Los Feliz

     From Las Vegas we drove to Primm, where we ate at a casino before continuing to Baker, California.  We slept that night out in the Mojave Desert Land Preserve, with nothing around except creosote bushes and mountains off in the distance.  I awoke in the predawn hours to see the moon being eclipsed.  The next night we spent at Kelso Dunes, which are huge sand dunes out in this big valley.  They make acool sound like a sonic boom whenever the sand slides.  Atop the dunes two older Canadians asked if we would take their pictures.  After running down the dune, my shoes filling with sand, Heavy D. told me we would stay with them.  Dollie and Wayne Morgan were from British Colombia, and were set up with a truck and camper.  They traveled every winter for six months, and were fun to hang with.  They appreciated my guitar playing and we their company. The next morning we made coffee and said bye, moving on to route 66, which went to Amboy, a desolate desert town.  There we got mexican cokes and met two long-distance bikers from France.  They were going to Florida, and had been riding in Mongolia, China, Japan, and later Spain.  On down the road we came to 29 Palms, which is right next to Joshua Tree.  We camped the night there, and to have a fire I scrounged up old half-burnt logs from other campsites.  Our campsite was nestled between granite boulders and two protecting trees.  In the morning Maria made cheesy grits, which were delicious with sardines.  After coffee, we did a small hike up Ryan Mtn., were we got snowed on.  Upon realizing the weather was unfavorable, we headed out.  In the town of Joshua Tree, we saw a lot of hip people as we sat at a little cafe sipping coffee and eating tomales.  Much different than 29 Palms, which is a navy/marine corps base town, Joshua Tree fitted us a bit nicer, as the average person had long hair or was going rock climbing.  Down the Morongo Valley, through the San Bernardino Mtns., and past a thousand windmills, we got on I-10, taking it to the city of angels.  We are in the heart of the second largest city in the U.S. and seeing the Hollywood sign for real makes me wonder if anything is not possible.  I believe...
     I made it safely to Los Feliz in a rain storm to where my cousin Jared Hooper lives.  We got showers and, after dressing up in a black suit and a golden tie, went out for a drink at a bar across the street.  We were out till 2 or so, then stayed home eating cheese and crackers and drinking beer.  It is good to be in the company of family again and nice to be in a new setting.  In the morning the sun shone again and I went out for a run.  On the way I found a donut shop, and in there I met a 93 year old man Lennie who was a dancer and musician.  I asked him how he lives so long, and all he said was stress can end your life sooner than later; as he said this he touched his heart.  This makes me believe that if there is a burden on your heart you should deal with it, or else it will drag you down.