Friday, April 23, 2010

Southwest Epilog

We enjoyed our time with Hugh and Sam. Their son and granddaughter are also there. We all meld well and everyone seems to love the dogs. Tiny readily jumps onto their laps for his measure of loving. Richard takes Gizmo for a daily run.

Hugh retired from the Navy and he takes us all to the post exchange at Keesler Air Base. Huge, bigger than a super Wal-Mart. It recently reopened as the prior exchange was wiped out by Katrina. The gals go one way and we head to electronics. Hugh wants a digital camera. They are out of stock but I buy a GPS. I won't get lost the next time I visit Hugh.

We all decide that we should stay an extra day. We drive through Hattiesburg and visit. The following day we head back to Panama City Beach.

15 days 4878 trouble free miles. We saw more than planned and skipped the Alamo and the Texas lighthouses. I ran out of energy and was quite willing to pass them by and go to Hugh's home and relax and rest. Pictures do not seem to do justice to the Grand Canyon or Sedona. Carol and I have wonderful memories and between us we took over 600 pictures. They will remind us of the awesome beauty that we were privileged to view.

There is so much to see in America. The Columbia River Gorge and the Red Wood trees are high on my list. Now. . . when can we work that in??

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Southwest Day 12 - Purvis, MS

We awaken early, shower, load the car and we are on I 10 at 5:45 am. Traffic is already heavy and we are ahead of the rush hour. The speed limit is no longer even a suggestion. Traffic is moving about 20 mph over the posted limit. I am glad as we leave Houston city limits and slow down to the speed limit. The sun is coming up and we have a great jump on our day. Our goal is to reach Hugh and Samra's home. Hugh and I were in the Navy ages ago. Sam and Carol have become fast friends. We are planning on staying two nights. Their mailing address is Lumberton, MS but live close to Purvis. No post office there.

I call ahead to let them know we are running way ahead of schedule. I try to follow my directions from Microsoft Streets and trips. I must have taken a wrong turn. I call Hugh and he gets me back on track. It is so good to be at their home. It is a pleasant peaceful setting. His back yard has a small pond on his property. I am so glad that I will not be driving tomorrow.

Carol and I kid about her daughter, Darlene, living in the middle of no where Elsie, MI. Well, at least we have cell service in Elsie. I have A T & T and Carol has Verizon. Neither cell phone has service. In a way, I am glad.

Southwest DAy 11

We are on the road in good form. I plan on stopping in the outskirts of Houston. I had originally planned on staying in Galveston to view a lighthouse. I decided to skip it. The miles are starting to add up and I am tired. The driving in the mountains in Arizona with the twists and rapid turns required tremendous concentration. There were a lot of miles where there was no room for error. I am undecided about the Alamo. It was on the list.

The traffic in San Antonio was heavy and I missed the Alamo exit. I was not upset. I surely did not want to get lost in San Antonio. We find our exit in Houston and check into our hotel. I make use of their laundry and wash all the dogs bedding and blankets. Carol is giving them a bath as we are going to our good friends in Purvis, Mississippi. The dogs definitely do not like the bathtub but it is our only choice. No nifty spray hose like at home. Carol and I eat at Denny's which we walked too. It was good and I go back at 9PM for take out dessert.

When I checked in the desk clerk told me either get out before 6 am or after 9 am. Houston rush hour is very intense.

Southwest trip Day 10

We meet Carol' s son Bill and Gus for breakfast. We all return to Bill's and visit until its time to go and see Lisa's home. It is a very pleasant home and remarkable cool considering the outside temperature. Carol has personal time with her son, granddaughter and great grandson. Time does fly and soon Lisa leaves for work, Bill tends to his grandson. We say our final goodbyes with a promise to return to El Paso in the near future.

Carol and I hop onto I 10 and continue our journey eastward. We have a short day driving planned due to our early afternoon start. Our goal is to return to the same hotel in Fort Stockton that we stayed at on Easter Sunday. I will retrieve my pillow that I forgot when i checked out. I also left a laundry bag (pillow case) in Phoenix. The hotel there will be sending it to the Florida address.

