As much as I have loved traveling across the country and seeing the amazing things that are part of God's creation, I am very thankful to be settled in one place for a few days. I don't need to have everything from my house, but I'm not great with moving things in and out of the Jeep night after night.
We've pulled everything into this room. I can hook up my stuff, I can access my friends and my world on the internet. I can sort through all of the clothing - deal with the laundry issues. I can walk out of here in the morning without re-packing everything and worrying whether or not I forgot something (I forgot my bottle of Advil this morning ... this isn't good).
When I was growing up, we moved a lot. About every 4-6 years. Mom told me that the first thing I did was collect all of my things into my room, unpack and get my room put together. I couldn't stand being unsettled. I was nesting. And tonight, I've done that here. It feels so good.
I'm sad, I'm pathetic. It's what I do. I miss my room. I miss my friends. I miss my world in Omaha. But, I'm at the halfway point on this fabulous vacation and I'll be home soon!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Max & Diane's Adventure - Day 6
5:18 am. Good Morning! Here we are at the Grand Canyon. Dawn is barely breaking and we can just see the 'gloaming' on the uppermost peaks. I've turned the light on in the Jeep to write, but that means I can't see anything Max is doing outside. Its cold out there. During the drive up, the temps went up and down - 40 to 31 degrees and now it reads 44 degrees. Leica and I are staying in the Jeep wrapped in blankets.
Uh oh - I'm crying again. I've never seen this many stars in my life! The same Big Dipper I see from my back yard every night, but it's so bright and surrounded by so many more stars!
6:35 am. The park sign told us that sunrise was at 5:44 am. Ummm ... more like 6:44 am? I could have had another nap! But, I shouldn't complain. This is a rare experience. The colors are astounding. Layers of pinks and blues above the uneven landscape of the canyon walls.
There are a few hardy souls waiting for the sun to break across the canyon and light up the eastern-facing canyon walls. Though there is a heavy haze, it is still amazing.
The first picture is one of Max's - the second is mine as we drove out of the Canyon.
9:30 am. We just left Carmelon - gas, breakfast and now we are off for Monument Valley. As we were talking about the trip, Max said, "What do 'Fort Apache,' 'The Searchers,' 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon,' 'Red River' all have in common?
John Ford, director. John Wayne, star. All shot in Monument Valley. Yup, he's my Geek.
Here's a picture of Leica in the backset. She is having a rough trip, eh?
9:49 am. Came up over a rise and before me stretches an immense plain bordered by a row of red cliffs that stretch as far to the right and left as I can see. Vast, Grandeur, Majestic, Immense. These are the only words I can think of and they're not enough.
11:13 am. Pit stop in Kayenta, AZ. The monuments are already showing up. These are amazing!
Max: "It's better than going through Universal Studios. John Ford movie sets right here in nature!" He has pointed out scenery from 'The Searchers.' Oh! and that's where so and so's horse died and they had to leave him. And that's where John Wayne hid in a cave from Indians.
Good heavens, I love him.
1:20 pm. We're in Utah and the colors and landscapes are changing radically. More green mixed in with the sage. The deep reds are giving way to oranges, whites and yellows.
1:30 pm. San Juan River
1:36 pm. Mexican Hat. Ok, I know we are in a Jeep, but NO we are not driving that way just to get closer. This is close enough.
We're less than an hour from the hotel and we both sense a nap coming soon. We passed the Valley of the Gods. Maybe we'll come back tomorrow. Looks amazing! As we get deeper into Utah, the landscape has transformed to whites and greens.
I keep waiting to get to a lower elevation. I'm tired of thin air, but I don't think it's going to happen until we get back to Omaha. Sheesh.
Tomorrow we're off to Canyonlands and wherever else we find ourselves!
Uh oh - I'm crying again. I've never seen this many stars in my life! The same Big Dipper I see from my back yard every night, but it's so bright and surrounded by so many more stars!
6:35 am. The park sign told us that sunrise was at 5:44 am. Ummm ... more like 6:44 am? I could have had another nap! But, I shouldn't complain. This is a rare experience. The colors are astounding. Layers of pinks and blues above the uneven landscape of the canyon walls.
There are a few hardy souls waiting for the sun to break across the canyon and light up the eastern-facing canyon walls. Though there is a heavy haze, it is still amazing.
The first picture is one of Max's - the second is mine as we drove out of the Canyon.
9:30 am. We just left Carmelon - gas, breakfast and now we are off for Monument Valley. As we were talking about the trip, Max said, "What do 'Fort Apache,' 'The Searchers,' 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon,' 'Red River' all have in common?
John Ford, director. John Wayne, star. All shot in Monument Valley. Yup, he's my Geek.
Here's a picture of Leica in the backset. She is having a rough trip, eh?
9:49 am. Came up over a rise and before me stretches an immense plain bordered by a row of red cliffs that stretch as far to the right and left as I can see. Vast, Grandeur, Majestic, Immense. These are the only words I can think of and they're not enough.
11:13 am. Pit stop in Kayenta, AZ. The monuments are already showing up. These are amazing!
Max: "It's better than going through Universal Studios. John Ford movie sets right here in nature!" He has pointed out scenery from 'The Searchers.' Oh! and that's where so and so's horse died and they had to leave him. And that's where John Wayne hid in a cave from Indians.
Good heavens, I love him.
1:20 pm. We're in Utah and the colors and landscapes are changing radically. More green mixed in with the sage. The deep reds are giving way to oranges, whites and yellows.
1:30 pm. San Juan River
1:36 pm. Mexican Hat. Ok, I know we are in a Jeep, but NO we are not driving that way just to get closer. This is close enough.
