Epilogue - Mike

It has been a little over 2 weeks since I got back from the cross-country trip in the Ghia - plenty of time for reflection. It was a tremendous trip.

Here are some statistics. The total distance driven was 5,794 miles. We were a little concerned about the accuracy of the gas gauge, so we filled up fairly frequently - 28 times to be exact.  The tank holds 10.6 gallons, and our average fill up was 6.2 gallons - somewhat on the safe side. Interestingly, it was an average fill-up of 5.9 gallons with Angela in the car and 6.9 gallons without Angela in the car. Guess which one of us has run out of gas before in the Ghia.  We averaged 32mpg. Our best was 39mpg on the first day during a stretch where we stayed off the interstate. Gas mileage drops appreciably at today's highway speeds.

Prior to the cross-country trip, the farthest we had taken the Ghia was to Gainesville, FL - which is 105 miles away from home. In a way, that was more of an adventure because it was right after we got the car and before we had the leaky gas tank and sieve-like fuel pump replaced. After those repairs, our gas mileage increased significantly. It helps if you're not leaving a trail of gasoline across the countryside.

Upon returning home from the cross-country trip, I pulled the Ghia into the garage where it sat for two weeks untouched. It wasn't even completely unpacked. It deserved a much needed rest. Finally, this weekend I backed it out and scrubbed it clean. I polished all the chrome bits (there's a lot); the trip was hard on them, but they look great now. And I unpacked it.

Like I said, it was a tremendous trip. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I can't wait to do it again, and I will do it again... soon. In the Ghia? No way. Not that the Ghia isn't comfortable or fun... but I felt it was very hard on the car. I wouldn't want to do that to the car again.

A trip in our other car, an Infiniti G37S coupe, wouldn't be nearly as adventuresome. Like the Ghia, the G37 is a 2-door 2+2 coupe. It also has four tires and a steering wheel. But the similarities pretty much end there. The Infiniti has 300 more horsepower than the Ghia. Angela and I have both had situations where we are driving along an interstate highway, thinking we're doing about the speed limit, and then looked down to see that we were going over 90 mph. If I ever looked down in the Ghia and saw that I was doing 90 mph, it would mean that I had driven off the edge of a very tall bridge.

Angela said it best. After driving the Ghia for two weeks, driving the Infiniti makes you think the Infiniti was made with alien technology. It is so smooth, and quiet, and fast, and quiet. On the flipside, hopping in the Ghia after a few weeks in the Infiniti and you'd think the Ghia was made by illegal aliens with no prior automotive experience. 

Actually, that's not fair. The Ghia is a very well-engineered car. The engine alone is a marvel. Did you know that most general aviation aircraft today still use what is effectively a VW engine? The most popular (by far) engine for small aircraft is an air-cooled, horizontally opposed 4-cylinder with a carburetor (not fuel injection). Some of them are direct descendants of the VW engine, while the rest share the same layout - albeit with a lot of redundancies. These are the engines used in most new general aviation aircraft. 

The one thing the Ghia could really use is one more gear. While driving down the highway, we often find ourselves pulling the gear lever to only find that we are already in 4th gear. Our friend Mike has a similar era Triumph Spitfire and says the same thing. It needs one more gear - just for the highways.

The one thing the Ghia doesn't need is a nice stereo. We upgraded the stereo, in part, so we could charge our electronics on the trip. At 35 mph, the stereo sounds good. At 60 mph, it helps if you know the song - so you can fill in the parts that aren't so clear. At 75 mph, ... the stereo's clock looks cool.

Angela was the perfect person for the trip (being my wife and all). She loves cars and a vaguely-planned adventure as much as I do. And she knows how to push start a car (or more accurately... how to pop the clutch when someone else is pushing the car). I cannot thank her enough for getting the car in the first place and, also, going on the trip.