We arrive after a four hour drive. The desk clerk returns my pillow. Carol and I return to K-Bob's for dinner.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Southwest Day 9 - Eastbound

We spent a leisurely day yesterday in Mesa at Mike's home. This morning we are off fairly early. We will lose an hour when we leave Arizona. We have a committment to be in El Paso early afternoon. We are going to see Carol's oldest son, his two daughters and their respective sons. It was an uneventful drive and we are there in time. Once in El Paso we check in to the hotel and make contact. Bill and Gus his long time friend will come to the hotel and we will follow to their home where we will meet the rest of the family. There is a pleasant patio partially shaded and visiting begins. It is a peaceful setting and the family begins the catching up on family news. I am greeted warmly. I now have met all of Carol's children, almost all of the grandchildren and great grandchildren. Music is playing, family talking, drinks are available and the sun is warm and comforting. All the ingrediences for a most pleasant time. A cookout is planned and a family dinner.

It is dark as we say our goodbyes. We will meet Bill and Gus for breakfast and return to Bill's house then. We will also be visiting Lisa's home in the morning.

Carol discovers that the room refridgeator is leaking water. I call the desk and I am dismayed that a very young clerk is the only employee in the building with 120 rooms. I deal with the water and will talk to management in the morning.

Southwest - Cacti

These are pictures of the different cacti that we saw during our time in New Mexico and Arizona. I don't know the proper name of each one. I just found a southwestern beauty in each one.

The first two were taken in Mike's yard.




The following two were taken in Mike's neighborhood as Carol and I walked around looking at the different yards.






The following four pictures were taken on the roadside as we traveled from Hoover Dam to Mike's home in Mesa, Arizona.









This picture was taken in Kingman, Arizona.



This was on the roadside as we traveled up to Jerome, Arizona.



These three were taken at the New Mexico welcome center.



















Monday, April 19, 2010

Southwest Day 7- Hoover Dam

We walk across the motel parking lot and have a nice sit down breakfast at Calico's. The pancakes are good and very filling. We then head straight to the Hoover Dam. This is the last major attraction on our list in Arizona. Major construction projects are underway. This route is a major connector from Las Vegas to Phoenix. The traffic can be heavy at times. A major bypass is under construction. In the picture below you can see the new bridge currently underway.

We follow the walkway to the ticket office. Everyone we have met tells us the same thing. "Take the dam tour". Well we have decided that we will take the full tour. Apparently there are two levels and we have opted for the full one.





After a brief movie we begin the tour. Immediately we take elevators down over 500 feet deep into the internal workings of the dam. The tour guide begins by telling us the facts and figures that were associated with the building of this project. The dam was completed ahead of schedule and all loans were repaid as agreed. Contrary to rumours, no one is entombed in the cement. However 96 men were killed on site during the construction. The amount of information was overwhelming.


Carol and Mike are paying close attention to the guide while I take their picture. The folks who will separate from the group for the full tour have yellow hats.



Above are the generators providing electricity for several states.


Carol overlooking the generators.


Above one of the many tunnels within the dam. The interior is amazingly spotless. I must admit I was impressed with the design and the forethought that was included in the original design decades ago.
Following are pictures taken after the tour as we walked to the parking garage. below the Columbia river continues on its course.


The view with the new bridge spanning the gorge.






Lake Mead is about 2/3 of its capacity.



Some of the traffic heading South. Nevada is to the right where our car was parked.



We retrieve the car and head back to Mesa and Mike's home.









Sunday, April 18, 2010

Southwest Day 6 - Grand Canyon

I took the dogs out for the morning walk. It was cold. The windshield was iced over. Mike tells me to remember that we are in "high country". Mike has determined that we will go up route 89 north and then take route 64 into the east entrance to Grand canyon National Park. It seems like we are always climbing higher. The scenery is breathtaking and we have a ways to go to reach the entrance. We see an overlook and decide to stop. This is part of an Indian reservation. There are a number of women from the tribe setting up booths with jewelry, vases, blankets and assorted products. Mike goes and asks permission to enter so we can get a better view of the canyon.
Below are three pictures from this overlook. Absolutely gorgeous and we are still a distance from the Grand Canyon Park entrance. You can see the Columbia River in the third picture. We thank the ladies as we leave. Mike tells us that they often charge a fee to enter. We are early in the day and it is not yet prime tourist season.


We arrive at the park and my Golden Eagle Passport allows us free entrance to the park. We stop at every overlook listed on the guide and several not listed. This is not a place to rush. My pictures and the purchased post cards, while nice, do not do justice to the landscape that nature has painted for us. Mike takes our picture as he will do often.


At one of the many overlooks I offer to take a picture for a couple. I can tell they are from France. When they thank me, I answer them in France and haltingly explain that I have limited knowledge from school. They were pleased and I believe a little stunned. Miss Wood would be pleased that I remembered any thing from French class. During our time there, I speak to a couple from England and another couple from Marseilles. They were surprised that Mike and I had been there and Mike remembered the red tiled roofs. There were a number of Europeans there spending the "euros".












