395 is always my preferred route in the northwest, and after two days of doing the Nevada deserts I grabbed it and kept going from Reno, to Honey Lake, CA, southward of Susanville. First off, seeing the Sierras is a complete shock. There is no snow at all except some dustings in the shady places at the tops. Official estimates are 5-9% of normal snowpack, a completely absurd number. Last fall I speculated how ugly things would get if they even...

While prostitution is legal in Nevada, it is prohibited in Clark County, which means Las Vegas. A better way to make a black market I can't imagine. But Pahrump is in Nye county and it's not prohibited, and is the closest (around 60 miles) to Vegas. Buses run back and forth between Vegas and Pahrump to visit the two big brothels here in town. Each has about 20 cribs (an old term common in the west), plus the usual bar, kitchen, etc. Very, very...

Under the new Religion Freedom Whatever law in Indiana, a church has formed that uses marijuana growing and use as part of it's rites. Looks to me like the law should work well to cover grow operations, distribution, and use of marijuana for it's members, whom are expected to donate $4.20 a month for the church's upkeep. This is a huge breakthrough: No regulations, no taxes (can you imagine putting a tax on a church?), no limits as to where you...

I gathered up my meds today (pretty cheap stuff) and arranged to stick around for a day or two to be sure I could function normally before leaving town. The doctor here in Pahrump gave me prescriptions for 2 weeks only, likely to encourage me to contact my doctor in Washington as soon as possible. That means I need to stay on a straight line towards Port Townsend and forgo the sight seeing along the way. So I'll be on the peninsula in 7 or 8...

I was laying there being pushed through with dope when a bunch of cops (OH NO! I'VE BEEN BUSTED FOR POT!) came in dragging a gurney pushed by the EMTs with a lady picked off the streets nearly ground to hamburger so high on meth no one could understand her or know what happened or who she was. The hospital was eventually left with a human being, female, white, injured, with no more information. I listened as the cops, EMTs, nurses debated what...

I checked myself into the local hospital Friday evening for chest pains, and just now managed to escape the place and go home. Despite the ER physician's assurances that I was not in prison, I was not allowed to leave the premises until today, so I did not have my computer, a razor, and my toothbrush, let alone something to read or a radio. We did not determine the cause of the pain. We determined that I had high blood pressure (I've always had...

I'm at the Escapee park in Pahrump for a few days. I like taking this route through Nevada in the spring just in case there's a wildflower breakout in Death Valley. Not to be this year, so I'll avoid DV this trip (their season ends in a few days). I've not found a favorite place in Nevada, except Virginia City. Everywhere is a stopping place on to somewhere else, but there are those that have something I need. Like a grocery store. Having a...

High winds are predicted for Wednesday, so I'll be sitting here in the campground at a big marina. I always like staying here because it's cheap and filled with oleander. I'm a bit early, but in a week or so the flowers will be spectacular. About all I have to do here is pick up some groceries. I could go to a casino, but when I leave here I'm heading for the casino in Pahrump, so I can play there. So I'm just here to wait out the wind storm...

I'm beginning my trip back north, so it's Q for a few days. I'm not in a hurry, temperatures are pretty regularly in the 90's now which is acceptable, and the only thing I want to do is stop in Yakima on my way to the peninsula. Most everything is shut down or gone in Q (April 1 is the official end of season), but there are travelers aimed north.

Yesterday was dental, today was glasses. It takes a few hours to make new spectacles so I spent the day watching the people. The town depends on snowbirds: fat, ugly, obnoxious, and stupid people. They make an astonishing amount of money selling drugs, eyeglasses, and teeth care at a tenth of what it costs in the US. So I got some new glasses today, a prescription slightly better than what I've been wearing, but it will go bad in a few months....

Whatever your teeth condition, Algodones can handle it. At prices one tenth to be found in the US. As I prepare to leave the desert, I grab a cleaning and checkup from my favorite Mexican dentist. Well, actually my favorite Mexican dental hygienists. For $45 dollars (cash, of course) I get a cleaning (this is what I want), then a blessing from the dentist himself. Now, some might be wondering who my dentist is in Algadones. I think (superlative...

While bills and amendments wend their way through the legislative process, it's difficult to say with certainty how the revamped MMJ rules will read exactly, but general tendencies can be spotted. Patients must have a recommendation from a real medical doctor for a bona fide condition, and patients may grow their own or form small co-ops to do the growing. All players involved must register with the Dept of Health which will maintain a database...