The View From My Window--Road Trips, Tucson/ Gold Rush Trail

[Dawn Patrol]

We started out e-a-r-l-y, why we had to leave before the crack of dawn is beyond me. Personally I think starting any road trip before the cock crows harkens back to pioneer days when an early start was needed if you wanted to make the next watering hole before keeling over. Somehow my husband ignores the fact that cars have long ago made those watering holes a lot closer together. At any rate, in the middle of the night we set off for Tucson, Arizona.

L.A.
Even leaving as early as we did, we still run into loads of traffic. Oh L.A., I bet those pioneers never had to contend with a night shoot; but I think I see De Niro, so it's OK.
The next few hours are a little foggy, but as soon as those sunrays pierced my window I was up and raring to go.

The view from my window
First there was the city, then various small cities , ranches, orange groves, more ranches, cows, horses, more oranges groves, a herd of buffalo (they could have been cows, I was half asleep and we were moving pretty fast) and lots of cultivated rows of green plants ( I don't know what it was, but it was really short) more cows, a bridge , the Colorado River and a very nice "Welcome to Arizona" sign.
I must admit, at first Arizona looked a lot like California. But gradually the landscape got a lot drier with miles and miles of cacti, sagebrush and rusted wagon wheels. Then came a wash, one creek and a canal, none of which contained any water, a nuclear generating station and cotton fields.

Road Incident
It was doing the miles of sagebrush and cactus, that we had a bonafide road rage incident. My husband, sayiing something about my mangling the words to "Hotel California", suddenly ejected my Eagles CD and put on his Books on Tape. Trust me, replacing my CD with a book about submarines, while in the middle of the desert, where a body can go undiscovered for years, was not a wise move. I won't go into all that happened, but just know that soon the Eagles and I were back to singing
" What a nice surprise when you're out of ice" in perfect harmony.

Next stop Phoenix
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A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life--W.A. Ward

[paul]

Hi, DP... is this a trip you are actually on now, or one you did previously...?

Paul
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[Dawn Patrol]

It seems like yesterday, actually it was a few months ago.
_________________
A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life--W.A. Ward

[briggl]

[Dawn Patrol]

Just outside Phoenix, Az
Without music, life is a journey through a desert. --Pat Conroy

There are two kind of music people: those that match the CDs to the cases and those that don't; my husband is a matcher, I am not, which is why he is asking why the Marvin Gaye CD is in the Miles Davis "Sketches of Spain" CD case.

In the distance I can see two hot air balloons hop scotching across the sky, while back on terra firma we're playing tag with a Mustang, a Pilot and a blue Jag with "U NV ME" plates; once we get past the truck pulling the horse trailer and the big rig, we'll be leaving this tight little group behind. After 193 miles of Miles and his trumpet, the jazz aficionado has had enough, and asks for some of my road CDs; immediately it's off with the DVD I've been watching and back to singing along with the tunes.

Chorus:
"I'll learn to work the saxophone
I'll play just what I feel
Drink scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel
They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the crimson tide
Call me Deacon blues."

Now that's what I call road music.
_________________
A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life--W.A. Ward

[Dawn Patrol]

Phoenix--A city where the best parking place is determined by shade and not distance.

If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else. --Yogi Berra

What I saw from my window, a circling hawk, construction workers, a construction site, the "202 Loop" sign three times, a gas station, one courteous driver and a "breakfast served all day" sign.
What I didn't see from my window, The "Tucson" sign.... which is why I saw the gas station, the courteous driver and had a very nice pancake breakfast.

The road between Phoenix and Tucson is pretty boring. Lets see, there was desert foliage, cactus, more cactus, a covered wagon drawn by a team of mules with a banner bearing the message "California or Bust!" , still more cactus, an "ostrich eggs for sale" sign tacked to a wooden stake and an ostrich ranch with a couple of ostriches peering over the fence. (yea, I thought the ostriches were strange too, with all that traffic whizzing by, you would have thought they would have their heads buried in the ground. )
....and the music played

Woman Vs Man Road Trip
Hers:
Pulls off at wrong exit.
opens window
asks directions
Arrives at destination presently.

