Road Aventure Day Two: A Devil's Breakfast

After a couple of cups of coffee, I left the Hotel Cortez in Las Vegas and hunted down the nearest Costco.  While a little cheaper than home, gasoline in metro Las Vegas is no deal.  With a full tank of gas I drove to Nellis Masonic Lodge No. 46.  The building actually house three Lodges and the Scottish Rite.  It's a large building constructed in that grey Cold War cinder block style of the late 1960s.  While walking the outside of the building, the Lodge Secretary happened to drive up.  He gave me a great tour of the facility and cool narration on local history.

I  drove about 10 miles west and met my Aunt and one of my cousins for a Devil's Breakfast.  If you didn't know, the Devil sleeps late, so any Breakfast after 1030 AM is a Devil's Breakfast.  The word Brunch was just good marketing on Satan's part.  We ate in one of those local Las Vegas places - you walk into a large open bar with video poker and then up to a hostess who seats you in the actual diner.  The food was good and likely reasonably priced since my cousin picked up the tab.  We said our goodbyes and I was off.

About 15 miles north of Las Vegas they have reduced the 15 to one lane for construction.  LA Style traffic on the outskirts of nowhere.  My next stop was Mesquite Nevada for a soda and some cheese nips; first crumbs in my new car.  Into Utah through the little canyon and back down into Arizona where I stopped in Colorado Springs for coffee.  My car was telling me I was drowsy (it does that); and, it was right.  the picture is from the parking lot of the grocery store in Colorado Springs.  The wind eroded mountains in the background are representative of the entire drive.  

The elevation is around 5000 feet and the temperature had dropped to the the high eighties.  Off with the aircon, down with the windows, open the sunroof and crank up the 70s.  The road is relatively straight and traffic free.  I set the car to drive itself.  Sipped the coffee, listened to the top 40 countdown from 1973 and watch the scenery.  

The road winds back up into Utah and an hour or so later I was driving through Kanab Utah (The self driving feature only works over 45MPH, so through town it's all me).  I see this police cruiser parked on the side of the road.  Time to stop and stretch anyway, I turn around and go back to talk to the cop who is on the side of the road.  I parked the car and as I walk up on the cop car he hasn't moved since I drove by.  Turns out its a mannequin.  Well, I worked with guys who couldn't do the job as well as the mannequin. 

 The road winds back into Arizona.  About 9 miles from my destination in Page, Arizona, it becomes really clear that I need to get rid of the coffee from Colorado Springs, now.    A brief stop and I arrive at my hotel.  After check in I drive about two more miles up the road to the north rim of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River Horseshoe Bend.  Ten buck gets my car into the lot and a lecture from the Park Ranger who tells me that it is a 1.5 mile round trip hike, I should wear sturdy shows and bring water.  Ha - I have $10, hiking boots and a liter of water.  It was hot and the elevation change on the 1.5 mile round trip hike is about 200 feet.  The path is hard packed sand and well defined.  Besides there are about 100 people walking down the same path.  Few of them have water, none of them have hats (its in the mid 90s) and some are wearing flip-flops.  I figure there are two possibilities:  some people didn't get the shoes and water lecture or some people didn't listen.  As I was hiking back up, the Forest Service jeep with the stretcher on the back was driving down toward the canyon.  Lack of proper footwear and/or water got somebody.

There aren't words to describe the beauty of the Colorado River cutting a channel over eons. Dinner was at the Sunset Cafe, back to the hotel and tomorrow it is off to Monument Valley

Road Adventure

I have started a three week road trip across the United States.  Essentially, from Los Angeles, north to Wyoming, east to Maine, South to New York, back west through Vicksburg and across to Los Angeles.  My first stop was Las Vegas, Nevada.  I had dinner with my Aunt and two cousins.  

I chose to stay downtown.  It was a toss up.  My grandfather on my mother's side was a Golden Nugget man.  My grandfather on my father's side was an El Cortez Man.  Well, the Cortez was cheaper; especially since I chose to stay in the "vintage" rooms.  Its clean and quite in the room.  

The casino has a mix of the newer slots and a section of old style coin slots.  Tomorrow, lunch with my Aunt and Cousins.  The off to Page, Arizona. That will be my staging stop for a Friday trip through Monument Valley, Utah.

The trip is flexible.  Leave a comment on the Blog if you have a suggestion for a stop!

Pesticide Smuggler Sentenced to 90 Days in Custody; Ordered to Pay $10,000

SAN DIEGO –Felix Gutierrez Valencia of Perris, California, was sentenced in federal court today to 90 days in custody for attempting to smuggle pesticides into the United States.  In addition, Gutierrez was ordered to pay a fine of $2,500 and restitution of $8,807 for the cost of disposal of the pesticides, and perform 100 hours of community service during three years of supervised release. 

