Beef jerky and gunpowder

I had only a quick jaunt to make from Kingman to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, Thursday morning and so felt able to take the time to negotiate the highway exits off of I-40 to get to the Dinesphere, just outside of Yucca, Arizona.  Dave and I had discovered the place on one of our previous roadtrips, but at the time (and several subsequent times when I drove by later) it was a private residence and the curious were not encouraged or welcomed.  Dave and I had stopped anyway, just to stand outside the fence and take it all in.  So when I was driving by this morning and saw a giant banner hung on the gate that said "OPEN", I took the long turnaround to go and see just exactly what OPEN meant. 

When I pulled into the drive, there was a nice covered parking area adjacent to a little trailer that advertised beef jerkey and sodas among other comestibles.  I parked the car fetchingly under the carport in that sleek ultra modern setting and eagerly set off to see what was for sale inside the trailer.

Turns out the fellow running the store was the son of the woman that currently lives in the Dinesphere, and we had a wonderful chat about how she would be moving out in the not-too-distant-future and how he would be working to open the place up so the public could see inside.  It was such a great conversation to have because it was about creating a roadside attraction, not presiding over the slow death of one that's too hard to keep up.  It was so exciting to witness someone in the early stages of making something that people would one day flock to.  AND YOU WERE THERE!   Remember those films from our childhood?

I bought some beef jerky and it turned out to be top notch - a sign that bodes well for the Area 66 as John plans on calling the place.  John is a swell guy and I hope he succeeds swimingly.  I'll look forward to seeing what he creates.

I paused to take some photos before I left, all the while being distantly heckled by a business-like German shepherd behind a tall fence.

I was soon on my way, eager to get to Lake Havasu and jump into the convention.  Before noon, I had a nifty badge, several new friends and a schedule of events to follow.  Later in the afternoon, I attended the safety training and Class B shooting courses in preparation for making stuff the rest of the weekend and SHOOTING IT OFF!  Wahooooo!!!

One last picture for the day: firing practice on the B line just before sunset.  I'm sure I'll have lots of firework photos for you soon.