Road Tripping Pt. 13

Readers, this a fictional road story set in the 1980's, before cell phones and the internet as we know it today. There is pot smoking and use of "Magic Mushrooms" in this story. There is also group bisexual encounter in this part. All sexualized characters are fictional and over 18. This is part thirteen of a many part series. I hope all have enjoyed it so far. Any constructive feedback is appreciated, Thank You S. L.

The six AM wakeup call was a little rough on both of them from all they had done and consumed the day before, but the solid seven hours sleep helped. A quick shared shower and good breakfast had them on the road feeling good in less than an hour. Lou figured they had about 550 miles to go to get to their campground inside the Angeles National Forest.

From what they had learned they were camping about sixty-five miles from the concert. Lou had not known his way around California and realized to late he could have been a lot closer to the concert venue, but it was a case of live and learn. At least they had a spot reserved for them and could still get the show in plenty of time, even with the legendary LA traffic.

They knew the drive would take all day and likely turn into another hot one with them limiting the use of the A/C in the still heavily loaded Andromeda. It was another foggy start to the day which left the car just damp enough to gather another layer of the southwest on her formally white exterior. Lou had said they would wash and clean her interior on the second day after they had sold some of their stones and knew their way around the area better.

They would also find their way to Beverly Hills to get Manny his paperwork and Andromeda a well-earned oil change along with a new air filter Lou bet.

Lou did the first stint behind the wheel getting them past Phoenix before Molly took over for the next three hours. The sun grew high and warm, and it was too busy to share a joint until Molly had been driving for an hour across the parched land. It was another quick Truckstop lunch before Lou took over for a couple of hours again, before Molly went behind the wheel for another couple of hours. Lou was going to drive the last leg into the campground, and it was best he was fresh for the intense traffic both knew was ahead of them.

Molly was fine with this plan. She had driven in the worst of New York City traffic and knew she would have plenty of fun driving on the west coast ahead. They were eighty miles from the campground they guessed when they tanked up the wagon and Lou pulled out into the now heavy and fast-moving traffic into a slowly lowering sun.

They kept moving and Lou was weaving in and out of traffic to keep up as fast a pace as he could over the now rolling hills on the highway to LA. After about half an hour passed a sign saying they were crossing the San Andres fault.

"Earthquake Country!" Molly stated with a look at Lou and No Laugh!

He just kept moving as best he could in the heavy late afternoon traffic, making sure not to get caught up in a highway split. Molly kept up with where they were on one of the AAA maps Lou had with him, which were lifesavers in these states neither of them had ever driven in before.

About a half mile behind Lou and Molly, Gina was driving the converted school bus with Star in the seat behind her with Barny. Joe was a few hundred feet behind them in the VW bus. "Star put on your glasses and see if that is Lou and Molly's station wagon just cresting the next hill. It looks like a filthy version of their car."

Star put on her glasses and borrowed Barny's "spy glass" and went up front to get a look at the next set of hills. Being careful not to point the glass into the sun she all but leaned into the windshield to look out as they crested the next hill and she looked out into the building haze, followed by a loud "WOO HOO"

"That has to be them with Andromeda carrying half of the desert on her. Our exit is only five miles ahead, so we have no chance of catching them in this traffic. I am happy to see they made it all the way here."

Barny was on his walkie-talkie calling Celesta in the VW to report an Andromeda sighting, far ahead, leading to more cheers from the VW. Ed and Val behind them were surprised when a handwritten sign appeared in the back of the Microbus, saying Andromeda sighted ahead and another cheer erupted from the tired travelers.

Lou and Molly just kept plowing through the growing traffic as speeds slowed to about fifty and the haze and smog of LA thickened ahead. Molly kept studying the maps trying to figure out how they were going to get to Rodeo Drive and get their oil change and drop off done. "We better get her washed before we go there, or they won't let us in that fancy a neighborhood." She laughed before seeing the first sign for their exit two miles ahead.

