Fatigued of Flagstaff

Perhaps I had unrealistic expectations. I ordered the sausage pizza tonight, which had a "chef's choice of sausage". I had did not realize that "Hot Dog" was in the sausage family. Image my dread as my dinner arrived. The blow was soften by several large glasses of beer.

I left North Carolina at 165 lbs and change. I suspect that this trip will weigh me in closer to 180 lbs, the worst I have been in 4+ years. Oh well.

So it finally hit me today. I'm tired. The car's computer indicated 66 hours of driving and 3,300 miles. I think its enough. I think the kids feel the same way. We went to see the Grand Canyon today, and it was grand and beautiful, and despite the road through the painted desert to get there, it was basically a big hole in the ground. Now I suspect that in time I will appreciate it more, but it seems like another box ticked.

We have the mad dash to wrap up the trip and start our new life in California. The trip has been dotted with numerous phone calls, google searches and lots of emails. The car is arriving early but we are getting to delivered to Grandma's house in central California instead of Belmont. Its early, but fortunately the driver was going this way so we can sync up with it.

The contents of our house? Well they look like they are turning up on Aug-13 but we don't take possession of our house until Aug-14 at the earliest, so a bunch of things need to get sorted out. Our agent, Frank "I have my commission so I don't care" does not seem to want to take my calls and always get somebody in the office to call back.

Oh and we have to sort out insurance, but the mortgage company can't figure out what the replacement value is, despite in their valuation putting it lower than our bidding price. But they need to know my shoe size when I was aged 12, just in case I'm trying to defraud them or something, but how much to rebuild the thing they invested in? Nope, they don't have a clue.

Alright, I'm sounding crabby. Here's a picturs instead.

States

• Arizona

Food Count

• Breakfast : Raisin Bran and Toast at Super 8 Motel
• Lunch : Sandwich out of the back of the car
• Dinner : Sausage Pizza at Beaver Street Brewery in Flagstaff, AZ

Cars to Space 1999

Holbrook, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ

So I have some news. "Cars" the movie (and for full disclosure I was an investor in Pixar) was based on Holbrook, AZ. Here is the overwhelming evidence

• The "Cozy Cone" is a rip off of the WigWam #6 motel
• It has a VW repair shop that specializes in "Campers"
• There's a big red tow truck at the WigWam #6 Motel
• It on Route 66

Pictorial evidence below.

So what did we do? Well we saw a very big hole in the ground (aka "Meteor Crater") and slipped and slid at Rock Slide. I expected to be more impressed by the hole, but spent most of the time worrying when Oliver was going to throw himself over the armco. I guess for something a 150ft across it did a bunch of damage but nothing like the kids going through a box of toys.

Rock Slide? Very cool (as in temperature) on the slippiest rock I have even known. If was not just me it was everybody. It was like the Park Service had taken a bar of soap to the smooth sandstone just for kicks. 

And something has been on my mind. You know that gas prices are almost at 1998 United Kingdom prices... well al the trains running alongside I-40 going east all seemed to have the trailers (sans trucks) on their flat beds. Has America finally figured that is cheaper and more efficient to use the train?

Hey, more Route 66 stuff as well. Dawn wants to buy this dinner...

It was also the first day that the kids did not watch a single DVD in the car. Shocking I know. Flagstaff is also kind of weird. First the approach, the desert turns into a pine tree forest which is not what you expect. The town itself is small, I was expecting a mini Phoenix but instead its the Chapel Hill of AZ (i.e. small college town, small little down town etc.).

States

• Arizona

Food Count

• Breakfast : Corn Flakes and a toasted muffin at Days Inn, Holbrook
• Lunch : Sandwich from the back of the car
• Dinner : Chili Dog at Galaxy Dinner, Flagstaff
• Pudding : Banana Creme Pie from Village Inn

The rain in the painted desert falls mainly on... us

Albuquerque, New Mexico to Holbrook, Arizona

Leaving Albuquerque we slowly descend from an altitude of 7000 ft into a wonderland of shapes and colors as the landscape goes all Jackson Pollock on us. We headed first through the Acoma Indian Reservation to take a look at the "Sky City", or a settlement dating from 1150 AD on top of a orange sandstone escarpment. We get back on I-40 after traversing parts of the El Malpais lava flow, a pitch black river of lava. 