HIS:

Pulls off at wrong exit absolutely positive it's the correct one.
Drives five miles into wilderness, still thinks he's right.
Drives an extra 5 miles just in case.
Finally rolls down window just to get fresh air
Pulls up to a 7 -11
Gets three hot-dogs, a large slurpee, and beef jerky
Asks person behind counter how to get back onto the highway.
Gets back into car.
Laughs at the idea of looking at a map as he pulls away from the 7-11.
Drives down a dirt road with no street lights insisting this is the way back because guy from 7-11 said it was.
Almost hits a deer
Curses the night
Curses you
Curses the large slurpee
Drives and fiddles with radio.
Yells at you for suggesting the map again
Admits he didn't want to go to Thanksgiving at your sister's anyway.
He hates your sister.
Ever since she called him a pernicious weasel
He had to look up pernicious.
Couldn't find a dictionary.
Finally found a dictionary
Couldn't spell pernicious.
Seethes at the memory of it all
And of course you're still lost.

Next stop Tucson

Edited for spelling and stuff
_________________
A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life--W.A. Ward

[Dawn Patrol]

Tucson
We're lost, completely and utterly lost, even though we have door-to-door directions from MapQuest and directions from our friends, we have somehow missed an exit and can't find the huge airplane boneyard which is our "you can miss it" landmark.
Of course my "it's got to be around here somewhere" husband wouldn't think of stopping , so as we passed the same cactus for the third time ( and yes it was the same cactus) I made a call.
Our friends live in a new subdivision and one of the first things I noticed, (besides the cacti everywhere) were the home rock gardens, they call it "desert landscaping", I call it a pile of rocks in front of the house. Trust me, rocks and stones are big in "the valley of the sun", how big.... well, while we were there, our friends noticed a sale on river rocks. While we were laughing at the thought of people actually buying rocks, our friends were busy calculating how much they could haul with our truck.

More Tucson oddities-- Tucson is quite dark at night ( the homes in this subdivision have no outdoor lights) by city ordinance there are standards for outdoor lighting because of nearby Kitt Peak National Observatory. I have to admit, the sky never looked lovelier.

More oddities-- Tucson's dry air encourages static electricity buildup, you really get a charge just shaking hands. OUCH!

Still more oddiites-- The sound of coyotes howling at night and being warned not to attract them to the house. I immediately cautioned my husband against wearing his cologne.

And still more oddities-- A very friendly herd of cows (definitely not buffalos) that greeted us on the road to Saguaro National Park.
BTW a road trip tip--you don't want to honk at cows, it just makes them mad.

I must mention one disappointment, I didn't spot any jackalopes (jackalopes are a cross between a pygmy deer and a killer-rabbit) rumor has it they've all migrated to Texas.

Well that's the road trip. We had a great time.

"Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged, get back Jo Jo."

Hope you've enjoyed my first blog.
_________________
A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life--W.A. Ward

[Maid of Kent]

Hey we pased those same cacti in 2002
Also got lost in Tusco and found our-selves in the most intimidating place I have ever been to. People lined up along the street waiting for their fixes.
Couldn't get a room for love nor money coz there was a rock and mineral fare on in town for about 4 days.
in the end we ended up in the worlds a***h*** in a place called Wilcox.
Saw the aircraft bone yard though. Goes on for acres and acres. Must be more military planes there than the British Armed Forces have ever had in their entire existance.
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(\__/) Chinese Proverb - He who asks a question is a fool for a minute; he who does not remains a fool forever.
(=’.’=)
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[Dawn Patrol]

Ohhhh yeah, we passed the famous "this is the right way" cactus, several times. Personally I call cacti nature's tribute to husbands who refuse to ask for directions.
MK unfortunately you hit Tucson during the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral show; hotel rooms ( as you discovered) are at a premium then. BTW, if you're ever find yourself in the area again, take a few hours to drive through Saguaro National Park, lots of cacti and lots of husbands wandering around looking lost.
Almost forgot--We did eventually find the aircraft boneyard and the huge Air Force Base. How you may ask... why we we followed the jets.

