Captain's Log Stardate 94841.33

Log Entry

• My two day mission to go where far too many people have gone before was successful. I dropped off my Jeep & RZR (thanks Kim), refueled the ship and headed back to Lake Havasu.
• The OK RV Park was full and Moab was crowded as Jeep Safari 2017 approaches.
• South of Monticello I passed through a strange nebula that turned everything white...

• Arrived back at the RV at 19:30 hours after a very long day.
• Consumed life-saving quantities of American Honey Bourbon (medicinal use only).

Captain passes out.

Captain's Log Stardate 94838.55

Log Entry

• I-40 between Kingman and Flagstaff is in serious need of President Trump's infrastructure spending. There were places where it was easier to drive in the potholes and dodge the high spots in the road.
• Near Williams it appeared that a massive manhunt was underway. Law enforcement vehicles with lights flashing were parked along the south side of the Interstate for miles with officers overlooking the fields and woods. I would not have wanted to be on foot in that area today. Update: they caught him.
• It was 51 degrees in Flagstaff at 1:00 pm. A rude awakening to my finely tuned constitution.
• Arrived safe & sound in Blanding, UT where I will be spending the night (tip of the day: motels in Blanding are cheaper than Moab this time of the year).
• For the non-trekkies out there, click here for a Stardate calculator.

Captain out.

Monument Valley

John's Drone Video

John (or more likely, Jan) from the Arizonian RV Park uploaded a video to the Guest Photos page of the blog. Unfortunately, only a single photo was displayed so I downloaded the video to my computer, edited it by deleting all the nude scenes (don't want a NC-17 rating from the MPAA) and added titles and music. Here's the "G" rated version...

Use the arrows in bottom right of screen to enlarge video

You can also set the quality of the video by clicking on "Auto"
(if you have the bandwidth, I recommend 1080p)

Travel Plans

I am getting ready to haul my Jeep and RZR to Moab, UT tomorrow and then return to Lake Havasu to load up the RV. It's a bit of an inconvenience having to make two trips but well worth the effort to have both my toys in such a remarkable OHV area.

Before returning to Moab, I am going to take a long side trip to Yuma and Tucson to see if those are areas where I would like to spend next winter. Then, it's on to Las Cruces to join that dynamic duo, Sunny & Stormy Weathers, and explore New Mexico & Colorado on our way to Moab. We plan to visit Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National Monument, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Cascade Canyon via the Durango & Silverton Railroad.

As I once told Willie Nelson, "it's good to be on the road again".

Old Rules Do Not Necessarily Apply

When I was growing up, I was taught that getting an education, working hard and saving your money was the way to succeed in life. Although I still consider that good advice, a lot has changed as the result of the Internet.

I am amazed by the number of people who are making huge amounts of money by publishing creative content on social media sites...

Here are two examples that defy the norms:

1. Casey Neistat - He dropped out of High School in the 10th grade at age 15 and did not return to school or graduate. He later ran away from home. From age 17 until 20 he lived in a trailer park with his girlfriend and infant son. Prior to moving to New York City, he worked as a dishwasher at a restaurant and short order cook. His first job in New York City was as a bike messenger. Today, he earns an estimated $140.6K - $2.2M per year via YouTube.
2. Sailing La Vagabonde - Riley and Elanya are a young couple that met in Greece just after he purchased a sailboat. He had been working on off-shore oil rigs and she had been bumming around Europe singing in clubs. Without any formal training, they started making videos documenting their travels sailing around the world. Today, they earn an estimated $5.9K - $95K per year via YouTube and almost $9,000 per video via Patreon (they make approximately one video per week).

The two things these people have in common are a good work ethic (I know from personal experience that creating quality videos is extremely time consuming) and they enjoy what they are doing. Granted, not everyone has the imagination and talent to do what they do but if you can, what a great way to live.

Sign of the Day

I saw this on the back window of a pickup truck...

"Legal gun owners have over 300 million firearms and 50 billion rounds of ammunition.

Seriously, folks, if we were the problem, you would know it."

How Do Deaf People Think

Occasionally, I come across something that makes me wonder why I never thought of it before. Today, it was "how do deaf people think". Those of us with verbal language skills, think using words. However, if you were born deaf and never heard a word, how would you think?

It turns out that if an individual has learned sign language, that's what they use to think. However, if they never learned sign language, then they have a problem. Language (both verbal and sign) is an integral part of how the brain functions and those with no language skills are generally mentally impaired and elected to political office in California.

How did I become this fountain of knowledge you didn't ask... why YouTube, of course.

Immigration Ban

I see a Hawaiian judge has blocked President Trump's temporary immigration ban. My suggestion to the President would be: "send all the refugees to Hawaii". Wonder how long that restraining order would last then.

Why does Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf States not take Muslim refugees

Maggie Mine Slot Canyon

Wow! How often do you get to drive and hike a narrow slot canyon? Maggie Mine Slot Canyon is not easy to find or get to but is definitely worth the effort. After leaving I-40 you follow a rough, dirt road about 50 miles before turning into the canyon. Most of the time the scenery is primarily Joshua trees and jackrabbits the size of small kangaroos. As there are no signs to the canyon itself, I have uploaded a track to Gaia GPS where you will be able to view data on the ride and download the file in several different formats.

Do not attempt to drive the canyon in a vehicle larger than a jeep. As you will see in the video, there are some very tight spots...

Lastly, there are several spur canyons off the main one that are suitable for hiking only...

Rovey's Needle

Rovey's Needle is a unique rock formation off the Cattail Cove trail south of Lake Havasu City. I would recommend approaching it with a four wheel drive vehicle due to the sand washes (may be impassible when wet) and several steep inclines. The last section involves a short, rocky hike.

Approach to Rovey's Needle

From here you have a short hike

Eye of the Needle & Honeycomb Rock
(severe case of "rock acne")

Geocache

View of the Colorado River on the return

Due to the rain we had this winter, the desert is alive with Spring flowers

Crown King Arizona

My friend, Terry, sent me some photos from Crown King, Arizona...

Click on photos to enlarge

Obviously, my kind of town! What more could a guy ask for?

Why Did I Not Think Of This

The current number one best seller book on Amazon is Reasons To Vote For Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide. As of this writing, it has a five star rating (highest available) based on 501 customer reviews (read the reviews as they are almost as good as the book).

Amazon describes it as: The most exhaustively researched and coherently argued Democrat Party apologia to date, "Reasons To Vote For Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide" is a political treatise sure to stand the test of time. A must-have addition to any political observer's coffee table. "Thorough" --Ben Shapiro, nationally syndicated columnist and New York Times bestselling author.

What makes this book such a phenomenal success? Although it has an index and a bibliography, it’s filled entirely with 266 blank pages! The author is going to make a mint for writing nothing.

Maps to GPX

While surfing the Net to find new places to explore in the Moab area, I came across an interesting site called the Fruit Bowl. Apparently, it is quite popular with slack liners, base jumpers, and rock climbers from all over the world...

In the process of looking for directions to its location, I came across a nifty website called Maps to GPX. You simply enter a Google Map URL link and it converts the directions to a GPX file which can be uploaded and used in GPS units. Here's a track I created to the Fruit Bowl...

Click on image to enlarge