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Sunday 14 January 2007

The Ghost in the Toyota

Turtle Mountains, California - January 14, 2007

Today we bumped down a sandy desert washboard dirt road for ten miles to a "wash" lined with cottonwoods for the hike. I turn off the key and the Toyota horn begins to blare continuously...I wiggle the steering wheel and it stops...I walk away and it blares again...the road is recommended for 4 wheel drive only, but I grew up driving Florida sands...

We saw an old motel in Needles named the ”66 Motel”. It’s lost in time and space. Route 66 was a great American TV program which ran from 1960 to 1964. Tod Stiles' (Martin Milner) father dies and leaves him a shiny new Corvette. He and Buzz Murdock (George Maharis), take off to discover America, in search of adventure.

Guest stars included Rod Steiger, Martin Sheen, Buster Keaton, Robert Redford, and Robert Duvall. Most of the cities on Route 66 were featured during the four year run. The crew of 50 included two tractor trailers and two new Corvettes every year.

Maharis made headlines when he was busted in 1974 for engaging in a sex act with a male hairdresser in a public bathroom in LA; he had been arrested previously on a charge of lewd conduct after propositioning a vice-squad officer in a Hollywood restaurant restroom.

We have only two liters of water and no cell signals. It is ten miles back to the paved highway. If the horn or lights come on by themselves again while we are on the hike and kill the battery, we will have to walk out...discretion prevails...we stay with the car...I'm getting old and too cautious...we drive though Lake Havasu…the green trees and water is nice after 40 days in the desert…I was starting to have visions and a list of new commandments.

The negative battery terminal on the Toyota is now disconnected for the night...Mrs. Phred's idea...everyone has moments of genius...the smarter people just have them closer together...

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