CHICANONAUTICA MEETS THE MEXICA IN MORMONLAND

Chicanonautica visits Utah and celebrates Thanksgiving at La Bloga:

And, of course, it's Chicano style:

In the Uto-Aztecan traditon:

With a dash of Hollywood:

And strange Mexican food: 

 

2025: A ROAD ODYSSEY: ESCAPE FROM THE HEAT ISLAND

The Heat Island Effect had a death grip on the Metro Phoenix Area when we left. Still getting up to 100 degrees F. At home I dressed like a beach bum. The air-conditioning and fans kept it livable inside.

Still, Emily and I were eager to get out.

This latest memorial road trip for her mom was the result of a lot of frantic planning and coordinating. We took an extra day off from our jobs at the beginning to do an extra day of hanging out at the Northern Arizona towns that have become our go-to weekend getaways. 

What a better way to clear out heads for an epic journey?

 

First stop, Prescott— the locals pronounce it “Preskit.” 

 

There was a Charlie Kirk remembrance sign at the historic Apache Lodge. What would he have thought of the 19th century prostitution licenses and photos of the era’s sex workers that decorated the lobby? 

We cruised the Whiskey Row area shops, browsing weird T-shirts and photo-ing Halloween decor, and had obligatory coffees at the Wild Iris before taking off to Jerome, that has weirder T-shirts. A full-sized pink and white striped poodle took a shit in view of the tourists on one of the main, twisty streets.

As we got to Sedona, a VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft was coming straight down–an unusual sight for the commercialized New Age Mecca.

At the Goodwill I found two pairs of drawstring pants and a copy of Philip José Farmer’s The Purple Book that had one of my all-time favorite stories “Riders of the Purple Wage” that I had been considering re-reading and recommending to the new generation of Young Rashides (NOT a typo–a reference to the story). Once again, it was as if time travelers were leaving things for me to find.

We had to wait for a train near Flagstaff. A car bore the graffiti: THEY’LL KILL U!

Siri (Emily uses the black dude version) mispronounced a Spanish street name–Cosnino. Emily and I talked about it. The next time he said it right.

At Montezuma Well, two bikers spoke French and wore vests emblazoned with PARIS - COUER - LA SEINE HARLEY OWNERS GROUP.

Military helicopters passed overhead as we zigzagged past Sedona again.

The trip had already set my imagination ablaze. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we ran into Raoul Duke and/or Jerry Cornelius on this trip,” I said.

Then a sniper-bullet of an idea bashed my gray matter:  Raoul Duke, Jerry Cornelius, and my alter ego Victor Theremin meet in Sedona in Nazi America, foil tech AIs, bro billionaires, and the Nazis . . . Have to ask Michael Morcock’s permission to use Jerry. If he says no, call him J.C., John Carter, Jesus Christ . . . mention Cornelius, but “He’s a fictional character, sort of based on me . . . Highly inaccurate.”

Do I have time for such a project?

After Sedona, we did our ritual drive down gorgeous Oak Creek Canyon. I noticed a lot of roadside datura.

At Mike's workshop outside of Flagstaff, we picked him up and transferred our luggage from my Tacoma to his Prius. When we finished one of the Prius’s doors closed as if by a ghost hitchhiker. 

Then it was up to Utah, through the Big Rez. There was graffiti on abandoned structures all over the desert–lots of stylized skulls. The mountains and ground were Martian red. Gas was $2.99 a gallon . . .

CHICANONAUTICA ON ANOTHER ODYSSEY IN ANOTHER YEAR

Chicanonatuica traveling, at La Bloga . . .

An odyssey of sorts:

 

Through what we now call the United States of America:

 

 

And some of us imagine as Aztlán

 

Land of the tortilla machines:

 

 

 

 

 

FREE! MY LATEST STORY!

 

 Yup. I have a new story out, and it's free.

It's called "Doula." And it's part of Sound Systems: The Future of the Orchestra.

Just click in the above link and download it as PDF, EPUB, Apple Books, or MOBI (for Kindle).

It a production of the Center for Science and the Imagination. I'd go into all the details of how and why it came to be later, but meanwhile, I just got home from a wild and wonderful vacation, and stumbling my way back into my usual routine.

Meanwhile, I'm really proud of this story, and being part of this book, and want it to get the widest possible audience.

And here's Shachi Kale's art created for "Doula."