Sunday, January 4, 2009
We sprinted from Phoenix to Glendale today. There was rain in Phoenix but it cleared quickly and we had a scenic, smooth ride most of the way. We stopped for lunch in La Quinta - nice place - and then barrelled on home. Got in at around three-thirty and unloaded the car. Lynette had a long chat with her friend Yvonne shortly after we walked in the door. We are glad to be home. Claire won't be coming tonight as she has a cold. We're settling in and trying to get the cat to recognize us.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The Final Turn
We left Albuquerque this morning, planning to head straight through Flagstaff and on to Kingman, Arizona. But the weather report called for snow in that neck of the woods, so we took a left and dropped down along the Rio Grande almost all the way to Las Cruces, close to the Mexican border. We took a short cut to I-10 via a little road that led to Dening, New Mexico, where we had lunch at the local hot spot, and then headed west. We made it through Tuscon and all the way to Phoenix, where we are now, settled for the night at the Hampton Inn. We just finished some Chinese food in our room and watched the end of "Monster In Law" with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez. The fun never stops!
The landscape down the Rio Grande and along the I-10 was spectacular - mesas and rock formations that poke out of the ground and reach hights in the hundreds of feet, and we're already at nearly 5000 feet above sea level; beautiful expanses of wide open prairie and rocky terrain; mountains in the distance that look like strange sculptures. All in all a feast for the eyes. New Mexico seems like a very nice place. Albuquerque is compact and nice looking - I'd like to go back some time and spend a couple of days. We hoped to get back to Santa Fe, but it wasn't in the cards. Next time.
We're excited about getting home. We spoke to Claire today - she had a bad cold, but she's going to come up to Glendale in the early evening. Can't wait to see her.
This drive had been interesting and mostly fun (apart from the two days when we were both under the weather). Now it's time to get back to real life, such as it is, and figure out what 2009 will be about for us.
The landscape down the Rio Grande and along the I-10 was spectacular - mesas and rock formations that poke out of the ground and reach hights in the hundreds of feet, and we're already at nearly 5000 feet above sea level; beautiful expanses of wide open prairie and rocky terrain; mountains in the distance that look like strange sculptures. All in all a feast for the eyes. New Mexico seems like a very nice place. Albuquerque is compact and nice looking - I'd like to go back some time and spend a couple of days. We hoped to get back to Santa Fe, but it wasn't in the cards. Next time.
We're excited about getting home. We spoke to Claire today - she had a bad cold, but she's going to come up to Glendale in the early evening. Can't wait to see her.
This drive had been interesting and mostly fun (apart from the two days when we were both under the weather). Now it's time to get back to real life, such as it is, and figure out what 2009 will be about for us.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Happy New Year from Albuquerque, NM
We're still on our way home, spending tonight here in Albuquerque. We left Oklahoma City this morning and drove most of the day through very nice weather. Not much news from the road...just drive and watch the scenery go by. It was pretty but mostly flat - a winterscape, with bare trees and brown fields. Cows in pastures.
Our route - Interstate 40 - parallels the old route 66 for much of the way. The old route is in bad shape in most places - drivable at many points, but nearly gone in others. The most interesting thing to me was to see the abandoned buildings - gas stations, cafes, motels, et al - that were the charm and the appeal of the route in its heyday (or so I've been led to believe from movies and books). Now they look like scenes from the Depression.
The good news is that Lynette and I both feel a lot better today than we did yesterday - the bug seems to have passed. Now we are pushing to get home, which we hope will be on Sunday. We will try to make it to Kingman, AZ, tomorrow, and from there straight to Glendale. Can't wait to see our dear family and friends.
I finished "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" and have begun a novel from last year titled "The Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England," a satire. So far it's good enough. I'll let you know what I think when I'm finished with it. The "Yiddish Policemen" book was good. I'll try to post a critique when I have some time.
That's it for now...
Dan
Our route - Interstate 40 - parallels the old route 66 for much of the way. The old route is in bad shape in most places - drivable at many points, but nearly gone in others. The most interesting thing to me was to see the abandoned buildings - gas stations, cafes, motels, et al - that were the charm and the appeal of the route in its heyday (or so I've been led to believe from movies and books). Now they look like scenes from the Depression.
The good news is that Lynette and I both feel a lot better today than we did yesterday - the bug seems to have passed. Now we are pushing to get home, which we hope will be on Sunday. We will try to make it to Kingman, AZ, tomorrow, and from there straight to Glendale. Can't wait to see our dear family and friends.
I finished "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" and have begun a novel from last year titled "The Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England," a satire. So far it's good enough. I'll let you know what I think when I'm finished with it. The "Yiddish Policemen" book was good. I'll try to post a critique when I have some time.
That's it for now...
Dan
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