Tracey and I were lying in bed one morning, discussing the heat and #TheMillenniumFalcon… The heat was getting too much for me yet I wanted to take on the challenge of surviving a summer in #DeathValley, as originally planned… But I was beginning to notice the furniture stripping coming off of The Millennium Falcon… It was so hot that the factory glue, which is used to hold the stripping on and keep things together, was melting and things were starting to come apart…

Then to align the planets perfectly, Chris from #TheColoradoDreamRanch had emailed me, asking if I wanted to come back and work for the summer…

Tracey and I talked about getting more #AirConditioners placed in the windows, which #StovepipeWellsVillage agreed to provide and install for no charge… Then there was also work itself… All of our friends were leaving for the summer and the place was beginning to become short staffed…

So, I asked the new girl in my life if she would like to spend the #summer with me up in the #ColoradoMountains… I told her in detail about #TaylorPark and gave her the pro’s and cons… After days of deliberation, she decided she wanted to go… You know, women complain that we are not romantic but when I read what I just wrote, retreating to the #MysteriousMountains in The Millennium Falcon from the #HotDesert sounds like a pretty damn romantic life to me!

Everywhere you looked, you were reminded of how #hot it was… All of the #Ravens had slowed down and were always sitting in the shade… Even their low glottal call has become weaker and even lower in tone… It sounded like a weak cry for help instead of the mighty, nature call from a Mascot of the Valley…

#Clouds were a dream of the past as the #skies just stayed clear, with no water being able to form in such intense, #DryHeat… You could see a haze in the distance and actually see the waves of heat hovering like some weird entrance to another dimension of some sort…

Stovepipe looked like a #GhostTown, for many of the Americans have given up on #DeathValleyNationalPark for the season as Stovepipe waits for the #Europeans and #Asians to come and experience the record setting heat… Yes folks, there are actually people who come out here to be in #130DegreeHeat, believe it or not… Veteran workers on property joke about how you bow down to anyone who speaks english because all you get is Japanese, Chinese, German languages all throughout the summer…

Well, I definitely can’t say I made a mistake coming out here… I made some good gains on my credit card debt, got to #explore a place I didn’t even know existed really and I met a girl… Sounds like a good, productive four months to me! lol!

You can see the #AmericanFlag just hanging drab in the dead heat with no wind in sight to pick up its sails… Everything seems to get slow and drab out here…

You are constantly reminded of the past, with #OldRelics displaying their purpose in a still pose… All beaten, rusted and dry looking reminding us of the crazy heroes of our past who had the courage to battle such a crazy, predictable yet unpredictable environment…

Yet we know one thing for sure when it comes to man, if there is money to be made, they will find a way to get what they want no matter how challenging and dangerous the conditions… Ambition has no limits folks… I think we are learning that more and more today, as we see the amazing inventions, exploration of our planet and exploration of the #Universe… I mean, we are actually talking about a mission to Mars folks… which is going to happen if we don’t destroy ourselves until them… WOW!

If you look at the top of my #TemperatureGauge above you will see that there are no numbers just lines… It’s so damn hot out that my temperature gauge isn’t even registering anymore… It only shows the temperature inside, which is 116 degrees with my #SwampCooler and #A.C. on…

They post the temperature at work everyday… Here it is at #120Degrees one day… You can see now why everyone out here is so cautious and careful in this heat… One bad mistake and it could mean your life… Especially if you are out #exploring without the proper provisions… I myself don’t take such risks… Once it gets above 110 degrees, I ain’t going anywhere unless it’s in a car or a building with A.C… Lol…

I couldn’t resist posting a picture of Henry battling the heat with me, as I mentioned in the Sequoia camping post from before… There’s my swamp cooler doing absolutely nothing… lol! The water would evaporate into the air so fast, I had to change it twice in the day and trust me, this thing holds a lot of water…

It was sad to say goodbye to the #DipShits and everyone else but they were leaving soon also… Everyone claims they are going to stay the summer yet most leave… Another thorn in the side for #StovepipeWells who works fervently to keep a staff working here and usually operates on bare bones…

Yet how shocking is that? Why should a sheltered business get to enjoy what the #desert doesn’t provide? Just one of the many obstacles #Stovepipe battles constantly every year in this desolate, volatile environment… Technology is making new things out here possible every year but it will be a long while before man has the upper hand… Mother Nature rules this land and I hope it stays that way!

But Stovepipe must profit out here… If they didn’t then they wouldn’t exist…When you take the whole #CorporateBusiness out of the equation, Stovepipe Wells is a pretty amazing place with a lot of character… I have never experienced such a weird situation that somehow works out every year even though it seems like everything is going to fall apart at any minute…

But I guess that’s the risk you take out here… Like it or not, anyone who comes out here is taking somewhat of a risk… There is no rule book that will make you successful out here because no book actually exists… It’s all improve out here… and just when you think you have a grasp on it all, #MotherNature slaps you in the face and wakes you up from that delusional dream…

As night crept in, bringing the temperature down a slight bit, Tracey and I got ready for a going away party we had planned back at #OldMillie…

Everyone from work was coming over for the last hoorah… At this point we had already lost Dustin and Jordan from the band… Our short stint was a turbulent ride of trying to escape the control… And we were successful at that even though we never wrote or played a single song…

Most wouldn’t understand such success of a band but most don’t understand the freedom the band represents… For our song was unity and freedom to do what we want in a place that doesn’t allow such freedoms… Our band represented the unity of people from all walks of life and all ages to come together and play a song that is prohibited like the many songs in the past… But this song has no sound folks yet it plays loud and it is coming to a state near you, trust me…

There’s the ladies of Stovepipe enjoying a last night together… As you can see, Tony brought out the pineapple holy grail again… A ritual I will definitely try to continue on in my life, in remembrance of the Dip Shits…

The Millennium Falcon was a disaster in the morning and I had a hangover that people write books about… But it was time to clean and move onto our new #adventure…

This #journey has officially picked up one more passenger and what an important addition she is… We waited until the evening to exit Stovepipe, trying to avoid the mid day intense heat that could potentially destroy our plans…

This new way of life is an interesting one and surely an unpredictable one… I guess #TheTravelingMac has found somewhat his own niche in life… Growing up and not staying anywhere for more than three years has made him a #traveler at heart… I am so glad I listened to that heart and got the hell out of the city… What a new life I am forming with new adventures yet to come… I wonder who else we will pick up along this trip…

Only time will tell and I look forward to hear what time has to say…