Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Leaving Las Vegas, the road to Jerome and Colorado meanderings

Las Vegas... it is called the city of Sin for good reasons.  It is certainly not a town that is suited to me, but it is useful for work and to see friends.  The leaving of it this last time was something surreal indeed....

More to follow thru on my word to myself to do it far more than any desire to actually make money off the endeavor, I did go to Fremont St dressed as a showgirl on the last two days I was in town.  The idea being to allow tourists to take pictures with me and tip me for that. Many regular buskers out on the street were super kind to me and even told me some of the regulations and tried to help me out.  

I went out at the urging of my friend Dr Brian King who was interviewing me and taking photos.  
photo by Dr Brian King

photo by Dr Brian King
Brian is a comedian, he holds a Doctorate, he acts, he is a photographer and much more.  He travels to perform and takes time to do interviews with interesting friends and new acquaintances for his YouTube channel. 
You can find him here:
Website:
http://www.drbrianking.com/ 
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChdiYuVzngz2RUBlezRO-_Q


photo by Dr Brian King

photo by Dr Brian King

photo by Dr Brian King

Brian wanted me to go onto Fremont St to keep challenging myself and to stick to my word.  I was happy that he would be there with me the first time venturing out.  He followed me around a bit and shot stills and video but also left me to my own devices now and then so more people would approach me.  People really dug "the weed girl."

I only wish Brian had been there with me the next night when I was only out for an hour until I left in haste.

The way I left the street was dramatic and not something that I would have chosen to do. Rather the choice was made for me and I allowed it to be so. Again, this town is NOT my kinda scene at all, nor the bustling touristy action of Fremont St in particular.

I was "run off the street" by a regular busker there who is also a former burlesque performer.  Names will not be used... she knows who she is and so do a lot of other people.  I knew OF her before meeting her and was told she was not to be trusted... but I am kind hearted and tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. Alas, such generosity is not always warranted and this was one of those situations that was just going to go poorly. 

I was told I should stay in burlesque and OFF Fremont St (as if it were privately owned).  I was told I needed to have my tits and ass worked on too if I intended to "get anywhere in the local scene."  Mind you all the while I am being yelled at by a very sad and angry woman dressed as a pirate while I am calmly standing in disbelief dressed in my "weed" costume. It was quite a laughable sight I am certain and the tourists were eating it up.  

So I take all that she has to sling at me yet still try to take the high road and speak with her calmly... which she does not allow.  In future, I will simply pick up my gear and walk away from such stupidity and blatant projection of one's own disappointment and shortcomings thrown onto an outside source.  Lesson learned.  

She, however, will have learned nothing from our encounter... only a deeper love of her angst and more reasons to be bitter about the loss of her dreams.  

After she stormed away, telling me to fuck off as she did so, I too returned the instruction but to deaf ears.  Then I headed back furiously to my RV, ranting all the while to myself while dressed in huge feather headdress, long fur coat and almost no clothing otherwise.... thankfully I brought my sensible boots for the walk back.  

I utilized FasterEFT to work on the incident as soon as I got back to the RV. By the time I was ready to leave, I was at peace with the whole ridiculous scene. I was very happy to leave her to the street she coveted so much, as it suited her far better than it would ever suit me.  

For me, the two ventures out onto Fremont were a personal victory over my issues with chemicals and people - so I won regardless of anything else that occurred.  

From that hotbed of hatred, I went to my happy place... Jerome, AZ.

BUT... the RV wasn't having it all happen so easily.  I'd just spent $1400 in Vegas on her but she ate up another $800 in new shocks all around in Kingman, AZ.  I stopped for gas, a low tire led to news of the totally rusted on original shocks which had to be CUT OFF.  3.5 hours later, I was on my way again.  I was able to stop in Sedona, AZ at a great health food store then parked in Cottonwood at a Walmart for the night.  I spend SO much time in Walmart parking lots these days, and I really do not like supporting that store... but have done so since being mobile because there are pluses I can't ignore.

The next day I head up the hill on a very nerve wracking, tight drive into the tiny streets of Jerome.  I called ahead to make sure there was a spot to park my big ass, which there was... and it was a paved, fairly flat parking lot that I was able to stay at overnight so I could spend the next day in town too.  Sunday and Monday were glorious there.  The energy on the hillside is like a tonic to my soul.  

While there, I met a man named Markus who has many talents and skills: musician, artist, film maker, talent agent, etc etc... but one of the truly divine skills he possessed was the ability to channel information from intangible sources.  I spent several hours talking with him, getting in touch with what I am meant to be doing and getting tips on how to proceed forward.  It renewed my sense of faith and drive.  I am acting on the information and will continue along the prescribed paths as they come along and enjoy the process and the ride.  It's good to know I have a posse of souls on my side looking over me... 15 spirit guides to be exact.  It is a great comfort and I never feel alone now.

