29Palms Friday, July 10, 2009

Last full day.

Goodbye, desert dawn

Goodbye, creosote

Sigh.

As I write these words, this time tomorrow, I’ll be in the air, eastbound.

I will miss this place.

I will miss this place very much.

I will miss the smell of creosote.

I will miss everything that there is about this place.

Goodbye, Hell Trailer

The memories will fade, and I will return to these words and pictures, trying to keep them alive a little longer.

Eventually, I will have to return.

Right now, it is only noon, and the heat is still swelling, but it’s not quite there, not yet.

Newt is burned out from doing too much, and it’s all my fault.

But he’s not one to be put off, and despite a very noticeable fatigue in him this morning, he insisted we drive out to Amboy Crater, and I had no means of dissuading him.

Around Dale dry lake		Heading toward the Sheep Hole Pass		Down the far side of the Sheep Hole Pass

To the Amboy lava flow		And Amboy Crater

And so we went. Out the back way to Ironage Road, and around Dale dry lake. Up through the Sheep Hole Pass. Down to and beyond the calcite mines. Past the fresh black vastness of the lava flow. West and around to Amboy Crater visitor center, which consists in its entirety of a small parking lot, with restrooms on one side and a walkway to a small covered pavilion up a little on top of the lava, with an excellent view of the crater. Fifty mile trip, one way, give or take. Yet again, we have the whole place to ourselves. The nearest human was no closer than five miles away, minimum, and possibly quite a bit farther than that. The crater looks like it’s right there in front of you, like it was on the other side of a soccer field or something. Newt informs me it’s over a mile away and is quite a bit bigger than it looks. Newt’s intention was to walk to the rim of the crater, and it was clear that he wanted me to be able to see this wonder, but by the time we got there it was apparent to the both of us that it wasn’t going to happen.

This is hard country out here		Unforgiving in the extreme, but also very beautiful

The long lonesome road to nowhere at all		Heading back down into Wonder Valley		Welcome to Wonder Valley

I feel bad for being the cause of his batteries running so far down.

He’s been impossibly gracious and forbearing with me for the entire trip, and wants very much for me to be able to take a deep, deep drink of this place he loves so much.

But enough, already.

You are overdoing it, my friend, and we must stop now. Really.

Bonzo, on duty

And so we stopped.

And drove back to Wonder Valley.

Right now, I’m comfortably ensconced inside of the Hell Trailer, and I suspicion Newt is sleeping, inside the house.

I will not go over there to find out.

I shall let him rest.

And tomorrow, I'll be gone.