Don't desert me now

A LOT to catch up on...See, the thing about being on the road (and also being the only driver) is that it's equal parts exhausting and rejuvenating. The possibility of excitement and newness around every bend, while having to maintain an intent focus to not go flying off a cliff. Or a mountain. Or into a cactus. Or just the guardrail.

I arrived in LA Monday evening to a warm reception from one of the two Stephanie Powell's I would hang out with in that city. The one I've known since middle school. The other is her neighbor from Chicago, who she only met because she accidentally got her paycheck in the mail. Now they're like besties. Anyway...That first night was an early one, and I woke up early the next morning to have a full day if LA experiences: breakfast at Roscoe's for their famous chicken and waffles, a walk along the Walk of Fame, and then a bike ride along The Strand from the Santa Monica Pier down to Marina Del Rey and back, which I should have enjoyed with sunscreen but I was so desperate for sun I forgot how incredibly pale I am... I met up with my wonderful hostess and her neighbor with the mostess, and the same name, and we had a fun night talking shit and drinking rosé at local bars.

Got on the road to Tucson the next morning, yesterday, and really just planned it as a stopover on my way to Marfa, so I was pleasantly surprised. At the suggestion of my Airbnb hosts, I ate Mexican food at Crossroads and order a green chili beef chimichanga...And a margarita, duh. Whoa mama. Apparently, the chimichanga was invented in Tucson, so like when in Rome or whatever, plus it's just really fun to say. Chimichanga. I would like that as a pet name...My little chimichanga. I digress...The room was sooooo cozy, and I passed out right after I brushed my teeth. I woke up at 6am. Are you kidding me?! I had planned to sleep in...It was so bright, I let myself toss and turn for a bit, but I had to give in to the sun. Looked up some local hikes, because it was too early to do anything else and found to gorgeous Sabino Canyon. I haven't been on a hike that beautiful in a long time, and that's saying something when you live in Oregon. Perhaps it was just that the landscape was so different and alien to me, that the awe of it hadn't yet been taken for granted...I finished up my hike, renewed again, and ran some errands before getting on the road to Marfa, TX. That's going to have to be To Be Continued tomorrow, because I'm tired and I assure you it's a story all it's own...