Hooray!! We're back on the road again. We got out of Albuquerque early this morning and drove a long day to Flagstaff, Arizona. We both have fond memories of Flagstaff. We moved to Phoenix from Southern California three months after we were married. Mike went to school in Phoenix for three years. That first fall in Phoenix, we decided to take a trip to Flagstaff. But as young newlyweds, and students to boot, we had almost zero cash. I had left some clothing in a consignment shop earlier in the week, and as we drove out of town, we stopped in to see if any of it had sold. Lo and behold, I'd earned $12 whole dollars! (It was all the money in the world to us back in 1975.) In those days one could actually stay at a Motel 6 for $6, so you can see how $12 financed our trip, practically. We had a wonderful time in Flagstaff that three- day weekend, and it's a nice reminder of how far we've come since those days of being starving students.
Our trip is getting shorter with each passing day. I started reading up on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and discovered the road we would need to take is closed until May 15. It seems the North Rim is at about 8,000 feet and it is always closed from November through May. So I guess that's that. We had talked about going to Zion, but I think we both just want to get home.
We're hoping to reach Death Valley tomorrow, but we don't know how far it is as I'm writing this. Certainly it's no more than two days. We're hoping for a nice wildflower bloom. We know that some flowers are blooming. We just don't know how much we'll see at this time of the year. We're probably a little on the early side. In any case, we'll spend a couple of days there and then be on our final trek home. (I'm so glad.) We may not have internet access in Death Valley. We had it first time around in Furnace Creek, but this time around we'll be staying in Stovepipe Wells. When we passed through there the first time this trip, we noted that there didn't seem to be any service. Unless that's changed, I'll be gone for a few days at least. Foto Finish will post as usual on Saturday, so I hope to see some of your weather images when I can get back online.
When we leave Death Valley, we'll be on our final trek home. We're considering going north through Nevada to avoid the high diesel prices in California. We're informed that fuel prices in California are the highest in the nation right now. If we take US 395 north, we pass in and out of California, but I think we can manage to do our refueling in Nevada if we time it right. Weather permitting, we'd like to stop in Klamath Falls, Oregon, before going to Portland to see our son, Matthew, who is a student at Oregon Institute of Technology. We haven't seen him since Thanksgiving, and so it'll be good to hug him. (Now I have to brag about him a little bit because he just got word that he was awarded an Epic Scholarship. We're very proud of him.)
Our trip is getting shorter with each passing day. I started reading up on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and discovered the road we would need to take is closed until May 15. It seems the North Rim is at about 8,000 feet and it is always closed from November through May. So I guess that's that. We had talked about going to Zion, but I think we both just want to get home.
We're hoping to reach Death Valley tomorrow, but we don't know how far it is as I'm writing this. Certainly it's no more than two days. We're hoping for a nice wildflower bloom. We know that some flowers are blooming. We just don't know how much we'll see at this time of the year. We're probably a little on the early side. In any case, we'll spend a couple of days there and then be on our final trek home. (I'm so glad.) We may not have internet access in Death Valley. We had it first time around in Furnace Creek, but this time around we'll be staying in Stovepipe Wells. When we passed through there the first time this trip, we noted that there didn't seem to be any service. Unless that's changed, I'll be gone for a few days at least. Foto Finish will post as usual on Saturday, so I hope to see some of your weather images when I can get back online.
When we leave Death Valley, we'll be on our final trek home. We're considering going north through Nevada to avoid the high diesel prices in California. We're informed that fuel prices in California are the highest in the nation right now. If we take US 395 north, we pass in and out of California, but I think we can manage to do our refueling in Nevada if we time it right. Weather permitting, we'd like to stop in Klamath Falls, Oregon, before going to Portland to see our son, Matthew, who is a student at Oregon Institute of Technology. We haven't seen him since Thanksgiving, and so it'll be good to hug him. (Now I have to brag about him a little bit because he just got word that he was awarded an Epic Scholarship. We're very proud of him.)
4 comments:
Hi Barbara...
Yes...I remember when $12.00 was a lot of money...esp when you're young and needs are not the same as later on. Interesting story.
OUCH...I forgot about having to 'fuel' your nice trip~! It is $3.34 to $3.49 for regular here.
Have a safe trip home Barbara. By the way diesel is over $4.00 a gallon in Roseburg. Hope you don't run into snow on your trip home.
Barbara, so nice to "meet" you via Amy's Creative Side! I hope you don't mind, but I quoted you ("My favorite quilting tip has to do with not taking my quilting too seriously. I do the best I can, but perfection is elusive. Anyone striving for perfection is looking for the flaws in their work all the time. That seems a shame. I try to focus on the positive as much as possible") to another blogger, Linda of Stray Stitches, who was being critical of her Baltimore block which looks great to me! I was just trying to encourage her and you said it perfectly! Thanks, and love your blog!
Oh, too bad about your North Rim jaunt. Maybe next year, as they say...
Yes, we have the highest fuel prices here in CA, because we have the most TAXES added to it. So I do hope you won't have to refuel here!
I remember going to Flagstaff too, years ago. We went to a restaurant called Crazy Bill's - I think it was next to our motel. I still have a button/pin from there that says "If God wanted me to cook, why did he invent restaurants?" LOL As I remember, they had an GINORMOUS steak on the menu, with no price on it. They said if you asked how much it was, the price was doubled!
Have a safe trip!
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