Here are some random thoughts that I never put into the blog that I wanted to remember:

• In California, the worst drivers are usually driving a Toyota Prius. They are going the fastest - and often in the slowest lane. They weave in and out of traffic, and slam on brakes for no apparent reason. They will make a right turn from the left lane - at high speeds. Given that they are driving a hybrid, you'd think that they're all about saving the planet. But I believe that is so that they can kill each one of us individually.
• In addition to "Name that Smell", Angela and I invented several other games to play on the road. "Could You Live Here?" is one where we decide if we could live in a town (or a particular house) that we passed on our trip. Invariably, the answer is either "No" or "No way!". A variation on that theme is "How Did You Get Here?" in which we find ourselves living in some desolate town and have to give the events that led to us living in that particular place. The answer usually based on the Federal Witness Protection Program.
• One of the great things about this Ghia is that it still has its original owner's manual. That booklet is an absolute wealth of information. For example... with regards to starting the car in cold weather and heating it up prior to driving, the manual says this: don't do it. It says: start the car and drive away. Once you drive the car, you appreciate the logic. Hot air cannot get into the cabin unless the car is moving; it needs airflow and there are no fans in the car.
• If I were just a more out-going person, I could have made so many friends on this trip. People come up all the time and want to talk about the car. Believe me, I am very polite and answer all their questions; but ... if I were more of a people-person, I could have spent all day talking with them. I did meet one great guy, Rene, in the VeeDub shop in Austin. He was a customer like me and had been coming to the shop for about 18 years. He had worked in the energy industry and answered so many questions I had about oil wells, mineral rights and even the Salton Sea (where he used to work).
• I believe the attraction of the Ghia is that is cute without an ounce of pretention. It is not a rare Porsche or Maserati - it is simply a survivor from a "simpler" time. It is a car that almost everyone could afford when new, and can afford now - if they have the patience.
• And finally, as I realized on my cross-country bicycle trip, the US is a great place filled with a tremendous number of amazing and friendly people - as well as people driving a Prius.

Thanks for reading.

Days 14 - 17 - Palm Springs CA to Amelia Island FL

Whoa... what a blur.

For those of you following the blog who thought "I wonder if Mike ever made it home?", well... thank you.  For those of you following the blog who didn't wonder that.... well... thank you.  

Sarcasm doesn't translate well into the written medium. 

Tuesday (Day 14) started in beautiful Palm Springs. As Angela had a 1pm flight home, we had some more time to explore the city. The weather is absolutely perfect. This time of year, the local TV weatherman has a tough job.  He has to say "Today will be sunny with a high of 82" or "Today will be sunny with a high of 84".

We drove around some neighborhoods and walked others. Every street is perfectly clean with well-manicured lawns. Block after block is impeccable. Even the RV park, which is behind a wall (like a very exclusive neighborhood) and has a championship golf course. I am a huge fan of mid-century modern architecture and Palm Springs is its epicenter.  

The bizarre part is that we are in the middle of a desert. This is a shot of an empty lot near these gorgeous homes.

You quickly appreciate the town's (and the whole area's) dependence on water that comes from elsewhere.

Every trip has to end, and for Angela the return home began today. I dropped her at the Palm Springs airport at 11:30am... hating to see her go. She's been so much fun; a good driver (very good. - but not as good as me); and a very competent navigator, which is strange given that she is directionally challenged. I was going to miss her tremendously. And it turns out that she was my good luck charm.

To get back to Florida, the most direct route is simply I-10. It runs right outside of Palm Springs and ends in Jacksonville FL - just 45 minutes from our home. However, I wasn't quite ready to hop on the interstate. I had been on this section of I-10 three times before (once on the drive out and twice on the bike rides) and I wanted to see something new. Furthermore, there had been a tremendous accident on east-bound I-10 just east of Palm Springs the previous day involving two semi-tractor trailer trucks. One was carrying frozen chicken and the other was transporting millions of bees. Local news sent a reporter to the crash site wearing a bee-keeper outfit; updates kept coming throughout the evening on the clean-up and efforts to get the bees back to their hives. The USA Today headline was "Frozen chicken barbecued in truck crash as bees swarm". It closed that section of the interstate, and I was concerned about residual effects (like what? - I'm not sure if it was traffic or honey on the road or swarming bees or what - but I didn't want to chance it).