They were off the crowded highway and after a stop for gas, ice, and some burgers to cook up. It took another forty-five minutes to get to the camp site just before six PM. In less than half an hour their filthy tent was up, and they had burgers and soup heating on the grill as people came into camp in a steady stream, and they were enjoying a well-earned beer in the cooling sunset.

Most of the others in the campground were there for the shows and soon Lou had two of their neighbors hot dogs cooking on his grill for them as all took turns going into the neighbors tent for a couple of joints that all needed after the hard drive today.

Molly came out smiling and stoned from a neighboring tent, to see Lou cleaning off some of their small and large pieces of petrified wood with four kids under ten watching him work. He handed each of his "helpers" a colorful piece of wood and patiently tried to answer the 478 questions the kids had for him.

The way he tried to talk to them like little adults and maintained patience with them after a long day made her feel even better about him in a domestic life they had talked of. Not everyone was meant to be a parent, but all signs were good for Lou as father material. In a few years!!

They quickly cleaned the grill up and headed for a needed shower after the long hot day in the car. They got back to the tent in the still busy campground and after saying goodnight to their neighbors they went to lay down and twitch for a while after the long drive. Molly went to her handbag and got out their unsmoked afternoon joint and they enjoyed laying down and having a few cookies and just smoking together for fifteen minutes and chatting about the plans for the days ahead.

Soon they were in their bed snuggling against the other in the fast-cooling night, Molly telling Lou. "See you at four for a little fun if all is quiet then." Within five minutes both were sleeping soundly.

At 6:30 Lou awoke surprised at how bright it was already after having slept for nine hours straight. Molly awoke a moment later with a start at the sound of a baby crying in the background.

"No contest or breakfast Nookie this morning, but I need a bathroom NOW Lou," as she was out of their bed putting on the first shirt she found and Lou's shorts from last night, barely giving him time to find other shorts to run for the bathroom with her.

They packed up almost everything but the tent for the long day they had ahead as they headed out to find breakfast and a grocery store to get all their food for the lot today. The "Galaxie Café" might be dirty, but they still knew their grills were clean and the food would sell, and the dirt showed where they had been to dig all the other things they were selling today.

They found both shortly and had time to go back to camp clean a few more rocks, get a pan ready to clean more at the show and lots of water before heading out a 10 AM for the gates to the concert lot opening at noon. Just before they pulled out onto the highway Molly spotted a self-serv carwash on the other side of the road from the onramp and they knew where they had to stop first thing in the morning tomorrow. Today Andromeda would show her busy last week on the road to all.

The ride to and the concert was all the fun that Friday LA traffic was supposed to be. They were about halfway there when Molly spotted a familiar looking converted school bus about a quarter mile ahead in the thick, slow traffic. For the next five miles Lou was again weaving his way through the cars to catch the bus.

Ed, Val, and another couple from the campground they were staying at were in a small caravan behind the bus with Joe in the VW leading the way to the concert. The closer they got to the others, the more the traffic slowed, so that when they began passing their friends they were doing only about 15 mph and Molly was half hanging out the passenger window waving to all their friends as Lou honked and went to take the lead from Joe and see if he could cut through the traffic any faster.

They got in line at the lot gate twenty minutes before it opened and most all were out for hugs and high-fives, to celebrate their safe arrival Soon Hailey and Irv's truck was spotted further back in the line as all were surprised to see the usually clean Andromeda so dirty and full of stuff and with tarps covering most of the back of the car. Lou and Molly told them they would show them what they had dug and acquired after they got parked and had their grills going. Neither wore their good tie-dye's today, and it was old shorts, since they knew they had some dirty work ahead selling their petrified wood today.

Once in the lot they headed for section 8H like Irv had told the and soon there were six vehicles all lined up around the pole for 8H in the best direction for shade while tarps, umbrellas, awnings, tables for merchandise and grills were all fired up. They began to be asked of their desert adventures with the sad looking Andromeda, and Lou began to answer by getting the first five-gallon bucket of petrified wood out and the milk crate of larger pieces and began to rinse them and put them out on the table along with the already washed ones.

