Yesterday was my last day in the valley so I mailed my laundry back home in my little cooler, like I always do. If I send it priority mail it doesn't get too nasty by the time it gets home. Plus that spreads out some of the unpacking work to a few days later. I sat out on the patio overlooking the valley while I drank coffee and ate breakfast, then I went for a little hike in Golden Canyon and up to Zabriskie Point to take a few pictures.
When I took my cooler to the Furnace Creek post office, the woman behind the counter joked that it looked like I was sending organs for transplant in my little white cooler, the way it was packaged up. I told her it was one of the runners' hearts.
Speaking of the post office, in Pahrump this time there were some road work signs on the main drag and one of the construction signs said "Postal Detour". I wonder if that's when you have to take a detour and it totally screws you up and you end up in a road rage because of it?
I am lucky enough to know my way around Pahrump well enough that I didn't have to go postal.
I noticed something else in Pahrump. There was a big sign on the way out of town, looked like someone had nailed some pieces of plywood or particleboard together to make a giant A-frame sign on the side of the highway, stuck an American flag in it, and the sign was hand painted, big white letters on a blue background "Mitt Romney for President 2012".
Nearby there were other political signs for people running for local office, but these were neat, official, professionally made signs, including those for Judge Wanker.
I thought Mitt Romney was extremely wealthy. But here's this obviously slapped together sign made from what looks like some scraps pulled out of the landfill. If Judge Wanker can afford a real election sign, then what's with Mitt Romney and his ghetto signs? Is this his way of appealing to the common people?
When I arrived at the Las Vegas airport, I found out my flight was delayed by at least 20 minutes due to bad weather on the east coast, so they said. I happen to hate the Las Vegas airport, it's so disgusting. Dirty, smelly, full of nasty looking restaurants with bad food that smell greasy, vending machines that sell underwear, and people who look like a cross between Walmart and the Las Vegas strip.
A bunch of very large people sitting in front of an oxygen bar. Interesting. High heels and short shorts, and a lot of skin showing, regardless of body habitus, seems to be the fashion statement at the Las Vegas airport.
I sat down at a table in the quietest area I could find, near one of those food court things but far enough away that I couldn't smell the grease trap. I bought a salad at a little so-called "fresh and healthy" stand and ate that while I people-watched. An airport worker was cleaning the grunge off of the wall surfaces nearby. There was a big contrast between the clean area and the dirty part.
At one point I looked up and saw a familiar face coming toward me. Then I realized the person had a Badwater shirt on. It was Keith Straw from Pennsylvania, the one who always runs Badwater in a pink tutu. We talked for a few minutes, he was on his way to catch his flight.
Finally we boarded the plane very quickly and took off for Denver. I got home around 11 pm and the girls screamed and attacked me. So good to be home.
Each year, my visit to Death Valley has been a way to check in with myself at mid-year, much like I do at New Years during Across the Years. I can assess where I am going with my life, am I happy with how things are, or do I need to make changes.
It allows me to clear the cobwebs and see things because I get back in touch with my true self. Not that I don't operate as myself all the time, but in life, it's easy to get lots of other things clouding your vision, that seem like priorities on an everyday basis, but in the big picture, they are not so important.
It's like checking my inner compass, and adjusting my direction as needed.
It's good to get away and not run a race, because I have the mental energy freed up for other things.
So now I'm home. I will be writing a couple of blogposts next week, just grinding the gears in my head about a couple of topics that are important to me.
I decided not to run Lean Horse, but I need something sort of long this fall but not too long. So I signed up for the 12 hour race at 24 The Hard Way, Chisholm Deupree's race in Edmond, OK this fall. It should be a good, fast tuneup before Across the Years, without completely wiping my legs out.
Now it's time for a nap!
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