Eastward 2012

As I write this I'm at my house in Maryland. I got here on the 20th, the first day of Spring as was my aim. I did all the things I intended to do plus a couple extras. I left Slab City on March 6th so my trip east was 2 weeks of driving every day. I went to.... But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll pick up the thread...

...after Death Valley. I went back to Slab City. It's the most entertaining, unexpected place I think I've ever been. Every day there is Anything Can Happen Day. Most mornings I'd play golf. 2 balls simultaneously on nine holes, so I could play 18 in about the same time as 9. Gopher Flats is the only free golf course I've ever played so naturally I played every day. It's not the fanciest golf course but value-wise it's off the charts. The only thing that's asked of you is to drag the "greens" when you're done. It's all par-3, the longest hole is 154 yards and the shortest hole is 80, every pin is straight ahead, every green is dead level, every hole is in the center of the green, every hole is about 10 inches in diameter. Anybody with some skill should be able to par this thing. The best I got was 66 (par is 54 (Par 54 Where Are You?)) which is better than bogey, but my worst score was 88, which is worse than double bogey (oof!)

Here's a rough cut of the video I'm working on:

And some stills:

The ground is too hard to use a proper tee, so we use an inch or so of garden hose with a piece of ribbon tied on to it. The ribbon is to keep the tee from flying too far and to make it easy to see.