OK, I'm back

OK, I'm back.  I've been to Utah for a family reunion and then went to California via Death Valley and Trona.  I love driving through Death Valley, even when it is 111 degrees outside, (the car was air conditioned).  Do you know there is a Death Valley High School?  Can you guess the high school mascot?  I would have guessed the skull and crossbones, or maybe just a skeleton.  Turns out it is the scorpion.  Cool enough.

Before I go too far, I've been told I should have put the link to Joel Stein's piece on pole vaulting in my blog.  I thought just telling everyone to go to Time.com would be enough, but I was wrong, (not the first time).  The link is: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2119896,00.html .  So how is that?

Next I need to learn how to post images with my text.  Maybe next time.

However, it was amazing going through Trona.  If anyone needs inspiration for a post-apocalyptic dystopian type story, go to Trona.  I spent about three hours there, and every time I go things get worse.  On a weird up-note, someone is actually building a mansion just outside of Trona.  So, if anyone reading this would like to buy a 7,000 foot mansion, with two double garages and a large workshop, not to mention a swimming pool, and several acres, you can pick it up for about half a mil.  Not to bad for California real estate.

There are still many vacant, derelict and deserted homes there, including many that have been burnt to the ground.  The population is clearly receding, while Ridgecrest, (about 20 miles away) seems to still be growing.

Without a doubt, Trona is the kind of place where scary things could happen.  We will get some images for next time.