Part One
Matt, Liz and Elaine needed a driver - conveniently, I was available. I decided before I drove the first mile, to make a body of work out of the trip via Hipstamatic - simply shoot as many pics as conveniently possible - publish all of them and do no editing. 350 plus pics later, I believe this documents the feel of a three day trip through one of the most desolate - and visually stunning - parts of the US. Spend a few minutes scrolling through my three day construction of this expendium (I made that word up).
One can contemplate the choices others make. Take this gas station, for instance. Truly, this was one of the most depressing slices of Americana I have ever experienced. Matt and I said little - we didn't have to. To get to the bathroom, one walked down a long, unlit hall that was simply spooky - there was a dark "lounge area" with old chairs and couches - I suppose this is what happens when your gas station is not part of the mega convenient exit. I was instructed to also witness the other mens bathroom - see pics below...
Hip Gangster Wanna Be : I don't care what color your skin is, nor do I care why you think you need to carry a gun... You can't fix stupid.
It's hard to see, but this old man has a very large firearm on a shoulder sling that was just waving in the wind - totally unsecured like a purse dangling from a shoulder.
A lot of miles, a lot of thinking.
ANOTHER gas station stop - Matt was getting horrible mileage dragging the trailer. There was a pine nut mobile filling up - I asked if I could take a picture of myself in front of the truck - I informed the owner of the truck that I was allergic - his response : "I call em Love Nuts"
We woke the second day in Page, AZ - home of the Page Boy motel, Glen Canyon Dam and Antelope Canyon.
This is the only edit - I enlarged the house to show off this Reservation Art - Banksy would be proud...
Malin was a driving force behind the inspiration to keep taking pics. When we first met I attempted to describe what the U S American Indian Reservations look and feel like. It is nearly impossible to explain to anyone - well traveled or not - just how poor and why these people live the way they do. Native Americans are simply different - not from this time, not of this time - they think and act differently - driving through the Navajo Nation one experiences the awesome juxtaposition between their lifestyle and the land. Maybe lifestyle is the wrong word - such a Western way of thinking about life... the style of life
Coming off the Northern AZ plateau and dropping down the mogollon Rim to Phoenix/Tucson. The sprawl starts to kick in, the air is hot, the people are everywhere, the highway is wide and the senses become numb as Matt and I know that we do not live here - anymore...