Then I moved on from there to Phoenix and Mesa.  

I was able to visit with my new good friends Tom and Aida in Phoenix who let me park and plug in and use the shower... for which I adore them even more.  Tom has a blog and was kind enough to make mention of me stopping on NYE:
https://aztommycat.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/ringing-in-the-new-year/

I also had tea with my excellent friend Scooter Harris.  
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/scooter.harris.33?fref=ts 
Etsy Shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioHadra?ref=l2-shopheader-name
Website:
http://studiohadratimes.com/
We met at a comic book shop/coffee shop called Gotham City Comics with this nice T.A.R.D.I.S. mural for the back door entry:
back door to Gotham City Comics in Mesa, AZ
Find them on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/gothamcitycomics


In between those things, was the Karma To Burn show that I came to Mesa to see.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karma-To-Burn/118432638215095 
Website:
http://www.k2burn.net/

It was a strange basement venue that was all ages and had NO liquor license... this was not happy news for my friends I can assure you.  I made my RV available to them as a refuge and a place to drink and chill.  It was lovely to see them play regardless of the odd vibe in the place and the rules of Mesa... they had to be done playing by 10:55p!  
no time for a long set list....

I parked in the hotel parking lot where the guys stayed and made us all no bake cookies (which were a big hit) while we got to hang out a bit.  They left without a goodbye in the morning... which is not shocking.  That whole adventure is not done yet though... I'm catching up with them again in Denver on the 9th.  Then it will likely be a long while till I have that particular pleasure again.... so I'm gonna soak it up! Good metal in person just can't be duplicated.

From AZ I traveled up north to Colorado... in the rain and snow.  The cabin over head still leaked of course, so it smelled of wet particle board and mold... and was starting to make my feel physically unwell. 


I made it to Cortez, CO where I stopped to sleep for the night and hit a dispensary the next day before going further into the mountains.  I was talked out of going to Durango simply because I didn't like the words "sheer cliff" when asked if I was going over a big pass to get to town.  So I altered plans and took the advice of the guy at the shop (who recalled me from a prior trip last year!) - I went to Ridgway to Orvis Hot Springs instead. 
Facebook:
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Orvis-Hot-Springs/111966142180026




The Hot Spring was great!  I "camped" over night without a place to plug in but with all night access to the springs... totally worth it. But it was super freaking cold in the RV cause I have been trying to not use the furnace and burn thru propane like water.  But between 2:30a-5a NO ONE was out and I had the whole place to myself.  Pure magic.  


my new Orvis Hot Springs T-Shirt

The next day my pal Brent came to check out the springs since he just moved to a town only 36 miles away. He is the reason I was heading in this direction, as he is helping to rip out the moldy wet nastiness over my head in the cab... such a very nice guy and a good new friend that shares many interests.  I am currently typing and looking at the ripped apart mess and feeling like hell for it... but there is no choice as that has to all be removed or I will just get sicker and sicker by the day.  It's gonna be a rough week at least due to all the upheaval and physical challenges - and I can't even do ANY of the work or I'll really be ill.  I'm very thankful he is willing to help me out! 

So I'm here in the Montrose area until Friday morning when I must head to Colorado Springs for the show on Saturday.  I haven't been able to book a lot of performances, so it's a special treat to look forward to at the end of this week! Here is the event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/817617314961231/


It's a lovely area here in the SW part of the state and I'm happy to be able to go to new places I've not seen yet. I'm meeting all kinds of nice and interesting people along the way.  Ridgway CO is a great little town with a lot of cool history - True Grit was filmed there and a cafe bears its name today.  
view from parking lot at Orvis Hot Springs

view from parking lot at Orvis Hot Springs

the park in Ridgway, CO

parked at the public park in Ridgway, CO

And there is a nice but pricey, organic dispensary in town and I had to stop.  3 lovely ladies greeted me.  One of them was interested in costumes and burlesque which was cool.  They were all very sweet and they even tipped me off about a Russian dancer/producer in Telluride that I should try to meet... so I have a new task in locating this person whose last name I don't have. 

lovely sunset upon arrival....
when i walked out the moon and clouds made it even more beautiful

There is a lot of Old West charm here and fine local artists like Lucy Boody and Mike McCullough.  I had to buy a piece of her fiber art, a lovely flower which will be part of a Mother Nature # one day. 
fiber art rose by Lucy Boody
Check them out here:
Kings Armor LLC on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kingsarmor
Lucy Boody on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lboody?fref=ts
Michael McCullough on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/michaeltimothymccullough?fref=ts 

The kind and creative people you find in mountain towns are icing on top of a lovely natural cake.  I can't get enough. I shot a bit of video in town:



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