No Country for Old Men

Movie description:  Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter notices abandoned vehicles in a remote desert location and stumbles upon dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash...


We're thirty-five miles east of 29 Palms... going north parallel to the Sheep Hole Mountains... another 30 minutes on a Jeep trail... 103 degrees. We find a trail and wonder where it leads, so we follow it. At the end of the trail is a rusted-out, shot-up 2WD sedan that should have never been driven out here in the first place!

I'm busy taking pictures of this old heap from various angles. It's been used and abused extensively for target practice, with some large caliber holes in the body along with shotgun spray.

The term "shot to hell" comes to mind...

I hear my wife calling me, a slight urgency in her voice. She points out a late-model SUV down in the adjacent wash that I hadn't noticed. That's strange...

My first thought... perhaps a family out exploring or rock hunting? I call out loudly "Is anyone there"? No answer. My wife says "this is creepy" and "I think we should go". As we look more closely, I see no sign of tire tracks leading to the vehicle. It's been parked there for weeks, maybe even months. But it's much too nice of a car to be abandoned. I tell my wife I want to go take a look. She says "What movie does this remind you of" and I think instantly of No Country for Old Men, which we had watched recently. My wife complains that I make her watch too many scary movies that take place in remote desert locations!

I approach cautiously... thankfully no dead body or stash of heroin. No violence or mayhem ensue. Clear signs of vandalism, but a nice vehicle none-the-less, with leather seats, sun roof, all the bells and whistles. I find a Palm Springs golf resort brochure, golf tees and spare change in the center console. Package of cigarettes and chewing gum in the door. License plates are gone. Very strange that this expensive car was not winched out by the authorities or an insurance company as it's worth a lot of money if just for it's parts. And like the rusted-out, shot-up old car above the wash, this new addition to desert decay had absolutely no business being driven to this location. Perhaps is was stolen? Some kid taking the family car out for a joy ride? If so, they sure managed to end up in an incredibly remote location!


Back home, my wife calls the local police to report what we have found. Because of the remote location, they refer us to the Highway Patrol. The lady on the other end of the phone seems only slightly interested in gathering the information and abruptly asks "Are you saying it's not on a paved road? Our vehicles can't get to remote off-road locations!". Really? Well, OK. Not sure what happens when crimes are committed in unpaved areas (which is the vast majority of the desert!). Anyway, we've done all we can do to report it. They mystery of the abandoned late-model SUV continues!!

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Hope your weekend was a great one!