Los Angeles to St. George

Well, Day 1 in the books. We left LA around 9 am, stopped at MadLab (our current favorite coffee spot - try a dreamsicle latte when you can!) and headed east. It’s a whole lotta space out here in the desert. Seriously, every time I get out on route 15 I find myself wondering how people got there, and especially how and why they stay there. It’s so hot and so vast, it almost begs you to go look for something else. I imagine a child, growing up in a place like Bombay Beach or Barstow or one of these towns we passed that pop up out of nowhere - where you can see the beginning and end of it from the highway - and I wonder what they dream about. Do they long to get away? Do they want for more? Or does the desert dictate the desires of their lives? Does that make for a simpler life? Is that life more full, because it’s easier to comprehend? I don’t know, and I don’t say this to say that one life is better than the other. That’s just what I think about when I pass through.

We stopped for gas a few times - one station boasted a “waterfall urinal that can fit two or three guys” which is really, really not for me. Idk, call me a snowflake but I’d rather not stand around in a circle and piss at each other. Not literally, at least. It was about 105 degrees everywhere we drove through today, so Morpheus has been wearing some shoes to keep his paws safe. They freak him out and he looks like Bambi when he walks, trying to find his legs. It’s hilarious.

We stopped for lunch at a sandwich shop near Las Vegas. It was really good and everyone was really friendly. The guy behind the counter talked to me about my Queen shirt for a while. It’s a weird shirt because it says Queen but I don’t think any of the guys on the shirt are actually in Queen. Freddie Mercury is definitely not pictured. It’s a cool graphic though, so we laughed about that and it turned out it was his birthday. Happy birthday Tyler from near Las Vegas, hope you had a good day.

We reached our final destination for the day, St. George, Utah around 6:30, got a quick bite at a place called The Crack Shack - relax, it’s only chicken and milkshakes - and came back to decompress. Bryana drove the last leg of the drive, which she’s been nervous about but she’s doing fine. It’s very quaint here, and the town looks beautiful against the red rocks during sunset. Tomorrow, we’ll head out to do a quick hike in the morning before we hit the road. One more day to the other side of Utah.

Also, Wishing Well, by The New Hippies, comes out tomorrow. It’s one of my favorite songs we’ve ever done, and I hope you love it as much as I do. Talk soon.

-J.P.