Travel blog: Wednesday, 12th of August

Last Sunday I set out to Vegas. I even packed a little bag. Just in case. It was 10AM and before I got on the 134 Ventura East I stopped at the market to pick up a few things for the road; Evian, Starbucks, some vitamins. Then I took off. It was a nice day to ride. Still, in Cali, it almost always is. My first test was getting to a gas station. It's not like in Slovenia, you know, you see a gas station, pull over, get gas, pay and you're on your way. Here, it's like, you get off the freeway, find a gas station, first pay, then you get gas (if you know which one), get change, by then you're all sweaty (well at 95 F, there's nothing else you can do), get in the car, find the right freeway entrance again (north? south? east? west?).

You better know where you're going and how or you'll end up in the middle of nowhere with no gas. So, then you're on your way. Speed limit 65 or 70, although almost everyone is passing you by. Some are even honking the car horn as if to say; "C'm on!! I can get out and run faster than this!!" Those are the ones going 75-80mph. You just don't pay any attention to all that and watch the freeway markings. So you get where you're going. I did just that. Didn't stop too much thru this 4 and a half hour drive. Just once. In Primm. Man, what a traffic jam it was. I actually just needed to go to the restroom. I lost a whole hour looking for it. I got hungry too. Every "healthy" place I wanted to go to was either closed or overbooked. So I did as any hungry person would do - I got some fries and a chicken burger at the golden arches. It was just what I needed.

So, getting to Vegas was a nice trip. Mostly the landscape was what got me most. Open, free landscapes all over. Making you think. So did I hit the strip as soon as I got in? No. I went and met with my friend in Green Valley. A very charming place. It had a sort of European look to it. Well, except for the palm trees of course. I settled in my friend’s house, got into the shower and then we hit the strip. Just driving thru on Las Vegas Blvd was a real city of lights experience. And jammed too. So by the time we got thru the whole stripping lights thing we were quite hungry. Craving sugar. And we got it at Bellagio - best pancakes I ever had. Since it was almost midnight by then we decided to turn in. I had a peaceful sleep. I needed it. For what was about to happen, none could ever predict...

In the morning I left for Bulder City heading to Hoover Dam. Nice ride too. I stopped in Bulder City where, I must say, the town has really grown since I last visited in 2002. Hoover Dam is nearby so I was there in no time. A lot of construction going on there so the view is not so plain anymore. Don't know what the construction is all about but I must say that it's quite scary how the water level has dropped. Really scary. Still, the number of people in the area has grown from 300.000 to 2 mill, so... Anyway - I decided I'm gonna do something I haven't done before in my life - take a helicopter ride! And I sure did. What a rush!! I loved it. You can understand how all this excitement can really take it out of you, so I went to get some lunch right at the Dam - a banana. All set! And drove back to the city of lights to get one last look at the strip, buy a few trinkets and grab some “fettuccini al Fredo”. Going back to my friend's place I saw the most beautiful sight - Guitar Center. Of course I went in! Did I buy a guitar? I guess you'll just have to wait and see. Let's just say I was compensated. I met with my friend one last time to say thank you for taking me in like that and begun the journey back to LA at 8PM on Monday.

