The following is the first in a three-part series about what has become known in my household as “Rave Hajj” (typically referred to as a hashtag on social media, as is fashionable). We hit over 7,000 miles through 17 states in three weeks, and it was quite a fantastic adventure. (Note: Some of the photos are just from my phone, as I wasn’t keen on lugging my DSLR around everywhere we went; my advance apologies for the lack of resolution on some shots)
A bit of background on the naming convention: the Islamic faith has five pillars—sincere recitation of the profession of faith, daily prayer, alms/charity to benefit the less fortunate, fasting during Ramadan, and the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. Our trip is referred to as our Rave Hajj not as a disservice or slight toward the Islamic faith, but rather because it’s our pilgrimage to *OUR* “Mecca”, a giant rave in the desert outside Las Vegas known as Electric Daisy Carnival, or EDC.
As a part of this pilgrimage, we opt to make it an epic road trip for several reason. First and foremost, as fans of Top Gear (and by that I mean *REAL* Top Gear—Clarkson, Hammond, and May) we acknowledge that life is an adventure best experienced fully…and with this magnificent country called the United States of America, we have an absolutely astonishing amount of scenery and experiences to be had. Some people have the mentality of “oh just fly and get there!” and that’s totally cool. Not detracting from them in the slightest; we all have our own way of experiencing everything around us and if that’s your bag, you take that flight and have a blast. However, and this brings up reason number two we prefer the road trip, TSA sucks. There, I said it. Don’t pretend it isn’t true. Yes, there are a lot of hard-working respectful and respectable individuals within the TSA. But never has anything been attempted by government and made BETTER (I should know!), and TSA is but one example of how layer upon layer of (mis)management and bureaucracy can completely destroy something most would consider of paramount importance. Finally, having spent almost 17 years in the US military, we have family and friends scattered like leaves in the wind all over this country (and planet!). Road trips give us a chance to see many of them in turn.
Our trip for 2019 began on a Wednesday just north of our Nation’s Capital in Maryland. We drove south past Virginia’s Shenandoah National Forest (and the breathtaking surrounding landscape) into Tennessee, through the Smoky Mountains–stopping overnight in Nashville.
Nashville is a “usual spot” for a stop, as our beloved friends Steve and Jane live there. Unfortunately he was deployed, and she was plenty busy wrangling the kids. So it was a quick few hours and then back on the road for one of the longest hauls of the trip, Nashville to San Antonio, where we stayed just off the Riverwalk and about a block from the Alamo.
Friday was a “don’t do much” day. We needed a little rest after being on the road for so long. We popped down to Lackland AFB to get some snacks and such at the Commissary, as well as some provisions for our camping experience at the Grand Canyon. Then back to the downtown area to visit the Alamo, and get ready for dinner. We booked a table at 1718, with a fantastic view of the Alamo itself.
After dinner we walked around the Riverwalk a bit, then decided it was best to retire before it got too late.
The next morning we awoke very early and made our way up to Austin, as is tradition, to wait in line at Franklin BBQ. If you’ve never experienced this, it’s incredible for two reasons. First and foremost, the food is unspeakably incredible. Aaron Franklin is a true master of his craft, a man who has the utmost passion for delicious BBQ. Yes, it’s true you can place an advance order online and just pick it up without waiting in line. And if that’s your thing, do it. Everyone should be so lucky to experience that brisket, or sausage, or beef rib hitting your palate and straight up melting in your mouth. But if you go, you have to wait in line at least once. Dozens of strangers start lining up in the wee hours of the morning (between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m.) to be first through the door.
In the 6-or-so hour wait that is involved, people bring coolers for ‘tailgate’ style social time, party games (some call it “cornhole” but as I’m from Iowa, that term means, ehm, something else entirely—so I just say “bean bag toss”), adult beverages (I’ve had my share of mimosas while waiting in line), and this time around the gents who were first in line walked the 1.5 miles (there and back) to Voodoo Doughnuts and bought a few dozen to pass out to everyone behind them. This is why I feel like everyone should wait in line at Franklin at least once in their lifetime; everyone’s friends and generosity abounds.
And wouldn’t you know it, miracles never cease; my friend Matt actually dragged his lazy butt out of bed to join us!!