We're less than an hour from the hotel and we both sense a nap coming soon. We passed the Valley of the Gods. Maybe we'll come back tomorrow. Looks amazing! As we get deeper into Utah, the landscape has transformed to whites and greens.
I keep waiting to get to a lower elevation. I'm tired of thin air, but I don't think it's going to happen until we get back to Omaha. Sheesh.
Tomorrow we're off to Canyonlands and wherever else we find ourselves!
Hanging Deer - O, dear Lord!
This is not my daily blog, but I couldn't resist. I had to get this one up right away.
Max and I pulled into Monticello, UT about 3:00 - checked into our hotel. I had wondered why I couldn't get motel rooms through Friday night around here. Wednesday and Thursday night, but the weekends were totally full. Hmmm ... My brother said that it was probably because of hunting season. He's right.
Hunters are out in force here this week.
So ... we are in the last room in this strip motel. It's awesome. Right next to us is a patch of grass for Leica - which in desert country is a big deal. The poor girl refused to go to the bathroom this afternoon because she kept walking on weird pine needles and burrs. They were everywhere. Happiest moment of her day was when Max pulled into a town and spotted a whole bunch of grass.
Anyway, we're unloading everything (Max is - I'm getting high because I have internet) and he comes in and says "You have to go out the door and look to the left." I went out and saw the immense vista, saw some old trucks and decrepit buildings. "What am I supposed to be seeing?"
He responded. "Just look."
Well, I wasn't focusing on what he wanted me to see. So, he had to point it out to me. Not 20 feet from our hotel room was this:
We went out for dinner. Got some great pizza at a local joint and came back to our room about 10 minutes ago. An ATV was parked in front of our room - running with it's lights on. I was focused on that. I told Max to just park on the gravel beside it and was a little annoyed with the whole thing. As Max pulled in, a guy came over and said he would move it - they needed the light ... BECAUSE THEY'RE DRESSING THE DAMNED DEER!!! TONIGHT!
I am definitely a city girl.
Max and I pulled into Monticello, UT about 3:00 - checked into our hotel. I had wondered why I couldn't get motel rooms through Friday night around here. Wednesday and Thursday night, but the weekends were totally full. Hmmm ... My brother said that it was probably because of hunting season. He's right.
Hunters are out in force here this week.
So ... we are in the last room in this strip motel. It's awesome. Right next to us is a patch of grass for Leica - which in desert country is a big deal. The poor girl refused to go to the bathroom this afternoon because she kept walking on weird pine needles and burrs. They were everywhere. Happiest moment of her day was when Max pulled into a town and spotted a whole bunch of grass.
Anyway, we're unloading everything (Max is - I'm getting high because I have internet) and he comes in and says "You have to go out the door and look to the left." I went out and saw the immense vista, saw some old trucks and decrepit buildings. "What am I supposed to be seeing?"
He responded. "Just look."
Well, I wasn't focusing on what he wanted me to see. So, he had to point it out to me. Not 20 feet from our hotel room was this:
We went out for dinner. Got some great pizza at a local joint and came back to our room about 10 minutes ago. An ATV was parked in front of our room - running with it's lights on. I was focused on that. I told Max to just park on the gravel beside it and was a little annoyed with the whole thing. As Max pulled in, a guy came over and said he would move it - they needed the light ... BECAUSE THEY'RE DRESSING THE DAMNED DEER!!! TONIGHT!
I am definitely a city girl.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Max & Diane's Adventure - Day 5
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAX!!
7:30 am. We're awake! Maybe because its 9:30 am in Omaha. I don't know that we're going to be moving any faster this morning, but it was a great night's sleep. The mattress was perfect for me - soft and a little beat up.
8:45 am. We're off! Here is a picture of the Wigwam as we drove away. Max has some really cool pics that will go up on his Flickr account next week.
9:11 am. First stop. Jack Rabbit Trading Post. This is a classic from Route 66. I actually bought some junk in here.
We are surrounded by Indian reservations. The alcoholism that is prevalent among them is probably one of the saddest things I've ever seen. All along the interstate from New Mexico on, we have seen signs that give a number for you to call if you see a drunk driver - and in Tucumcari, there was a building that was specifically for dealing with DWI. While we were at the Jack Rabbit, a young man came in to purchase a bottle of Jack Daniels. The owner reminded him (as quietly and politely as she could) that this was the only bottle he could buy today. Oh my ... that was at 9:15 in the morning.
10:09 am. Winslow, Arizona. We had to drive through to get a picture of Max standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona. There is a great store across the street from this pic that has nothing but Eagles memorabilia. Directly across from Max is a statue of a singer with a guitar - in a little park that was dedicated to the song.
They even have a flatbed Ford that sits there. There's more to the story than what you know. In Winslow's heyday - it was a hootin' and hollerin' Western town filled with 'young ladies.' The men would get themselves all dolled up - even buying things at "The Store for Men." Then, the women would cruise by and if they saw a man they wanted to spend time with, he was chosen.
What a great addition to the story! I loved this place. It is really great. And this is what Route 66 is all about - memories ... whether from the late 1800s, the 1940s and
11:33 am. Meteor Crater Road. There's a sign that says "Slow Down. Baby Calves on roadway." Ummm ... what? Oh, I see. This is an open range! But, we didn't see any cattle.
Before we left Winslow, I decided I was done with the whole - not shopping thing. We stopped at an Indian Art store. Absolutely gorgeous, beautiful stuff. The owner hovered over me trying to talk up all of the artwork that he had. He handles quite a few artists. Showing all of the intricacies and pieces ... I bought quite a bit of stuff from him and felt a little sick that I was spending so much money. But, in hindsight, I should have bought more - you'll see why in a bit.
