Lost in Sedona

We left Flagstaff yesterday. I have to say it is very unlike any other part of Arizona, it is so green, while most of Arizona is desert Flagstaff is mountains and forest. It is a lovely college town and we enjoyed the stay at the Fairfield Inn. We had breakfast at a local place called the Village Kitchen, I promised Penny I would find her a place that made pancakes! Thank gawd they did, and she said they were good.



We left Flagstaff on 89A. What a wonderfully beautiful drive down and twisty curvy mountain. Here are some pictures that I took at one of the parks at the top, it is about 7000 feet here. These pictures do not do it justice.



This is a picture of the roads we were about to drive. I got to try Baby (lexus sc 430) out on the curves and it was great, she handles curves like nobodies business and we did not fall off the mountain. Speaking of falling.............

I saw this sign as we were going down the mountain...........so I thought I would stop and we could take another walk. We are getting a lot of walking in, way more than the 30 minutes on my treadmill. When we pull into our parking place it is about 95 degrees out and the car next to us has a dog locked in it. Penny, the saviour of all animals and nature took the license plate number and gave it to the guard at the front gate, who called for rescue. What kind 0f idiot leaves a dog in a car when the temperature outside is in the high 90s? By the time we got back to our car it was registering 108 degrees.

We walked down this path and came to this site. Look at all of the people sliding down the rocks in this river. What a blast, how fun, it's hot and the water looks soooo cool, and it was such a long walk to get here. And guess what we have bathing suites.........in the trunk of baby, a mile back. Damn, poor planning, look at all these people in bathing suites, except us.

OK, so here is the story, and if you ask me to tell you this story I won't be able to because I cannot stop laughing....ok ok, let me get myself together here. So here is the story, Penny loves the water and she will take every opportunity to get in the water. So here is the wonderful water running over these beautiful rocks. Now, sun, shallow water, and rocks equal slick algae. So, I said be careful just as Penny fell went down on her ass in the water in a denim skirt (skort). I was standing carefully trying not to fall, all the while laughing at Penny as she kept trying to get up on the slick rocks. Soon she was on all fours crawling to banks. finally a gentleman went over to help her as I was tippy toeing carefully to the banks.

So, I decided that we should just sit and watch everyone (wish we had our bathing suites) jump off the ledges into the water. Penny steps into a puddle that went to her knee and almost fell again. We decided to walk further up the river, here is Penny on her ass again. So I made her sit in the cold water to help her knee, toe and hand. "Just sit there for awhile." Ok, time to get up and get started again, she reaches down to get her shoe and gets stuck by a thorn, now her hand is bleeding! I may never ever get her back to the car.

Off we go, back to our car, on the trek back down the river, I see two or three nice round rocks near the water. I thought it would be a good place for us to rest, sitting on a rock with our feet in our water resting. I look over at Penny and she is on her back in the red, red sand and water, feet in the air, looking like a turtle turned on its back!!! How the hell did you do that? What happen? She did not know, she just fell backwards, looking into the sky! I laughed so hard that I wet my pants! I still can't stop laughing.

Needless to say, it was a long long walk back to the car and if you think for one moment I let her sit in my car with this outfit on you have another think coming. She changed!

We drove down the road to downtown Sedona. Here is the problem, we are still here. We have only driven 34 miles in 2 days. We may never ever leave Sedona. Did we say that we were going to be home September 07? It may be "08"

Look where we had to eat breakfast this morning, can you imagine!

Route 66? Where is it?
Hazel M. Walker
Queen of the Road

We're back.....did you miss us?

We took a little break to hang out with some friends in Albuquerque. Gail and Ted are very dear friends of mine, Gail is a BNI Executive Director here in New Mexico and they let me hang out with them during the Balloon Fiesta quite often. Ted loves to tell you the history of New Mexico, and he is a Music Collector. Ted and Gail used to perform in a band across the country and they owned a talent agency until recently, needless to say Ted has a massive collection of music and stock Penny and I up with music. We want to give a shout out and a Thank You to Ted and Gail!!

