Like stable horses heading for the barn

Checking out the view at Walnut Canyon

The largest meteor fragment found by man

Art checking out the Astronaut pod at Meteor Crater Museum courtyard

We had a gorgeous ride through the Mojave Desert yesterday. So many thrilling silhouettes of mountains in the background. Some smooth and curvilinear and some jagged and perilouslooking. Art calls off all the  arboreal shifts and tells me the names of flowers I've never been acquainted with. The subtle colors on the carpeted ground are like an ever changing quilt. Every once in a while the valley floors take on the feel of a mirage. I could have sworn I was seeing an inland sea framed by alluvial fans more than once.

We slept in Barstow last night and will be heading out for some bird watching. We're going to visit an Audubon bird refuge today near the Kern River. Then cross  over to 101 and on up the hill to Burlingame where the car is stored. We're like a couple of stable horses heading for the barn. We look forward to being back to northern California. See you soon.

Happy Thanksgiving from Flagstaff

Approaching San Francisco Peaks on Highway 40

Walnut Canyon view across to cave home sites

Vista at first rest stop in Arizona

View from the trail at Walnut Canyon

Well, We had too good a time wandering around the Meteor Crater museum and grounds followed by a wonderful late afternoon hike down the Walnut Canyon trail and back to go any further than Flagstaff last night.

We're leaving here shortly and will be heading down through Arizona and on to Barstow. So sorry we didn't make it to family Thanksgiving at Steve's but we'll see you on the weekend. We've decided to cross over from  5 to 101 at some point near Lost Hills to Paso Robles. That way will be lovely to see  and it provides a straight shot to Burlingame where the Dodge Van is safely stored at the Red Roof Inn.

I'll have more to say about yesterday's adventures soon but we're eager to get going this morning so we can make it to Barstow before dark. Happy Thanksgiving and lots of love to all our family and friends.

We've Crossed The Divide

Close-up and distant sights from 40/66 and the Continental Divide

Roof  construction of Hogan

Art  after reaching Holbrook

We had a good stay in Albuquerque and thought we would reach Flagstaff today but eventually decided to stay in Holbrook where we're in a Howard Johnson Motel. We thought that had a fun "old timy" ring to it but it seems they just bought it from Ramada and the bathroom and outer sink are carbon copies of the La Quinta Inn where we were in Amarillo. And we've noticed that some component of at least four of the hotels or motels we been in have had something showing ownership links with Wyndham Co. who owned the Whndham Gardens Hotel where we stayed the first night in OKC. What a scary global business. Before we know, one man will own them all. Or maybe he does already.

We had lots of fun watching Route 66 appear and disappear over the time of today's drive. It's interesting to see what condition it's in from place to place. It will run along parallel to Highway for  quite a while and then all of a sudden it will simply not be there. You can see that the 40 engineers decided that  40 needed to be where 66 was, and that was that.

When we reached the continental divide, we took the exit to see what all the signs said. We hadn't eaten lunch, so we bought a couple of sandwiches and some root beer and ate lunch on the porch of one of the Indian sales rooms. Air was still pretty chilly but the view was fun and the food OK. We took some pictures and the view was great. It was soon after that when we decided that we should call a halt to the day at Holbrook. We'll try to get an early start and reach the outskirts of Flagstaff before noon and in time to see Walnut Canyon and Meteor Crater before we have lunch and drive on toward the Mojave Desert and possibly Barstow. As Art just said after I wrote that, "At least to California." We're seeing all sorts of places we'd like to come back to another year, but after the trauma of Boreas and that killer highway with its black ice, we're both ready to be back in CA. We don't know if we can make it to Steve's for Thanksgiving, but we'll give it a try.

Albuquerque — A Piece Of Cake

Our  drive to Albuquerque was dry (almost), smooth and best of all, uneventful. We referred to all our Route 66 books, pamphlets and magazines so as not to miss anything really noteworthy and did see a lot of quaint, colorful sites along the way. The scenery was bleak as we left Amarillo, with dirty snow along the edge of the highway, transitioning to a carpet of white atop the flat fields of the plain. 

Art commented that I should mention the kinds of trees we began to see. So, of course I will. He also told me that today in our journey to Flagstaff, there will be a good chance of seeing a Mountain Blue Bird (true electric blue bird). It seemed to me we were zooming from Texas into New Mexico because of the contrast with the slow and treacherous trip from Oklahoma City to Amarillo. But at  a speed between 65 and 75 mph we did see a changing assortment of snow laden bushes and trees. First came the Creosote and then the Catclaw. Juniper (the low kind) soon joined the group and as we drew closer to small mesas the higher Pinon Pines were there, covered with snow. They were most evident on what looked like snow covered hill sides, some of which were undoubtedly a kind of alluvial fill in between the steep walls and the bottom lands. Cholla also added a different texture as we made our way toward the more populated Albuquerque.