From USA Today

I first headed east from the airport along State Road 111 - the main drag. My memory from the previous bike trips is a bit cloudy, because I don't recall it taking this long to get into the countryside. As I look back now, I see that we biked out on roads through neighborhoods - not the busy main road with all of its traffic lights.  It took me well over an hour to get out of Palm Springs and the various smaller (but similar) towns east of it. Each one of them slightly less glamorous than the previous. And then you hit the farming area - citrus fruit, broccoli, grapes, dates, and so on. So productive and green; and a complete contradiction laid out next to the arid desert.

I took this route because I specifically wanted to see the Salton Sea - an absolutely otherworldly body of water in the middle of the desert that is about 250' below sea level and covers an area roughly one-fourth of the size of Rhode Island. The truly amazing fact of the sea is that it was formed about 100 years ago purely by accident. The short story is that the engineers of the California Development Company were bringing in water from the Colorado River for irrigation purposes and things got out of hand.  The sea was formed over a two year period as work was performed to stop the flow of water.

As a side note, I am one of those people who subscribe to the belief that Rhode Island is a state solely so that we may have a reference scale for really big crap like huge icebergs, asteroids and celebrity egos. They get two senators - really? I will stop before I upset my friends from RI any more.

Back to the Salton Sea. It is very salty. More so than the ocean, but less than the Great Salt Lake in Utah. In addition to being very salty, fertilizer runoff from irrigation farming makes life in the sea nearly impossible. There were several resort towns along the sea, but inconsistent water levels, algal blooms and dead fish have apparently killed tourism. I stopped at one of these towns, Desert Shores, and the it was a post-apocalyptic setting.

It was empty buildings and trailers. It appeared that there were some mobile homes with occupants - perhaps zombies. I wanted to actually walk up to the lake, but there is a chain linked fence with "No Trespassing" signs all around it. I could easily smell the sea - it wasn't bad... just that salty ocean smell.

And despite its promise of Color TV by RCA, the Sea & Sun Motel had limited visitors (but there appeared to be someone there). I wonder when was the last time the No Vacancy sign was lit.

You could not have picked a more polar opposite town for Palm Springs. Even the fire station was boarded up and chained shut - with the old fire truck still inside. I wanted to drive through the empty streets and take more pictures. I wanted to find out the story of the town. If the flow of water stopped in Palm Springs, would it eventually look like this? I was fascinated with Desert Shores. But, I needed to be getting on the road.

The Ghia loves southern California (apart from the freeways, which it hates) and southern California loves the Ghia (the freeways have no feelings one way or the other). With this weather, driving with the windows down is perfect - and somehow quieter than driving with the windows up.  People wave, take pictures and ask questions. At one gas station, I had a guy stare at it for a full minute and then simply say "It is beautiful".

The starter problems had gone away. I stopped dozens of time during the day, and it fired right up every time. On these state roads, I was buzzing along at 55-60mph - not in a huge hurry yet.

The empty desert is home to off-roading and the state of California makes it easy to take advantage of the desolate landscape. 

There were numerous entry points like this all along the highway. This is why you have a 4x4 or an ATV or a dirt bike.

I finally reached I-8, which runs from San Diego to just west of Tucson where I-10 drops down to join it. I had gotten to the point where you can't go any further south without a passport. Driving along I-8, you can see the big black fence that separates the US from Mexico. In some instances, it is just a few hundred yards away. It is also along this stretch that you see the big dunes of the desert.

These parts of the desert are also open to off-road vehicles, as evidenced by the tire tracks.

I was heading east along I-8 - beautiful, open scenery.  Just nothingness in all directions. Once again, I came along an RV "park". The pic below is not great, but it gives an idea of where RVs will set up for the winter. I was somewhat oblivious to the whole RV culture. While it is not something that I would like to do, I can start to see its appeal. After checking into and out of hotels for two weeks, having your beds and change of clothes right behind the driver's seat has a certain attraction. I also imagine that there is a camaraderie that comes along with the nomad lifestyle. Moving away from the snow and ice for the winter also makes perfect sense. I just haven't come to terms with some of the RV parks, which are in such desolate areas with no apparent amenities or nearby attractions / distractions - and sometimes fully packed. Perhaps that's the reason right there.