Currently we are in Gallup, New Mexico. Lots of Indian shops to buy stuff, lots of old 66 signs and old motels all along the route 66 road. We are staying at the El Rancho Hotel, and old hotel that is famous along Route 66. Many stars have stayed here including my favorite, Humphrey Bogart. There are a lot of international guest here to. We have met the Italians, a gentleman from Japan on his second Route 66 trip, and then the French Group. We have met a great many international visitors along Route 66, people from New Zealand, Venezuela, Italy, Netherlands, German, Spanish and French. It has truly been an international experience.

The scenery in New Mexico is both breath taking and sad. The beautiful Red Mountains, the piles of old lava, the breath taking sunsets are not to be missed. But the poverty, many old trailers, run down homes, and closed businesses are sad.

Most of Route 66 runs along the side of US 40 it is wonderful to stay along the frontage road and see the sites, but it is very moving to see how US 40 and major interstates destroyed the small towns and businesses along Route 66 especially when you realize how close the two run along side each other. Beautiful old Art Deco style building abandoned, outstanding neon signs no longer blazing, entire towns abandoned and only now starting to restore themselves for the Route 66 visitors. I cannot recommend enough to anyone that they take the route 66 trip and stay on as much of the old road as possible. The history and stories you will learn are amazing.

One of my favorite places in the last two days has been Midpoint Cafe. This is a little Cafe exactly at the Midpoint of this trip. What a great place, lots of old antiques, like a Hoosier cabinet and kerosene stove. Great staff who love to talk to you, give you information and help you in anyway they can. Check out this sign............this is the place you have to decided, go forward or turn back!

NOW........let me tell you about an exciting part of Route 66 that many people choose NOT to take. It is an 18 mile pre 1930s Route 66, dirt and gravel road through dessert. We met several people at the Midpoint Cafe. We all left about the same time. There were two women about the same age as Penny and I, from Virginia, driving a convertible Jag. They got to the dirt road and turned back, deciding to take the interstate. We passed them as they were turning around. Penny, Baby and I decided to take the road..............I know you are shocked that I would take a little Lexus SC 430 with high performance tires across the desert on dirt and gravel. (some of you will not be shocked at all).

It was a GREAT part of the trip, we drove about 20-35 miles per hour and kept stopping to look at things along the road. Penny said that I needed to stop there were apples along the road, I stopped, looked at her and said "Yea, they must be falling from all of the Dessert Apple Trees that we see along the road!" How the hell could there be apples along a dirt road in 102 degree heat? We stopped next time she saw some, they were gourds, we have in our car. Next we were driving along the road and Penny yelled....stop stop.........back up.......I did. Here is what she found, and this is what ended up in the back seat of Baby.

There was a second one, with teeth on it down in a little ditch. She wanted to go down and get it, but I could hear little rattles all around it which I am certain were rattle snakes sleeping in the heat. So I did not think it was a good idea for her to walk off the road to get a second skull. Therefore, only one hitched a ride in the back of my car on MY PILLOW! That Skull is now being shipped home to Mike.

We crossed the Continental Divide last night, today we will cross the boarder to Arizona and we promise we will blog again tonight. Now, I am off to shower and shop!

Getting our Kicks on Route 66

Queen of the Road

Hazel M. Walker

Why? Why Not?

Someone asked me why? Why are you going on this trip? My response, "Why Not?" Really, why not do it?

I have this beautiful little blue Lexus SC 430 named BABY, that I love to drive. I have a friend who has been my friend for almost half my life, so why not take the friend I love and the car I love across a country that I love and do something I love to do. Seems like there is no way to lose on this one.

Since planning this trip I have talked to a lot of people, especially older people and they always say things like, I always wanted to do that or I wish I could do that. There seem to be a lot of "if only" or "someday" in their language. I do not want to look back on my life when I am 114 years old and say, if only I had or I wish I could of. I do not want to wait for someday anymore. This is my someday, so, I am going to take full advantage of it and share it with a friend.

What are those things in your life that you are waiting to do, write a book, take a trip, have a life. Are you saving up your life for someday? How will you know when your someday is here?

Be careful that you don't save your life for someday only to find, that someday has come and gone. Enjoy your life, your family and friends today. All the other stuff will still be there tomorrow. Carpe Diem

Follow us on our trip of a lifetime....................can two people still be friends after a month in a little car with only a few belongings? 8 more days and counting.

Hazel M. Walker