I am writing to you from Sedona after a very pleasant evening star gazing with my new best friend Professor Knauth. Phoenix in summer has a dystopic vibe if you ask me- the heat is brutal obviously, but unlike let's say Dubai- it drys you out. It 's like that Disney movie where the witch looks with horror as her hands shrivel into prunes. You have a sense that you don't have much time until you lose all life sustaining water in your body, so you don't stroll in Phoenix, you scurry -like a cockroach leaving the light.
But the real estate market is booming, so maybe I don't have the right attitude.
We stay at the huge Phoenician with the very un-Schneider like welcome. The procedure for checking into a large American hotel is based on their apparent fear you will stiff them on the bill. You must produce IDs and credit cards for your room, and then they hold your kidney as ransom for your bar bill. Then once all the paper work is done, you are told that the room is not ready. They have taken your luggage to a secure location (much like Trumps' toddler jails) but "you are welcome to swim!!" (in what bathing suit?) When our rooms are finally ready, she tells Frederick and me that we are in "Casita K. As in Carry". This kind of thing cracks up F who is cocky with the vocab now ever since he got published.
I told him she must have meant Kerry as in John, as she seemed so up to speed on world affairs.
Ok but to the main event- after creeping along in the shade until the dinner hour, we arrive at a mall somewhere in the desert for our blind date with the Professor. He and his wife are younger and fitter than I thought, his wife teaches yoga to the elderly and has for years. They seem to have little interest in fancy food or fermented drinks....it was self service which I found sad, but I went with it. Our hero Professor K has his undergraduate from the University of Chicago and his PHD from the sacred soil of Caltech. He said plenty of classes in high school he did poorly in, because he took the hardest ones, for the joy of it- and never really thought about the grade.
He is now retired from Arizona State University where he taught geology, astronomy and probably everything else. He is a living breathing Renaissance man: geochemistry, astrology, classical music, Shakespeare, mathematics. He said he was walking down a hallway in high school and was stopped in his tracks by the most beautiful music he had ever heard, and became an instant life-long classical music fanatic. I asked him what the piece was- and he said without hesitation: the final movement of Beethoven's ninth- what we know as Ode to Joy. If you meet him, you will see of course that song in him- all that genius and joy; all that dancing with chaos.
His father was an inventor of the old fashioned variety- meaning he made his living from it. Together they built this amazing, hugely heavy telescope that the Professor uses to this day (he has another one as well). In retirement this is how he spend his time: he puts the old telescope via a contraption he invented into a trailer that looks like a horse trailer, and goes into the desert and looks at the stars until the sun rises.
After dinner, he very elegantly set up everything and pointed the telescope toward the things he wanted us to see. I heard Thomas emit something between a gasp and a giggle when he saw the moon and all the craters so close. He also pointed at Jupiter and a few of her satellites, Venus, (but she wasn't really cooperating- there was too much dust or movement or something), and we got to see two stars that orbit each other in what must be the most beautiful dance. He told us that 40% of all stars exist in pairs (who knew?) and ours is of course a single mother with her little planets. In addition to the craters, we saw tiny mountain ranges on the moon; and a little stripe across Jupiter. It was just so beautiful, but more than that it was calming. Because it's all ok really. We aren't that great a species, sure; but we did write Ode to Joy, and a little boy and his father built this telescope.
As you know, equal to my interest in those little moons, is following around explorers like Knauth. I am nothing if not a pilot fish mooching off of the adventuresome sharks. I won't build a thousand pound telescope or risk horrible humiliation by taking quantum physics myself, but I wait eagerly at the knees of people who do. In my opinion, they hold the absolute secret to life; they are in on the whole joke and I want them to explain it to me.
For the past 30 years he has taken a sold-out river tour through the Grand Canyon talking about geology in the day and astronomy at night. I told Thomas we are going. Thomas is worried about me using a god knows what for a toilet and him not getting exercise for 8 days. But we will manage. My friend (he signs that now on emails..lol) says I am eminently canoe worthy...or was it raft...? There is a strict no day-drinking policy- LOL.
Because we are not some booze cruise. This is a raft of SEEKERS....singing in German all the way.
Before this gets too long and boring, I have to tell you what he did for the eclipse...basically sleeping out in Oregon for days and then with the very powerful telescope he has, timing it perfectly so he could look directly at the sun for exactly 45 seconds. If he got the timing off, i.e. if the sun were not perfectly behind the moon, he would - because of the strength of the mirror on his scope, "fry the inside of his skull". Literally.
I hope Frederick grows up to be a man like that- a man who wants to look into the sun, and the brains to know how to do it.
He told us he can't describe the colors he saw.
Ok now to the CRATER! First- Sedona is heaven....! it is staggeringly beautiful, the hotel is great (Enchantment something) food good, margaritas strong and lots of Native American quotes and flute music everywhere.
I will definitely come back.
We drive through some National Park of indescribable beauty to the crater which is on a 300,000 acre cattle ranch right off of the old dusty route 66. The asteroid hit 50,000 years ago traveling 26,000 miles an hour, destroyed everything in a 15 mile radius, is a mile wide, and what else..? Oh we saw a huge chunk of asteroid itself and were just blown away. The crater creates a wind tunnel, so on the rim itself there can be over 100 mile an hour winds, hence how weird we look in the photo...we had hot air in our face for the 30 minute tour.
I should post this, but I am sure I forgot something.....stay tuned for addendum.
Meantime, listen to a little Beethoven and by all means sing along! My friend lying in the dirt in the desert would approve.
O friends, no more these sounds!
Let us sing more cheerful songs,
more full of joy!
Joy, bright spark of divinity,
Daughter of Elysium,
Fire-inspired we tread
Thy sanctuary.
Thy magic power re-unites
All that custom has divided,
All men become brothers
Under the sway of thy gentle wings.
Whoever has created
An abiding friendship,
Or has won
A true and loving wife,
All who can call at least one soul theirs,
Join in our song of praise;
But any who cannot must creep tearfully
Away from our circle.
All creatures drink of joy
At nature's breast.
Just and unjust
Alike taste of her gift;
She gave us kisses and the fruit of the vine,
A tried friend to the end.
Even the worm can feel contentment,
And the cherub stands before God!
Gladly, like the heavenly bodies
Which He set on their courses
Through the splendor of the firmament;
Thus, brothers, you should run your race,
As a hero going to conquest.
You millions, I embrace you.
This kiss is for all the world!
Brothers, above the starry canopy
There must dwell a loving Father.
Do you fall in worship, you millions?
World, do you know your creator?
Seek him in the heavens;
Above the stars must He dwell.
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| Training Capsule for astronauts at the crater |
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| meteorite |
