Picto Diary - 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08 August 2021 - Smoke

Above: Sprinter, Virginian RV Park, Jackson, WY, 11:00 PM. 04 August 2021.

Nite nite!

Earlier in the evening TIMDT and Mwah (sic) attended a Hoover Institution dinner, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jackson, WY, where General H.R. McMaster, former National Security Advisor, to President Donald Trump, was the featured speaker.

McMaster talked about how strategic narcissism, and the corresponding tendency to artificially separate interconnected problem sets, encourages short-term, simplistic solutions to complex problems. Bias against the long-term approach, like other maladies affecting U.S. policy, stems from a lack of empathy, according to McMaster.

During the Q and A I asked McMaster if he thought the coronavirus was a bio-weapon, engineered in a lab. "Definitely," he replied, "though it is more likely that the human engineered virus escaped the lab accidentally than that it was released as a deliberate act of aggression.

Post dinner McMaster and Mwah (sic) had a personal exchange. "It's hard to know whether China is an enemy or a friend," I posited. "China is an enemy," McMaster replied. "Tell that to LeBron James and the NBA," I said. General McMaster smiled back.

In planning for the Hoover/McMaster dinner, I called the Four Seasons Hotel, the dinner venue, and inquired about a reservation. The best they could do was $2000 for a room. Wha??? We decided to pass on a hotel room and take the Sprinter, and Freddie, up to Jackson and stay in an RV park.

I knew the valet guys at the Four Seasons wouldn't be able to park the Sprinter in their underground parking. But, I also knew there was some valet parking area in the hotel drive up area. I hoped that the valet guys would have no problem parking the Sprinter there. But, I also wondered what their reaction would be to the fact that a big dog would be in the vehicle while under their supervision.

Valet guy Chris: "You've got a dog? No problem. We'll park the vehicle over there (Chris pointing), out of the sun. I love dogs. Here's your ticket. Oh, by the way, I won't be here when you return from dinner. But, I'll tell the other guys about the dog. I'm sure everything will be OK." So, taking the hint, I, gratefully, gave Chris a twenty. After all, this could have gone all wrong. I imagined Chris saying, "Look, sir, we don't have room to park a vehicle like that. Furthermore, its against hotel policy for us to assume responsibility for a dog in a parked van."

Three hours later, after the event, we left the hotel to get our van. There was Chris.

Chris: "Hey, I'm sorry, I told you I wasn't going to be here when you returned from dinner, but, the management needed me to stay on during the next shift!" Chris got the van key, pointed to the desert colored Sprinter, parked prominently in the hotel entrance area. Chris said Freddie was fine... he had checked up on him periodically during our dinner. Two other valet guys came over to say hello. "Great dog," one of them said. "How much does he weigh,?" asked the other. So I laid another twenty on Chris, at once marveling how skillful he was in garnering his dual gratuity and then, grateful that the valet process with a van and a dog had worked so well. $40 sounds like a lot for a valet tip, but considering we'd avoided having to pay $2000 for the room that night, it seemed a manageable sacrifice.

Apropos expensive hotel rooms, next to our RV park, The Virginian, was a sister motel, also called The Virginian. Prior to the Hoover dinner event I took Freddie out for a walk. Thinking that it might be nice to get a motel room to take a shower and have a bigger space to dress for dinner, I inquired about the availability and price of a room. The clerk at the desk said, "well, we have a few rooms left, we can let you have one for $500." Wha???? This was a one level motel, likely built in the '60's and rehabbed a dozen times since then. It was the kind of motel where you could drive your car right into a space in front of your motel room. I was thinking the rate would be max $150, and would have paid that. But, five hundred dollars? Who pays these rates for a seeming down market motel?

Jackson streets were packed with cars, trucks and RV's. It seemed all America was out doing Yellowstone on the great American family vacation. Were tourists paying these room prices as they passed through Jackson? Maybe, I thought, they had booked in advance at lower rates, and that my $500 rate was presented as an attempt to collar a stranded visitor in distress. Maybe I should have tried to bargain. Notwithstanding, missing the luxury of a motel room to shower and dress, we tied Freddie outside of the van, and took turns changing clothes. No biggie. Worked fine.

Above: Noras, Wilson, Wyoming. 05 August 2021.

Breakfast. We got in quickly, around 9:00 AM, but all tables in this iconic breakfast place, where billionaires mingle with truck drivers, were occupied. Quite apart from Nora's iconic status as a top mountain town breakfast place, their corned beef hash is excellent.

Above: "The Inevitables" Caleb Chapman Sound House. American Fork, UT. 05 August 2021.

Practice concert in preparation for Inevitables attendance at the Telluride Jazz Festival coming up mid-August.

Freddie and us two two legged dogs will be hopping in the van again next week to go see Drums, playing in three Caleb Chapman bands, play in the Telluride Jazz festival.

Above: His Highness at East Canyon Reservoir. 06 August 2021.

Out and about on the Duc. Reservoir at only at 20% capacity. Looking at the image, you can see the waterline on the rock.

The blue sky in the above image belies what was to come as we repaired on to the Montecristo loop, into Rich County, and then to Evanston, WY for lunch at Don Pedros. Just past the 8500 foot summit of UT SR 39, like a tsunami, a wave of cold air and smoke, coming from our rear, the west, passed over us as we rode our motorcycles east bound. The atmosphere quickly morphed into a thick smog. Mountain profiles, once clearly visible, were now occluded. Fortunately, the road was visible for several hundred yards ahead and we could proceed, at reduced speeds, on our ride.

A conjunction of the stars, as it were. Cold front winds from the west, fanning the southern Oregon and northern California wildfires, vectored directly over the Salt Lake Valley and the adjacent Wasatch Range where His Highness and Mwah (sic) were riding our motorcycles. After arriving home, scrolling through Facebook, I saw a chart which listed most the most air polluted world cities that day. Salt Lake City was at the top of the list... followed by New Delhi, Jakarta, and Beijing.

Despite the smoke, His Highness and Mwah (sic) enjoyed a nice ride and lunch at Don Pedros. We hadn't ridden with one another in over a year and it was good to restore our riding tradition. Don Pedros was under new management but they had the same chef. Food was good...same.

Above: Red Stone. Summit County, UT. 06 August 2021.

Smokey sunset. No dear, we are not in New Delhi. This is Utah!

TIMDT and Mwah (sic) could smell the smoke as we walked to our car after having had dinner at Giadottis. I said, "it smells like India!" TIMDT agreed. Perversely, maybe, we liked the smoky smell as a reminder of how much we pined to return to India. The coronavirus period put the crimpers on our regular India travel and we both yearn to return to that "hyper faceted" country as soon as is practicable.

Above: Rockport Reservoir. Summit County, UT. 06 August 2021.

One four legged dog (Freddie) and three two legged dogs (Grrr, Z and Roy) play in the water.

Above: Beach Boys and Utah Symphony. Deer Valley Amphitheater, 07 July 2021.

Mike Love, the only original Beach Boy, accompanied by fabulously talented musicians.

Excellent concert, powerful sound, all the great ones.... Good Vibrations, Little Deuce Coupe etc. Everybody standing and rocking by concert end.

Hat tip to Maui for tireless work in ticket acquisition and pre concert meal planning/reservations.

Above: Sunday dinner. Park City, UT. 08 August 2021.

Granny, her brood, Espresso, MAST and Hugo, and dogs.

Hat tip to B1b who grilled the burgers and to Espresso and family who brought desert. Also, toast to B1b and his recent appointment to Chief Pilot, Delta Airlines, Salt Lake City region. Special recognition to Kessler and Portland who reported recently standing firm on a matter of principle.