Day 5

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Today we were sick of the same old breakfast at La Quinta so we went to Coco’s Bakery and Restaurant. It was a nice way to start the day.

We drove west out of Flagstaff to Bakersfield, which was only 6.5 hours away. We chose to take a detour down historic Route 66 from Kingman to Oatman, AR. It was quite a scenic drive. I lost count of how many switchbacks we made through the Black Mountains. The mailman was booking it down this road. Even he passed us. There were abandoned and active mines.

Oatman, Arizona is a small former mining town on Route 66. Wild burros freely roam the town. The burros once were used inside the mines for hauling rock and ore. After the mines closed the burros were released into the surrounding hills. The burros on the streets today are descendents of these same wild burros.

Chance did not think the burros were so cool. It was interesting trying to shoo them out off the road so we could drive by while she was growling as loud as she could.

From Oatman we drove in the Mohave Valley by nice golf courses out in the middle of the desert. Crazy.

Once in California, there wasn’t a thing for miles. We ate snacks in the car for lunch since we weren’t hungry enough for the random food stops in the middle of the desert.

The gas stations were over $4.50 a gallon here!

We went by the Tehachapi-Mojave Wind Resource Area which has more than 4,500 wind turbines. They can generate the annual needs for 300,000 homes!

The terrain soon changed to lush green rolling hills. I can see why people like California so much.

We checked into the hotel in Bakersfield and grabbed Vietnamese at Saigon for dinner.

Tomorrow is another day we have really been looking forward to. We plan to drive up the Pacific Coast on Highway 1 as much as we can. We plan to see Carmel, 17 Mile Drive and Monterey before heading up to San Francisco for the night.

Day 2

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Chance had to sleep in the bed with us last night so she wouldn’t growl every time a hotel door opened or closed or someone walked by our room. If you’re ever travelling with a dog, La Quinta doesn’t charge extra fees for pets. It’s actually decent room for its price. 

We ate some breakfast at the hotel in Memphis and were on the road around 8am. We soon crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas. There were a lot more lakes and beautiful settings for wineries than imagined, but I guess that’s why it’s known as the Natural State.

Joe had a nice heart test when he thought a cop was coming to pull him over for doing 6 mph over, but thankfully he went right past us. I can only imagine how Chance would react to a police officer approaching Joe’s driver window. I’m glad we didn’t have to experience that.

We stopped in Fort Smith for some Tex-Mex for lunch. After that we crossed the border into Oklahoma. It was very overcast when we were in Oklahoma City. We drove by the Botanical Gardens which overlook downtown to see if the renovation of the 1960s I.M. Pei designed conservatory & dog park nearby was close to being completed. It was not, but it looks like it will be really nice, with a new skyscraper and development across the street also under construction. 

Near Clinton, OK we passed massive wind turbines. Oklahoma was pretty boring and the same simple flat farmland over and over again. As we neared Elk City, OK which is located on the historic Route 66, things started to get more interesting. It was sad to see the dilapidated barely hanging on locations, but I think that is part of their beauty; the rugged rusted metal against the natural great plains.

Once in Texas, we stopped in McLean, TX to see a refurbished vintage Phillips 66 gas station built in 1929, complete with an antique pump. It was really cute.

The terrain became absolutely amazing after that. It could have been that we were finally having some consistent sunlight, but the rolling hills and remote ranches were beautiful.

In Groom, TX at exit 112, we visited a very moving site. The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ has a 190-foot high, 2.5 million-pound cross that was visible 15 miles away. On the grounds of the church, encircling the giant corrugated metal cross, were 14 life-size bronze stations of the cross. It was amazing. The 13^th station was a display of Calvary up a hill and in front of that was a life-size Last Supper Display. The most moving piece was a tombstone dedicated to the sanctity of life, in loving memory of the innocent victims of abortion. Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” I took tons of pictures here that I will post on facebook once we get home. Weird, “home.” Washington is now home…

For many miles from Amarillo, TX, The Big Texan Steak Ranch was advertising their free 72 oz steak if you finish it in 1 hour. Thankfully Joe knows his limits and we only drove by and went straight to La Quinta. This one wasn’t as nice with exterior corridors. Joe says he feels almost homeless, with all our important possessions in the car and staying in sketchy hotels due to Chance. 

We were pretty tired & hungry so we ditched our plans for Texas beef barbeque and just reheated leftover Rendevous BBQ from Memphis & supplemented with Wendy’s. 

Thankfully tomorrow’s drive is a little shorter, around 9.5 hours to Flagstaff, AR. We cannot wait for the day after that where we will hike the Grand Canyon! Keep us in your prayers that we continue to travel safely.