Sierra Hot Springs - Aloha California - 08.15.22

Last moments in California in a place called Sierra hot springs. Mineral water soak, massage, hammock SNap (snack + nap) and enchiladas colorado dinner snacks and lovely conversations with AngelO… all a very nice way to say aloha California.

In the morning I pulled over at the café in town and ordered a breakfast burrito, cinnamon roll and a coffee… I needed something before I hit the road. The seating was occupied by local ranchers. All with big ass hats glued to their heads and looking very stoic. And [I], a tattooed city boy dressed in beatnik black, head to toe, pops out of my non-pickup truck vehicle… and “yup”… got the full round of eyeballs. Some of them were wearing spurs, which for some reason I found awfully cool. Real cowboys. 🤠 (and 2 cowgirls for the record)

My food snacks showed up at the window and I decided I was going to join them, like it or not… and proceeded to the table on the far side of the deck. As I moved forward, they all politely pulled back their legs and boots and spurs… like the parting of the Red Sea… and I sauntered through. Then silence.

After 5 minutes or so… they began some small talk with one another. They must have figured I wasn’t going to infect them “hippie” germs or steal their women folk or rustle doggies or whatever. They then launched into rancher cowboy talk. They used words like “heifer” and “darndest.” They talked about Clark Gable and Marlyin Monroe (true story!!) and I wondered if they knew what year we actually were living in.

Didn’t matter… they’re hard working people… and I might just have “hippie” germs to spread and I did admire their women folk, whom could likely hoist me over thier heads if they liked. Conversations, snacks and coffee at the watering hole… good stuff. After, we all dispersed and went on with our days. I wonder if they have a Sadie Hawkins dance in this town?

I drove fast and hit a post-apocalyptic region called ‘the entire State of Nevada.’ I did take a couple of side treks to hot springs in Reno but they were dismantled or boarded up. It’s a hard scene to take when you dig on the hot mineral water places. I found no other reason the stick around.

It’s a long hot haul though Nevada and there are a multitude of billboards to look at, that are systematically spread 10-50 klicks before any oasis of gas stations, casinos, truck dealerships… and repeat… and that’s I-80 through Nevada. And the end.

I’m in Elko, NV this morning and I nearly skipped this journal log to get the fk out as fast as I can… but there is coffee… sweet sweet coffee… and I’ll be in Utah soon and will make a pitstop at a fantastical place called the Bonneville Salt Flats… and if you’re a motorcycle kid… and i am one of those… it’s the stuff of legends.

#evencowgirlsgettheblues #iwouldlikespursnow

#sadiehawkinsdance #postapocalyptic