I crossed into Arizona and was headed towards Tucson. I was driving around 65-70mph - just trying to stay out of the way of speeding traffic. I decided to stop at a rest area off the interstate as it was beginning to get dark. It was a mid-century modern design with immaculate desert landscaping. The sun was setting in the west, and a full moon was rising over a mountain range in the east. I took about a dozen pictures, but none of them really give the little rest area justice. These little rest stations are never used to their full potential. Day after day, and year after year, the dozen or so little picnic tables go unused. People just stop to use the restrooms, maybe grab a drink or snack out of the vending machine, then jump back on the interstate. Later at night, semi-tractor trailer trucks will pull in and park for some sleep. But when was the last time a family used the charcoal grills for a barbeque?

I went back to Ghia... it didn't want to start. Turned the key and nothing. We hadn't had this problem since Winslow. This was the start of the problems on my return trip. After about an hour, the Ghia fired right up and I was off.

In the middle of nowhere, I saw eight bright lights well in the distance just hanging in mid-air. I knew that they must be miles away.  They were too high to be radio tower lights. Based on their location and the fact that they eventually burned out, I determined that they were suspended flares launched by the US Border Patrol along the border. I also saw about half a dozen US Border Patrol vehicles almost hidden in the bush of the median.

Shortly after the UFO encounter, I "lost" my low beam lights. I had my high beams, but switching to low beams yielded nothing but darkness. I continued driving until after Tucson when I stopped at another rest area. The car again refused to start. I took the opportunity to get a little nap (it was now very late - about 1am). After about an hour I tried again, but the car refused to start. I tried push starting it by myself (backwards down a very slight incline). No luck. Pushed it back up the incline and tried again. No luck. With temps in the 30's, it was very cold in the Ghia. The push starting exercise, however, had warmed me up. I waited several more hours. Finally, I called AAA. They arrived about 7am and we immediately got the car started.

I made through New Mexico and into El Paso, which is directly across the river/border from Ciudad Juarez, a Mexican city of about 1.5 million people. Parts of El Paso looked a little sketchy. Ciudad Juarez looked positively scary. It seems to go on forever. Refineries mixed in with thousands of shanties. Apparently, there are nice neighborhoods in Juarez, but you can't see them from the border. In 2010, over 3500 people were murdered in Juarez - nearly 10 per day. The murder rate has dropped precipitously since then, but it still a dangerous city.

It was against this backdrop that the interstate went from three lanes to one due to construction. Hundreds of trucks and cars were all at a near stand still... and just creeping along. While in this traffic, the Ghia developed a new problem. It started to stall. It never did this before. I was always going just fast enough to pop the clutch and restart the car. However, it was slightly nerve-wracking.  I finally made it out of El Paso and continued east. West Texas is pretty desolate. You can go 120 miles without a gas station on the interstate. I somehow made it to Ozona TX about 5pm where Angela had made me a reservation at a motel. I was exhausted (having no real sleep apart from a quick nap in a freezing rest area for the past two days). My lack of sleep must have been obvious to the motel manager because she gave me a huge room with three queen beds. I managed to fix the headlight problem (it was just a blown fuse) before I passed out for the night.

The next day was very cold and overcast. The Ghia barely started - the stalling problem was worse.  My goal was Austin VeeDub - the guys who had looked over the car the previous week. It was a five hour drive in a car that quit running every time I pushed in the clutch. Furthermore, I was uncertain if it would restart if it did stall. The car has three pedals (gas, brake and clutch) and I have two feet (left and right). I sometimes needed my feet on all three pedals at the same time. Somehow I made it. The garage was full and I waited a couple of hours before Mike (the mechanic that was so helpful previously) was able to take a look. He started it, brought it into the garage, popped it open and found the problem immediately. It was simply a loose electrical connection to the carburetor that tells the car to shut off when you turn off the key. He also adjusted the idle and the timing. When he was finished, he said "all done, no charge". Again. Those guys at Austin VeeDub are absolutely incredible. Just like that, the car was running beautifully.

