Roaming Through the Void
Jungle Journal, 3-21-2009, by tsdaly
My forays into Panama always seem to evoke a bit more thoughfullness about the big picture
than my usual mutterings about life around the house, the dogs, and the general unrest over
the price of eggs.
than my usual mutterings about life around the house, the dogs, and the general unrest over
the price of eggs.
I had so many great thoughts as I drove along, free of the anxiety I had set behind me, and easily
dealing with the brand new set ahead. No more M-16's in the hands of dubious looking police
giving you the evil eye, no more new border "expediters" I didn't want to deal with. The ugly
spectacle of twenty or so trucks and vans with huge, incredibly loud music blasters blaring away
with twenty or more different songs playing at the same time within a two block area was fast
becomming a goofy reality I raced to put behind me. The rodeo was over, I was hoofin' it home
baby, yeah!.
dealing with the brand new set ahead. No more M-16's in the hands of dubious looking police
giving you the evil eye, no more new border "expediters" I didn't want to deal with. The ugly
spectacle of twenty or so trucks and vans with huge, incredibly loud music blasters blaring away
with twenty or more different songs playing at the same time within a two block area was fast
becomming a goofy reality I raced to put behind me. The rodeo was over, I was hoofin' it home
baby, yeah!.
I reflected on the the huge difference between a road trip now and one I may have taken years
ago. Filling an ice-chest with beer, a Thermos full of Margaritas, and a glove box full of Panama
Red before going for a little cruise seems like a dream to me now. "Kathy, I'm lost". I said.
It wasn't as if we needed all the pills and snortables, but as Hunter S. said, it was the start of nice
collection.
NOW, it's all about, "license" check, "wallet" check, "seat belts fastened", check. "Fuck it, lets just
stay home", check.
I'm just glad I had so many good times zooming around California and the U.S when I could still
get away with being high on acid, speed, vodka, beer, brown liquor, Red Mountain, Bali Hi,
Boone's Farm, Country Club Malt Liquor, whites, reds, poppers, mescaline, THC, keef, Valium,
Ritalin, Preludin, hash, cross-tops, Quaaludes, cocaine, crystal meth, and whatever else we
could rustle up, with little consequence beside an over-riding sense of disorientation and a
self-created alienation from many of those we may have interacted with along the way. I never
ran over anybody or caused a bus load of kids to plummet off a cliff into a lake. (Honest, that was
that psycho in a car that looked like mine) I artfully glided through the wildly and splendidly
changing environments with impunity and anonymity, or that was the plan anyhow.
ago. Filling an ice-chest with beer, a Thermos full of Margaritas, and a glove box full of Panama
Red before going for a little cruise seems like a dream to me now. "Kathy, I'm lost". I said.
It wasn't as if we needed all the pills and snortables, but as Hunter S. said, it was the start of nice
collection.
NOW, it's all about, "license" check, "wallet" check, "seat belts fastened", check. "Fuck it, lets just
stay home", check.
I'm just glad I had so many good times zooming around California and the U.S when I could still
get away with being high on acid, speed, vodka, beer, brown liquor, Red Mountain, Bali Hi,
Boone's Farm, Country Club Malt Liquor, whites, reds, poppers, mescaline, THC, keef, Valium,
Ritalin, Preludin, hash, cross-tops, Quaaludes, cocaine, crystal meth, and whatever else we
could rustle up, with little consequence beside an over-riding sense of disorientation and a
self-created alienation from many of those we may have interacted with along the way. I never
ran over anybody or caused a bus load of kids to plummet off a cliff into a lake. (Honest, that was
that psycho in a car that looked like mine) I artfully glided through the wildly and splendidly
changing environments with impunity and anonymity, or that was the plan anyhow.
I find travelling here, there, or anywhere, so grimly taxing and distinctly un-fun now; it's just a chore
one often has to perform. Pay to GONZ! Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, The Worldwide
Coalition To Stomp Smokers to Death, and The Incredibly Stupid and Self-Righteously
Intolerant Foundation have managed to make life an exercise in avoiding arrest and/or doing little
more than going to work or taking the kids to school. I do none of the later, and lots of the former.
one often has to perform. Pay to GONZ! Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, The Worldwide
Coalition To Stomp Smokers to Death, and The Incredibly Stupid and Self-Righteously
Intolerant Foundation have managed to make life an exercise in avoiding arrest and/or doing little
more than going to work or taking the kids to school. I do none of the later, and lots of the former.