After swing through Gallup for a Green Chile burger at "Blakes Lotaburger" we headed for the Window Rock on the Navajo Nation Reservation. One very cool slab of orange sandstone masquerading as a Polo mint.

From there we headed through the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forrest. And then it rained, it thundered and the river ran. So we had been hit with the rain in Albuquerque, but raining in the desert? You gotta be kidding. Please note the running river in the middle of a desert in the middle of summer. Case rested.

Despite the weather this has been some of the "sickest" scenery I have seen. Sage greens, bright reds, silvers, blacks and everything in between. And that's just the rocks! The light is bright but soft, always a deep blue of the sky cut up by many layers of clouds, cirrus, cumulonimbus and a few lenticular (my personal favorite).

Between the cool architecture and great food of Albuquerque and the amazing south west desert... well I guess I have found a future home! Oh and we we are now California time. Despite Arizona being on Mountain Time (like New Mexico) it does not observe day light savings... I guess when a country is this big you are entitled to make up the rules as you go along.

Hey, and I talked tough about Oliver yesterday, so here's him being cute... how long does that last?

Quote of the day (French tourists) "We muzt find a sizzler tonight"

States

• New Mexico
• Arizona

Food Count

• Breakfast : Eggs, Bacon and a Sweet Roll at Frontier Restaurant
• Lunch : LOTA bugger with Green Chillies at Blakes Lotaburger
• Dinner : Steak at Brookfields

Texas, New Mexico where are we again?

Amarillo, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque. What can I say after eating the most flavorful burrito made out of pork cooked with chillies and served smothed in red chile sauce. Its was lip tingling spicy but also had a smokey tang to it, kind of made you want to take up smoking all over again. Apart from that, Albuquerque is one cool place. I can see why Georgia O'Keefe fell in love with New Mexico, the Adobe architecture, the color of the rock... but for me it was the neon loveliness of Central Ave and all the old Route 66 still (just about) standing.

Started at the Cadillac Ranch, finally I got to shoot it after two failed attempts in the 90's. And finally the wide open vistas of Texas have been replaced with hilly, even mountainous landscape, dotted with the outposts of volcanoes past of New Mexico. The brick red of the rock looks leaks through the sage green brush to give a Dali'esq pallet of colors, a change from the uniform taupe of Texas. Central Time switched to Mountain Time. Route 66 continued through several towns, most of which just never adjusted to the "Wal-Mart" effect. Wonderful architecture but really the end of "ma & pa" operations. Shame really.

Humidity is really down, and so is the temperature. A record low of 84 degrees and it was lovely. In the morning we are onto Arizona, our 11th state so far and the last between us an California.

I think the children are learning negotion skills, probaby something to do with being strapped in six feet apart for 6 hours a day. I used to think that my trouble ahead was going to be with Ava, but I'm leaning towards Oliver at the moment. He can be a right little stinker but always with a glint in his eye...

States

• Texas
• New Mexico

Food Count

• Breakfast : Raisin Bran and Toast at the Days Inn
• Snack : Chocolate donut from the Donut Shop
• Lunch : Last night steak in a roll
• Dinner : Pork Burrito at El Patio

Getting our kicks on Route 66

Tulsa, Oklahoma to Amarillo, Texas


So we got some of our kicks on Route 66, Tulsa OK through to Amarillo TX. There was an element of seeing "American Graffiti" and "Cars" come alive in the small towns we went through, and a tinkle of the old glint of Neon of years gone past. It was very cool indeed and despite the yearly loss of old landmarks, there is a fight back of sorts going on out there. An amazing modern structure has been built near Arcadia called "Pops" that is going a very brisk trade in dinner food and has a selection of 500+ sodas, enough to appease the pickiest of Americans...

The rolling hills of Eastern Oklahoma gave way to the flat vistas of Texas. The first indication was the tumble weed rolling across the freeway, but the endless horizon dotted with the odd cow, horse or windmill meant that the stifling views we had had the last seven days were gone. Despite the 100+ degrees weather the humidity had dropped as well. Things were looking up going West (young man).

