A few years back my high school baseball coach, Joe, invited my family to visit him in Las Vegas. He was working with the Area 51s, the NY Mets AAA affiliate. He knew we were huge Mets fans so he arranged a stadium tour, meeting some players and we got to see both exhibition games against the Cubs. He was also kind enough to put us up in his time share on the stip.
We decided to take a bus tour to the Grand Canyon. The bus left prior to dawn and returned the same day just before midnight. On the way to the canyon, I sat with our eldest son who was in middle school at the time. There was something about driving through the desert that opened up conversations about adolescence, peer pressure and all of the issues kids of that age deal with. The conversation was totally open and honest and we exchanged ideas all the way to the canyon. When we arrived, the family walked the rim of the canyon, observed California Condors in their glory, hiked and had lunch. On the return trip (under full moon) I sat with our youngest son. We also had incredible conversations that just seemed to be inspired by a day in the desert. Hard to explain. In fact, the whole day is hard to explain because we went from the insanity of the Vegas strip, through the desert to the canyon and then right back through the desert to the strip, in one quick day. This song hopefully gives a little peak into that day...
Lyrics
Out of the Fast Lane
Waking round the canyon’s rim
Feel my breath about to blow
High as condors fly
18 miles wide
Snake River winding down below
Driving through the desert valley
Open space, eternity
Everything is right
Full moon comes tonight
I feel faith return to me
Chorus:
Taking the time
Out of my mind
Out in a world
Where everything shines…
Taking it in
Taking it slow
Out of fast lane
Let it go
Son you know it makes me shiver
It’s moving at the speed of sound
Your tiny shadow’s gone
Time keeps pressing on
There’s no way to slow it down
Not long ago, you know, I saw old Joe
He hadn’t changed that much to me
He may never grip
How he saved this ship
From being swallowed by the sea (Chorus)
Walking round the canyon’s rim
Smell the sweet natural perfume
Puff clouds and blue skies
Above the canyon rise
White and gold Cliff Rose in bloom (Chorus)