Without boring you with all the details (too late), I drove from Austin to Houston, hopped back on I-10 and drove straight through to Amelia - roughly 19 hours later. Jackie and Emory had flown out from Houston to stay with Angela. All three were a welcome sight.

I then crawled into bed, buried my face and slept like a baby.

We plan one more post (an Epilogue) with the stats of the trip.

Day 13 - Lake Forest CA to Palm Springs CA

Today's blog is from Angela-- it's Mike's birthday so he gets the day off.  I'm flying home tomorrow from Palm Springs and Mike will be driving back all by himself (let's all keep an eye out for him). We've had a wonderful time on the trip and it's a little sad to see it end (at least for me). As Mike likes to say, he is a very good driver and he really is even with the Ghia which is a challenge.  I drove a bit on the trip as well-- the Ghia is like going to the gym (so I hear)-- it's a workout with no power steering, no power brakes, shifting that is reluctant, engine that is reluctant and so by the end of the day you know you've put some effort in. For all it's faults, the Ghia has been a blast, and our appreciation of it has grown over the past two weeks.  The fact that we made it to CA with just the starting issue has been amazing to both of us.

Today started out in Lake Forest with my dear friend Gus, who was the perfect host.  It was so nice staying in someone's home as opposed to another hotel room and Gus made us feel more than welcome.  We enjoyed the super bowl with him (and for those of you that know Gus this in itself is a small miracle-- Gus does NOT share football).  We relaxed all morning and didn't want to leave. We finally pulled ourselves away close to noon. Via a route outlined by Gus, we took a marvelous back road from Lake Forest to the highways. I have been to this part of the country about a dozen times and the weather always seems to be perfect; today was no exception.  Simply gorgeous!  Blue skies, low humidity and sun and more sun.  Remove the traffic and high taxes and we would move here. Then again, Amelia Island is pretty sweet and I'm looking forward to being home soon.

Angela and Gus

We made our way to Palm Springs to check it out.  Mike had ridden through here but didn't spend much time so we came back today to see what makes it so popular.  The views of the mountain and desert are stunning and visible from almost any location.  There is a very artsy and beautiful downtown. Mike is a big fan of an artist known as Shag and he has a gallery here so, of course, we checked that out.  We escaped without buying anything but there may be an online order sometime in the future. Here in PS it was downright hot and I didn't bring the right clothes for today's 80 degree weather.  I can't imagine July here-- I'd end up as a dry roasted peanut but you know, without the flavor-- not a pretty picture.  We're off to a light dinner.  I'll be worried about Mike but know he'll be fine-- he promised he would after all.  Thanks to everyone who's followed the blog- we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Day 12 - Joshua Tree CA to Lake Forest CA

This was another picture perfect day. Weather was completely clear and temps into the 70's. Since we were staying in Joshua Tree, it only made sense to visit the Joshua Tree National Park. It is a fairly large park - covering about 1200 square miles; it is larger than the state of Rhode Island. And it has thousands of Joshua Trees.

As you would expect, the park is full of Joshua trees. They are one of the fastest growing desert trees - close to 3" per year for seedlings under the right circumstances.

You can tell we are near some population centers because the park was filling up. Most appeared to be coming to climb the large boulders. If you look closely on the picture below, you will see a few people climbing.

The sky is so clear, and it so quiet up here. The rain from two days ago is starting to make some changes. While it looks so dry (being a desert and all), the soil was still damp.

From Joshua Tree, we began the descent on the roads we climbed last night.  We put the car in neutral and could coast down at 75mph. We hopped on I-10 and headed into the Los Angeles sprawl.  Like Texas, everyone here is in a big hurry. We hit some traffic that brought us to a standstill - and it was a Sunday. At one point, we were on a freeway with seven lanes all going in one direction.  

