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Moab pt. 2 before/after
Flashback: Before I took the wheel at the state line, as we approached the wet snowmelt mountains, we saw the largest most completly vibrant rainbow I have ever seen. The rainbow arced over the highway, and a good portion of the mountains. Extremely clear, and unbroken, after a time there were twin rainbows, with a gradient of color between. Awestruck we simply drove without much conversation, beyond the "looks like you could drive right up to it." or"Imagine there's some guy in his living room that's just inundated with the colors of the spectrum right now..." Truly impressive, it seemed to be a harbinger of good fate. A gateway to the promised land, which was back home, and we were on our way. How could anything go wrong?"
We pulled up to the second part of the pass, only to find a line, some flares, and a menial cop waving traffic to turn around. The pass was closed for, according to the cop,"At least an hour."
So we kick around the Keystone/Dillon area looking for something to do. After midnight. Not a whole lotta' options.
Some fast food joints, where C.J. got some food, and two bars. The Badsnake Saloon, and X-scream.
I preferred the Badsnake, but the sight of hippie dancing in the window struck a low note of discontent from C.J.
C.J.:"Goddam Old hippies. I can smell the patchouli from here."
So we went to X-scream's to kill some time, and plot the next move, about which my thought of popping the gate on Loveland pass and storming that motherfucker was not well received.
X-scream. Nothing I look for in a bar. The lighting sucked, and given the time of night, it was all locals, ski-bums, and ski-lodge workers out getting crudely drunk.
As I walked in with a scowl on my face, an attractive young women tapped me on the arm.
random woman:"Hey! Its not so bad! Smile!"
And she pantomimed a beaming grin.
I turned and gave one of the most patronizing, nasty, sarcastic smiles I have ever given. I felt bad about it as soon as I did it. But when you are up to your neck in quicksand, nice-nelly-isims just don't quite make the cut, and usually are met with disquiet.
The natives were restless and curious as soon as I walked in the bar.
random fuck:"Am I in your way?"
me:"No."
r.f.:"Do you know the outcome of this game?"
me:"No."
r.f.:"Yeah, its better that way, isn't it?"
me: silence
r.f.:"Woa. Hey, hey, hey, I didn't want...I didn't mean to...I..."
me:"No worries."
I stand for a minute, and ignore the population. Ohh, I'm fucked. No doubt about it. Trapped up in the mountains with neveau-riche hillbillies, no place to stay, and a pocket full of weed. Its approaching 2:00 a.m., no cars have moved on the highway, and there's no telling when it will open. Maybe at dawn.
I look around for the restroom.
r:f:"Yeah, that's the womens, and over there's the men's. The difference between the two is the women's has a lock on the door, and the men's doesn't. We're supposed to use the guy's, though..."
me:"I'm a hermaphrodite, so I can use either."
Which is a bit of a jerky thing to say, but if you want to fuck around, lets fuck around. Riff off of that, or shut the hell up.
I looked around the bar for C.J. He had the puppy out of the truck, and is surrounded by a semi-circle of females, who are adoring his cute little acquisition.
( General Puppy Theory: I love puppies. What's to stop me from getting a puppy, keeping it for a year or so, and then taking it to the pound, having it put to sleep and say, getting another puppy? After all, puppies are cool.)
He puts the dog away, and meanders inside.
C.J.:"Its starting to get cold and snow outside."
me(gallows optimisim dead pan):"Maybe that's a good sign."
C.J.:"Noo...that's....probably...not."
And I laughed the laugh of a man who's seen it all turn to hell. The laugh of a man who's so screwed, nothing really matters, and might as well be in a good mood. It filled the bar, and turned heads. It was a good cathartic laugh.
We sat in relative quiet as the barmaid called the state police for us. i had thoughts of hotels, or sleepiong on the road in the truck, smoking reefer until I passed out, hopefully to wake to the pass being open and clear.
The barmaid came back with good news. It was open.
We piled back into the truck, and started to go. C.J. smelled lime, and then we heard a sizziling noise.
C.J.:"Uh-oh. That's not good. Sounds like the engine."
me:"Just go, man. Fuck it. Just ...go"
And I looked down to see that it was a spilled can of 7-up.
Anyway, I smoked a ton of reefer and crashed out on the way back, and C.J. nearly fell asleep at the wheel, but at about 3:30 we ended up cruising out of the mountains into town, the promised land under the rainbow, and being home hadn't felt so good in so long of a time.
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