When we reached the first hills and arboreal plant life as we moved into New Mexico, the snow was a little deeper and clung to the bushes and small trees. The road cuts and hills or mesas were covered with a scattered covering of snow, creating a kind of black and white polka dot illusion. As we moved further into N.M. where there were bigger trees, the white began to dominate. At one point we made a stop at Cline's Corners to see a shop billed as the largest old gift shop in NM (or something like that), we discovered that everything there including some rooms to rent and a gas station were closed due to a lack of electricity. No doubt one more victim of this week's costly storm. Art walked over to look into the display windows while I became fascinated by the rime covered trees with ravens sitting on the higher branches. What a lovely study in black and white. Those birds looked really fat so when the restaurant and cabins are working full tilt, the ravens must eat well. 

We coasted into Albuquerque at 5:30, just in time for the blinding sun to make it a little dicey, but we made it safely and then had some comical time trying to find the closest Motel 6 in the area where we decided to exit highway 40. We finally reserved a room near the science museum and many of the special places in the old part of the city. We had a delicious dinner at a Mexican fish restaurant. We'll try to visit several special places tomorrow, catch the petroglyphs just beyond town and then be on our way to Flagstaff.  If another storm doesn't arrive  before we do, Flagstaff should be well under control despite the snow. Wishing for a beautiful day tomorrow. Will try to add a couple of photos by tomorrow morning. 

Baby, It's Cold Out There

Art enjoying the Kindle

The man with the beige wagon worked for almost two hours to get all the snow off his car

Art cleared all the snow from windows and top but left the icicles

Starting to melt

Long distance view of the Rialta

Outside our door

Art trying to raise the desk chair level —Finally just put a pillow on it

Yesterday, Saturday, we determined that we could make a run for it and try to reach Amarillo. Hopefully before dark. We made it, not before dark, but it was one of the scariest bits of driving I've ever done. All went well until we crossed into Texas. Then the infamous storm, "Boreas," began to show it's strength. We only had about an hour's driving left before Amarillo and it began to snow. But I had already begun to feel the ominous effects of the black ice. Even the slightest little skid is a scary thing on highway 40, especially as you go on an overpass or bridge. It just got worse and worse until all cars and trucks had their hazard lights blinking and eventually the trucks slowed down to about 7 miles per hour. I wasn't sure I could keep going at that speed without coming to a stop. And I was convinced that if I did stop I would  just spin my wheels if I tried to start up again. So, let's just say it was tense all the way in to Amarillo. The stretch that would normally have taken under one hour to cover took over three hours of inching along that icy highway. The TV said there were 8 deaths and many pile-ups from this storm already but we didn't actually see any of them. Police cars and ambulances were driving out toward where we had just been in frantic looking flurries as we reached the outskirts of Amarillo.

There is nothing to do but to wait it out here today. Perhaps the road will clear enough between here and Albuquerque  by sometime tomorrow morning, and if so, we'll make another run for it. But I'm not going out there on the highway until the black ice has melted or been removed. The Rialta and all other cars in the parking lot of our little La Quinta Inn are covered with snow and the temperature is below freezing, so not too many people are moving out today. I'll try to get a few photos in a little while. (Guess not. Art just came in out of the cold and announced that he was able to clear most of the snow off by using the new window washing squeegee we're traveling with). Meanwhile, we're in a warm and cozy place. I'm working on the computer and Art has taken over the Kindle. It's Sunday and there must be a movie or two to see while we're holed up here.  

While I was driving last night Art was reading "Route 66" highlights about the sights we were passing. A giant Cross near Groom, (190 feet tall) Texas was one of the features we could easily identify as we crept along in the parade of 18 wheelers mixed with a few automobiles. The cross is billed as the Tallest Cross in The Western Hemisphere. It was softly lit but truly formidable and I would guess that more than one truck driver was directing a prayer in its direction as we approached the huge, softly glowing form. I was actually very grateful for the presence of those trucks. Even though each passing of one of those long giants was like a scary moment frozen in time,  I'm sure they made tracks that made it possible for me to get a little traction and have more chance of checking off another mile without experiencing the disaster that I kept thinking was surely just around the corner.

Hope all's well where you are and that your weather isn't quite as eventful as it is here. Actually, I see that Boreas has brought Oklahoma City to a complete standstill. So I'm really glad that we managed to leave before it reached that location. We're at least a little closer to making another step along the way.

Rialta is Free

"End of the Trail" at Western Heritage Museum

Anne and Art having lunch at Western Heritage Museum Cafe

The men who conducted the hundred mile test run raved about the experience of driving it when we met them at the Aamco shop. They loved how it rode with the wind blowing and the way it happily took on any hills with no trouble at all. We drove it home from the shop and it felt really good. It is safely parked here at our friendly little Ramada Hotel. Ready to take off. 

Why haven't we left yet? The TV is calling out a constant stream of travel warnings for the  area ahead of us. There is a foot of snow in Flagstaff now and icy road between here and there. Art really thinks we can take off tomorrow morning but I may get stubborn. The meteorologists here are very serious guys and I here that we happen to be in one of the most weather variable places in the states. Anne says some of them come to work in OKC just for that reason. It all makes our California weather seem a little tame in comparison. 