Oh ... and a traveling tip. My credit card was declined here. Fuhreaked me out! Fortunately, I had another one. I called my bank to check my balance (it's my debit card). Everything was as it should be, but she went a few steps further to help me. Turns out, it was declined because the zip code didn't match. I didn't know that I was supposed to call my credit card company to let them know that I was traveling. She gave me the number, I made the call and the very helpful woman put a note on my account regarding the states that I would be traveling through and the dates that I needed to have open access to the card. Who knew? Well, I do now - and so do you! I was doing fine as long as each transaction was under $100. Yikes.
Meteor Crater. Ok, I didn't go up to see this. Max walked up the 150 gazillion steps to the top of the meteor (and paid $15 to do it). He took a few pictures and then let me know that I missed a 'big hole in the ground.' Nope, not feeling too bad about that. But, hey ... cool, right?
2:15 pm. We're heading north off I-40 to the Grand Canyon. We stopped at the Anasazi Inn. Navajo Frybread. Ummm ... its bread, it's fried. Diane was in heaven. Since we're in the middle of the Navajo nation, there is a ton of stuff for sale. This place had some beautiful rugs. I checked the price - mostly because I'm a masochist and I needed to know whether the guy in Winslow had ripped me off. Ummm ... nope. These people want $1700.00 for a rug the size that I purchased. Good heavenly days! Oh my, oh my, oh my. I wanted to go back to Winslow and buy more.
2:42 pm. We're getting closer to the Grand Canyon. All of a sudden I see this stuff happening. Ths is the Little Colorado River Gorge. Amazing. I shot these out of the car window. We didn't realize what we were seeing until we'd flown by the scenic overlook.
3:15 pm. We're here. The first glimpse I had was as we were driving to one of the lookout points. All of a sudden, there it was. And I began to sob. We drove into the first lookout point, parked and I couldn't even get out of the car. I just cried and cried and cried. There were a lot of people around. I finally put my sunglasses on and walked out to see the amazing vista.
Happy Birthday, Max. Here you are!
I think that most of us who have never seen this, accept it as a glorious sight - maybe someday we'll get a chance to experience it, but we don't think about it again. The moment that I saw the canyon, I was overtaken by the immensity, the grandeur, the majesty of it. And it became very personal to me. Here I was, in the glory of God's creation, standing next to one of the most stunning things I will ever experience. The feeling of awe gives you a sense of how big the world around us really is.
I had no idea what to expect regarding visitor access to the canyon, but there are many opportunities to stop on the side of the road and take it all in. As long as Leica was on leash, she wandered with me. At one point, I just sat down on a few rocks and stared while Max was taking photographs of it.
We saw people from all over the world, Buddhist monks, Germans, French, Indians, Japanese ... and all would stand in silence the first time they saw it. As they walked back to their cars, conversations would begin again, yet not necessarily about what they had just experienced. As if they wanted to treasure that moment alone.
By the sixth or seventh time we had pulled over to stop, I was able to collect myself enough to do some writing and not just stare into the vast landscape.
6:00 pm. We've checked into our hotel and are driving back into the Grand Canyon National Park. Max wanted to get a few shots of the canyon at sunset. But, that also means that we are getting shots at sunrise tomorrow. Yikes! I need to close this up and get a shower and get to sleep.
I'm not supposed to tell you that we ate at McDonald's tonight, but honestly ... we both are still a bit unhappy with the return of the Mexican food from yesterday. All we wanted was a salad and all we wanted was to eat in our room. How ashamed am I? Oh, a little bit, but I'll get over it.
While he was shooting the canyon, I was seeing this glorious sunset happen. Good night!
7:30 am. We're awake! Maybe because its 9:30 am in Omaha. I don't know that we're going to be moving any faster this morning, but it was a great night's sleep. The mattress was perfect for me - soft and a little beat up.
8:45 am. We're off! Here is a picture of the Wigwam as we drove away. Max has some really cool pics that will go up on his Flickr account next week.
9:11 am. First stop. Jack Rabbit Trading Post. This is a classic from Route 66. I actually bought some junk in here.
We are surrounded by Indian reservations. The alcoholism that is prevalent among them is probably one of the saddest things I've ever seen. All along the interstate from New Mexico on, we have seen signs that give a number for you to call if you see a drunk driver - and in Tucumcari, there was a building that was specifically for dealing with DWI. While we were at the Jack Rabbit, a young man came in to purchase a bottle of Jack Daniels. The owner reminded him (as quietly and politely as she could) that this was the only bottle he could buy today. Oh my ... that was at 9:15 in the morning.
10:09 am. Winslow, Arizona. We had to drive through to get a picture of Max standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona. There is a great store across the street from this pic that has nothing but Eagles memorabilia. Directly across from Max is a statue of a singer with a guitar - in a little park that was dedicated to the song.
They even have a flatbed Ford that sits there. There's more to the story than what you know. In Winslow's heyday - it was a hootin' and hollerin' Western town filled with 'young ladies.' The men would get themselves all dolled up - even buying things at "The Store for Men." Then, the women would cruise by and if they saw a man they wanted to spend time with, he was chosen.
What a great addition to the story! I loved this place. It is really great. And this is what Route 66 is all about - memories ... whether from the late 1800s, the 1940s and
11:33 am. Meteor Crater Road. There's a sign that says "Slow Down. Baby Calves on roadway." Ummm ... what? Oh, I see. This is an open range! But, we didn't see any cattle.
