The fourth day in the desert started out much like the day before. Bill prepared the same exact food, and we began drinking what was left of our water. It was decided that we would go to a spring Bill knew about 2 miles from where we were after we stopped work for the afternoon in order to bathe and fill our water containers.
Shortly after we began our work that day, Bill looked up to see a dust trail heading in our direction about 3 miles away. Bill, Miles and I, who were closer to the dust trail than the rest of the crew, began to walk in that direction. Just then, Bill said, “Looks like a motorcycle! We must stop him before he goes through the design!” We raced to the edge of the circles just as he reached the dry lake bed a mile from us. We ran further toward him, waving our arms in the air and jumping up and down. It was a man on a motorcycle, and he slowed and came to where we were standing. He stopped and turned off the motorcycle. Bill said,“Hello, we wanted to stop you before you ran through a design we are making here. The man was dressed in brown overalls and wore a vintage brown leather pilot’s cap. He looked like he had stepped out of a “Mad Max” movie. “Hi, my name is John Kasher, and I have a ranch on the other side of the mountains. I’m scouting for desert deer.” He looked past us, but of course, he saw nothing but a few lines and asked us what we were making. Bill explained that it was a carving of an ancient Hindu design. The fellow who was short on words said, “Okay, I’ll go towards the mountain and cross the lakebed there.” He kick started his vintage motorcycle, waved and left in a dust cloud heading north and away from the design. In minutes he disappeared into the sage brush and behind the mountain to the North. All was saved and as we walked back to our work, Bill said, “That’s the first time I have ever saw anyone out here. I’ll have to ask my friend who has the ranch east of here across the mountains about that fellow.” That afternoon we bathed in the spring Bill took us to and filled our water containers. We again began working on the Sri Yantra design that afternoon and worked until about 10pm. The crew was sure most of the marking would be completed by the end of the next day. Everyone was eager to begin the carving using the garden plow. Bill had fastened it with a blade that would cut 10 inch furrows and spread the dirt on each side of it at just the right angle. Bill told his friends that he and I would be driving back to Burns in the morning to pick up more food supplies and more aluminum wire needed and that we would be gone most of the day. Another evening in the desert ended under a full moon.
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Jim AnsleyExecutive Producer and Director Archives
December 2021
Production Blog |