So, now that you're free of the vehicle trials and tribulations, weather will obviously be dominating the scene for a while. Gone are the days of raving on and on about the geology of the road cuts or the ubiquitous water and wetlands along with lakes, rivers and streams. I've enjoyed getting to know OKC far more than I expected to, and I've loved our visits with Anne, but Art and I are both ready and eager to be on our way. Will continue later.   —   J

Steve Just Called — Hopeful but Cautious

Myriad Gardens water stage

Koi pond at Myriad Gardens

Fall colors over Myriad Gardens Pond

Gorgeous colors of a Jungle

Couldn't Get Enough of This One

Amazing Exotic Palms

Sorry I Can't Remember This Tree's Name

Fall Colors At Myriad Gardens

Oak Leaves

Crystal Bridge Housing Tropical Garden With

Devon Tower behind

Crystal Bridge Spans Over Myriad Pool

Heading For The Upper Floor of Crystal Bridge over Pond

Climbing to the Top

Crystal Bridge with Devon Tower

Steve just talked with Tim at the shop. The poor transmission is being reinstalled for the ? time. I've totally lost count of its ins and outs. I've just moved out of our room to let the maid service the room. So I'm stationed at a table in the breakfast alcove of the lobby with a high volume TV doling out the latest weather predictions. That is something Steve has been researching over this last 24 hours. Both the TV and Steve don't offer a totally positive outlook. Heavy winds are blowing here at this moment. I'm so happy that Art is not a nervous type who might freak out over the fact that they are predicting a 30% drop in temperatures. Freezing rain and ice storm. They're talking about the danger to trees, roads — you name it. One quarter inch of ice on the highway is what I keep hearing. I seem to be experiencing a "timing" of a lifetime. I have to say, Art is more positive about the weather and more skeptical of the warnings than I am. But we both agree to wait until we're feeling sure about the safety of the road. We continue to hear this ongoing banter about ice thickness and Art continues to be more optimistic than I. Just heard that they are expecting a new storm to come in early next week. Anne just called and weighed in with her knowledge of how the weather comes and goes here. Let's move on to the good time we had Sunday and yesterday in Oklahoma City.

I just checked the last blog to see where I left off regarding our wanderings around OKC. We did take the Route 38 bus to the Transit Terminal and then discovered that the bus we were to take to the Western Heritage Museum from there did not run all the way to the museum on the last four runs of the day. After calculating our odds of getting there and back we simply walked over to the #38 station again and took the next bus back to our neighborhood where we ate dinner at my favorite local Italian restaurant, Zio.

Yesterday we did the dual bus line trip again and made it to our destination in a little over an hour. Anne called and soon joined us for a wander through a huge hall of paintings that are part of a very impressive invitational exhibit. A buffet lunch followed by the whole afternoon in the many (14 or more) galleries of this amazing home for western landscapes, action paintings, movies, sculptures and rooms filled with leather and silver art. Saddles, reins, hackamores, jewelry and much more. The famous "at the end of the trail" sculpture of the native American  on horse that was featured at the 1915 world's fair in San Francisco resides majestically at the end of a long hall in front of a huge glass wall. It had been moved several times and saved from total ruin (It is plaster) at the last moment and stabilized for permanent display in this impressive location. I had actually resisted going to this museum during my first visit to OKC but I'm so happy that I finally went there. We both enjoyed it tremendously.

I just received the pictures Anne took for me with her phone the day we went to the Meridian BridgeTropical Botanical Gardens. So that's what I'll share with you today to take all our minds off the subject of the pending weather. Thanks, Anne, for your great skills with the IPhone camera. To be continued.

We just had dinner at Pearl's Fish House down the street. Very atmospheric and welcoming. Besides that, the food was delicious. We both had catfish. Art with lemon and mine blackened. Yum. Little Hush Puppies came to the table right away and then we were told that one orders up at the counter. So Art was our waiter for the first items. He did himself proud.

Catching Up With Things Including Kumifest 2013

Rodrick advising Karen Huntoon regarding the core device

Jackie's new Kakudai made by John Turner — Lucky Jackie is thrilled

Photos from Henhouse Studio during Kumihimo Festival 2013

We're managing to keep a sense of humor and stay on the roller coaster so far. Thanks for the offers of messages to all the gods.

Yesterday we took a river cruise with Anne, went to the bomb memorial and finished up with the tropical botanical garden in a fascinating building downtown. Anne is such a great guide. Can't begin to thank her for all her kindnesses.

I priced out a taxi from our hotel to the Museum of Western Heritage and found it to be $30 one way. So the sweet counter clerk here found out exactly how we could do it by taking a bus to the inner city terminal and then another straight to the museum. We'll have a bit of lunch nearby and then give it a try.

Steve has been in serious contact with the Aamco shop and today's report is an awful lot like previous ups and downs. Anyway, we should know something by late this afternoon. Don't hold your breath but there is a chance that the word will be positive. Until later, that's it for transmission talk.

I'm going to back up a bit because I didn't ever report on the Kumihimo Festival I flew back home to host in late October. It was definitely one of our best ever. I'm going to post some pics from it here today. So, if you have any questions about it, email me and I'll try to respond.   To be continued.    — J