Before we left Winslow, I decided I was done with the whole - not shopping thing. We stopped at an Indian Art store. Absolutely gorgeous, beautiful stuff. The owner hovered over me trying to talk up all of the artwork that he had. He handles quite a few artists. Showing all of the intricacies and pieces ... I bought quite a bit of stuff from him and felt a little sick that I was spending so much money. But, in hindsight, I should have bought more - you'll see why in a bit.
Oh ... and a traveling tip. My credit card was declined here. Fuhreaked me out! Fortunately, I had another one. I called my bank to check my balance (it's my debit card). Everything was as it should be, but she went a few steps further to help me. Turns out, it was declined because the zip code didn't match. I didn't know that I was supposed to call my credit card company to let them know that I was traveling. She gave me the number, I made the call and the very helpful woman put a note on my account regarding the states that I would be traveling through and the dates that I needed to have open access to the card. Who knew? Well, I do now - and so do you! I was doing fine as long as each transaction was under $100. Yikes.
Meteor Crater. Ok, I didn't go up to see this. Max walked up the 150 gazillion steps to the top of the meteor (and paid $15 to do it). He took a few pictures and then let me know that I missed a 'big hole in the ground.' Nope, not feeling too bad about that. But, hey ... cool, right?
2:15 pm. We're heading north off I-40 to the Grand Canyon. We stopped at the Anasazi Inn. Navajo Frybread. Ummm ... its bread, it's fried. Diane was in heaven. Since we're in the middle of the Navajo nation, there is a ton of stuff for sale. This place had some beautiful rugs. I checked the price - mostly because I'm a masochist and I needed to know whether the guy in Winslow had ripped me off. Ummm ... nope. These people want $1700.00 for a rug the size that I purchased. Good heavenly days! Oh my, oh my, oh my. I wanted to go back to Winslow and buy more.
2:42 pm. We're getting closer to the Grand Canyon. All of a sudden I see this stuff happening. Ths is the Little Colorado River Gorge. Amazing. I shot these out of the car window. We didn't realize what we were seeing until we'd flown by the scenic overlook.
3:15 pm. We're here. The first glimpse I had was as we were driving to one of the lookout points. All of a sudden, there it was. And I began to sob. We drove into the first lookout point, parked and I couldn't even get out of the car. I just cried and cried and cried. There were a lot of people around. I finally put my sunglasses on and walked out to see the amazing vista.
Happy Birthday, Max. Here you are!
I think that most of us who have never seen this, accept it as a glorious sight - maybe someday we'll get a chance to experience it, but we don't think about it again. The moment that I saw the canyon, I was overtaken by the immensity, the grandeur, the majesty of it. And it became very personal to me. Here I was, in the glory of God's creation, standing next to one of the most stunning things I will ever experience. The feeling of awe gives you a sense of how big the world around us really is.
I had no idea what to expect regarding visitor access to the canyon, but there are many opportunities to stop on the side of the road and take it all in. As long as Leica was on leash, she wandered with me. At one point, I just sat down on a few rocks and stared while Max was taking photographs of it.
We saw people from all over the world, Buddhist monks, Germans, French, Indians, Japanese ... and all would stand in silence the first time they saw it. As they walked back to their cars, conversations would begin again, yet not necessarily about what they had just experienced. As if they wanted to treasure that moment alone.
By the sixth or seventh time we had pulled over to stop, I was able to collect myself enough to do some writing and not just stare into the vast landscape.
6:00 pm. We've checked into our hotel and are driving back into the Grand Canyon National Park. Max wanted to get a few shots of the canyon at sunset. But, that also means that we are getting shots at sunrise tomorrow. Yikes! I need to close this up and get a shower and get to sleep.
I'm not supposed to tell you that we ate at McDonald's tonight, but honestly ... we both are still a bit unhappy with the return of the Mexican food from yesterday. All we wanted was a salad and all we wanted was to eat in our room. How ashamed am I? Oh, a little bit, but I'll get over it.
While he was shooting the canyon, I was seeing this glorious sunset happen. Good night!
Max & Diane's Adventure - Day 4 Update
9:25 am. We'reoff. We got an extra hour by crossing into the Mountain Time Zone. For a couple of night people - what a blessing.
9:35 am. 24 miles of 1 lane at 45 mph. Sheesh. Gotta love it. Guess I have some quality time with Max ahead of me.
9:38 am. I'm complainin about construction and I look up as the Interstate cuts through a mesa. It's stunning. Shut up, Diane! If you are going slow, you have more time to enjoy the beauty.
I am filled with wonder at the majesty of God's creation. My eyes fill with tears as I am overcome with this incredible beauty. It's not often that I am exposed to brand-new visual experiences as grand as this, I am a little overwhelmed (and I was so overwhelmed, that it didn't occur to me to take pictures out the window of the car!)
10:27 am. Went under an overpass which was gorgeous. Yup, the overpass. Done in the yellow sandstone and painted with Indian symbols. My ears are popping. We're gaining altitude.
10:55 am. Rest area. Much needed potty break. Whoops. Are you kidding? There's a historical marker here. Cool!
11:08 am. It just occurred to me. I don't need to go to Santa Fe to shop. I can just go online and have things shipped. Ok, not funny? Yes, it is if you know me.
11:24 am. Turned north to Santa Fe. Hilarious! We were going to stop at Cline's Corner - a huge trading post, off-interstate junk place, but it is just west of the exit. I can't get to it. That's a hoot. No shopping for me!
