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Formula Jr
01-31-2003, 09:28 PM
Crossing Over Part III.
A Lake Side Chat.
.

When we last left our happless adventurers, Donzi Dog Henry and his side kick human, "Owen", had just experienced an encounter of the third kind near the Metropolis of Rachle NV. Somehow they had lost an entire hour of terrestreal time.

We now return you to the rambling monolog of the Human.

Knowing I must time my entry to Los Vegas to avoid rush hour, I scanned the horizon on Hiway 93 for a suitable encampment. Ninety miles North of the Sin City, there appeared a breathtakingly beautiful body of water. (http://www.donzi.net/photos/osaffell313.jpg) This is Phranagat Lake (http://www.donzi.net/photos/osaffell315.jpg): A true Oasis if ever there was one. The lake is in reality a huge hot spring and the smell of sulphur is in the air.

The Lake is part of the National Wildlife Refuge system, and as such there are no camping or use fees. This is a little known aspect of the federal land management systems. National parks, monuments and forests charge fees; Army Corp, BLM, National Recreational and NWR lands rarely do. In the West, there is always one of the latter areas near where you may want to camp, and on an X-C trip this can save you some serious coin. Yes, I pick pennies off the ground. wink

Sulphur isn't the only smell in the air. Somewhere in the van there is also an odor. I glance at Henry, though he isn't looking particularly guilty of anything. The odor becomes more pungent as I take out gear to set up the camp site. Wild theories crowd my mind. Did some skunk climb in the van and die? Did some sociapath toss a folded pamper through the window at a rest area? Using a strange form of olfactory echo location the source was soon traced to some half-eaten summer sausage and soft cheese, both gone rancid in the desert heat the day before. What to do.......what to do..... well, remembering a National Geographic Special on Mid-Atlantic Riff, volcanic vent fed ecological systems that exist in total darkness using suphur eating bacteria as the root base of their food chain, I tossed both the reaking sausage log and the brie as far as I could fling them into the Lake. It made sense at the time. The feeling of satifaction was both primal and joyious. There you go little bacteria, enjoy the bounty I have brought you.

No sooner had I set up camp (http://www.donzi.net/photos/osaffell314.jpg) when I encountered, "Larry." I have never figured out the celestrial mechanica that somehow, almost always, in remote areas, forces a nexus of myself and disenfranchied, loner, Vietnam Veterians. Mind you, I am not complaining here or making any other statement other than to say, that there is some sort of karmanic influence going on here. It might be some sort of kindred spirit thingy that they can sense, don't know, stopped questioning it years ago, but we were soon sharing extraordinary stories and completely unique views on modern society. Larry traveled from here to there, always gaining work in the fields and odd jobs, never quite shaking the memories, or the horrors, that placed him for a brief period outside our or his ability to judge a person by his actions. There are places people have been, where absolute moral rights or wrongs, simply didn't apply, nor can they ever be judged.

I noticed Larry's speech contained alot of off hand boats terms. You can always tell if someone is a boater. Sure enough, he had crewed on many sailboats in his youth, and it was a joy just to hear his tails of high adventure that he could speak easily on, unhindered and gleeful; back when he was someone else, and the world seemed limitless. About 11:30PM, there was a huge sonic boom that shook the ground. That pretty much sent Henry to the comfort of the van, while we, totally lost in conversation and the timelessness of exploring another soul, greeted the dawn.

I needed my 6 hours of down time if I was to head thru Vegas the next day. Larry had given me alot of info regarding snipercraft and the capabilities of the .223, so with this info and heading into the kill zone, I felt I could assess the obvious areas. Larry's analysis of their behavior was later to prove dead on. Establish a pattern and then break it - pure military training. Little did I know at the time, just how right he was. Cause ultimately, I too felt real fear. Its what you do with the fear that counts.......

Join us for part four in the ever harder to write - with out a cig - series of Crossing Over....... :)

ToonaFish
02-01-2003, 12:04 AM
Makes my eulogy look kind of pale...

Great chapter! No one would even know you were gnawing a pencil in half...

Bunches,

Celene 'I know Larry's other brother, Larry'

Formula Jr
02-01-2003, 02:39 AM
I'm sure your eulogy was perfect.....even if you didn't think it was......
In the hear'ers it was perfect. Cause your words came from the heart.........

harbormaster
02-01-2003, 05:32 AM
Hurry up Owen,

I cannot wait for the next installment!

Digger
02-01-2003, 01:18 PM
great stuff there Owen, keep it coming!

Terry0341
02-05-2003, 09:09 AM
I say again, Owen, write a book dude! Great stuff!