They were very busy early setting up and selling their food fast along with the Molson they had been told would not be a problem in this lot. Molly kept the grills filled and meatballs cooking while Lou kept washing pieces and putting some out he had already done. He and Molly had not really talked about what they were going to sell the wood for, and they just came up with a dollar for a small colorful piece, two if they had many colors and going up to twenty-five a piece for the larger ones with bark still showing on them and keeping any they wanted to.

For their close friends they told them discreetly that they were going to sell to them for half that and Molly told Star, Val, Gina, and Hailey to only pay them when they sold some. Irv came by with an ounce of pot he had brought for Lou and he and Joe split it, since he was almost out also. In the first hour had not even washed and put out a tenth of what they had.

After teaching her class Star got a good chance to come and look closely what they had dug up, when Molly took her over to the side and said she had a surprise to show her, and she would get first look at it. Lou asked Star if Celesta and Barny would like to make some money washing some of the wood for them, and soon he had two enthusiastic helpers working to clean with them.

When Molly led her to the back passenger door, At first Star thought it was the log on the floor of the back seat which she asked Lou to dig out so they could see it, and another dozen people stopped to look when he put the heavy stone log on the back deck of the wagon. "You guys dug that out, Holy Shit you two did work hard that day. I bet you were both as dirty as Andromeda!" She laughed until Molly showed her some of their pictures and they were actually dirtier than the car when done that day.

"It was hard work Star, but it was fun to just go out dig, and get dirty knowing we were finding good things right away, showing her the lemon shaped piece she dug out with her second shovel full, and the woman Darcy, who owns the place was super cool and was very good people to us all day, and we did some things to help her out too."

"Here is what I needed to show you first though Star."

Molly got the smaller bucket from George out and opened it to a stunned look on Star's face as she saw all the deep Turquoise blue chips and small stones in the bucket.

As Star began to look through and pick out stones Molly explained. "Darcy from the Petrified Wood Mine asked us to bring four buckets of her Wood a customer of hers in Sierra Vista after we had told her we were going to a festival there next day. We agreed and she let us put a claim in on the spot where we dug all of this for a year for free, and then we met George Perez, the man we were delivering it all to. I was talking with him while Lou and his son got the buckets I spotted this, and he gave me a good deal on the whole bucket of turquoise."

"I promised myself you would get first look at this and I hope it was worth what I paid for it. There is about sixty pounds here although I do have about a dozen pieces already aside for myself."

"Molly, If you paid less than a thousand dollars for this you got one hell of deal from George! What are you going to sell this for?"

"I'm not sure Star. Molly leaned in close so only Star could hear her, I will tell you the truth he said he gave me a deal because they were small pieces and I had sold some of his petrified wood, while his son and Lou were getting the second pair of buckets, so he only charged me $200 for the whole bucket. I feel greedy asking $10.00 for a pound, do you think that is fair?"

"That is a very good price, and I usually would pay a lot more for Turquoise with this good a color. I like that price, but I think you should at least double that price and you will sell all before the show I guarantee. Make sure you keep at least ten pounds for yourself, and I am going to get you my baby scale on the bus to use to weigh some out for me. I want at least ten pounds too."

Star finished with a smile and went to get the scale and Gina to come over to see. "Do you want me to bring you some sandwich bags to weigh some pounds out in?"

Soon one-pound baggies of turquoise were being rapidly sold along with the wood and the usual food and beer. Around two in the afternoon Joe and Irv came by with their friend Wally who made a lot of jewelry, and he wanted a look at the log that his customers had seen and let him know about. He was surprised when he saw the table full of still wet stones and the bags of turquoise marked at $20.00 each for sale.

Molly made thirty of these and kept the last ten pounds aside for any other of their friends for the ten a pound price she charged Star and Gina for the pounds they got. Hailey and Val split the last ten pounds just as they were finishing weighing up the bags for the table.

