Before I begin this tale I’d like to introduce my co-pilot, navigator, communications manager and photographer, Scott. Scott was nice enough to accompany PD and me on our little jaunt. He was also been along on my last trip cross country in 2007 that ended in destruction when Milo was broken into and my ENTIRE music and DVD collection was taken and sold on the black market of the Mission in SF…. I’m still not over it. Can you tell?

With Scott’s superior ability to read and use maps, his state of the art Mac book, his various publications on popular and obscure points in the US and the blessing of portable WiFi we were two steps ahead of ourselves and knew everything we would need and want to know about all of our planned sites.

At a couple of points Scott’s office would begin to ooze over to my side and on two occasions moved the gear shift into a Neutral posistion… on the Interstate… while we were moving; a small price to pay for advanced communication and professional documentation.

The drive through Vail and Breckenridge was the worst of the entire trip. It was stunning and quite difficult. We experienced sleet, snow, rain and extreme fog which made me mad that I didn’t get the right windshield wiper replaced nor did I apply Rain-X to the windshield. Bummer. An old friend from high school that I hadn’t seen in 10 years lives about 10 minutes from where I write this entry. I’m so stoked to see her and a little nervous. Till then…

About a month ago I noticed that my front left tooth, which is a cap, had a crack in it and began to discolor on the top. Since this little fucker cost a pretty penny my dentist said it would be replaced at no charge. Phew. I thought since we had done this before that he would have the dimensions necessary to order a new one and that that would be that.

Due to a misunderstanding on my part and a lack of communication on the dentist’s part, I was given a temporary 2 days before I was to leave for the east coast. It turns out that they need to take an impression and order a new one. He explained that when the tooth came to his office in Palm Springs he would send it to wherever I ended up and we would take care of it. Easy enough right?

I made it across the country with no problems at all until I arrived home in Ohio. I asked Mom to have everybody over to celebrate my arrival. Two hours and 2 six packs into the evening the tooth fell out when I bit down on a pizza crust. I had bought some dental fixative but in my state of happiness I knew it would be stupid so I decided to leave it off. It supplied everybody with much ammunition for jokes and kept us all laughing all night long.

The next day after looking at it I became strangely attracted to it. I thought it was very hot hillbilly and decided to keep it (much to Aimie’s dismay) until my replacement arrived. I really got a kick out of watching peoples faces as they realize that I had no tooth.

Rest assured that all is back to normal and I have all my toofs!

For this Moms Day I suggested that my brother and I do the cooking (we requested that she and my sisters remain on board for consulting). I made a honey mustard sauce for the grilled chicken and Carmen made his special BBQ sauce for the ribs. I also made a grilled corn, asparagus and goat cheese salad.

All went well except that I tried to save time by starting the chicken in the oven and then finishing it on the grill. This proved not be the best idea; the poultry was overcooked and even the brine couldn’t save it.

Live and Learn. Thank God for games on the deck to take our mind off the not so perfect dinner… Carmen’s ribs turned out perfectly… fucker.

Change of plans, Four Corners was closed for remodeling. Bummer. It still didn’t stop us from taking pictures of the disappointment.

During the travels we stopped at several trading posts because I wanted a turquoise ring, a Navajo turquoise ring made in the 40’s. I had on my first cross country trip found a beautiful turquoise ring at an antiques shop in Salt Lake City. I wore this ring constantly and it was referred to as my “Elizabeth Taylor” ring by the Boss Lady herself, Chi Chi LaRue. I loved this ring and on cross country trip #4 my truck was broken into when I reached San Francisco from Ohio. Bummer. I’m still not over it.

The posts were a waste of time. They all carried the same generic crap that the tourists devour. I wasn’t going to find my treasure at a trading post, I needed an antique shop. When I woke up in Cortez, CO and noticed the flyers advertising some right down the street from a local coffee shop I began to feel it calling to me. When I got a kick-ass cup of coffee I felt like this would be my time. It wasn’t. There was no antique shop, just a “For Rent” sign. Bummer.

We drove right to Durango, CO and I noticed an antique shop. We stopped in this cool little town got PD and walked over. I asked the woman promptly for the section where the Navajo rings were, preferably 40’s. There were none and when I started to walk out she told me to take a look in the back. There he was, all alone in a case, begging to be noticed. It was exactly what I wanted and for $20? This was God.

The rest of the day took us through the Rockies to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. I wrote this while in Glenwood Springs watching “The Shining”.

I’m so happy I got the ring.