San Juan Mountains, Colorado | June 2, 2026
I always remember this date. Thirty-one years ago today I gave up my job in Brooklyn, rented a car, and drove to Seattle. Difficult times. Tom Petty’s Wildflowers hadn’t been out long and I listened to it the whole way. Seared in my mind.
We’re camped along a creek about 35 minutes from Silverton. Probably two or three more nights here. Nice having water right outside the door again, falling asleep to the sound of rushing water. Snow close by, this water all snowmelt. 46 degrees. Perfect cold plunging situation.
Yesterday I ended up making a couple of games. One is a version of Othello, a board game I loved as a kid, designed for one player with coaching built in. I also made a silly game called Peeing or Not Peeing, which is exactly what it sounds like. I thought it was pretty funny. I made a video about it that posted to a reception of crickets. Posting to a new social media account feels in some ways like what I’d imagine it’s like doing stand-up comedy to an empty room. Or a room filled with the wrong audience. Doesn’t matter how good the jokes are, they won’t land. I’m looking at all of it as training. Jedi training. I’m just expressing my life experience. The expressions will keep evolving. The game at this point is to press onward.
A couple priorities for the next few days. First, un-discombobulate the van. It’s in desperate need of reorganizing. I need to establish places for everything to go, then actually put them there. Makeshift decisions for now, things thrown in big bins until I can build the new shelves and counter spaces. I just need it decluttered so I can set up to work on music. Three new Hi-Fi Lonesome songs I want to manipulate with the DJ gear and create final mixes for each. That’s what feels alive right now.
Yesterday I finally got to Silverton. Spectacular valley. The drive from Durango winds through stunning remote portions of the Rockies and then descends into town from above, giving you a beautiful approach. The town itself feels like about as authentic a western town as you can get. Much of it looks unchanged from 1890. I read that in its heyday the old historic Blair Street had 37 saloons. I should probably check those numbers. That reminds me, last night I made a simple game designed to teach some fun facts about the area: Silverton.
Yesterday I also finally tested my new custom electrolyte flavoring. It didn’t go as planned. Shannon gave me a Crystal Light packet in a flavor called Prickly Pear that morning, and it made the potion the most delicious it’s ever been. I knew immediately it would be hard to beat. Turns out my all natural ingredients can’t compete with Crystal Light’s flavor engineering. They use chemicals specifically designed to hijack your tastebuds. My healthy custom flavoring, by comparison, tastes like lemon water. I’m not sure what I’ll do. Maybe I’ll keep working on it. It’s not really close though.
Between the custom electrolyte powder and the custom flavoring, I’m traveling with eight or nine one to two pound bags of various white powders bought in bulk. Frequent spills. Mysterious white powder on the counter surfaces and floor is not the look I’m going for, but there’s a lot of that. I have to be extremely careful to label everything meticulously. It has been comical at times.
P.S. After writing this journal entry, I was about to take a cold plunge in the creek this morning but decided to do a little research first. I learned some disturbing facts. I made a little game about what I found out. Looks like no cold plunge for me here.
Roads dispatches appear on layng.com/roads after a short delay.