A Million Little Pieces Of My Mind

My friend, Arthur, lost his wife a couple of years ago, and he is still struggling with grief. I don't think he gets out much, either, since he works at home and doesn't have a car. So I decided that what he needed was a car camping trip to the hot spring in Tonopah; and he agreed to go. Because I've been to the hot spring so many times, I didn't get a lot of photos of it this time. However, I did get a lot of scenic views of something you don't see that often: Arizona in the rain.

Arthur and I used to work together in the greater Phoenix area; but he now lives in Tucson, about an hour-and-a-half drive from where I live in Gilbert (also in the greater Phoenix area). That's east of me; and Tonopah, the town in which the hot spring is located, is a good hour west. So I would be driving from Gilbert to Tucson, Tucson to Tonopah, and then when it was all over, back from Tonopah to Tucson, and from Tucson back to Gilbert.

It's a good thing I enjoy driving and love scenery!

When you look out your car window and enjoy the scenery, you tend to look past the power lines, cell towers, and other obstructions. You don't even notice those things, as a rule. But when you take a photo, those things can totally spoil a perfect shot.

So I've been using an AI art website, Fotor.com, to accomplish things like AI Erase, where those distractions can be removed, thus recreating the experience you remember, rather than what was really there.

I also like to punch up the contrast a little, especially in photos taken on gray days. Oh, and I detest photos in which the horizon is tilted with respect to the camera. I mean, sometimes that can be used intentionally and it works; but generally it's either due to a lazy photographer not paying attention, or (in my case) trying to get the photo through the open window of a speeding car.

So, as you enjoy these photos, remember, this is what you'd recall, not what you'd actually see.

After picking Arthur up in Tucson, and going straight from Tucson to Tonopah, the Tesla Navigator took us by way of I-8, a stretch of road neither he nor I had previously traveled.

We also got to appreciate a gorgeous Arizona sunset, enhanced by the clouds and rain.

We spent the night camping in my Tesla, but frankly it's rather snug in the back and it wasn't too comfortable for two (especially considering that I'm gay and my buddy Arthur is straight).

So for the second night we rented the Mariposa cabin at El Dorado. Although a step up from sleeping in the car, it's still pretty rustic. No TV, and actually the lights in the front room with a fridge and microwave didn't work. And there were so many flies in it that I had to run out and buy some flypaper strips.

Also, the cabin shares its bathroom with anyone else using the Desert Pete soaking area; so we had to go outside to step into the bathroom to use it. Luckily it never rained very hard.

Luckily the bed was roomy and comfortable. Plus, I woke about 2 and spent a couple more hours soaking in the tubs just around the corner.

Desert Pete is the general, nudity-required area. (Most natural hot springs either allow or require nude bathing.) Arthur was a good sport. Luckily it never got too crowded.

We soaked for hours at a time; and in between we sat in the Tesla to watch episodes of Arthur's new favorite TV program, Lucifer. I'm the one who introduced him to it, so that was also fun.

But all good things must end; and so around noon or so we left to return to Tucson. Because we had to recharge on the way, the return was via I-10 rather than I-8.

After dropping off Arthur, I headed west again and into the heaviest rain I'd yet encountered, right around Picacho Peak, a place I've always wanted to explore but somehow never did. Today wouldn't be the day, though!

I've made several visits to El Dorado since November; it's a lovely place to go and unwind. And Arthur seems to have enjoyed himself; so it's likely another one of these trips lies in our near future.

But hopefully in clearer weather!