Benson, AZ: MAGIC DESERT PEOPLE

1,006 miles down!

Joshua Tree was really special! We woke up early today for our private sound bath at the Integretron in Landers. Sandra and I went here during our desert adventure last spring; the vist was a first for Shrimp. The kind, old hippy leading our session first shared the history of the dome then colored the story with his own relationship to the sacred site. He first came to Landers with a group of new agers from the Bay Area in 1974 to meditate for peace with the Soviet Union and hasn't left since. Last year he was promoted as the third person (and first man!) to play the quarts crystal bowls during the sound bath. Our guide shared his experiences with alien visitors and explained that the region is particularly clear of cubic meters of cosmic bullshit. WE WERE ALL OVER IT.

Shrimp and I rested on yoga mats under hippy blankets with our heads pointed toward the center of the dome for the thirty minute session. As the guide played the bowls, the most soulful sounds notes filled the room and our bodies. I imagined each of my friends in San Francisco and sent them love. I did the same for my friends and family in New York and around the world. I opened my heart to the life that awaits me in New Orleans. There were many moments of joy. Some note-friend combinations were particularly wrought with emotion (Laura!). Once the bath finished we stayed in the dome for a while to come down from the high. We were giddy as we said goodbye to our host and drove back to Joshua Tree.

We picked up Lu from the motel and visited Desert Christ Park in Yucca Valley. We stopped at the Institute of Metaphysics where I bought a few crystals from their giant selection (had I been any less zen I would have had a panic attack). We ate a delicious hippy lunch of veggie wraps and date shakes at Ricochet back in Joshua Tree. As Shrimp and I were awaiting our order, we met a true desert creature named Sharon, who was playing an over sized flute in anticipation of her meal. Sharon swung her pendulum wildly in the air as she guided me in a chant. Her intention was to help me let my "organisms" know that it is OK to leave San Francisco and that I can always go back. The scene was slightly unsettling to my inner Manhattanite but the sound bath had opened my heart so I welcomed her healing energy. Sharon left us with a copy of her music - it's the soundtrack to today's vid (oy!).

By the time we left Joshua Tree in the late afternoon we were floating. I was grateful for the experience, especially since half of the day's itinerary took us out of the cradling arms of the desert into the boundless sprawl surrounding Phoenix and Tuscon. Shrimp and I checked into Motel 6 in Benson, AZ by 10pm. We laughed our asses off trying to find something to eat at the truck stop across from our motel. We spent 30 minutes there and only left with a bag of peanuts and a bottle opener (I packed the Malbec from SF). This state is the pits.

Tomorrow: AZ, NM, TX. Stay tuned!