Travels of a Wizard—Part 1

Well, I left from L.A. on my way to Denver for the International New Age Trade Show (INATS) and my appearance at Isis Books this coming Sunday.

It’s a 2-day drive, and i was going to stop in Las Vegas, but the people I was going to meet there ended up needing to go to New York, so I figured I’d travel as far as possible. I’ve driven to Las Vegas before, but not beyond.

When you travel this way you’ll end up seeing some amazing sights. I regret that I didn’t take photos as I wanted to make the best time possible, but perhaps on the way back.

First, there are some enormous, wide open deserts with mountains at the edges. They were hundreds of desolate acres that had their own beauty and majesty.

As I moved into Arizona, the terrain changed to incredible mountains. Some looked like long mesas, their tops appearing to be drawn with rulers. Others were etched out of tall mountains, and the depth and narrowness of the valleys made me feel as if I were in a toy car being manipulated by some enormous child.

The rocks were in brilliant red. You could see where there were different layers, with a different color suddenly above them. It was truly amazing.

As I got into the east of Arizona and moved into Utah, the terrain changed again. This time the mountains were covered with vast forests, and the lowlands in front of them included enormous ranches with black horses and steers. There were also huge farms with long sprinklers on giant wheels for irrigation.

I passed by Zion National Park and Bryce Canon. I wish I didn’t; they’re magnificent. But this trip was for business. I wanted to get off Interstate 15 and on to I-70. By now, the Sun was low and etched dark shadows in the mountains, exaggerating the depths of the crevasses and folds. I was playing dodge ball with huge chunks of tires, treads thrown off of retreaded truck tires. I realized that I wasn’t going to make it to the I-70 before it was too dark to dodge the black rubber.

So I stopped off in Beaver, Utah. Yes, there really is such a place:

The motel in Beaver only had a room with a whirlpool tub. Ah, shucks. Well, after a day of being cramped in a car, that hot tub will feel good. Besides, Inception is on TV, so later, everyone.