The kids? Well they have gotten into the rhythm of watching endless movies, playing the odd game and not spending too much time killing each other. A result. You can tell when Oliver is fed up and wants to get out of the car, its starts with "I want to go home...". The trouble is that he does not realized that we are homeless!

It struck me eating dinner, that this was probably the first time our kids were not the loudest in the restaurant. All through the south there were children that were seen and not heard, well apart from our two. With a busy music hall atmosphere, for once on the trip we did not have to tell our two to use their "quite" voices.

Its been a couple of long days of driving and the drive up to Albuquerque should be enjoyable and short. Now I just need to find that Route 66 mix again...

States

• Oklahoma
  
• Texas

Food Count

• Breakfast : French Toast at Eggberts
• Lunch : BLT with Egg Salad at Pops
• Dinner : Hunking slab of cow at the Big Texan

Phew... its too blinking hot

Memphis, Tennessee to Tulsa, Oklahoma


Somewhere on I-40 it hit 107 degrees. The day had not started that hot, it was only 93 degrees at Memphis Zoo earlier in the day. If you want to see animals really up close it has to be recommend, but I did think that the enclosures were more like a Bay Area house than a North Carolina McMansion. Dripping, we wrung out the kids before putting them into the car for a 7 hour drive across Arkansas and the eastern side of Oklahoma. After looking through our notes we figured that 

1. We wanted to get to Tulsa for the end of the day
2. We wanted Pie

The mission we took on was a 300+ mile odyssey to make it to Hammett House in time for their 8pm close. At 7.48 we make it to Claremore but get held at a light by the anaconda of all fright trains. We make it to Hammett House at 8.01pm, but graciously they not only allow us to get pie but to also sit down for a very well earned dinner.

Funny making this drive. The panorama changes slowly and you forget. Today we came across a range of hills in western Arkansas and it struck me that was the first elevation change we had seen on this journey. Still fields of cotton and crops, horses but entering Oklahoma I'm getting the Native American vibe. If nothing else, I know that I can never live here, for simply I cannot pronounce any of the place names!

Oh, and "Hardies" is now "Carl's Jnr.". We are getting closer to home.

States

• Tennessee
  
• Arkansas
  
• Oklahoma

Food Count

• Breakfast : Fruit Plate & Toast
• Lunch : Last nights BBQ made into a Sandwich
• Dinner : Chicken Fried Chicken with Mash & Gravy followed by Double Cherry Pie at Hammet House

A date with "the frog"

Greenville, Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee

My date with my childhood, green style. Who would have thought Leland, MS would have brought the creator of the Muppets into this world. Well for Jim, Leland was the birthplace of Mr. Frog and that's Ok by me.

Following the Alton Brown route, we also took in Doe's Eat Place for Hot Tamale's, which were cooking big a big pot at 11am in Greenville, MS. Straight from the pot into foil for the journey up the Great River Road. 

It struck me that the landscape had changed. After an endless tress line of the journey so far, the Mississippi delta had opened out so that finally we had a horizon. Wheat, Cotton and other crops had replaced trees and swamps. But we were also in a different America that I had ever seen. It was rural, clearly poor and very, very black. There's probably a reason that the Blues originated from this area, all the greats came from around these parts. Its also a reminder that this is America today, not the urban hip environments, but the gritty down to earth people that make this country tick.

So another side trip to Arkansas to go to Ray's Dairy Maid for lunch (another Alton Brown special for the "pie") before heading to Memphis for a nights stay at the airport (it was cheap, had a pool and a window view of the runway... Oliver was impressed). 

Finally... Oh finally. Killer Dinner #637 at Jim Neelys' Interstate Bar-B-Que. Sampler platter made up of

• Pork Ribs
• Beef Ribs
• Beef Brisket
• Beef Links
• Chopped Pork
• BBQ Spaghetti
• BBQ Beans
• Coleslaw

Yikes, it was a mountain but the mountain came to us and the eating was good.

States

• Mississippi
• Arkansas
• Tennessee
  

Food Count

• Breakfast : Special K and Toast
• Lunch : Chicken Salad Sandwich and Cherry Cheesecake
• Snack : Hot Tamale
• Dinner : BBQ blow out followed by Pecan Coconut Pie