June 15th -- Pahrump, NV

So, I opened the refrigerator to get a drink, and a scorpion fell out onto the kitchen floor.

I'm done with this place. Can I please live in San Diego again?

Boys with Toys!

I'm pleased to say that this weekend saw the beginning of the mechanized assault on the meteorites. They have no chance, because now we have wheels! ... OK, so we still didn't find any. (Look! Sara's driving!)

This weekend was all about the truck. It was its longest trip from home, its maiden voyage into Nevada, and we made it a good one! From the lake bed, to the mountains...

...and even into town!

Yes, it was a good weekend for the truck! On the way to Pahrump, Mark and I hit up our favorite lake bed just outside Baker, CA. We may have left a few donuts out there... Naturally, after discussing wind direction and how to best keep the truck out of the dust, I made a huge plume of flour-like dust and drove straight through it. Oops! (I'm still getting the dust out of my stuff!)

Next stop, the movie set! They were just setting up the lightning machine and, Hory mo! I think I seared my retinas!

At this point, Mark, who was not entirely accustomed to staying awake all night, may have gotten a little sleepy.

But not to fear, bed was near! At the crack of dawn (OK, maybe it was more like noon), we headed out for out next adventure, with mountain bikes in tow.

I finally went up the dirt road on the west side of Mt. Charleston. This road has been taunting me ever since I first drove into Pahrump so many moons ago. I may have been a little excited about it.


Yeah, maybe just a little. The road finally encountered a huge iron gate with "No Trespassing" signs at about 7,750' elevation, where we found the remains of an old saw mill.

The weather up here was glorious. Fresh and clear, and 20 degrees cooler than Pahrump, just 15 miles down the road! And speaking of down the road... we got down in style!

Mark and I took turns on the bike the whole way into town...

Here's our route...

Next time we're going to find a way to get even higher on the mountain. It's almost 12,000 feet tall! Our little ride from 7,750 was just a taste of what this mountain has to offer! For some reason, Mark was tired again.

But a quick trip to Vegas for a movie and a Guinness at Nine Fine Irishmen seemed to be just the thing to cheer him up. Actually, it cheered me up, too. (Yep, those are the nine gents themselves in the background.) This pub was actually built in Ireland, disassembled, and put together again in Vegas! That's ama-za-zing!

You can't think an unhappy thought when all this is going on!

By the time Mark and I wandered the 60 miles back home through the desert, the sun was coming up over the horizon. That's a sight I haven't seen in a VERY long time. Needless to say, breakfast (er...was it lunch?) rolled around before we knew it. Sunday afternoon was done and gone, and I had to leave my wife behind again. One of these days, I'll get to bring her home, and that will be a happy day!

And so, Mark and I went shrieking across the desert, back to San Diego with all the dejected, penniless gamblers.

22 Hours In Maryland

For a list of strange reasons I won't go into here, I had the joy of traveling cross-country and back in an absurdly short period of time. I spend a grand total of 22 hours in Maryland. Here's what I did...

As any survival expert can say, the first things one must look for upon being stranded in a strange place are: water, food, and shelter. In my case, the water was falling from the sky, the shelter came in the form of a rental car, and the food...from Taco Bell. This picture is illuminated strictly by lightning. I was trying to take a picture to show how dark it was in my silly little car, but just as the camera opened the shutter, there was a huge bolt of lightning. Cool, huh?

Maryland, unlike Pahrump, is very green. And no, this isn't someone's lawn. That's just nature in action!

Baltimore has tunnels. Some of them feel like driving into a bad sci-fi movie. This one is like driving into the Death Star's belly-button, I think.

As a businessman with an unexpected few hours to wander about, I decided to head for Baltimore's Inner Harbor. All the good things Baltimore has to offer are a hop, skip, and a jump from here. The weather was glorious, and I was free to explore! What more could I ask for?

Next stop, the National Aquarium!

They've got lots of cool stuff, including: Turtles!

Fish! (that sound strangely like a crowd of people)


And Birds!

My personal favorite is the "Waxy Monkey Frog".


Alas, within a few short hours, I was back under the scrutiny of the ever-vigilant and efficient TSA...


...and shoulder to shoulder with sniffling strangers that had to go to the bathroom every ten minutes.

And THAT was the shortest trip to Maryland...ever.

Oh, and I may also have had time to review the worst car in the world...but that's another story!