In pleading guilty, Gutierrez admitted that, on April 16, 2020, he entered the United States at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, where 48 containers of undeclared Mexican pesticides were discovered in his truck.  Gutierrez had concealed some of the containers of pesticides in cereal and cookie boxes.  The pesticides included Furadan, Monitor, Bayfolan, Biomec, Ridomil Gold, Kanemite and Rodentox.  Gutierrez later acknowledged that, after his arrest in April, he offered to pay another individual to smuggle pesticides into the United States. However, that person was also caught at the border with 37 containers of Furadan, Biomec, Biozyme and Tetrasan.

Two of the pesticides smuggled by Gutierrez contain active ingredients that are cancelled in the United States, and thus are not permitted to be imported or sold. Furadan contains the cancelled pesticide carbofuran, which is a highly toxic insecticide that affects the central nervous systems by the same mechanism as chemical warfare nerve agents. It is highly toxic to birds, fish and mammals and is classified by the EPA as Toxicity Category I, the highest category, based upon its lethal potency. Monitor contains the cancelled pesticide methamidophos, which is one of the most acutely toxic organophosphate pesticides, also related to chemical warfare nerve agents. Rodentox contains zinc phosphide, an extremely toxic rodenticide.  Ingestion of 7 drops to one teaspoons of zinc phosphide would likely kill a 150-pound person.

According to the sentencing documents, all of the chemicals smuggled by the defendant are commonly found at locations where marijuana is illegally cultivated.  Exposure to these pesticides during eradication efforts has cause law enforcement officers to be hospitalized, has polluted soils and streams, and has killed wildlife.  Cannabis users are also at risk,  In one study, the pesticide transfer rate into the blood stream of a cannabis smoker using a glass pipe was as high as 70 percent.

“Trafficking in illegal pesticides is big business, and we are aggressively prosecuting many of these smuggling cases in order to protect the public,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “The toxic chemicals are extremely dangerous, with the power to poison people, wildlife, water sources and soil.  Smugglers like this defendant are attempting to sneak banned pesticides across the border as if they are illicit narcotics, and they are getting caught and going to prison. That’s how serious these offenses are.” Grossman praised Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Pierson for her excellent work prosecuting environmental crimes, and he also commended agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division.    

“There’s a reason the federal government prohibits the importation of certain types of pesticides,” said Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego. “Some of the chemicals may be toxic and exposure can be dangerous or fatal to both humans and wildlife. This individual not only disregarded the hazards associated with improperly handling these types of chemicals, he attempted to smuggle the chemicals into the U.S., which is a very serious crime. HSI and its partner organizations will continue to pursue, arrest, and bring to justice, anyone who tries to smuggle these highly toxic chemicals into the U.S.”

“The pesticides involved in this case pose serious public health and environmental dangers,” said Special Agent in Charge Scot Adair of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in California. “The sentence in this case demonstrates that individuals who intentionally violate smuggling and environmental protection laws will be held responsible for their crimes.”

DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 20cr2058-JLS                            

Felix Gutierrez Valencia                                Age: 40                                   Perris, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Smuggling – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 545

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

AGENCY

Homeland Security Investigations

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division

Brainerd Man Sentenced To Prison For Wildlife Trafficking, Trespassing After Removing The Head Of A Black Bear On The Red Lake Indian Reservation

 ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Brainerd, Minnesota, man was sentenced in federal court today for wildlife trafficking and trespassing on Indian land after removing the head of a 700-pound black bear on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Brett James Stimac, 41, was sentenced by Judge Susan Richard Nelson to 15 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and a $9,500 fine.

According to court documents, on the evening of September 1, 2019, Stimac, who is not an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, willfully, knowingly and without authorization or permission, entered the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the purposes of hunting a bear. The Government contends that Stimac, using a compound bow, shot and killed a large American black bear near the Reservation’s garbage dump.

According to court documents, on September 2, 2019, Stimac returned to the dump the following day and located the bloody carcass of the bear. Stimac posed for photographs with the bear’s carcass and later shared the photographs on social media. Because of the bear’s large size, Stimac was unable to move the bear from the Reservation. Instead, Stimac used a saw to remove the bear’s head for a trophy. Stimac brought the bear’s head to a taxidermist in Ironton, Minnesota, and left the remainder of the carcass to spoil.

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians does not permit non-Indians to hunt bear, one of seven clan animals of the Band, within the boundaries of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, due to the bear’s cultural and spiritual importance to the Band.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Red Lake Department of Public Safety, the Red Lake Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with assistance from the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina L. Allery and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Polachek prosecuted the case.