We finally reach the west and most popular entrance. We were going to go to the main visitor center, larger than the one at the east end, but after circling several parking lots we leave. It was not long after that we stopped in the first town for lunch. There was an even larger and reasonable gift shop. We enjoyed lunch and began our drive through beautiful scenery to Kingman, Arizona where we will spend the night.
Kingman is a neat town, Route 66 runs through the center. As we check in there is a small toy train on the desk (not for sale) and the clerk explains that the Union Pacific tracks are nearby behind the motel. Yes they are! We could hear the haunting train whistle often and throughout the night. I found the sound nostalgic and romantic reminding me of a long ago era.




There is a museum nearby and we walk there and spend a good hour looking at the exhibits and reading the history of the town. Here too, mining was important at one time as was ranching. The local boy who made good was Andy Devine. The part of route 66 that runs through Kingman is named Andy Devine Drive. Below is the saddle that was given to him and the one that he used for many years when he participated in the Rose Bowl Parade on New Year's day.


We were fortunate that Calico's Restaurant bordered the motel parking lot. The food was great. When I filled up with gas, I have the car washed.










Friday, April 16, 2010

Southwest Day 5 Jerome and Sedona

We have a big day planned. We will be accompanied by one of my close friends from my Navy days from the early 60's. Mike is from the Denver area and winters in Mesa, Arizona. He will be with us over the next three days as we tour the area.



First we are going to Jerome located at 5200 feet on top of Cleopatra Hill between Prescott and Flagstaff. Jerome is the historic copper mining town founded in 1876 and was once the fourth largest city in the Arizona territory.

Below are some pictures of the wonderful scenery as we climbed the road leading to Jerome. Yes there was still some vestiges of snow on the shaded side of the mountain. We were blessed with wonderful weather on this trip and the air was a bit crisp, but the sun was warming.








Jerome has had a rebirth and is now a thriving artist community and also a tourist favorite. As you can imagine parking is at a premium. We were lucky and readily found a spot. We walked around and visited a local museum dedicated to the mining history of the town.



The homes here are perched on the mountain side and the view from them must be awesome. Below is the local firehouse.


The local hotel below has been updated. The original hotel was destroyed by fire long ago. This is a picture that was taken from near the fire house.



The following picture taken from a higher level in town is the home that the mine owner built for himself and his family during the boom times in the 1800's.



Once we left Jerome we traveled to the Sedona area. My son, years ago, told me it was far prettier than the Painted Desert. Following are a sampling of the pictures that we took. I have to admit that the pictures do not do justice to the natural beauty of the area.







The above rock structure has been named Cathedral Rock.


The town is below us. It must be a mixed blessing to live with such natural beauty, however the traffic is bumper to bumped most of the year.
We finished sightseeing in the Sedona area and headed for Flagstaff our overnight location. To get there we drove through the Oak Creek Canyon area passing by the Slide Rock a natural waterchute. The driving through out all the mountains with the sharp curves and hairpin turns required intense concentration. By the time we arrived in Flagstaff, I was beat.
When we arrived at our hotel for the night Mike and I went in to arrange for our rooms. Carol opted to stay in the car. I told the clerk that we had rooms with queen beds reserved. I was more than dismayed when she told us that she had updated her computer system that day and it had crashed. She did not know who was in what room and what was available and it would be awhile before it would be fixed. I told her it was not acceptable and I wanted rooms then. She said she would call a sister hotel and arrange our room. She asked me if we really wanted a queen bed or two doubles. I smiled and said we need two rooms both with queen beds as my wife was in the car. OOH she said, I see. When we got back in the car, I asked Mike if he picked up on the fact that the clerk thought we were a couple. We all had a good laugh. We were able to check into the second hotel. It was adequate.












Thursday, April 15, 2010

Southwest Adventure day 4

Another warm sunny day as we leave Las Cruces for Mesa and Mike's home. He and I were in the Navy in the early 60's. We planned on stopping at the Arizona welcome center. We were very disappointed that it was closed. We later were told that Arizona closed all but three rest areas due to cost cutting. We turn north on route 70 so we can drive the Tonto National Forest. The scenery was beautiful but there were few places to stop to take pictures. In most locations the guardrail was on the roads edge and the drop was immediate. The road followed the contour of the mountain. It was the type of driving that required constant attention.

Below are a few pictures that I was able to take. Unfortunately I was not able to take pictures of the most beautiful and rugged scenery.








We ended the day at Mike's home in Mesa.