The night has already fallen and I could see millions of lights covering the city. About a half an hour later I started to feel real sick to my stomach. I've had a little headache before, when I was on the strip bit didn't think too much of it and took a pill. I thought perhaps it was because of too much sun. It gets pretty hot in the desert. But no. This was different. My hands were shaking, I felt like my head is gonna explode and I had a really sickening feeling in my stomach. And it was getting worse. I turned off the radio and stopped by the side of the road. Nothing. Didn't get better, didn't get worse. I got into the car again and drove for another 45 minutes. It got worse again and I stopped again thinking I'm gonna throw up. Didn't. I made another attempt to drive further but now in my mind the words "I'm not gonna get to LA" were beginning to grow. I desperately wanted to keep on driving. It was dark. I was in the middle of nowhere between Las Vegas and LA. Who knows what is lurking on the vast open spaces. I didn't want to stop. Yet I had to. Again. By then it was around 10:30PM. Just sitting in my car trying to calm down. Trying to feel better. My stomach was in a really bad shape, so was my head. Like it was going to burst. I was totally dehydrated.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared at the rear of my car. The police. I just waited in the car and didn't move. The policeman came to the right hand window and knocked; "What's going on?", he asked in a totally normal fashion. I said: "I got a really bad headache, and..." But policeman interrupted: "You can't stop here. This is the freeway. You can't stop on the freeway. Even if it's in construction. There's and exit right in front of you, you can stop there." I got worried, I'm not gonna find my way back to the freeway if I exit: "But if I exit, how can I get back to the I-15 South?" The policeman saw that I'm no criminal and explained what I can do, so I got on the shoulder and got off the freeway.

Another "stopping point" didn't help. It was somewhat more peaceful but there was this big truck, that has pulled over just like me and was looking to grab a couple of winks. It scared me. So I couldn't relax, get everything out of my head and just sleep. Even if it meant driving some more feeling like I felt, I got on the I-15 South again. Found a resting area a couple minutes away and parked the car. It was now around 1:30AM. I didn't want to go on anymore. The dark and the desert were really getting to me. I wanted to wait for the sun. The stomach and my head were not getting better at all and I just wanted to sleep. And try to relax. It was hard. Every now and then a new truck pulled in to the resting area and woke me up. At times I jumped up in the back seat to see what's going on around the car. If there's something suspicious. The hours came and went. The sunrise was getting closer and closer and it seemed like I was starting to feel better. Was it the upcoming sunrise? Was it that I was finally beginning to relax? I don't know.

At about 5:30 I decided to get up and get out of the car. Try to walk a little bit. And go to the restroom. When I got out the sun was just beginning to show it's face. The sky was clear, I could still se the Northern Star and the colors of the sky in the East were amazing. Beautiful. Rosy mostly but all the colors of a morning rainbow. I leaned against the car and just watched the sunrise for a couple of minutes. Then got into the car and drove on. I thought I could make it now. I was wrong. In about 30 minutes my stomach started to complain again and my headache got worse again. This time it was fierce. I stopped like a madman and jumped out of the car. This time it all came out. I was beat, beaten and down. I felt like I was going to die. I didn't know what to do. The only thing I knew was that I couldn't go on. I needed a port in that storm. Fast. I got into the car and slowly drove on with only one thing in my mind - room, bed, sleep. I got into the first Inn I laid my eyes on and fell into the bed.

It was in late afternoon on Tuesday that I begun to gather my bearings again. Wouldn't eat anything though but I did feel a little better. I did manage to get some crackers in me and the lady at the Inn told me that Green tea is good for me and that she can also get me a 7UP. That it will calm my stomach. I agreed. Frankly I was open to any suggestion that could make me feel better. In my room I just lied there like a vegetable. Trying to relax. I drunk the tea and contemplated on whether or not I should drink the 7UP. Eventually I drunk some and it helped. Then I slept. And slept and slept. I woke up on Wednesday at 6AM. Got up. Got into the shower. My headache was almost gone and my stomach didn't complain that much anymore. I was beginning to think I got thru. Still, ... I knew the lady at the Inn told me that breakfast was at 7, but I didn't want to count too much on it. I packed my stuff and got everything into the car. I was weary and week. I had to eat something. I managed to get some plain toast down. Took some bottled water and decided to hit the road.

Driving on Wednesday morning was tense but all right. I was still "on hold" concerning the stomach but felt like I'm gonna make it. I had a couple of miles to Victorville and then another 70 or so to LA. There was a moment when I thought: "Man, it's really beautiful here." And it was. The wide open spaces, the road, the clear blue sky. It started to get to me. I remembered something Mr. Brooks said to me: "Your body will tell you." My body will tell me. Every down has its up. And there will be sunshine after the rain. The important thing is to keep on going.