Pamphlets

[eyesup]

The only constant is change. Entropy increases. Ya’ can’t stop it, but you can slow it down. But change for the sake of change can border on the aggressive. Some people enjoy being a stick in the mud. Let‘em be.

There is a wide spot in the road in Nevada on state Hwy. 375, renamed the “Extraterrestrial (ET) Highway”. The town is called, Rachel. Pop. 54. See the .kmz file below.

People that move there want to be there to get away. From what? It doesn’t matter and it’s nobody’s business. They want to be left alone, and they don’t want anybody coming in there to make things better. They like things the way are and they want them to stay that way.

A few months ago I read a hilarious article in the local paper about an investor from S a n  D i e g o,  C a l e e f o r n e e a. He wanted to build a hotel resort there. He bought a lot of property there to do just that and put up a big billboard sign announcing the project. You would have to drive there to see this place. The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. But let me tell you, seeing something in person speaks volumes. Why he thought a resort in Rachel, NV was a good idea says a lot about his foresight, or lack there of.

The only thing there worth going there for is the UFO tourist business near Area 51. And they don’t go there for the resort experience. These are folks in RV’s and old Winnebagos that park off of old dusty gravel roads and will spend days there waiting for a chance to see something. What? Again, does it matter? They’re harmless and they are the lifeblood of that wide spot in the road.

Some of the people that live there are there because, “they just don’t fit in anywhere, where there is order and structure”. Locals on ATV’s will load up a with a full cooler, their shotgun with enough ammo to last till there's no more BEER and off they go. They are off-road so just get out of the way. One of these lit-up Don Quixote’s took offense to the developer’s billboard and promptly aerated it. Another came along, decided to finish the job and literally, lit-it-up. Turned the sign into a large black rorschach image that could mean anything.

The developer might have got the message because at the time of the article, no progress had been made on the resort.

Duane

[BlueTrain]

There's a race of men that don't fit in.

[eyesup]

Yep. It's why they live where they do so they can do what they do.

I'm sure there are, what were once called hermits, living in the woods of the Appalachians. They are of a kind. Not anti-social so much as asocial. Most comfortable in their own company.

Duane

[BlueTrain]

Well, I am from the Appalachians. But I never met a hermit, even though it is something I happen to be particularly interested in. The people that I knew who lived back in some hollow or on a ridge somewhere were all born in those places. It wasn't like they chose to live there. Some do in fact move to places like that for various reasons, cost being one of the reasons. They are hardly anti-social in the sense they don't want to be around people but they appreciate their "elbow room." There is another anti-social animal that goes around causing trouble all the time. Most of them live in town but they live in the country, too.

A hermit or recluse is also something that is recognized in some religions, as a form of Monasticism. Thomas Merton sometimes lived as a hermit (in his hermitage). In the Episcopal Church, they're called solitaries but it doesn't imply that they live somewhere back in the sticks all by themselves. That is done by a few Buddhists, though. The world is a great distraction, you know.

[eyesup]

Wow! Having been preoccupied the past few days, I was surprised at, not only the number but, the quality of posts I need to wade through. Too many to do at one sitting, I’ll have to make a list of those to read.
Well, I guess I’ll begin at the oldest.

Mrs. E and I occasionally speak of moving out of the city, to a place not so hectic. Those are becoming harder and harder to find. We’ve been to a few spots in Nevada that seem to fit the bill. We don’t want to be “off grid”, that’s too much work, but somewhere that has less intrusion by the new bewildering culture.

I’ve browsed some of the posts since I was here last and with all the discussion of media, corporate and government intrusion, finding that spot would be unlikely. It makes the hunt more challenging. But whenever you choose to simplify it means that something needs to be sacrificed. I do know how to do that.

Duane

[BlueTrain]

I don't think anyone is really off the grid in the larger sense. I am amused at those living in remote cabins, proud to be off the grid and telling everyone about it on their YouTube channel. Of course, those who really are, we never hear about.

[eyesup]

Yeah, exactly. That's what I meant by it's a lot of work.

1st and foremost is where do you live and get food and water. The most important.

Owning property, vehicles and needing money to live all involve having to be in the grid. It's more of having one foot in and one foot out. Not truly off grid.

Duane

[John P]

Well, I am from the Appalachians. But I never met a hermit, even though it is something I happen to be particularly interested in.

I think Reuben is the guy you want to talk to, though he shows up here capriciously. You could do a search on his name and see all the stuff he's posted. Obviously he isn't totally cut off, or he'd never post here at all!