Pooh's Grand Adventure-
Starring Wade L and Dia V.
3:50:
Sitting at In-N-Out burger, eating cold fries and drinking a Dr. Pepper he asks, “So, What do you want to do?”
Like always, I replied, “I’m not sure. Where are we going?”
Sitting at In-N-Out burger, eating cold fries and drinking a Dr. Pepper he asks, “So, What do you want to do?”
Like always, I replied, “I’m not sure. Where are we going?”
We’ve been hanging out the past three nights: drinking, smoking and listening to music in his little 2006 Chevy Cobalt named Boomerang.
“I want to do something we’ve never done before. Somewhere you’ve never been.”
“I have never been to Pepper Sauce Canyon before,” I reply.
“I have never been to Pepper Sauce Canyon before,” I reply.
“Pepper sauce it is.”
We called everyone in my phone and no one knew where it was so we called his friend, Courtney. “Yeah, it’s up in oracle. Follow Oracle road into the town of Oracle and go up Mt. Lemmon the back way.”
After buying cigarettes, we were on our way for a grand adventure.
5:30
Once we got lost several times, we finally found a nice man who would lead us to the back road to Mt. Lemmon. “You go up here and there’s a bunch of switch backs so watch out on the roads. You may get to the camp grounds but there is no way that car is making it up the rocks.”
You would think that this stranger just sealed our destiny but not so true. We found a good CD and started our road to Pepper Sauce. The winding roads, the music blasting, our drinks mixed with a bit alcohol- sounds like something your parents would kill you for if they knew, but it was a blast.
“Wow. Look, the stars are in the canyon,” Wade said very stoner-like. I leaned over to his side of the car. The moon shone brightly at a bunch of little lights.
“Are those houses?” I asked. We looked at each other.
“How psycho does a person have to be to live all the way out here?”
We continued until we came to a path for the campgrounds and a little brown sign that said “Rice Peak.”
“Let’s go!” Wade announced, throwing his car into drive.
“I really don’t think Boomerang will make it up there.”
“Then stop thinking. Drink some more and relax. Listen to the music.”
And that’s exactly what I did.
The sound of scraping rocks and tires deepening in mud would be the sign for most kids to turn back, but not Wade. He pushed Boomerang to what should have been its limit but the little car kept going up the steeper paths….until…
“What’s that smell?”
We called everyone in my phone and no one knew where it was so we called his friend, Courtney. “Yeah, it’s up in oracle. Follow Oracle road into the town of Oracle and go up Mt. Lemmon the back way.”
After buying cigarettes, we were on our way for a grand adventure.
5:30
Once we got lost several times, we finally found a nice man who would lead us to the back road to Mt. Lemmon. “You go up here and there’s a bunch of switch backs so watch out on the roads. You may get to the camp grounds but there is no way that car is making it up the rocks.”
You would think that this stranger just sealed our destiny but not so true. We found a good CD and started our road to Pepper Sauce. The winding roads, the music blasting, our drinks mixed with a bit alcohol- sounds like something your parents would kill you for if they knew, but it was a blast.
“Wow. Look, the stars are in the canyon,” Wade said very stoner-like. I leaned over to his side of the car. The moon shone brightly at a bunch of little lights.
“Are those houses?” I asked. We looked at each other.
“How psycho does a person have to be to live all the way out here?”
We continued until we came to a path for the campgrounds and a little brown sign that said “Rice Peak.”
“Let’s go!” Wade announced, throwing his car into drive.
“I really don’t think Boomerang will make it up there.”
“Then stop thinking. Drink some more and relax. Listen to the music.”
And that’s exactly what I did.
The sound of scraping rocks and tires deepening in mud would be the sign for most kids to turn back, but not Wade. He pushed Boomerang to what should have been its limit but the little car kept going up the steeper paths….until…
“What’s that smell?”
“Oil.”
“F**k.” Wade grabbed a flash light, jumped out of his car and looked under. “Nothing’s dripping!” He yelled back to me.
“Can we turn around yet?” I’d asked for him to turn around about seven times but “boys will be boys.”
“Yes.” Maneuvering that car on the narrow road took a whole lot of skill. I really have no clue how we did so, but we did.
He kept his foot on the brake as Boomerang slowly made his way down and over the slippery rocks. Forty minutes later, we found the sign for “Rice Peak” and were on our way home. We only had to make it up one more hill before we could actually coast back into population where our phones would work.
We were listening to a song when it happened. “Shit. No!” He threw the car into park, yanked the key out and popped his hood. Boomerang was smoking. Once he went under to look he came back out with his mouth open and eyes scared with horror. “There’s a hole in my oil pan.”
9:10
Horror movie status yet? Car dies, it’s raining, phones don’t work, car is in a bad place that if someone came over the hill we would both die, weird noises in the dark.
We wandered around a bit until we found a trailer and knocked on the door.
“Do you have a phone?”
“No but you can follow that road to the Boys’ Ranch up there and ask Carlos if you can use his phone. He has a land line,” the creepy man yells through his door.
Long story short, we found Carlos’ house. I called everyone in my phone, no one would come. He called everyone of his friends, no one would come. We called his uncle. “Yeah. I’ll be out there by midnight.”
We trudged back to the car. “Now what?” I asked, shivering.
“I have to pee.” He hopped out. After waiting by myself in a car for over five minutes, I got out,
“What are you doing?”
“Shh.”
“What Wade?”
“Shut up. Light me a cigarette and get over here.”
I was opening the door when I heard something moving. “No. No. I’m not walking away from this car.”
“Just come here. Come get in my jacket and come over here.”
