Hello friends,

How is everyone doing? I hope all had a good Monday!

I write you from the beautiful state of Utah! I left Las Vegas a bit disappointed with no gigs completed in my two days there. Not to worry, I decided to move on and revisit the state on my way back from Oregon sometime in the fall. I kinda felt that might be a possibility with some states, seeing how I will be zigzagging the entire nation. I know Las Vegas well, but I’ve never been to the Reno/ Lake Tahoe area. So I look forward to returning to Nevada on my way to back.

Nevertheless, I was still irked at not finding any doable jobs. There was a fair amount posted but the trouble with the CL list lately is the amount of permanent jobs listed, as opposed to small, one or two day gigs. That seems to be the trend in some cities. Also the gigs in Vegas were more of the skin and flesh variety, something the Juanjohn is no longer suited for! It is after all the city of sin, sex and silicon. Ha-ha! Just kidding folks!

I rented a room on Saturday morning for $49 I thought, but after all the added extras, hotel fees, mafia cuts, and government kickbacks, I had to shell out $109! What a scam! For a state that claims to have no state tax, they really roll you like a pair of bones! They even try to tax the air and shade.

I hit the road for Salt Lake City, but I decided to stop here in the lovely town of St. George. I stopped to take pictures of the Virgin River that skirts the Arizona/Utah border and of all the nice colorful rocks, buttes and hills. The mountains in the distant are sprinkled with fresh snow from a recent storm and the weather is just great for camping. I came here almost twenty-eight years ago to visit an old girlfriend and the place has grown tremendously. The scenic beauty is still eye popping. I will visit Zion National park on my way to Salt Lake and hope to take many a pictures and selfies for the gigs photo page.

I decided to save some money and spend the night at an RV park that allows overnight camping.  I came equipped with all the gear including a propane stove to cook my meals. The rent for the space was $15 for the night, a far cry from the insane room rates in Nevada. The park manager and assistant were very friendly and supplied me with some ice for my cooler. They gave me a map to all the nearby national parks and told me not hesitate to ask for anything.  I ended up camping next to a group of four young boys travelling the state on their bicycles. They arrived late and were preparing their tents and dinner in the dark, with only a couple headlamps and a flashlight. One boy came over to ask if I had any oil for their pan. I gave him my can of spray pam and loaned them my propane lantern so they would be able to see their dinner better. I don’t know what they were frying, but it sure smelled good. Their accent sounded from the land down under, but I didn’t ask. Maybe it was just a Utah accent, mate!

I haven’t found any work here, so my rest days are extended a little more. I expect to score some work in the capital city on Wednesday. Then on to Colorado for the weekend.

Thanks for your time.

Juanjohn

Good day to all,

I hope you’re with your mother today, if not then maybe thinking of her. We lost our mother two years ago and we all miss her tremendously. She would be worried out of her mind if she were alive and seeing me take on this adventure.

“Mijo, I don’t understand? Why do you have to go all over the country just to find work? Did you piss off everybody around here and now no one will hire you?”

She might have said that to me as I prepared for this trip!

Im in Nevada now and taking a day of rest coming out of Arizona. After my first gig on Friday, I ended up taking another gig in Scottsdale with a man name Brandon. He hired me and a couple of other guys to dig holes and plant trees in his huge back yard. Boy was it exhausting!  The weather was actually pleasant but the terrain was very difficult. We worked from ten to seven and we didn’t stop all day, only to eat the lunch that Brandon so generously provided.

I hit the road late. Tired and dirty I headed for Kingman, 197 miles away. I stopped at a Wickenburg Denny’s for dinner and got to my destination at eleven pm. At the Sinclair truck stop on the 93 I washed up a bit, drank a hot chocolate, pulled out my pillow and slept in my truck.  At five am I awoke to the sound of a dozen diesel trucks warming up and grabbed my bags to shower inside.

The truck stop has quite a set up for travelers, weather they haul freight, buses or just random nuts like me! The facilities were amazing and I was surprised how clean, helpful and friendly the staff was. The best $13 shower I ever took! I plan to use these type of places more often as I continue on. The drawback of course is sleeping in my truck. It sucked! Im sore all over and didn’t get much rest after two hard worked days. Oh well, that all part of the adventure!

I crossed the state line at seven am and took my time visiting the Hoover dam. I took a few pics that I will post and if you’ve never seen it in person, the dam is an engineering marvel.

Im in Las Vegas now and am staying at a less expensive off the strip hotel for the night. I’ve been doing laundry, resting and perusing the CL for work tomorrow, but the pickings are slim. I have forty dollars to spend on a Buffet or to take my chances at a Blackjack table! What to do?

So until next time friends, I hope to post next time with my second gig!

Good night, Juanjohn

Good morning everyone,

I completed my first gigs yesterday In Tempe AZ. I was too tried to share the good news after a long day in the sun. I shared my experience on my new gigs page, so look there for all the details. Please ‘like’ the story if you do. I will continue to write them separately from now on and will keep the blog for a more personal perspective.

So the first thing that hit me when I showed up to do the work, was that Im not my own boss anymore! After spending years of self-employment and being my own boss, I had to realize that as I put myself out to hire, I won’t always have the option of doing things my way, or the way I think best. I will have to get use to taking orders from the persons who are going to pay me!

It was also a bit nerve racking waiting for potential gigs to respond back to me as I waited in my motel room. I won’t be able to rent too many rooms on this trip, since I expect my income to drop significantly from what Im used to during this adventure. After all it is a survival tour!

Well Im already looking to Nevada for work this weekend and will be arriving in Las Vegas tonight. It felt good to get that first gig completed. The pressure was building a bit.

Thanks for your time, have a good day.

Juanjohn