Without going into details, once again, Panam sucked. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless
they like cheap prices on certain goods they plan to purchase and take with them somewhere,
like Costa Rica, for example. It's a zipped-up society, somewher along the line the real fun got
sucked out of em. They have set so many limits they've limitied themselves into a crude sort of
acceptible noise they just turn up sometimes and call it a party. I see this in the US too, but am
not up to date on the latest depressing developments. Perhaps I am jaded, but I know a good
party when I see one. I also know goofy shit when I smell it. Expanding limits means more risk,
but makes life a lot more fun. A little tittilation is good for a person.. Oh MY! Tittilation sounds
dirty.. People seem to be so comfortably settling into a Grey World of blaséness. Maybe they
just don't know or remember the lustfull wonderment of life in it's less tepid splendiferousness..
they like cheap prices on certain goods they plan to purchase and take with them somewhere,
like Costa Rica, for example. It's a zipped-up society, somewher along the line the real fun got
sucked out of em. They have set so many limits they've limitied themselves into a crude sort of
acceptible noise they just turn up sometimes and call it a party. I see this in the US too, but am
not up to date on the latest depressing developments. Perhaps I am jaded, but I know a good
party when I see one. I also know goofy shit when I smell it. Expanding limits means more risk,
but makes life a lot more fun. A little tittilation is good for a person.. Oh MY! Tittilation sounds
dirty.. People seem to be so comfortably settling into a Grey World of blaséness. Maybe they
just don't know or remember the lustfull wonderment of life in it's less tepid splendiferousness..
I'm getting sort of old and tread-worn anyhow, but I'd like to think younger people have a chance
to do more than follow the yellow rubber line. Maybe the ones with creative fortitude are being
Darwinianly weeded out in favor of the ones with large cocks and the big bank rolls..who knows?
Without saying Law and Order is unimportant, I will say there are many other considerations
people seem to no longer consider as they plod on wondering how they're gonna pay this
month's insurance bill.
to do more than follow the yellow rubber line. Maybe the ones with creative fortitude are being
Darwinianly weeded out in favor of the ones with large cocks and the big bank rolls..who knows?
Without saying Law and Order is unimportant, I will say there are many other considerations
people seem to no longer consider as they plod on wondering how they're gonna pay this
month's insurance bill.
Tom..out
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jungle journal by tsdaly
Another Fucking Rodeo
I'm sure I thought about some other stuff on the ride, but having forgoten it, I'm finding it difficult
to write about, expand on, or pontificate in regards to.
to write about, expand on, or pontificate in regards to.
My old sailing buddy,
Dave Canada.
"Cowboy Dave"
Dave Canada.
"Cowboy Dave"
This pic was in 1971 outside the aid station at Fort Bragg, NC,
Army Air Base. Three days on and three days off.. yahoo! HI,
LENNY! We took a road trip to New Jersey once to visit his
parents. The car got lots of use. I bought it new in California
when I got home from Vietnam. Seven months later when I got
out of the Army I drove it home with no over-drive, muffler was
shot and the front brakes went out before the Sierras after the
Rockies, the speedometer had been disconnected when it
approached the warranty limit of 12,000 miles about 6 months
earlier.. I had to leave this dufus that rode out with me from NC
on the side of the road outside Salt Lake City. Sad story, I hope
he survived, I was in a hurry to get home and he was sort of a
hapless soul who suddenly decided to ride on with me to
California after I had gone way out of my way already to get him
where he said he wanted to go originally. Colorado, no Idaho,
take me to the bus station in Salt lake City, changed his mind
after driving around and finding the bus station: there seemed
no end to it..he had to go, somewhere, but not with me. I still see
him standing on the side of the road with his duffel bag. Hope he
did have an aunt in Idaho.
On the right is the crash ambulance I drove when
planes crashed on the airstrip, or nearby. I never lost anyone
dead or alive, but I remember once we were so very fucked up
on a weekend when we had the aid-station to ourselves and had
to go find a helicopter that crashed many miles away. Our
map-reading skills were limited, no one got hurt. Praise Gonz!