Alright. I MAY have been convinced....

I love the Outlands. I even wrote a song about it. What I don't love is the Grand Outlandish site in that horrible sandy wasteland they call Torrance Park. I have been going to Outlandish since 1994, have seen various sites, and the event has gotten progressively worse every year.

With all the dust, and wind and sun, not to mention getting booted off our nice, protected, shady spot and having to move to the extreme far open end of the event site, I seriously lost five years off my life last year.

My lord and I took a brief respite from the elements on the last Sunday morning, to run into town for something. We sat in GLORIOUS wind-free air-conditioned bliss for a half an hour, eating the first meal in five days that wasn't covered in sand.

"Why don't we just leave?" he said.

"Now?"

"Yes. Go back to the site, pack up everything, and go."

"OK."

It was that easy.

This would make it one of the TWO times in my entire SCA career that I bailed early from an event. I was just beaten like a baby seal.

I know they say 'Outlanders are tough'. I know why - we are like beef jerky. All the moisture has been drained from us by these desert events. I honestly felt like boot leather, and I was pretty mad that looking at myself in the restaurant mirror actually scared me. No wonder the servers gave us a wide berth.

After returning to the site, we packed, said our goodbyes, and made our way to 10,000 Waves in Santa Fe. Blissssssssss.......

Later on, a nice belly full of Indian Food and a great deal of distance put me in a mindset to NEVER set foot on Grand Outlandish soil again.

We spent our Memorial Day (the actual last day of the event) visiting Bishop Castle and taking the extreme scenic route home through Phantom Canyon.

Many, many of you have heard my vow to cut Grand Outlandish from my event itinerary. Well. Ahem...uh...right.

So I hear they are moving the site. I also hear it's beautiful. Trees. Nestled near the mountains, away from the flatlands that create those powerful wind tunnel effects. Hmmm.

I feel like the dealer has come back into town with a new drug. One that MIGHT not have all those nasty side effects.

Will I be tricked into a bad trip again? Or will Outlandish FINALLY redeem itself?