Time is but a portal through which we can remember the past, think about the present and be blind to the future... If that sounded cliche, its only because this picture begged to be cliche. In the middle of the desert with literally miles and miles of nothingness all around, I found this building that had a picture-perfect view of the desert. There is really no purpose to this wall's existence other than to make a commentary on the fact that we come to the desert for picture-perfect views, to see something special and to think about how it relates to our lives. In much the same way, my trip existed for the sole purpose of seeing something new and interesting - but what I concluded from what I saw went far beyond.
That being said, I wish there was something special I could have learned from the Hoover Dam. But really, like most things in America it was just very, very Big and was built during a time when Bigger was Better.
It is very difficult to believe that the Hoover Dam was built on something as unstable as the red-rock all around. As soon as I tried to parkour that white rail behind me, the rock crumbled beneath my feet and left me in a world of pain.
This new bridge was constructed just across from the Hoover Dam less than a year ago in order to make travel from Nevada to Arizona more tourist-free. It too is built on a very unstable surface, however, its shape represents quite different values. Instead of being massive and capable of holding back millions of gallons of water - this bridge shows its power by appearing light and working along with nature, as opposed to being able to withstand it. This bridge is an artistic rendering of what America should be striving for.
But like everything in America, it comes in a dichotomy because these two bridges exist side by side to this very day. On one side are the powerful energy producing giants that use the Dam's immense water supply to provide power for millions.
On the other is the Double Rainbow which represents the times when nature was treated quite differently and apparently had a different purpose.
But let's get away from the philosophical and back to me and my journey across America. This is my car again. Clearly, it does not try to oppose nature with its great power, but rather, it shows its strength by seamlessly blending into the nature's surroundings. And the surroundings are none other than Sedona, a place where you can stay, eat, shop, dance wild all night and still meet the sunrise afterwards.
The rocks in Sedona are of a brilliantly luminescent hue of Orange that appears to glow during a sunset.
Little do people know that these giants are located in an environment more similar to a rain forest, than to a desert. To get here, I had to drive down some beautiful precarious roads that weave their way through a forest - this is the closest I have ever come to driving through the rain-forests of Chile or Panama.
But before long, I was reminded that I was still in America; a place filled with inexplicable oases that exist in a world of their own. Two Guns! This enigmatic place in the outskirts of Sedona has immediately become my new destination!
This is how this same road looked from above.
My search for two guns led me into the Giant Hole. This hole in the ground happened to be the Meteor Crater, formerly known as Canyon Diablo Crater. There is absolutely nothing in it. No gold, no precious metals, no vegetation, no life at all ... except for a giant American Flag. On the perimeter, the Hole is surrounded by welcoming peach rails, another good spot to practice parkour!
This is what you see when you look down: absolutely nothing!
Even though the meteor's initial power is long gone, the impact it left still scars the earth to this very day. Five minutes after leaving the Crater, I came across a scene of a devastating car crash in the middle of the empty desert. I missed it by a minute or so. Four cars were involved (two heading to the Diablo Crater); and two fatalities were the outcome. I was so disturbed by this awful scene that I sped as fast as I could towards the Petrified Forest.
The Petrified Forest is a keen refuge for an injured soul. It's a lovely place to stop and to catch your breath. And to look around in peace. The trees that you may see at the bottom of this hill, lived in late Triaasic, about 225 million years ago. While the pit houses came up much later, about 8,000 years ago. And then the Climate changed again.
How did these once powerful trees turned into stone? What will take us turn to stones and how long will it take? Will it be painful? It's +110F in the shade this afternoon and my car is losing oil pressure while still retaining its ability to run ... I still have about 8,000 km to go.
As we go deeper into the Indian Land, a heavy storm is brewing above our heads.
The Indian blankets are being sold for only $4.99 on both sides of Route 66. Foreigners are buying them in bulks. Blankets, beads, metal objects, clothing, ammunition, jewelry, and tobacco - everything is for sale. European and American explorers are crowding the stores in search of another bargain.
Tobacco and cheap alcohol - all of this reminds me of the olden days in sweet America...
... about those days when you could easily take time to think about the past without being distracted...
... when you could think about the present without regret...
... and about the future without immediate inclination to remodel it, to redesign and to reshape it. Those were the times where you did not have to fight the future, but instead could welcome it with whatever it may deliver or not, with an open heart.
