4.13.2009

Nevada, Spam, and onwards...









OK, after Utah, I drove west along southern Nevada. This was the most direct route to Death Valley, although it was also the most barren. 150 miles of this trek included the "famous" Extraterrestrial Highway, where supposedly a lot of people see UFOs. I didn't see any UFOs, but there was a sonic boom (or whatever its called) when a military craft zoomed by. Scared the shit out of me.










ABOVE: The amusing UFO display outside "Little Aleinn", a motel/bar/diner in Rachel, NV, along the ET Highway. Aside from this place in Rachel, there really isn't anything on the ET Highway.









I spent a night at a tiny state park along the way. The modest campground is pictured ABOVE. That nasty picture of the caterpillar web is also from there. While camped there, I decided to try Spam for the first time, out of curiosity.



















Spam comes in a vaccuum-sealed can. When I peeled it open, I expected a foul odor; but in fact, it just smelled kind of salty. It wasn't any grosser than how canned beans smell when you first open them. Consistency-wise, as you can see in the picture ABOVE, it's really jammed in there, and as you fork it out, it breaks up into shreds.


















I decided to combine it with corn and carrots in a tortilla. The label on the SPAM can instucts you to simply fry the Spam in a skillet "until golden brown", which is what I did.

It wasn't good or bad. It just tasted like salty gook. I only needed 1/3 of the can to fill me up so, on the plus side, a little goes a long way. But no, I don't recommend it. You can get a can of beans for $1.50 less and get more nutrients and more taste and less salt (and less weirdness in general, too).










I spent a night parked in casino lot in Beatty, NV, then scooted through Death Valley. This is the optimal time to visit Death Valley due to the mild weather and blooming wildflowers. It was pretty cool to see it all, although by this point, I feel a little National Park-ed out (especially tiring are those $20 entrance fees).

I'm in California now and about to drive northward to Oregon. I've included below pictures of two really cool RVS camped at parking lots with me. The first appears to be some kind of custom job... it looked like a truck with one of those cargo units on the back, with a cab-over unit stuck on top of that. The next one is a rare Tiger Motorhome, built on a truck chassis (I've always only seen them on a van chassis).











2 comments:

je said...

Ok, I guess you are going a little kooky. Death Valley in the spring and we get pictures of Class Cs? Get this man to a doctor!

Anonymous said...

You can't say you've really HAD spam until you...1. Build a toy fort with it 2. are the already geeky kid who comes to school with Spam sandwiches everyday. I gag just looking at the pictures. And yet Hawaii has a state Spam recognition day with a parade etc. Go figure. I don't believe it's actually FOOD. And yes, I WAS that poor geek. Anon mom