Huh! Weird flash. We're listening to tons of 70s music. "Brandy by Looking Glass just came on and I had a quick flash to me driving in Sigourney in the 70s singing along with the radio on this song.
The air is getting thin as we achieve higher elevation. Max just turned up the fan so that we had more air blowing around in here.
11:35 am. I can stand it no longer. I made Max pull over and shoot some pictures. This is amazing. Sangro di Cristo Mountains., clouds, huge vistas ... oh my! (Max's pictures will be up on Flickr next week. Our internet connections have been awful and don't allow him to upload those huge files.)
12:25 pm. Approaching Santa Fe. Ok, I know this isn't new information, but watching the color palette change is pretty wild. Dusty rose in the earth, pastel yellow, sage green in the brush, light purple hues everywhere.
2:42 pm. Leaving Santa Fe. Guess what. I'm not a shopper. I should have known better when I didn't go shopping in Estes Park last summer. Fran, this is SO a place you would adore. We started driving down the small streets and found ourselves in a crush of people and cars and activity and I couldn't breathe. The idea of wandering from store to store looking for stuff that I don't need quickly became a bad idea.
We found an authentic Mexican restaurant. Run by Mexicans, the menu was in Spanish with the English translation as an aside, filled with Mexicans. Amazing food. And we both know that were going to pay for this.
Traveling back down I-25 to grab I-40 in Albuquerque. We have a long drive ahead of us to get to Holbrook, AZ. Off we go.
4:36 pm. Scenic overlook (nothing there - really). The local Indians have set up stalls at these overlooks and sell their wares. Sometimes they're filled, other times, one lone man stands in a booth hoping to catch a tourist.
5:28 pm. Prewitt, NM. Red cliffs are replacing the yellow mesas. Beautiful!
6:23 pm. Jut left Gallup, NM. Yup, we were too late. The stores had closed. Tons of Indian shops. It figures. No shopping for me.
6:00 pm. We just gained another hour by driving into Arizona. But, the sun is setting anyway. Arizona messes with Daylight Savings - so, for six months out of the year, they are on Pacific time and the other 6 they are on Mountain time.
6:00 pm. Arrive at the Wigwam motel (pictures in the next blog). What a great idea! Difficult to drag into the 21st century. No phone in the room, no internet, but beautifully kept up ... rustic furnishings. Lots of old cars parked in front of the wigwams. Awesome.
7:30 pm. Looking for a place to eat supper. We ended up at a little dive attached to a different motel. Total dive. Run by an Indian ... no one else was in there the entire time Max and I ate. We decided to eat at the counter and make it easy on the old guy. The Mexican food was starting to catch up to us and all we wanted was something light and bland. Tuna salad sandwich for me (that he made from scratch while I waited) and hot beef/potatoes for Max.
Back to the room. I hardly know what to do with myself with no internet access to keep up with you all. I read a book and went to sleep.
Good night!
9:35 am. 24 miles of 1 lane at 45 mph. Sheesh. Gotta love it. Guess I have some quality time with Max ahead of me.
9:38 am. I'm complainin about construction and I look up as the Interstate cuts through a mesa. It's stunning. Shut up, Diane! If you are going slow, you have more time to enjoy the beauty.
I am filled with wonder at the majesty of God's creation. My eyes fill with tears as I am overcome with this incredible beauty. It's not often that I am exposed to brand-new visual experiences as grand as this, I am a little overwhelmed (and I was so overwhelmed, that it didn't occur to me to take pictures out the window of the car!)
10:27 am. Went under an overpass which was gorgeous. Yup, the overpass. Done in the yellow sandstone and painted with Indian symbols. My ears are popping. We're gaining altitude.
10:55 am. Rest area. Much needed potty break. Whoops. Are you kidding? There's a historical marker here. Cool!
11:08 am. It just occurred to me. I don't need to go to Santa Fe to shop. I can just go online and have things shipped. Ok, not funny? Yes, it is if you know me.
11:24 am. Turned north to Santa Fe. Hilarious! We were going to stop at Cline's Corner - a huge trading post, off-interstate junk place, but it is just west of the exit. I can't get to it. That's a hoot. No shopping for me!
Huh! Weird flash. We're listening to tons of 70s music. "Brandy by Looking Glass just came on and I had a quick flash to me driving in Sigourney in the 70s singing along with the radio on this song.
The air is getting thin as we achieve higher elevation. Max just turned up the fan so that we had more air blowing around in here.
11:35 am. I can stand it no longer. I made Max pull over and shoot some pictures. This is amazing. Sangro di Cristo Mountains., clouds, huge vistas ... oh my! (Max's pictures will be up on Flickr next week. Our internet connections have been awful and don't allow him to upload those huge files.)
12:25 pm. Approaching Santa Fe. Ok, I know this isn't new information, but watching the color palette change is pretty wild. Dusty rose in the earth, pastel yellow, sage green in the brush, light purple hues everywhere.
2:42 pm. Leaving Santa Fe. Guess what. I'm not a shopper. I should have known better when I didn't go shopping in Estes Park last summer. Fran, this is SO a place you would adore. We started driving down the small streets and found ourselves in a crush of people and cars and activity and I couldn't breathe. The idea of wandering from store to store looking for stuff that I don't need quickly became a bad idea.
We found an authentic Mexican restaurant. Run by Mexicans, the menu was in Spanish with the English translation as an aside, filled with Mexicans. Amazing food. And we both know that were going to pay for this.
Traveling back down I-25 to grab I-40 in Albuquerque. We have a long drive ahead of us to get to Holbrook, AZ. Off we go.
