September 17, 2008
Escalante BLM Land, Utah

After Zion I felt I needed to rest the legs a bit and save my money before heading into Bryce Canyon. I headed towards Page and arrived late in the day at Glen Canyon Dam. I shot some footage of Lake Powell and the Dam site to go along with some of the interviews I’ve done on hydrology in the southwest, but I have to say I’m disappointed. There’s very little footage you can capture of Lake Powell without renting a boat and heading out on the water. I was excited to see this vast reservoir but hey I’m earthbound, a rubber-foot as someone once called me. A rubber-foot being a pilgrim tied to a vehicle, versus a leather-foot who is tied to nothing but boots.

This is actually a nice segue to telling you all that I’m flat-ass broke. In fact as it stands now I think I’m in the negative a thousand dollars or so. I knew it was coming, it was only a matter of time, and time is something I’ve been really good at spending of late. But I would posture that it was all time well spent. I wouldn’t change a second of it, even the not-so-good moments, since it was in those moments I learned the most.

But this does put me in a bit of a predicament, seeing as I’m only in Utah and still plan on making it to Panama. I’ve been anxiety ridden in my sleepless nights under the full moon. As my friend Jeff says, there’s no stress like financial stress… I wonder why that is… or if it’s even true.

I don’t really have it so bad, there are people I can borrow money from, and/or I do have some money put away in retirement savings that I can draw from, but I’m trying to find another way out of this right now. I feel I’ve gotten myself into this predicament and out of principle I should get myself out with what I have. The day before yesterday I swore to myself that I’d sell my most expensive camera and go shoot the rest of the journey strictly celluloid. I could sell it along with some other gear and that should at least get me half way into Mexico, and hey with less to steal. I’ve been going over all the possibilities in my head, even to the point of selling the van and going leather-foot. Wouldn’t that make things interesting, man and dog walking to Panama, the folks back home would love that.

I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do in regards to my financial situation, but I do know I’ll have to do something soon. There’s only so much debt I’ll allow myself to take on before dipping into the nest-egg, selling things off, borrowing, or abandoning the project altogether, although the latter is highly unlikely. It’ll be Moses and I with backpack and one cheapo 8mm camera before that happens.

peace,
d