Grand Canyon, etc.

So, unless I come across some more pictures, this is probably the last post for the trip. One of our last stops was the Grand Canyon, an essential visit on such a road trip. I don't really know how to describe it, so here are some pictures...

Well, I guess that's it. 

Salvation Mountain and Slab City

About 4 p.m. on Saturday, we rolled into the desert town of Niland, CA. You've probably never heard of it, but visiting Niland was actually the original inspiration for this road trip. If you have ever seen the movie Into the Wild, then you have seen parts of this region.

Salvation Mountain was created by Leonard Knight, shown in the picture below...

As you can see, it's a huge man-made mountain made out of adobe clay. Leonard has been sculpting and painting the "mountain" since about 1984. For some reason, I have always been drawn to the mountain. So to actually be there after years of looking at pictures, it was surreal to say the very least. Leonard gave us a tour of the mountain. He also let us cook dinner at his "place" (his home is a donated trailer that he has converted into a very humble shack) and even let us camp on his property. 

At dark, we headed into Slab City. Slab City is an old abandoned army base. All that is left of the base are the concrete foundations, or slabs. People from all around the country come to stay here. Some stay for the winter and some have been here their whole lives. We had the pleasure of hanging out for a night of music at "The Range", a makeshift stage made from trailers. We met some of the most amazing people and experienced a kind of community you don't see too often these days. Needless to say, if was very difficult to leave Slab City and the mountain. 

We didn't get any pictures of the Slab City fun, but here are some of Salvation Mountain. 

Ok, I did find one picture from the slabs. Here it is. You can see a few RVs in the background. 

Dam!

On Saturday morning, we split out of Vegas. We thought the Hoover Dam was on the way to CA, but it ended up being an hour out of the way. But it was well worth it. Here are the pictures.

Burgers. Laughs. In-N-Out.

This place deserves its own post.

For those of you who don't know, In-N-Out burger is a fast food restaurant exclusive to the west. Since I'm hardly ever that far west, I try to visit this place every time I see one. We went for lunch two days in a row on this trip. Once in Vegas and once in Barstow, CA.

Here are some pictures of the tasty treats.

Colorado/Utah Driving, Las Vegas Madness, Etc.

Emily and I have reached the first stop on our trip; Las Vegas! It's really warm here, which is great, but I'll get to that later.

The drive from Denver to Vegas was one of the most silencing things I've ever experienced. I really can't describe it. So here are a few pictures...

This is Emily, my travel partner. 

The passes on I-70 in Colorado were incredible. Utah was amazing. Easily the most beautiful state I've ever been in. From the Springs to Vegas, there would be a mountain in sight at any given moment. We probably saw 4 towns/cities while driving through. There was also this sweet railroad tunnel that looked like the one in the chase scene from 3:10 to Yuma. But we didn't get pictures. I will be visiting Utah again in my lifetime. 

I-15 runs through the northwest edge of Zion National Park. We decided to swing in and drive around. We would not regret this. More of beautiful Utah. Lots of redness.

OK. Vegas. Las Vegas has been interesting. When we crested the hill that led into the city, we saw more lights than you can imagine. We didn't take pictures for awhile because we were pretty shocked. We just weren't expecting it for another 20 miles and it was there. Boom. 

Definitely lots of gambling. Lots of interesting food options, like the "Cab Drivers' Special", from which I got a 1/2 pound burger and fries for $3.

The best part about Vegas has been driving in and seeing an In-N-Out, which I thought were exclusively California. SWEET. We will be going to lunch there in about an hour. It feels like Christmas. 

None of the pictures from Vegas really turned out. But I will put them up anyway.

Home Sweet Home

Well, here we are. Colorado Springs. Here is what has happened so far...

Monday afternoon at around 4 p.m., we packed up and headed to Kansas City. We met Joel and Karli Cash for dinner at Gates BBQ (not as good as Arthur Bryants) then went to a jazz club downtown. Jazz clubs are pretty cool. This lady just stood on stage and was like "Hey does anyone play trumpet? Bass? Piano?" Then they just jumped up there and went nuts. Jess and my friend Kyle met us there. It was nice to see them. 

So here's where things got crazy...

Alec and I decided that we weren't big fans of driving through Kansas. So we decided that it would be better to drive through the evening. Turns out this was a great idea (thanks Alec) because we are here. Now we get 2 full days before Emily and I leave. 

I used a Snuggie as a blanket this morning. Kinda gay. 

I will leave you with a picture of a mule deer in the middle of the city. Alec gave it some ranch Pringles. And no. The fun did not stop. 

Music, travels, etc.

March and April will be exciting months.

I will be embarking on a 2 week road trip in late March similar to that of my friends who just returned. Tentatively, I will be spending the first week exploring the great Southwest (Vegas, SE California, Arizona, New Mexico (and maybe...umm..."old" Mexico, Zion, dunes of Alamosa, etc) with my friend Emily. The final week, I will spend in Colorado Springs. Who knows, maybe looking for places to call home for the rest of my days. For a country boy, I rather enjoy that city.

Still writing/recording that new album. Creatively, things are going extremely well. New songs day after day. Some of my best, I believe (if I may humbly say that). Praise God. Every good and perfect thing/song/note is from him.

Writing and recording at the same time is difficult. For one thing, it tricks me into believing that I'm rushed to write more songs so I can record them. Sometimes I believe that if I don't keep the momentum going, I may lose productivity. Which may be true. But none the less, no one is giving me deadlines to meet. I need to just slow down and enjoy things.

Other fun news...

My band and I were chosen to open for an artist my the name of Ben Rector (http://www.myspace.com/benrector ) next month. This is very exciting for several different reasons I won't bore you with at this moment. Mark your calendars...April 6. 7 pm. Point Lookout, MO. Jones Auditorium.

I leave you for now. I'm hoping to post a few new songs by the end of the week. Keep checking the myspace (http://www.myspace.com/robertandrewthomasmusic )

Music Update

(from myspace blog http://www.myspace.com/robertandrewthomasmusic) 

Hey friends. 

After a loss of momentum/motivation, things seem to be picking up these days. Lots of new songs. A little recording here and there. A few shows coming up.

Tonight. 9pm at The Well @ First Baptist in Branson, there is a "Singer-Songwriter Night". I played this once before and it's so refreshing to hear local artists. For a city that is known for it's extravagant shows, there isn't much of a local music scene. So come out and hear some great music from people who are not paid to play it. 

February 23rd. C of O is hosting a Battle of the Bands. A few friends and I were chosen for the top 5. Once again, many great local (and non-local) musicians. Tickets are few and this is a "student only" event. Be sure to pick up a ticket at the CSP office.

I've been trying to finish an album since August. With school and two jobs, it has been coming along slow, to say the least. That said, my hope is to have it finished by the end of the month. Hang with me, folks!

Technological Abandonment

So...I don't know why, but I have a certain disdain for technology. Yet, here I am, typing on this machine.

I'm not sure why I don't like it. Maybe I was born in the wrong century. Maybe I'm lying to myself. Who knows. That said...I plan on updating this more often, I suppose. I'm limiting my social networking to, well, none I guess. But I see this as a loophole. 

I'm thinking about writing letters. It seems almost obsolete these days but I think it is important, especially in a society where we won't take the time to do things that take over a minute. The only things I lack are addresses and willing participants. Call it pen-pals if you will. Whatever you call it, please join me on this exploratory conquest.

Grace and Peace.