Folks,
I drove over to Moab from Kanab today - one of the more picturesque drives I have taken. At one point I-70 passes through Spotted Wolf Canyon in the San Rafael Swell and that descent (in the direction I was headed) is very dramatic indeed. There is a great overhead shot taken from a light aircraft of this section of highway in The Fall Edition of Nikon World - you can the image here,
Just highlight '500 feet' and it is the image of the curved road with the transport truck on it - it's only a partial of the one published but it and the others will give you an idea of the country here.
Interestingly the original Moab was an area east of the Jordan River (modern day Jordan). Moabites were noted for being incestuous and idolatrous - it's interesting how some things just don't change.
Moab, much to the chagrin of more conservative population of Utah (read Mormon) has gained notoriety as the 'off road' capital of the US - that would be dirt bikes, mountain bikes, jeeps, anything with tires - and we already know from the Koan if it has wheels it will be trouble, right?
It also has become an extremely popular second home location for those that still have money - which means there are a significant amount of vacant homes here year round. The conservative folks see the eventual development of Moab to the point of Vail and Aspen as a bad thing. Which is odd because that is exactly what has happened to Salt Lake City - or more specifically the highly developed ski resort area north of Salt Lake City.
Another interesting trend in Utah is that in all major urban centers, non-Mormons outnumber Mormons, which means that it is only a matter of time before they lose control of the political agenda. Watch out for a crusade coming shortly.
Tomorrow I intend to spend the day in Arches National Park - named for it's unique geological formations in the shape of .... hmm, what were they called ... Now if you think I had vertigo in Bryce, tomorrow should be hallucinatory - that said the Raven-Crow beasts were on my trail the whole way today - so it could be 'speaking in tongues madness' at daylight.
Thelma and Louise took flight near here and the classic western Wagon Master was filmed here. Uranium and Vanadium are huge here and that accounts for all the Iranian mountain bikers I have seen.
Not many people know this but the Indiana Jones character is from Moab and the Last Crusade was filmed here as well - fiction and truth in a strange meeting. Tom Cruise hung from a cliff here in Mission Impossible II - and yes, he was well hung - but not well enough it would seem.
Interestingly enough Tom is a Scientologist - this is a pseudo-religion/cult where only actors and musicians can appreciate and understand it's philosophy. It's hard to figure out what Scientology is 'for', but not what it is against - one of their perceived deadliest anathemas are psychiatrists. L. Ron claimed their 'profession' was evil and that mental illness was a fraud. You know, if I was paranoid, delusional, psychotic and monomaniacal, I would think that way too. They still pursue this agenda through proposed legislation today - thank the founding fathers for the separation of pseudo-religion/cult and state - and for the separation of some folks from general society ( find a happy place...)
If you remember the scene from Dr. Strangelove where General Jack D. Ripper relates to Group Captain Lionel Mandrake that fluoridation was a post war commie conspiracy and that he had to take matters into his own hands by engineering a pre-emptive strike on the then Soviet Union - this is thematically how older interviews with L Ron play out when you read them. There is nothing more terrifying than someone who dreams with their eyes wide open. The fear intensifies when there are followers - yikes.
To quote Richard Dawkins, 'Of course we must be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out'.
To quote verse 77 of the Krome Koan, 'If you don't like my driving, stay on Earth' or it's companion 77a, 'J-Trav is my co-pilot'
Phil
PS - hundreds of celebrity whack jobs can't all be wrong!
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