So what did you do this weekend?
Comments(0) Well, I took my wife out to the middle of the desert, and left her there. No joke.
Believe me, I didn’t want it to do this, but I had no choice. She got a three-month contract with the National Park Service doing an archaeology survey in the Mojave National Preserve. This all came about very very suddenly. She got a call last Thursday afternoon from the head guy out there who had her referred by someone she worked with recently in a dig in the Mission in SF. This was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. Friday she spent the day packing. On Saturday we loaded up the X-Wing and began the long drive south at 7am.
You never realize just how massive the state of California is until you try to drive from one corner to another. A few years ago we drove from Seattle down to the Bay Area in one shot and it took us twelve hours to cross three states. This weekend we drove from near the middle of the west coast to the southeast corner of the Golden State and it took us almost as long! I-5 down almost to the Grapevine, cut around the south side of Bakersfield, and take either route 15 or 40 east from Barstow. Eventually you exit the straight-as-an-arrow freeway and point your car north towards the middle of the desert:
When the pavement ends you’ve still got a long way to go. She’ll be staying at an old ranch house that’s at least 30 miles from any real road in each direction. Its absolutely beautiful out there, but very very remote:
We got a very brief tour of a small portion of the park on Sunday, and then drove out to Las Vegas (about 90 minutes away). It was hard to let go, but Lex had to drive back before it got too dark and I had to catch the last flight out, finally arriving home just a little after midnight. I’ll have to add more details later but I’m still processing them all my self. Now I have to figure out how I’m going to feed myself and keep the house clean for three months!
Complete album. Check out the little movie of driving out to the ranch…
