Californian Cowboys Part 4

Day 6 Death Valley
We spend two days in Death Valley.
We stop at a huge expanse of Sand dunes, pop a beer and lie in the hot mid day sun, in the sand. The sand is softer then anything I have ever experienced. Like silk. Like sinking your hands into a mound of sugar, but better. We drive down to Badwater, the lowest spot and the hottest. I'm starting to feel a bit over cooked. Once back in the van the hot sun on my arms as we drive feels amazing. Makes me feel like a warm and good. Since there are very few trees or bushes, the camping is just ok, not very private - but the bright sun peering over the mountains makes even a small RV park look beautiful. Our first night there, I pulled out my sleeping bag and had a 2 hour nap atop the aluminum picnic table, which is completely exposed to the entire park. I loved it. Outside naps are my favorite.
One the second day we leave the park by the south eastern exit - via Wild rose Road. It's a dirt road, much more rugged then the others. We have to go slow, and meander between sharply curving caverns for miles. On each side pink, red, green and yellow rounded stone walls tower over us.

Somewhere between Wild rose Rd. and Red Rock Canyon park, we stop at a used clothing store and I get a great plaid shirt and Hilary gets a blue polyester dress with tiny red polka dots. We also see the two hottest dykes of the entire trip. in this small town used clothing shop. We dissect what made one of them so unbelievably cream-your-pants hot, the rest of the drive. We both conclude it was attitude.

We pull into Red Rock Canyon park late afternoon. It will be our last night of camping. Our last night with Hale Pua. Our last night of cowboy. Red Rock canyon reminds me of the Flintstones. It's just like Bedrock. You can actually imagine that the Hanna-Barbera boys drove out here from Studio city for their motivation. It's a simple night, and we finish up our food, and call it a night early. We're both tired, and ready to get home.


Day 8 Bed Rock to LA
I wake up, and watch the sunrise for the last time through the van windows. My mind is already in Ottawa. I decide that I need to drive. that I want to drive through LA. Down Santa Monica blvd. Through Beverly hills. And I do. This was a rather huge defeat for me as I am quite nervous about city driving, especially driving a huge rental van through LA - city driving. I turn fear into excitement - and with the help of Paul Simon and Hilary on the Map - we do it. We even have time to stop in a Starbucks in the gaybourhood.
We bring Hale back to Bill and tell him our stories. He wanted to hear them all, which feels good because it's nice to remember them all too. He drives us to our hotel - and shows us on the map where we can go to get dinner. Our hotel - which is near the airport - yes - near the highway - yes and which shares a sign and a parking lot with the Hooters next door - yes. Oddly enough - they didn't mention that on the website.
This hotel experience was saved however by the hot tomboy receptionist, with beautiful hands and skin and eyes and shiny soft hair, who lets me flirt mercilessly with her while she checks us into our flights, since there is no computer available for guests. Which was a thankfully a long process because they were international flights and all.

Hilary and I shower and rummage up some clean clothes, go for dinner and call it a night.

Day 9 - John Wayne to O'Hare to MacDonald.
The flight home is beautiful as we fly under the clouds and I get to watch the states transform beneath me. The endless mountains and valleys sprawl from California to Utah, to Colorado and then it all turns flat over Missouri and Kansas. There the Farmer's Fields drape out over the landscape like a giant green quilt. We have a killer all-American meal at a diner at O'Hare - I don't think I have ever enjoyed a veggie burger, fries and a root beer so much. We buy trashy fashion magazines and go home.