Given the fact that I’d find myself on the road & working for much of the rest of 2026, I had a window to take a quick, 10-day jaunt down to Arizona & the California desert, so I took it.

Remember that Aunt & Uncle that would go to Hawaii or Florida or, sure, Arizona, then come back & show you photos of every innocuous item of their vacation?  I’m going to try to spare you the shots of every fruit salad, the friendly bellhop or the view of the nondescript rental car with the sun dancing off it just nice…. and keep it to the facts:

Visiting USA during these times was something that came with trepidation.
Shari & I wanted to accompany her Ma down to see family, but given all the unrest that we had witnessed in Minnesota, and the widening division happening with our neighbours to the south, discussions had to take place.

We decided to go.  We don’t see borders; we see people.  I love USA & it’s many offerings.

We flew into Phoenix, covering some big-time ground called the Grand Canyon.  Having never seen it, it was a great introduction to our trip.

It doesn’t seem like our planet from that vantage point.

After landing and settling in, the first order of business was to take in this Canadian sportsman’s early-March right of passage: a spring training baseball game to catch my beloved Mariners… who of course had an MLB-tying 18 players missing; attending the World Baseball Classic.  So, no Julio Rodriguez, no Cal Raleigh, no Josh Naylor, no Andres Munoz, etc…
Meaning the San Diego Padres pounded Seattle’s squad into dank submission, 27-6.  But the hot dogs were long and the beers were big and American, and the sun was relentless.  It was a great day in Peoria.

Once March 7th rolled in, it was time to head West to California.  I rented us a car, and we headed for Joshua Tree.

Once again, I cannot stress enough that if you’ve never been to this area of the world, it is akin to feeling like you’re on a different planet…. And it’s right here in North America. So close… it’s a whole vibe for certain.  I get why my heroes Christopher Thorn (Blind Melon, etc) and many others live & create out in this neck of the weird woods.  The flat landscapes, denouement sunsets, optimistic sunrises, brisk winds & slow breezes all combine to create either big breath relaxation or an unnerving sense of unease, depending on your general disposition going in…

We’ll never forget it.

Shari & Ryno … waking up with the California sun on our faces, at our accommodations in Joshua Tree…

This place reminded me of Gene Hackman’s joint in Unforgiven – or any western abode, with that wrap-around porch thing going on… we loved it.

Next up was a pilgrimage that I just needed to make: Slab City & Salvation Mountain, made even more famous than they already were via the book / movie ‘Into the Wild.’  In the film version, director Sean Penn went so far as to include Salvation Mountain creator Leonard Knight in the film itself… it’s one of the most poignant moments in the movie: “I believe that good gets better…”

Salvation Mountain is chalked full of religious connotations, as Leonard, who passed away in 2024, believed that ‘We’ve got to start loving God more; Hate is going to get smaller, and love is going to get bigger!”

Now, I’m not a religious man per se, but what I derive from all this, is that Salvation Mountain is for anybody.  It’s a place of acceptance, and all I can say is that I felt very much alive when visiting this place.  It felt good.  I felt good.  Thanks Leonard.

Slab City is an off-grid community loaded with folk-art & those wanting to live life on their own terms.  Located just East of the Salton Sea, in the Sonoran Desert, it is known as the “last free place in America“. Built on abandoned WWII military base slabs, it hosts around 200 year-round residents and thousands of winter “snowbirds” who pay no rent and live without running water, electricity, or standard infrastructure.

‘East Jesus’ was surreal, and we got to meet & chat with the Wizard, who was so gracious & kind to us.

It all happened so quickly; pretty soon it was back to the freeways, through southern Cali into Yuma and back up to Phoenix.  We got a taste of Sedona, but we ran out of time to truly sink our teeth in up there.  There’s no doubt that we left a few chips on the table, so we’ll have to go back and experience some more of what this area of the world has to offer.

It was just so nice to do something different… to take a chance and put my eyes on different things.

One of my big takeaways coming home was just how nice everyone was – literally everywhere we went.  Every American person treated us kindly.  Red or Blue, I took part in conversations with human beings living in albeit crazy, crazy times in human history, and we got through it.

“Buy the ticket; take the ride” – Hunter S. Thompson

(but you don’t have to buy the T-shirt.)

Ryan McMahon