BTW, will be continuing the blog soon---Next chapter----Gold Fever!
_________________
A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life--W.A. Ward

[Maid of Kent]

Did you get out on Interstate 10 ( well 10 something anyway ) and see 'The Thing in the desert'?

gas
hot snax
cold drinks
yum yum
_________________
(\__/) Chinese Proverb - He who asks a question is a fool for a minute; he who does not remains a fool forever.
(=’.’=)
(‘)_(‘)

[Dawn Patrol]

Noooooo didn't see the "the thing "in the desert, definately missed that one. Tell me, was it near the cactus?
Oh I did tour a Titan Missile silo, ohhh the fun I had.
_________________
A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life--W.A. Ward

[Maid of Kent]

It was very near a cactus.
We went to a desert museum down near Tombstone, more cactuses there, or were they cacti?

OH listens to his navigator. HE HAS LEARNED TO. IT IS VERY PAINFUL FOR HIM IF HE DOESN'T. He had aslo learned not to criticise the navigator when she gets it wrong but we won't go into that here their might be children watching.
_________________
(\__/) Chinese Proverb - He who asks a question is a fool for a minute; he who does not remains a fool forever.
(=’.’=)
(‘)_(‘)

[Dawn Patrol]

The Gold Rush Trail--My trip to the Mother Lode Country of California.

First rule of travel: No matter how many rooms there are in the motel, the fellow who starts up his car at five o'clock in the morning is always parked under your window.

We arrived in Murphys, California, a gold-rush era town located in the Sierra Nevada foothills around 1AM. The plan was to relax, hike among the giant Sequoias and do a little wine tasting, but as we all know, nothing ever goes exactly as planned.

6AM--Awaken by a loud knock on the door, (obviously the term "sleeping in" is open to wide interpretation) "you want to see the chickens?" Now there's an offer I don't get everyday, soooooo since we were already up we set off to see the chickens.
The chicks were huddled together in a corner of a large cardboard box lined with a layer of torn newspaper. And as I stood there bathed in the early morning sunlight, looking down at the newly hatched chicks, wondering WHY it was so important that we see the chickens RIGHT NOW! It dawned on me, that sitting right there before me was the answer to one of man's most intriguing conundrums...... uh-huh, that age old question, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Answer - because it meant travel... but then you Aardvarks knew that already.
_________________
A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life--W.A. Ward

[Maid of Kent]

[Dawn Patrol]

THE MOTHER LODE COUNTRY OF CALIFORNIA

The view from my window- The Sierra Nevada Mountains, a gazebo, circling hawks and a sleeping dog.
Our destination was the Ironstone Vineyards, about a mile outside of Murphys. From my front passenger window, I saw a dirt/gravel road, wild turkeys, a closed rock quarry, deer and a quick brown fox (I cannot confirm he jumped over the lazy dog )
Unfortunately less than a quarter mile from the vineyards we had a flat... aargh, "Murphys Law"! We quickly sprang into action, up went the truck and................... (darn lug nets).....off came the tire. I have to tell you it was hard, sweaty work, toiling under that hot sun. Luckily we had water and handi-wipes (items in the earthquake kit) in the truck. My husband was a mess! And if you're wondering about my part in this drama,... well I held the lug nuts, an extemely impotant job, and provided inspiration, motivation and words of encouragement, all critical to the succesful completion of the whole operation.
You know it might be considered a cliche, but it is oh so true
THEY ALSO SERVE - WHO ONLY SIT AND WAIT!
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A sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life--W.A. Ward