| It was more than I’d bargained for. A quick walk turned into a hike, and a lonely stroll turned into a tour of one man’s art gallery, followed by a bizarre labyrinth of graffiti and concrete ruins. I’d noticed a dirt road leading off to the west behind a church and into the desert. Just a few hundred feet to walk, but once again, you never know what you’re going to find. There were a couple of campsites, but only one presented a friendly face and warm greeting. I spoke with the shirtless man about the structure on the hill. Even from a distance and atop a steep hill, I could see the walls were imposing but still incomplete. He shared his theory that they were the remnants of some kind of military stronghold or perhaps storage for toxic waste—government experimentation explained the long pipes running the distance from the structure on the hill down to the dry tributary far beyond his campsite behind us. His wife and daughter were nearby—college-age daughter, visiting the “rents” in their sedan. That’s a new one. |
| When the conspiracy theories were well-explained and quite exhausted, we shook hands and I made my way toward the hill. Another man had hurried up behind me, shuffling across the dirt. I turned and asked if he was headed up the hill as well. He pointed behind me and explained that this was his space. I was already standing in his living room—or so I thought. I was actually standing in the entrance to his gallery. |
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| There’s a lot going on here. I asked him where he got the jacket. He said it fell out of the sky. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but he took the time to explain nearly every rock in the display. Every. Friggin. Rock. |
This piece was inspired by the Romans. Yeah, I didn’t question it—probably should have. It’s going to keep me up at night.I’m not going to say anything about it—just going to let you soak it all in.  |
| Breaking away from the tour, I began the trek upward toward the structure on the hill. It wasn’t easy, but I weaved my way up the loose rocks and achieved the summit. Ok, not exactly the summit, but I got up as high as I cared to, and that was good enough. I kind of expected someone to be camped out within the walls, but there was no evidence of anyone having ever camped up there. The walls would give excellent shelter against the wind, but without a roof, it was just another campsite, but inconveniently atop a treacherous hill. What would be the point? |
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| Gotta admit, that’s pretty cool. |
 It’s hard to say just what the place ever was, or was intended to be. Neat to walk around though. Any ideas? I’m thinking military stronghold or toxic waste storage. One interesting observation—not much grows here. That’s all for now. Oh, and Non-Raider-fan John has gone AWOL again. I hope he’s alright. I’m looking forward to another step in the right direction for him. Maybe next week. |