Saturday, December 3, 2011

We arose attending to our daily routine.  We ran out of water. So we refilled our tank.

During the afternoon, we took a drive over the mountain on Historic Route 66  also known as the Oatman Highway.  The road twisted and turned around the mountain displaying beautiful vistas.  Bare rock butted extended up to the blue sky.  A wondrous sight! 

Rock Butte

Rock Butte

At the top of one mountain a restored gas station and museum stood called Cold Springs.  We stopped and perused the items in the store.  The exterior of the building was interesting.  Stone covered the walls with an overhang where two antique gas pumps stood for display.

^{We meandered around on the highway through a pass to the other side of the mountain where we could view three states – Arizona, Nevada, and California.  There at the bottom of the valley ran the Colorado River.  Bullhead City, Arizona, and Laughlin, Nevada, could be seen from that vantage point.}

^{As we descended, we passed a working gold mine.  It was very modern and not a Hollywood stereotype from the movies.} 

^{Then we proceeded to the town of Oatman, Arizona.  It was very interesting.  It looked like an old-time frontier town from the Western movies.  Wild burros roamed the streets.  Of course, now, they are somewhat domesticated from tourist feedings.}

 

Tom and burro



Wild burro

Wild Burros

 

Tom and Cyndie

 

Oatman, Arizona, Post Office



Oatman sign



^{We turned around and headed back home.  The views were awesome of the majestic mountains.}

^{Upon our arrival, Barby met Karl, Tom, and me.  We visited for a couple of hours and enjoyed our time of conversation.}

^{After that, I had a Skype chat with my friend Sheila from Carmel, Indiana.  It was amazing to talk and see her at the same time.  This is stuff that was science fiction when I was a child.  Technology is fantastic.}

^{Another day finished with activity and appreciation for God’s creation.}

Friday, December 2, 2011

Today began with our typical routine.  I tried to set up bill paying online.  It was a very difficult process for me – accomplishing a little bit each day.

Tom worked around the motorhome setting out a little lawn art such as his metal pig and a rock from home that says “Grow old with me, the best is yet to be.”  The slogan is typical of our adventure. 

Other activities consisted of setting up the bikes, letting the awning out, and placing the lounge chairs under the awning.  We were resting in the chairs as the sun was penetrating the clouds.  The sun’s rays were warm like a heat lamp.  It was so soothing.

In the middle of the day, we ventured out to the Wal-Mart to get food and a few other items.  Wal-Mart was extremely crowded.  Finally, we left with our bags of treasures.

Barby and Karl were waiting for us.  We chatted for a while and then proceeded to our respective abodes for the evening.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

We awoke this morning to snow in Seligman, Arizona.  This town is above 5000 feet elevation.  We were concerned to drive or remain to wait out the snowstorm.  The decision was to trudge on to Kingman (about 70 miles).

Ten miles down the road, we faced a dense snowstorm.  The visibility was about 100 feet with large quarter-size snowflakes.  Tom was very tense because he could not see the white lines on the right side of the road.  Finally, we reached a lower elevation where the precipitation was rain.



Dense snowstorm in Seligman

 

Seligman, Arizona

About 1 ½ hours later we arrived in Kingman, Arizona.  We met Karl, our friend, at the Flying J truck stop.  Then, we proceeded to his house in the middle of the high desert – our destination for about the next two weeks.  We have a fabulous view of the desert and mountains.  Yeah! No Wal-Mart parking lot.                                                                                                                                                          



Karl & Barby's house



Mountain view

             

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Our first sightseeing stop for the day was Meteor Crater which was about twenty miles west of Winslow, Arizona.  The exit off Interstate 40 was designed solely for this tourist attraction.  We followed the directional signs to the crater creating a long and straight drive.  In the distance, the road gradually inclined to the rim of the crater.

At the entrance, we paid senior citizen’s rate ($14 each), rode the elevator up to the top level, and stepped on to the mezzanine.  There was an official NASA space capsule on exhibit.  We entered the museum and then took the path to the rim.  The wind was very gusty that Tom almost lost his hat.  The crater was a mammoth hole in the ground with the rim extending to about one mile in diameter. The 360 degree panoramic view that extended for miles from the highest lookout was stunning.




Cyndie at Meteor Crater



Tom at Meteor Crater





           



              

We returned to the rig and headed for the interstate.  We proceeded through Flagstaff because we wanted to beat the snowstorm predicted for the area. 
The landscape in the Flagstaff was a dramatic change.  The elevation was higher and mountainous.  Ponderosa pine trees covered the mountains and gave a Rocky Mountain stereotype.  It was beautiful.  In contrast, the topography of the surrounding area was different consisting of flat plains with scrub grass and juniper bushes dotting the land.  The various types of vegetation provided an interesting comparison.

            




Ponderosa Pines at Flagstaff



East of Flagstaff









         

We made several stops because Tom was tired fighting the gusty winds.  Finally, we parked at a Shell station for the evening in Seligman, Arizona.  Alas, it was not a Wal-Mart parking lot.