Route 66 To Oatman, Arizona -- Nothing About The Bakken

I arrived safely in the Los Angeles area last night about 4:00 p.m. local time, but didn't actually get to the final destination until about 8:00 p.m. Los Angeles really, really sprawls. The traffic from San Bernardino County to San Pedro moved very nicely, until south on the 710 to Long Beach, but no big deal. I cannot articulate how invigorating it is to drive in Los Angeles when the traffic is flowing at 70 mph. Absolutely invigorating. No road rage any more, from what I can tell.

There are some incredible scenes in Top Gun of fighter aircraft in tight quarters performing the "rolling scissors" maneuver. That was done by professionals and with a lot of pre-briefing and planned choreography. On the I-10 going west into Los Angeles yesterday afternoon at 70 mph I saw a lot of rolling scissors maneuvers in my rear-view mirror(s). The rolling scissors maneuvers in my rear view mirror(s) were accomplished by amateurs with no pre-briefing and no planned choreography. The singular difference between the I-10 at 4:00 p.m.going west into Los Angeles and fighter aircraft is this: on the freeway, it is done in three dimensions (x, y, and time); at 20,000 feet it is done in four dimensions (x, y, z, and time). 

I left the Dallas-Ft Worth area at 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning after a good night's sleep. I usually begin driving about 4:00 p.m. for my cross-country trips but Saturday night I was with the granddaughters until late, so I wanted to get a good night's sleep before starting off.

I last checked the mileage when I was near my San Pedro destination: exactly 1,400 miles. How's that for a round number. Straight through with some cat naps in New Mexico, east of Albuguerque.

I sleep along the way when I get tired; the updates are here.

At Kingman, Arizona, I took historic "Route 66" to Needles, California. I have several minutes of video going over the pass through the mountains to Oatman, some taken from outside the window, this one from inside the window.

I had been reading Max Tegmark's Our Mathematical Universe during the trip and was thinking about his thoughts on perceiving reality and multiple universes, while the same time observing the 1,000-foot drops off the side of the narrow two-lane road, and listening to Chris Isaak's Forever Blue album, over and over and over. On a different site, I talk about music putting me into a fugue state. I found myself near a fugue state; my temporal lobe was lit up, no doubt. There were moments when I thought I should ignore the curves, go over the edge, and observe another parallel universe as described by Max. It took an enormous amount of concentration and "resolve (?)" not to simply go over the edge. For lack of a better word (or phrase), I suppose, it was "common sense" that kept me on the center line.

On Route 66 to Oatman, going south from Kingman, Arizona
I am incredibly afraid of heights and I'm not sure I could have taken the route had I not been concentrating on filming and listening to Chris Isaak's music.

I have had that particular CD (Forever  Blue) for years. I never particularly enjoyed that CD, mostly because of the first cut. But I guess it all came together for me, south of Kingman. The CD is awesome. I must have played it a hundred times, but every time the first cut came up again, I simply skipped. I don't think there are many cuts from this album on YouTube. If I find any, I will upload one or two.

This particular cut playing in the background reminds me of Robert Rodiguez.  If you actually click on the video, go to full screen and turn up the volume to hear Chris Isaak.

This particular Chris Isaak album makes me think of Roy Orbison. The acoustic guitar, the occasional falsetto, the ballads. Roy was generally upbeat, or optimistic, but wow, I've never heard so many depressing songs that sound so good on one CD. Can anyone have lost more loves than Chris Isaak lost, based on 13 songs of lost loves in this CD, or thereabout. Yes, the first cut is not about a lost love but that's about the only one that isn't.

I continued on Route 66 from Needles to 29 Palms and Palm Springs.

I had planned on flying back to DFW, and coming back to pick up the car later, but after this incredible trip on "Route 66" I will most like drive back.

So, although I can check of "Route 66" from my "bucket list," I look forward to it again.

Oh, that reminds me, speaking of fugue states. Many, many years ago, I drove straight through from San Antonio, Texas, to Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. I had just completed flight training and was rushing home to see my wife who was ready to deliver our first child. I drove straight through, no sleeping. Google maps says it is 1,429 miles from San Antonio to GFAFB. I remember hallucinating during the last 100 miles or so. I "was driving through a 100-mile continuous canopy of trees," through a 100-mile tunnel on I-29 north. Of course, there are no trees along I-29, and certainly no canopy of such. But the "tunnel" kept me "true." Ah, to be young again, and immortal.

Ah, here it is, a YouTube video of Chris Isaak's Shadows In A Mirror:

Shadows in a Mirror, Chris Isaak
There are 13 cuts on the CD. Twelve of them are incredible. At midnight, in a fugue state, on an infinite loop, or through the Oatman pass. Nirvana.

A bit more upbeat, but very, very similar (or not), the acoustic guitar:

Chingon, Malagueña Salerosa, Robert Rodiguez    From wiki: The song is that of a man telling a woman (from Málaga, Spain) how beautiful she is, and how he would love to be her man, but that he understands her rejecting him for being too poor. Chris Isaak would understand.