Sedona, AZ Part II

I checked my phone and had 11 texts requesting rideshares in various places.  A ride to the airport, a ride for a dog and a ride out of Sedona that night to San Diego or LA.   The girl who needed a lift called as I was reading and explained she needed to get to LA, would be happy to find her way from San Diego but had no money.  I thought for a minute but said “Sorry it wouldn’t be worth it to re arrange the whole car, not be able to sleep in it and drive you for free. If you come up with 45 bucks give us a call.”  She called and checked in with us all day as she raised funds.

The problem with a place that draws people is, it draws all kinds of people so there are many unstable people tripping around.  We met Ole for coffee on Sunday night and I knew the girl, Parys, who needed a ride would be there too.  Sure enough, the frazzled looking woman I’d noticed earlier still sat in the middle of her sofa beside her oversized pink suitcase and various other belongings.  While conversing with her, Ole and Veronika, Jon (mountain bike couch surf host guy) called to invite us to Kirtan, Hindu chanting.  We told Parys we would pick her up after that and Jon’s massage, but she followed us, wanting to come along. I again had to put my proverbial and physical foot down.  I wasn’t inviting her into homes of strangers who trusted me when I knew nothing about her myself.  We told her to wait there at Java Love.  She is on the road like us.  A bad relationship dragged her from home in New York all the way to Arizona, and a bitter end to it left her homeless and LA bound.  “I’m off to pursue my acting career! I’m going to be famous!”

Superstar Parys and Trippy Darryl

On our way out of the coffee shop we nearly collided with a young dreaded man.  He smelled of patchouli and his eyes were twisting around in his head, clearly on some hallucinogenic.  I asked if he was ok to which he responded yes and we headed out to the parking lot. He burst out the door calling after us “You know what? I’m NOT ok!” He continued on about the humane society having stolen and fixed his dog and killed her entire liter of unborn puppies.  He wept in my arms a few minutes, explaining he was on LSD and tried holding up more conversation, we had to leave him mid sentence. 

Kirtan was highly uplifting and we left with open hearts and ready to begin our journey so after giving Jon his massage we headed back to pick up a very excited Parys and give her tripping, homeless, hippy boyfriend of 3 days a ride to his sewer pipe in Cottonwood.  It took us close to an hour to get him out of the car!  Finally we booted him and I suggested we kick off the next leg with some music.  Thankfully, Parys is a highly talented singer, she claimed, and offered to get it started with one of her jams.  I’m just going to ask you to watch the video we took.  Veronika graciously shot the footage, I was reduced to a convulsing mess of repressed laughter, curled up in the passenger seat.  I couldn’t watch.  I was Simon, Randy and Paula wrapped up in a conundrum of the deep desire to be honest but loving, give constructive criticism and out-right laughing and kicking her out of the car to invite the next contestant in.  It was going to be a looooooooooong ride.