4:36 pm. Scenic overlook (nothing there - really). The local Indians have set up stalls at these overlooks and sell their wares. Sometimes they're filled, other times, one lone man stands in a booth hoping to catch a tourist.
5:28 pm. Prewitt, NM. Red cliffs are replacing the yellow mesas. Beautiful!
6:23 pm. Jut left Gallup, NM. Yup, we were too late. The stores had closed. Tons of Indian shops. It figures. No shopping for me.
6:00 pm. We just gained another hour by driving into Arizona. But, the sun is setting anyway. Arizona messes with Daylight Savings - so, for six months out of the year, they are on Pacific time and the other 6 they are on Mountain time.
6:00 pm. Arrive at the Wigwam motel (pictures in the next blog). What a great idea! Difficult to drag into the 21st century. No phone in the room, no internet, but beautifully kept up ... rustic furnishings. Lots of old cars parked in front of the wigwams. Awesome.
7:30 pm. Looking for a place to eat supper. We ended up at a little dive attached to a different motel. Total dive. Run by an Indian ... no one else was in there the entire time Max and I ate. We decided to eat at the counter and make it easy on the old guy. The Mexican food was starting to catch up to us and all we wanted was something light and bland. Tuna salad sandwich for me (that he made from scratch while I waited) and hot beef/potatoes for Max.
Back to the room. I hardly know what to do with myself with no internet access to keep up with you all. I read a book and went to sleep.
Good night!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Max & Diane's Adventure - Day 4
Doggone it! I left my notes back at the Wigwam. Yes, Max and I are in a wigwam tonight. With no internet.
I'm sitting in front of the Best Western - stealing theirs. I had to get my Pour Out a Blessing blog out. It's only 8:30 in Arizona - it's 10:30 in Omaha. My body is very confused. We're exhausted. Today was a very long day - mostly driving, not a lot of sight-seeing.
I did get some beautiful shots out the window of our car as we were driving, but we had a lot of miles to cover today. Poor Max is totally wiped out. He's back at the Wigwam with the dog.
I will have him shoot pictures of the place in the morning - it was much too dark when we came in tonight. It's a total riot.
You will get two blogs tomorrow, I promise. But, since I'm pretty much wiped out AND I forgot all of my notes from the day ... you get this apology blog, with two pictures.
The first is the VW van that was outside our motel room at the Blue Swallow and the second is the gorgeous sunset in Eastern Arizona.
Good night all!
I'm sitting in front of the Best Western - stealing theirs. I had to get my Pour Out a Blessing blog out. It's only 8:30 in Arizona - it's 10:30 in Omaha. My body is very confused. We're exhausted. Today was a very long day - mostly driving, not a lot of sight-seeing.
I did get some beautiful shots out the window of our car as we were driving, but we had a lot of miles to cover today. Poor Max is totally wiped out. He's back at the Wigwam with the dog.
I will have him shoot pictures of the place in the morning - it was much too dark when we came in tonight. It's a total riot.
You will get two blogs tomorrow, I promise. But, since I'm pretty much wiped out AND I forgot all of my notes from the day ... you get this apology blog, with two pictures.
The first is the VW van that was outside our motel room at the Blue Swallow and the second is the gorgeous sunset in Eastern Arizona.
Good night all!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Max & Diane's Adventure - Day 3
Fran and I were talking tonight and decided that this should have been titled "Two Geeks on the Road." Oh well ...
7:30 am. Yes, I heard the motorcycle parked next to our Jeep fire up and leave. No, I'm not waking up.
8:45 am. We're moving. Slowly but surely. Even after the late night, we're up a bit earlier. Yea!
9:20 am. On the road. Where's Route 66? You have to get off the freeway (I-40). I can see the freeway less than 2 miles south of us, but we are on an old bumpy road and my hand can't make contact with the page very well. Route 66 pretty much parallels I-40.
The first thing we saw as we drove out of El Reno was a Historical Marker. We had to stop. And this was it: (Civil War)
9:38 am. My husband is a freak! We are driving on a road that was built in 1932. He says to me, "Oh ... people would have driven to California on this road during the dust bowl!" Fine. I'm cool with the historical memories. But, he couldn't stop himself. "Field of FSA. Out of the shadows come FSA photographers - Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein ..." Yes, this is the man I live with.
9:50 am. Drove out of our way (kinda) to traverse a bridge with 38 spans. When the bridge was built there was no equipment that could lift a span large enough, so they made do with the size they could lift and this bridge required 38 of them!
9:56 am. Really rough road. A large cow was wandering in the ditch and decided that it wanted to cross the road in front of us. For a moment, none of us were sure who would be stopping. Finally, the cow stopped. We went on.
10:20 am. One of many ways to send your wife into a tailspin: ignore her when she says, "Get gas here." Fumes in the gas tank make her very nervous.
11:35 am. I guess we are the heathens in a holy state. Everything is closed. The only restaurants that remain open are chain fast food. The National Route 66 Museum is even closed. Too bad, so sad. The entire museum complex is as much kitsch as anything else on the road. Oh ... WalMart is open.
Max tried to get in ... he failed.
Poor Leica came hopping back to the car from a quick run in the grass. What's wrong? I immediately figured she had pulled something from the way she was holding her back leg. I picked her up, put her in the front seat and saw a burr on her foot. Nasty. I took it out. She still wouldn't relax. Oh, sheesh! Another one right in the pad. When I pulled that one out, she got mad at me for hurting her and is sulking in the back seat.
12:10 pm. Rest area just east of Erick, OK. Max says it must be from the pleiostene era. Scary, creepy, old. The women's handicap stall hd a shower curtain instead of a door! Not using that one!