I ran as fast as I could to the other side of the car and listened. Hooves. Some little feet running at each other and playing, two other sets walking away and then a full out run that sounded as if it was coming closer. I ran to my side of the car faster than you thought I could ever run.
* * * * * * * *
“Have you ever just thought about your name before? Like I think ‘Dia.’ What kind of name it that? How do we get the correct pronunciation from three little meaningless letters? What do you think of when you hear your name?” I waited for about five minutes and he answered back.
“We are the chosen people.”
“How?”
“W is for we. A is for are. D is the 4th letter in the alphabet which is for delta. What do Deltas do? They choose, therefore chosen. E is the 5th letter which is echo. When all else fails, what do you hear? Your thoughts, your echo. Everyone which is people. Wow. It makes so much sense.”
Maybe it was lack of heat that was making him think this was or he was still intoxicated but somehow, it made sense to me as well.
I fell asleep not too long after our little conversation and woke up about an hour later.
12:11am
“How long have I been asleep?”
“I don’t know but the deer came back. Look,”
“Can we turn around yet?” I’d asked for him to turn around about seven times but “boys will be boys.”
“Yes.” Maneuvering that car on the narrow road took a whole lot of skill. I really have no clue how we did so, but we did.
He kept his foot on the brake as Boomerang slowly made his way down and over the slippery rocks. Forty minutes later, we found the sign for “Rice Peak” and were on our way home. We only had to make it up one more hill before we could actually coast back into population where our phones would work.
We were listening to a song when it happened. “Shit. No!” He threw the car into park, yanked the key out and popped his hood. Boomerang was smoking. Once he went under to look he came back out with his mouth open and eyes scared with horror. “There’s a hole in my oil pan.”
9:10
Horror movie status yet? Car dies, it’s raining, phones don’t work, car is in a bad place that if someone came over the hill we would both die, weird noises in the dark.
We wandered around a bit until we found a trailer and knocked on the door.
“Do you have a phone?”
“No but you can follow that road to the Boys’ Ranch up there and ask Carlos if you can use his phone. He has a land line,” the creepy man yells through his door.
Long story short, we found Carlos’ house. I called everyone in my phone, no one would come. He called everyone of his friends, no one would come. We called his uncle. “Yeah. I’ll be out there by midnight.”
We trudged back to the car. “Now what?” I asked, shivering.
“I have to pee.” He hopped out. After waiting by myself in a car for over five minutes, I got out,
“What are you doing?”
“Shh.”
“What Wade?”
“Shut up. Light me a cigarette and get over here.”
I was opening the door when I heard something moving. “No. No. I’m not walking away from this car.”
“Just come here. Come get in my jacket and come over here.”
I ran as fast as I could to the other side of the car and listened. Hooves. Some little feet running at each other and playing, two other sets walking away and then a full out run that sounded as if it was coming closer. I ran to my side of the car faster than you thought I could ever run.
* * * * * * * *
“Have you ever just thought about your name before? Like I think ‘Dia.’ What kind of name it that? How do we get the correct pronunciation from three little meaningless letters? What do you think of when you hear your name?” I waited for about five minutes and he answered back.
“We are the chosen people.”
“How?”
“W is for we. A is for are. D is the 4th letter in the alphabet which is for delta. What do Deltas do? They choose, therefore chosen. E is the 5th letter which is echo. When all else fails, what do you hear? Your thoughts, your echo. Everyone which is people. Wow. It makes so much sense.”
Maybe it was lack of heat that was making him think this was or he was still intoxicated but somehow, it made sense to me as well.
I fell asleep not too long after our little conversation and woke up about an hour later.
12:11am
“How long have I been asleep?”
“I don’t know but the deer came back. Look,”
he pointed out my window and there, amongst the shadows of the trees and the light of the moon stood a deer with gleaming eyes.
I admit, I was scared when we saw the skunk walk in front of our car. Now, I was speechless. I actually cried.
I admit, I was scared when we saw the skunk walk in front of our car. Now, I was speechless. I actually cried.
(When everyone in the world is off on their own adventures, we never think about whose home we are barging into. Think about it. You wander into the desert to go 4-wheeling or have a bonfire. The coyotes, owls, rabbits etc are being invaded by us. But God Forbid they come into town, we shoot them. Wow. Sounds like a world of murderers.)
Tonight, Boomerang died in the area of a family of deer. Maybe they were watching over us, maybe they were wanting us to leave, either way Wade was fascinated and I was scared to death.
I fell asleep again, this time only because I was so cold. My pink long sleeve shirt and sweatshirt was not trapping in heat at all. Wade gave me his jacket but I don’t know how he stayed awake, only wearing a thin, long sleeve shirt. I could hear Wade mumble, “He’s coming,” but each time I opened my eyes, no one was there. Until 1:12 am, we finally saw the lights of an oncoming truck. Saved.
It took until 2:26 for us three to get Boomerang onto the trailer.
At 3:48, I finally made it back to my car.
A night of adventure? I’ll say but I surely do not need to go experience it again.
December 12-13, 2011
Tonight, Boomerang died in the area of a family of deer. Maybe they were watching over us, maybe they were wanting us to leave, either way Wade was fascinated and I was scared to death.
I fell asleep again, this time only because I was so cold. My pink long sleeve shirt and sweatshirt was not trapping in heat at all. Wade gave me his jacket but I don’t know how he stayed awake, only wearing a thin, long sleeve shirt. I could hear Wade mumble, “He’s coming,” but each time I opened my eyes, no one was there. Until 1:12 am, we finally saw the lights of an oncoming truck. Saved.
It took until 2:26 for us three to get Boomerang onto the trailer.
At 3:48, I finally made it back to my car.
A night of adventure? I’ll say but I surely do not need to go experience it again.
December 12-13, 2011