At 11 AM, everyone cheered as the door opened and we were welcomed in to place our orders. Nobody gets just what they can eat there; 2-3 pounds of brisket (leaning more toward the fatty than the lean, but ALL of it will make you wonder where it’s been your whole life), a pound or so of snausages, and maybe a beef rib (only available certain days) big enough to make you wonder if Jurassic Park didn’t have some truth to it.
From there, we proceeded to a local brewery, hosting a memorial BBQ (yes, *MORE* BBQ—it’s Texas y’all, that’s what you do there) for Danny Dietz. If you’ve read the book “Lone Survivor” by Marcus Luttrell (or perhaps seen the movie by the same name starring Mark Wahlberg) then you know Danny Dietz was a US Navy SEAL killed in action in Afghanistan. His mom puts on a memorial BBQ every year in his honor and we just happened to be in Austin that day, so we attended. As we were leaving, I stopped to thank her and she handed me one of his memorial challenge coins and told me “So my angel will watch over you.” Try not to choke up when a Gold Star Mother tells you that.
Emotional time over with, we ventured to our next must-visit spot every time we’re in Texas–Family Business Beer Co. in Dripping Springs (just west of Austin). Great local beer brewed by one of the absolute best in the business, Nate Seale; a great crew that is ALWAYS happy and cheerful and glad you took time to visit them (seriously folks, they’re Chick-Fil-A levels of friendly—it’s AWESOME); and an incredibly beautiful and serene setting in a lovely mesquite grove in Hill Country. And the owner is a pretty cool dude too—TV’s Jensen Ackles, best known for his role as Dean Winchester on Supernatural.
From there it was back down to San Antonio, and dinner at Boudro’s on the Riverwalk. Their locally-sourced Quail dish is incredible, as are the prickly pear margaritas!
Sunday morning was another early one; onward and upward (literally and figuratively) to Albuquerque for an overnight at Kirtland AFB, but not before hitting up a fantastic local brewery owned by some serious badasses (though they’d never admit to such on the record) from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community.
I had the distinct privilege of being deployed with some EOD techs to Afghanistan and never a more close-knit group of crazy bastards will you find….and they know a thing or two about beer as well. Bombs Away is the name of the place, and if you’re ever in Albuquerque looking for a spot to hang out and enjoy a fermented adult beverage, look no further. They even have a water spigot with a Coors Light tap handle (and if you don’t think that’s funny, you probably shouldn’t head there).
Another short overnight saw us on the road before sunrise Monday, heading further west. Our destination this time was something everyone in the WORLD should be lucky enough to see once in their lives—the Grand Canyon. On the way, we saw signs for the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert National Park, and as the highway bisects the park, we decided to call an audible and drive through.
A bonus of the impromptu stop found us gazing at both the incredible petrified trees littering the landscape, as well as some wholly preserved petroglyphs!
After our impromptu stop, we finished the journey to the Grand Canyon, set up camp at the Mather Campground, and even heard elk cows “chirping” at each other as they wandered through the campground. Some mule deer also paid a brief visit that evening.
As to the canyon itself? It defies belief. It doesn’t even look real when you’re standing there looking at it in person. It genuinely looks like an enormous painting—and yes, I did in fact get a photo dangling my feet off the edge (for the sartorially inclined, those feet are clad in Higgins Mill boots from Allen Edmonds, a recent favorite in my rotation, and Gustin 1968 selvedge denim).
Tuesday we woke up without alarms, having learned that the one drawback of our site was that it was in close proximity to the entrance road. Unfortunately early morning traffic along that road woke us up, so we had some breakfast (cast iron bacon and eggs is the ONLY way to roll!) and then broke camp, packed everything up, and headed toward our most western destination—Las Vegas, Nevada. Along the way, we stopped to see Hoover Dam; however, the price for parking, *THEN* for admission, coupled with the attitude of some of the security personnel, caused us to simply opt for driving across, turning around, and heading into town. Seven states down, entering the eighth…and that, my friends, where our story picks up next. ☺
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for staying with me, and be looking out for part 2 (Vegas and EDC) coming soon!
Where is the chocolate? It’s not a proper blog post without chocolate!
There’s chocolate in part 2. A very large chunk of it. 😉