Max is feeling less adventurous today. Thank goodness. More freeway - less trying to find a nonexistent road. I'm totally fine with this.
12:20 pm. Texas. Well, this is another state I've never been to before. Whee! Hmmm ... "Proud home of President George Bush." Sometimes you forget that people like that are really from some place.
12:45 pm. Shamrock, Texas. We tried to eat at the U-Drop Inn, but I'm guessing that Texas is just as holy as Oklahoma. Not open. Max got a great picture of the old Conoco station with the U-Drop Inn restaurant. All spruced up - looking good. This is better than many of the other sites along Route 66 ... much deterioration. We ended up eating at Mitchell's Family Dining. Wonderful food - scary people. Mostly because I was quite out of place. I'm from the midwest ... not Texas. My face isn't lined, we don't wear cowboy boots and I'm not dressed like a dolled-up ... well ... I'm just not.
Absolutely wonderful food though. Baked steak, homemade (real) mashed potatoes, real homemade french fries - the steak came out with fried onions and mushrooms on top. Enough to keep us going for the day. But, with Max not eating carbs ... it was embarrassing to leave potatoes and fries on our plates - especially with the hearty appetites of the people in that place!
We are taking Leonard's "Scooby Doo" with us on the trip - Max thought it would be funny to take a picture of him bellying up to the plate - this is one of Leonard's favorite meals. But, I figured that we might get shot or at least a good talkin' to - the picture wasn't going to happen.
2:00 pm. McLean, Texas. One of the saddest things I've seen. Lots of boarded up buildings and deserted sites. This Phillips 66 is deserted, but has been beautifully painted. It was wonderful!
2:37 pm. Leaning Tower of Texas. This picture doesn't do the "LEAN" justice. It was built to lean - simply to draw people off of Route 66 and into town. Awesome.
2:42 pm. We're driving by (the picture is taken out the front window) the 'largest cross in the western hemisphere.' And a gift shop is being built around this. Good for them!
3:15 pm. Amarillo, TX. Huh. A friend from my high school (lo, those many years ago) was trying to reach me today to get me to stop. Since I can only send, but not receive, I missed that message. But, this was an entertaining stop for us. The stupid Garmin ... no, I take that back ... it was the Google placemarkers that were stupid took us into the heart of a bad area of Amarillo to see Cadillac Ranch. Max got annoyed and announced that we were just leaving. Ok ... whatever. On the way out, we stopped for pictures at The Big Texan Steakhouse. Too bad we had already eaten ... this could have been fun (to watch Max attempt). It's a staple of Route 66 now. I loved the hotel right next to it. Each room (outside) was painted a different color. Just awesome!
4:08 pm. I wasn't going to let the Cadillac Ranch get away from us. Since I can get Wikipedia on my Kindle, I looked it up quickly and found the actual coordinates. Punched those into the Garmin and we were off again. This place is just great. Just off the road, people are encouraged to spray paint the cars. Here are 5 of the 10 that were planted.
It is freakin 85 degrees in Texas. October 19!!!! Are you kidding me with this? I'm never living here. I'd be a mean woman ... all the time.
4:45 pm. Midpoint on Route 66. Adrian, Texas. Had to mark that!
5:06 pm. Nearly out of Texas. All of a sudden the landscape changes radically. Mesas are simply amazing! And the brush is so funky. I'm loving this!
Time Change - now I have no idea what time it is. We are in New Mexico and have come in to Tucumcari. Max has been talking about this motel (Blue Swallow Motel) forever! There are 15 units and each has a garage. However, our Jeep isn't going to fit. This was built in the 40s or 50s when cars were much smaller.
This is the sweetest motel. Almost like a bed and breakfast (except no breakfast). I can't believe it! It's just wonderful! This is why I like staying in these strip motels. I lay my head down on the bed and I knew that the quilt (look! it's really a quilt!) was clean - I could smell the dryer sheet. Though this is a really old hotel, they have done a lot of work in restoring and cleaning it up. I'm happy that we got a chance to experience this.
Poor Leica got ANOTHER burr in the pad of her paw outside the hotel. I feel like I should tie leather pads to her feet! She's a city dog that lives inside! This kind of pain is a bit startling.
Max and I had a great dinner in Tucumcari and then drove around the city a bit. Back to the hotel and we're relaxing. I should be asleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. We're headed to Santa Fe for shopping and then we'll be in Holbrook, AZ tomorrow night at the Wigwam Motel. I can hardly wait!
7:30 am. Yes, I heard the motorcycle parked next to our Jeep fire up and leave. No, I'm not waking up.
8:45 am. We're moving. Slowly but surely. Even after the late night, we're up a bit earlier. Yea!
9:20 am. On the road. Where's Route 66? You have to get off the freeway (I-40). I can see the freeway less than 2 miles south of us, but we are on an old bumpy road and my hand can't make contact with the page very well. Route 66 pretty much parallels I-40.
The first thing we saw as we drove out of El Reno was a Historical Marker. We had to stop. And this was it: (Civil War)
9:38 am. My husband is a freak! We are driving on a road that was built in 1932. He says to me, "Oh ... people would have driven to California on this road during the dust bowl!" Fine. I'm cool with the historical memories. But, he couldn't stop himself. "Field of FSA. Out of the shadows come FSA photographers - Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein ..." Yes, this is the man I live with.
9:50 am. Drove out of our way (kinda) to traverse a bridge with 38 spans. When the bridge was built there was no equipment that could lift a span large enough, so they made do with the size they could lift and this bridge required 38 of them!