Wally quickly bought four of the turquoise bags and was soon on the tailgate of Andromeda, helping Barny and Celesta wash the bigger pieces and adding to growing pile he wanted for his rock polishing equipment to work on.

"I have to ask you Lou, where did you get all of this? I hope you dug it all legally."

Lou went and got him the photos of the dig and the paper Darcy had made up as proof of where he dug it all and Wally was all smiles and soon asking if Lou wanted to do any trades for some of the wood in either pot or some good mushrooms he had gotten in Oregon where he lived.

Lou matched his smile and after a quick check with Molly a hundred small pieces and ten of the larger ones were traded for a half ounce of good pot and a quarter of mushrooms along with another hundred in cash for more besides the bags he had paid Molly for already. They did their best to keep the money for the different rocks separate so they could see what they made at the end of the day.

Barny and Celesta had a blast and each left with many rocks of their own along with Lou giving their mother the money they had earned, and all the hot dogs Barny could eat while he worked. Star was a little shocked when he paid the kids forty dollars each, but he said they earned it, but he knew they were too young just to be handed that kind of money out here. The ice cream truck nearby was happy when both kids came by with ten dollars and bought all their family flavored ices for the hot day before both went to take a nap.

At the bottom of the first bucket Molly spotted the first pieces she had put in the bucket and after washing it herself she saw it had a three-color heart shaped swirl in it and asked Star if she could make a wrap to hold the unusual piece as since she thought it might make a good one to hang below "Andromeda's Eye Crystal" as a symbol of love and their cars heart.

"A quick look at the stone and the ancient energies from the replaced tree told her it was perfect for what Molly envisioned and she told her that tomorrow when it was less crazy, they would work on it together and add it to Andromeda's interior after."

In between the madness of selling their rocks they had sold all their food and beer by 4:30 and Molly went to smoke with Hailey and Gina, as Lou was working on the log with an old toothbrush to clean and finally get a good look what they had dug out two days earlier. They kept about a half a bucket of the wood still dirty to either keep for themselves or sell at a later show.

Wally came back with two more friends to buy the last of what they were selling and give Lou the pot and Mushrooms. He now got a good look at the log along with his friend, Frank who was serious about his lapidary and had a saw that could slice a log like Lou's into about hundred thin slices.

"It would almost be a shame to cut this one up it is so intact, but I will tell you what Lou. I will offer you $400.00 for the log. I will make about $1500 selling all the slices I can make but it will be dozens of hours of work to cut all the slices I need and there is a chance it could shatter, although this is a really solid looking one.

Molly was back with him just as the money talk came up and Lou said. "For now, I will hold off. We did very well today, and I am thinking of keeping it for now and bringing it back to my home in Delaware and keeping it there until Molly and I get our own place and it will be a cool symbol of our time together on this trip together, but I will keep it in mind if we run into an emergency."

Then he told them. "Molly and I are planning to be back where we dug this exactly and we have a claim at the sight so there may be more to be found and I will call you two first if I find anything like this." Lou put business cards from both men in his wallet.

"We will be meeting up with George Perez's son then to go and dig and if you guys are around it will just be more fun digging." He did not tell them of the possible trip to dig some more turquoise since he did not know how much he would be allowed to take from the claim that was not his.

Frank and Wally thanked him for the offer to join him and they knew who George was and had done some business with him but were happy to let Lou and the others do the digging.

All left with smiles and clasped hands with Lou saying he would call them before the next show they had any new pieces to sell. Molly was both very high from the new weed they had gotten and made eve happier with his talk of keeping the log for "their first home together".

Little things he said like this made her feel even better about their future and the fact he just did not do things only for money. There were things in life both knew were more important than money, and after today they had made more than they expected.

They quickly cleaned up all around them and quickly washed their grills. In a few moments after Lou washed as best, he could they were in the front seat with the curtains drawn and Lou filling his pipe with the bag from Wally, hiding the mushrooms and checking out the other two small bags that had been traded for more of the stones today. Molly took all their loose and completely uncounted money to see what they had made today.