated.

Moving Day

Looks like the Earth Module will be packed up and head somewhere north.  Kadizzle has had enough of Lake Roosevelt, but The Commander is insisting we go back for a short stint.  Cool nights and hot days have been plentiful.  Some weird animal has been making a noise all night like a donkey.  Perhaps it is a wild donkey somewhere nearby.  The wild horses have not come through the parking lot. 

Yesterday the Kadizzles attended an ongoing St. Patrick's day celebration.  Then North Dakota contingent in AZ was all decked out in their finest green garb.  Some even came down from the north.  Kadizzle thinks it is time for the migration north to start, The Commander is reluctant.  So much needs to be done on the good ship to get it ready for sailing season.

Magic Bum Juice

 

New York Cheech heads to L.A. Today to make the fashion world safe for democracy. The Cheech got hold of Kadizzles book about Magellan. The book Over the Edge is well written and draws you in quickly. Kadizzle and Cheech have had fun discussing Magellan's voyage. Magellan did not actually make it, but one of his ships did. Jelly was the key to his success. The voyage was plagued with scurvy. No on knew what caused scurvy, but Magellan's officers on his ship were accidentally saved from it because they took along a Jelly they liked. The next two tries to repeat Magellan's feat failed because of scurvy.

On today's walk to the office to fire the cannon, Kadizzle looked over at the bum encampment. Two quasi bums have moved under the cement ramadas on the west side of our encampment. Yesterday Kadizzle engaged them in conversation. The bums are Silly and Willy. Silly loves to talk about anything, much like Kadizzle himself. As Kadizzle talked with Silly, Willy would roll his eyes. Willy looks like “the most interesting man in the world” in the commercials, except he dressed casual bum style. Willy explained how Silly better catch a fish or he would have left overs. Willy already had a nice cat fish lined up for dinner.

The two bums migrated down from Vancouver for the winter. Their day seemed to be consumed mostly with drinking and smoking. As Kadizzle looked over the drinking supplies he noticed one bottle that appeared to hold some strange concoction. After Kadizzle asked what it was Willy launched into the virtues of the substance. “If you don't have your own juicer this is what you need”, Willy said. Willy went over the label with all the healthy ingredients. Kadizzle could not figure why the Bummore partners were so concernted about their health juice if they were drinking and smoking all day, so Kadizzle inquired what good was the juice if they drank and smoked like mad men? Willy explained that was the secret of the juice it neutralized the sin in the smoke and drink.

Your trash is trash, throw it away, don't sell it to The Commander and Cheech.

There is an old saying “One mans trash is another man's treasure”. Kadizzle believes your trash is trash and please throw it in the trash. Yesterday Kadizzle had to endure Cheech and The Commander's trip to two flea markets. Most fleas would have been embarrassed at these places. Nothing says more about the state of our education system and our economy than the Arizona swap meets and flea markets. Fresh trash arrives from China by boat and hundreds of trains distribute the garbage with Walmarts help. Once the trash is marinated by the first user it is taken to a swap meet for final seasoning. Poverty's root cause is poor decisions. The first people who bought this crap made a poor decision, now it is available for a poorer person to make a poorer decision.

Knives are the classic case. Why do people want some huge knife? Every swap meet sells a wonderful selection of silly knives. The same people enthralled with guns must also think they need a knife large enough to slay a dragon. How about a nice fake collection of arrowheads? Babbles, beads, and belt buckles along with T Shirts as far as the eye can see. Who pays for beads they throw at the crowd at Mardi Gras for free? Yup, the pink hair crowd can't get enough of them. How about some old glass insulators picked off old telephone poles, are you sure you have enough? Sometimes it is so hard to feel sorry for the broke segment of society. When you invest in someone else garbage do you think you will retire a millionaire?