Still on the road

Here I am in Moab. One of the mountain biking mecca's. These last few weeks have been crazy. Las Vegas was surreal. Zion Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Moab, this whole part of the world: all surreal in a much more natural way. It's the sort of landscape that must be fake, the beauty of it is that absurd. It has an atheistic that speaks to the part of the brain that never climbed down from the trees, the part that still dwells on that African Savannah of our flint-knapping ancestors.

The trip's been pretty good. The highlights so far: riding the roller coaster at New York, New York in Las Vegas. Seeing Penn and Teller. Getting caught in a thunderstorm during a mountain bike ride at the Grand Canyon (lowlight actually, very scary indeed). Riding the Thunder Mountain trail in Red Canyon and getting around around almost all of the switchbacks on the scary descent. Driving across the desert of south west Utah blasting Richard Thompson's Mock Tudor album as the sun sets. All good stuff.

We're going to be in Moab for a couple of days then on to Fort Collins.

I've played my guitar a couple of times, mostly waiting for laundry to dry. Musically, I've been more inspired by the book I've been reading "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azarred than the landscape and the camping, but I'm sure that'll change once I start sleeping in a comfy bed and having regular showers. :)

The Jet Set lifestyle

The LUC and I are going on three weeks vacation* starting next week. First to Madison Wisconsin for ProBike/ProWalk. Then flying to Las Vegas for two days, 'cause well, I've always liked Hunter S. Thompson's description of looking west out of his hotel room window and seeing the high-tide mark where the idealism of the 60's washed up around Las Vegas and retreated back. We're then renting a car and heading out to the Grand Canyon, Moab for some mountain biking, Fort Collins for beer and more bikes and ending in Denver.

The last time I spent longer than a day or two in the States the Canadian dollar was worth 9¢ more than the American. I'm really looking forward to it. Despite the bad image that the current US government is projecting around the world I've discovered through these here internets that there are plenty of warm, giving, funny and thoughtful neighbours to the south. (See above links for some of those folk)

I haven't the faintest idea if all this is achievable in the time we have, but the point really is to spend some time together, camp, ride bikes, boggle at wonders both man made and natural and generally relax.

This is not what you're waiting for.

*I know, believe me I know! She just gets back from a month in Australia and off again after a mere week at home. In all fairness she's speaking at Probike/Prowalk so that part of the trip is work and she's having to cram a whole month's worth of regular work into 5 days. There's more than a little stress going on right now.