I finally
arrived here December 1,
2005. Parked at Tank and Low roads on a slab with Rayhound and his bus.
The one with a penthouse. It is lit at night and has a motion detector
to turn on spotlights. Check my photo page
for future photos of Rayhound and the bus.
Have a bunch of new items to put up. It will probably take a while to
get them all edited and posted.
Since I wintered at the Slabs,
and
played music there a few changes have been made at the Range. You will find details of them on
that page. Hygiene, as in a shower, is no problem. There is one
at the Slabs. Warm to hot water from a nearby hot spring bubbling up. Desert Dutch
describes it:
FREE SHOWER:
Immediately after you cross a bridge over an irrigation
ditch, coming from town, on your right hand side, you'll see an old
guard house. Park your vehicle there and walk a few yards until you
get to some steps made out of old tires. Behind these you will find
the best shower you've ever taken in your entire life.
Fed by a natural hot spring, a perpetual flow of warm water comes
from a pipe with such a force that it makes a Shower Massage® feel
like a trickle. WARNING: If you see a car parked at the guard house
don't go near the shower. Whoever is in there may be standing in her or
his birthday suit and not everybody appreciates it when you walk
in on them dressed like that. Just wait until it is your turn
and be ready for the treat of your life and it's FREE!
Hitchhiker
Gathering, December 28, 2003 - January 2,
2004. As of January 25, 2003.
Other photos are on the Range page.
If you have any
problem opening the hitchhiker page, do a
Google search:
hitchhiker slab city photos. You'll get there.
The best all around
and detailed site is Desert
Dutch's page. Get
it here.
I'm driving
an old
'85 Ford pickup, blue with a whitish camper shell.
Pulling a 1970's 17' Golden Falcon travel trailer with VA tags.
On the back of it is a Loners on Wheels
(LOW) sticker. There will be signs: "Yahoo Groups"
"Cheap-camping" and "Slabs". Maybe more. Eventually. My Name is
on the back of the PU and travel trailer.
If you pass me, honk as you go by,
give me a
thumbs up, or the bird if you are really having a bad day at
Black Rock, Toss a can of cold beer... whatever. Don't aim
it at the windshield. I need that sucker so the wiper blades don't beat
me in the face when rolling.
First time to the Slabs: Late 2001, from the Eastern Shore of
Virginia, about 50 miles north of Norfolk, I got on I-95 south to
Jacksonville, FL then west on I-10 to west of Tucson to I-8 then to
Yuma, AZ then to Slab City. I was there from November, 2001 until last
week of April, 2002. Returned to the Eastern Shore of VA and
worked
as a chef at the
Island
House Restaurant in
Wachapreague, VA until I came here to Baltimore, September
2002 to help out Sis at her home while she got well. Stayed in
Baltimore, MD, freezing my ass
off three winters. (02-04)
If you are on the Eastern Shore of VA
and hungry I recommend the Island
House for some good eating. I have no
financial interest in it. Summer of 2002, we had six former chefs
working
the kitchen. Damnedest thing I ever saw. The food coming out of that
kitchen was simply as good as it can get when top chefs get together
and combine their talents and experience. How the hell we all
ended up on the little Eastern Shore, I don't know. One chef
cooked at top restaurants in the
L.A., California
area. Another from Utah. Another from the Marriott chain of top
eateries, etc. One was a great coon-ass Cajun cook who worked at Chef
Paul Prudhommes's Louisiana Kitchen
in New Orleans . I spent a week
there, too, in the 80's as a guest
chef learning how they cooked.
I had planned to be
at Slab City the winter of
2004-2005. Finally made it. This is exactly where I want to be
and I have no plans to leave here until it gets 100 degrees. Well worth
the 3,000 mile drive.
Sis has saved my ass several times when I
got into
deep doo-doo, so I owed her! After one of my prison stretches I
needed a place to stay until I could get work, a couple of pay checks
and find my own place, Sis put me up. No charge and asked nothing for
it.
bravenet.com