It is sure hot here! We woke up early, shortly after 6:00 aware of the dryness and the coming heat. At breakfast, the weather map of Arizona was all red and pink….it would be record breaking hot this week. We would drive through temperatures of over 105. For the moment, we were in Flagstaff, at nearly 7000’ elevation, it was much cooler than Phoenix, to the south.
A novel experience at breakfast was an automatic pancake cooker. You pressed a button and the machine dished out the batter and you could watch your pancake cook on a hot moving conveyer belt. A fellow diner said, “We don’t have these in Germany.” Patti replied, “We don’t have these in California either.” We were all fascinated. And the pancakes were tasty.
About a half hour down the road, Patti noticed we were coming to Winslow Arizona, of the Eagle’s rock band’s song fame “Take it Easy”. We had to stop at the “Standing on the Corner Park” and joined in with dozens of other early morning fans to get our photos. Fun!
Next, Patti’s favorite American Roadside Attractions app pointed us to a rock shop with petrified wood, AND giant homemade dinosaurs who were displayed eating manikins. It is said when the owner was asked why they were eating the manikins, he replied, “They have to be doing something!” This was a very tacky bunch of dinosaurs. The sites also include a very dubious manikin who was posed in the bathtub in the restroom. The clerk said she was put there because the truckers kept stealing manikins which were sitting outside. Who knew?
Anyway, we got our free piece of petrified wood and then drove on off.
It was an easier drive today, around 350 miles. Dick is getting into the driving groove, while Patti took a nap in the back on our napping mattress. Very comfy! But we no longer sleep overnight in the van.
The landscape continues to change. Dry and dusty, mountains, then very flat. We were pleased to cross into New Mexico, the third state on this trip and our destination for a couple of days.
We got to Corrales, a suburb of Albuquerque at about 2:00. Our Airbnb was not ready for us to check into so we were able to make arrangements to meet with our friends Tomi and Hank for a very refreshing couple of hours catching up and drinking an unending amount of iced tea. Although Patti keeps in touch by phone and FACEBOOK, that is never as good as being in the same place. We will have more time with them tomorrow.
Our Airbnb was then ready for us, and we were happy to return for a third time staying with Jeaninne, our host. This is the first of four Airbnb stays we will have on this trip. If you haven’t tried it, we would recommend it as highly superior to staying at an anonymous hotel.
The evening took us to a delightful time with Ella Joan, a friend of Dicks from back in his Youth Service Bureau days in the 1970’s in Dayton OH. Patti had heard stories but had not met her in person. The three of us had a great time catching up and noting the many values and experiences that we all shared. She is an attorney and had practiced in many different types of law over the years. At this point in her career, she has focused on representing adoptive parents and has helped to finalize so many, many adoptions over the years. It was inspiring to hear her stories and her passion.
She took us to a fabulous Italian restaurant in Albuquerque…delicious! She and Dick will have more time together tomorrow. We all three exchanged books that we had written. A very nice evening.
Then, back to our lovely loft for a good night’s sleep. Day two was another fine success!
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