9:56 am. Really rough road. A large cow was wandering in the ditch and decided that it wanted to cross the road in front of us. For a moment, none of us were sure who would be stopping. Finally, the cow stopped. We went on.
10:20 am. One of many ways to send your wife into a tailspin: ignore her when she says, "Get gas here." Fumes in the gas tank make her very nervous.
11:35 am. I guess we are the heathens in a holy state. Everything is closed. The only restaurants that remain open are chain fast food. The National Route 66 Museum is even closed. Too bad, so sad. The entire museum complex is as much kitsch as anything else on the road. Oh ... WalMart is open.
Max tried to get in ... he failed.
Poor Leica came hopping back to the car from a quick run in the grass. What's wrong? I immediately figured she had pulled something from the way she was holding her back leg. I picked her up, put her in the front seat and saw a burr on her foot. Nasty. I took it out. She still wouldn't relax. Oh, sheesh! Another one right in the pad. When I pulled that one out, she got mad at me for hurting her and is sulking in the back seat.
12:10 pm. Rest area just east of Erick, OK. Max says it must be from the pleiostene era. Scary, creepy, old. The women's handicap stall hd a shower curtain instead of a door! Not using that one!
Max is feeling less adventurous today. Thank goodness. More freeway - less trying to find a nonexistent road. I'm totally fine with this.
12:20 pm. Texas. Well, this is another state I've never been to before. Whee! Hmmm ... "Proud home of President George Bush." Sometimes you forget that people like that are really from some place.
12:45 pm. Shamrock, Texas. We tried to eat at the U-Drop Inn, but I'm guessing that Texas is just as holy as Oklahoma. Not open. Max got a great picture of the old Conoco station with the U-Drop Inn restaurant. All spruced up - looking good. This is better than many of the other sites along Route 66 ... much deterioration. We ended up eating at Mitchell's Family Dining. Wonderful food - scary people. Mostly because I was quite out of place. I'm from the midwest ... not Texas. My face isn't lined, we don't wear cowboy boots and I'm not dressed like a dolled-up ... well ... I'm just not.
Absolutely wonderful food though. Baked steak, homemade (real) mashed potatoes, real homemade french fries - the steak came out with fried onions and mushrooms on top. Enough to keep us going for the day. But, with Max not eating carbs ... it was embarrassing to leave potatoes and fries on our plates - especially with the hearty appetites of the people in that place!
We are taking Leonard's "Scooby Doo" with us on the trip - Max thought it would be funny to take a picture of him bellying up to the plate - this is one of Leonard's favorite meals. But, I figured that we might get shot or at least a good talkin' to - the picture wasn't going to happen.
2:00 pm. McLean, Texas. One of the saddest things I've seen. Lots of boarded up buildings and deserted sites. This Phillips 66 is deserted, but has been beautifully painted. It was wonderful!
2:37 pm. Leaning Tower of Texas. This picture doesn't do the "LEAN" justice. It was built to lean - simply to draw people off of Route 66 and into town. Awesome.
2:42 pm. We're driving by (the picture is taken out the front window) the 'largest cross in the western hemisphere.' And a gift shop is being built around this. Good for them!
3:15 pm. Amarillo, TX. Huh. A friend from my high school (lo, those many years ago) was trying to reach me today to get me to stop. Since I can only send, but not receive, I missed that message. But, this was an entertaining stop for us. The stupid Garmin ... no, I take that back ... it was the Google placemarkers that were stupid took us into the heart of a bad area of Amarillo to see Cadillac Ranch. Max got annoyed and announced that we were just leaving. Ok ... whatever. On the way out, we stopped for pictures at The Big Texan Steakhouse. Too bad we had already eaten ... this could have been fun (to watch Max attempt). It's a staple of Route 66 now. I loved the hotel right next to it. Each room (outside) was painted a different color. Just awesome!
4:08 pm. I wasn't going to let the Cadillac Ranch get away from us. Since I can get Wikipedia on my Kindle, I looked it up quickly and found the actual coordinates. Punched those into the Garmin and we were off again. This place is just great. Just off the road, people are encouraged to spray paint the cars. Here are 5 of the 10 that were planted.
It is freakin 85 degrees in Texas. October 19!!!! Are you kidding me with this? I'm never living here. I'd be a mean woman ... all the time.
4:45 pm. Midpoint on Route 66. Adrian, Texas. Had to mark that!
5:06 pm. Nearly out of Texas. All of a sudden the landscape changes radically. Mesas are simply amazing! And the brush is so funky. I'm loving this!
Time Change - now I have no idea what time it is. We are in New Mexico and have come in to Tucumcari. Max has been talking about this motel (Blue Swallow Motel) forever! There are 15 units and each has a garage. However, our Jeep isn't going to fit. This was built in the 40s or 50s when cars were much smaller.
This is the sweetest motel. Almost like a bed and breakfast (except no breakfast). I can't believe it! It's just wonderful! This is why I like staying in these strip motels. I lay my head down on the bed and I knew that the quilt (look! it's really a quilt!) was clean - I could smell the dryer sheet. Though this is a really old hotel, they have done a lot of work in restoring and cleaning it up. I'm happy that we got a chance to experience this.
Poor Leica got ANOTHER burr in the pad of her paw outside the hotel. I feel like I should tie leather pads to her feet! She's a city dog that lives inside! This kind of pain is a bit startling.
Max and I had a great dinner in Tucumcari and then drove around the city a bit. Back to the hotel and we're relaxing. I should be asleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. We're headed to Santa Fe for shopping and then we'll be in Holbrook, AZ tomorrow night at the Wigwam Motel. I can hardly wait!
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