Warning: ear worm alert.

So…we were standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona…such a fine place….

Yeah, well, we intended to stand on a corner, but it was cold and windy. So, I took the pic and cranked up the Eagles’ “Take It Easy” as a tribute to the 1970s.

Then, we got back on the highway headed west as some massive storms encircled us. Impressive as heck, but a little freaky, too.

Our next stop was Meteor Crater. I was prepared to be underwhelmed. It’s a big hole in the ground, right? Well, yes, but it’s actually darned impressive. (And it appeared in the 1980s movie STARMAN.)

We didn’t explore the edge around the crater for long (cold and windy, remember? We’re Californians.), but we watched a movie and took the ride. Really. It was kinda cute.

After driving through rain, hail, and snow in Flagstaff,

we turned south toward Sedona on Highway 17—the road from H. E. Double-toothpicks—as my late mother-in-law would say.

We spent two nights near Sedona. (I don’t recommend visiting this beautiful town during Spring Break. The traffic made actually visiting it nearly impossible.) But you have to admit this is a beautiful traffic jam.

We managed to grab a couple of shots of Sedona’s breathtaking red-earth monuments, but even those visitor centers were jampacked.

We headed back to the campers in Cottonwood, AZ, to enjoy the peace and quiet. We were parked near a river that had recently flooded. They said they only had 1-day to prepare. The flood did a lot of damage, but we all agreed we’d like to return once they’re back to normal. It’s a gorgeous area.

The next morning, we visited the old mining town of Jerome. This was Paul’s favorite stop of the trip. Tons of history and all very well displayed.

We also visited the poorly named Montezuma’s castle (early settlers assumed the structure was built by Aztecs. It wasn’t.) A really nice Visitor Center with historical displays that sort of blew my mind. Did you know that while these folks were building this fortress on the side of this river bluff, construction had just begun on the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris?

We called it a day and turned in early for the last push toward California. Weather didn’t permit a stop at the Grand Canyon, but Paul and I made a small detour in hopes of seeing wild burros in Oatman. Alas, the tiny “ghost” town was packed with tourists, vehicles of all sorts, and no burros. I didn’t blame them. We kept going, too, the rest of the way to Kingman.

But the desert “Super Bloom” made every mile of the drive worth a stop or four.😉

We spent our last night on the road at Tehachapi. Content and tired, but still friends after two weeks and nearly 4,000 miles.

It was a great trip! Thanks for all your kind comments and support. I’m so glad I was able to share this adventure with you.

Now, it’s back to book writing (I’m starting a new series) and box sets (starting a new one of those, too). But I also plan to share more of our fabulous spring in this area, including a beautiful hike along the Merced River.

Happy reading!

Deb

Coming Next:
5/11 – Hike On, Raging River! Happy Mother’s Day recipe, and a very special Free deal!

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