We ventured out for a walk in the mall and to see WATER. The mountains all around disappeared in the low clouds. For some reason, two intersections had the lights blinking four-way red instead of normal stoplights. Somehow, I have to blame the rain.



Avenue N runs through the middle of nowhere and Kelly has been warning me that the dry creek runs right through the low part of the road, so we went there to take a look. I think the rest of the Antelope Valley did too, because on a normal day you could go five minutes without seeing another car there, but all the Jeeps and trucks were going through the creek.



It just goes to support my theory that people actually love bad weather. Our lives are so safe and confortable that we rarely have to put any effort into actual survival.



People really do feel better when there are clouds and rain here. I paid rent today and sat a little while with Jessica, one of the property managers at our apartment complex and she was just so calm, placid, and happy looking out her window at the raindrops in the swimming pool.



One of the best trips I took was with Jeffrey in Moosehead Lake in Maine. We canoed out to a couple of different primitave campsites in weather about like it is here today, 50s and raining, not hard but constantly. Our time was all consumed with building fires, cooking, improving our shelters, or canoeing. It's really refreshing to have challenges be so basic and straight forward.



Kelly and I sat in the car marveling at all the people who just HAD to come out to Avenue N to see the water. Laughing at all the Californians' fascination with water, then realized that we were also drawn here to a road we go down less than once a month or so. Maybe we are becoming Californians.

But I doubt I would have gotten much stranger looks from people if I was standing on the side of the road stark naked, I guess Californians aren't used to seeing someone out of their vehicles outdoors.

This brings up an interesting topic that I don't think I've explained to everyone yet. The layout of the valley here is very logical. Division street runs down the middle of civilization here, running notth/south. One mile east is is 10th Street East and one mile west is 10th Street West. At the Kern/Los Angeles County Line is Avenue A, running east/west. One mile south is Avenue B, all the way to Avenue S, 18 miles away at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains.



They take this so seriously, you get places like this, which is the corner of 180th West and Avenue D.



So this intersection is three miles south of the Kern County line and 18 miles west of Division Street. There are some exceptions to this rule, like The 14, Sierra Highway, and Palmdale Blvd. It's good to keep thigs simple. There is also an Avenue Q.