I've been thinking about Breaking Bad constantly in connection with this case. Whenever I envision "the desert", my mind goes to that scene in "Ozymandias" (?I think), that starts out with a far distance shot looking at nothing but desert (giving rise to the "what are we looking at?" impulse, until a metallic glint appears upon the far horizon, and you realize it's going to be a car, bringing the scene's visual interest (human beings).
I don't quite possess the knowledge to know if this is "desert" precisely like the California branch of the Mojave, as the shooting space (a) isn't identified; and (b) doesn't have much in the way of any type of boulders, IIRC; but this is why I don't have any theoretical problem imagining the vastness of the locale.
Below is a link to the now-infamous Kelbaker boulders, btw (my apologies if this vantage point has already been posted):
Kelbaker Boulders Reviews updated 2019
This person does a really good job with their cinema verite filming, I think:
though one of the interesting things you will notice, is that California believes in shoring up the ecosystem by studding the landscape with nicely available bright blue standing recycling bins (along with shoring up tourist overlooks with bright blue railings).
This, to me, indicates that any note of color such as, oh, a red hat; would stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
Second question which arises is: this must mean that someone is occasionally dispatched to empty the bins of recyclables, though, no? Has that person or persons been questioned about what they did or did not see?
Those boulders are about 6 miles south of where Barbara went missing, but I agree they warrant checking out (could they have stopped there? It's the first place right off the freeway, is used as a leg-stretch by many, hence the recycling bins). Certainly, a 360 photo could have been taken from the (easily accessible) boulder pile, plus of course there would be cars visible. They had to go right past this spot to get to Kelbaker/HH.
The segment starting at about 5:30 shows the type of foliage that is similar to that near where RT and Barbara walked. Really varied and beautiful, some of it quite tall. That's the problem with the hat (if it's stuck up under some plant, it'll be harder to spot). The traveler in this video appears to have gotten back on the eastbound I-40 after his brief stop at the Kelso Boulders and then gets off on Essex to go to his campground.
At any rate, those are not the boulders searched for Barbara - those lie 6 miles north, on Kelbaker. The video gives an excellent sense of the different types of terrain out there. Still, it's entirely possible they stopped there (and that would account both for some of the missing time and indicate that both were out in the heat for longer than just the one 2.2 mile hike).
It's hotter (lower altitude) right at that spot than it would be at the Granite Mountain stop.
Thank you, you expressed that well. That's exactly the impression I had.
I also thought that his mention of bikini/beer was prompted by the mental image of his last sight of her. Wouldn't that be burned on your brain?
I never thought he implied her dress was shameful (it's a common enough form of dress in the desert, especially near the River, but really, everywhere). I do think a single, lightly-built, bikini-wearing woman standing by the side of Kelbaker Road might attract attention, a slow-down and potentially negative behavior.
Are the two of you saying you think RT left open the idea that she would willingly get into someone's car as opposed to being abducted? Because when I first heard the story (it's local to me, so it was on TV that evening, we stream KTLA), I wondered about it. His plea on the Las Vegas station (which was then carried on Inside Edition) was clear though: please give her back, no questions asked (as if she were being held without her permission).
A woman was picked up by the side of a road in the Mojave NP in 2006 (I believe) and reported missing by her partner. She turned up again about a week later (maybe slightly less) in Henderson, having spent the time partying with new friends in Vegas. She was not a young woman, if memory serves. So I was hopeful that perhaps Barbara, being attired as she was, might have gotten an invitation to ride along to Vegas.
However, it would be very odd for a loving wife to take off and scare her husband like that (I'd call it a form of acting out - anyone who runs away from their ordinary life without leaving any notice of what they're doing is at a minimum being a bit passive-aggressive, in my worldview). We now know that Barbara didn't just turn up again (she would have had no extra clothing, been inappropriately dressed for walking around in Vegas, no money of her own, no cell phone, no credit card, no hairbrush or toothbrush, etc) It's true that "new friends" could have provided a t-shirt, but would they pay for her trip to Vegas? Not under any circumstances I can think of. In the case of the above-mentioned missing woman, she did have her wallet. She didn't call her family for several days, though.
Anyway, I figured that RT was familiar with what happened to that other woman, and his mind may have gone there. I never thought he was being judgmental toward Barbara and other than a few posters here and on FB, I've never seen anyone else express that either. To the contrary, Barbara seems adventurous and confident.
I've always wondered if RT was carrying a shirt for her (and sunscreen) so that if needed, she could protect her skin (say, if the wind picked up). Some day, maybe his daughter or someone else close to him may reveal a bit more, I can't imagine their current state of mind, given what's happened.