We were on our way to visit our friend Gus in Lake Forest, which is near Irvine (south of LA). The sprawl eventually gives way to beautiful mountains - all green from the recent rains.  Gus lives in a great community that seems so different from everything we've seen on the way.  We arrived just in time to see the Super Bowl, and Gus had a spread laid out for us.

This is as far west as we are traveling. We could drive a few miles more to see the Pacific, but we want to get back to Palm Springs tomorrow.  

Day 11 - Prescott AZ to Joshua Tree CA

Both Angela and I are constantly amazed at the change of scenery in this part of the country. We started in the town of Prescott AZ (which Angela absolutely loves), climbed into the Ponderosa pine mountains and then descended into the desert.  Along the way, we traveled through high desert plains - some areas lush enough to have impressive horse farms.

We drove over 300 miles today - almost every mile of which is one I biked in 2009 and 2010. It brings back powerful memories for me (perhaps a bit of nausea for Angela as the bike ride is the only thing I seem to be able to talk about). I was hoping that this trip would inspire me to do it again.  It is absolutely gorgeous out here... but every never-ending climb and long desolate road foster a certain anxiety. Surely the mountains have gotten taller and the towns moved further apart in the last five years. As we pass the motels I stayed at on those trips, I am reminded of the soreness remaining from the day's ride and the nervousness of the next day's ride. I often had difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep despite the exhaustion.

By far and away, the happiest memories from those trips are of the people on the ride with me. Each and every one them was truly special, and I cherish the time I was able to spend with them. The exact same thing can be said about this trip

The route out of Prescott took us through switchbacks similar to the ones we had driven yesterday.  The weather was a bit chilly and the rain had not yet cleared.  We climbed the mountains and drove through the clouds.

Suddenly, we were out of the pines and into the cactus. The curves made the ride as fun as a roller coaster.  When they ended, it was a steep straight descent towards Wickenburg - a picturesque "cowboy" town.

The picture below is of our map (a gift from my sister and family) and the lens cap of our trusty Fuji X30. If possible, I prefer to navigate by map - but sometimes, we have to break down and use the GPS apps on our phones.

Coming out of Wickenburg, we drove along US60. The leader of my bike rides called it "the loneliest road in America". We may have seen a few more desolate roads on this trip in New Mexico (like coming out of the Zuni reservation), but this section of US60 is pretty empty. However, every once in a while, out in the middle of nowhere, you'll come upon an RV park. And some of them are full. I don't understand it. This part of Arizona has no state or federal parks. It is probably 50 miles in any direction to the nearest real grocery store. Coming through here in April of 2009 and 2010, I did note the RV parks - but they definitely weren't this full. We are sure they are snow birds, but Angela and I are baffled on why they picked here - out in the middle of nowhere.


From Wickenburg to the California state line, there really isn't much in the way of food or gas. Upon getting in California, we stopped in Blythe at a great BBQ place.  Again, the RV parks leading into the town were full. I've spent the night twice in Blythe and the town seemed absolutely dead in April.  But here in January, it is somewhat lively. In this part of the state, it is desert - very empty. The skies were clear (they got some of that rain that had hit us) and the temps were pushing 70.

Our goal today was originally Palm Springs, but we had checked last night for hotels and there were limited vacancies.  I guess the great weather, combined with this being a weekend, had brought in a lot visitors. So we booked ourselves a room about 25 miles further away in Joshua Tree.

We took a "back way" into Palm Springs (a road that I had biked) and it looks like you've landed on another planet. It snakes its way through small barren canyons until suddenly you're into lush farm country.

We stopped to visit our friends, Bryan and Percy, in Palm Springs.  Bryan is suffering from a particularly bad case of viral pneumonia that has landed him in the hospital. He is getting much better, but is still pretty weak. However, he looks fabulous - and that is the most important thing. It was great to see these guys, and meet their friends who were also visiting Bryan. Let me say, if you have to be in the hospital, Palm Springs Hospital (on Bob Hope Drive) is a good place to be. The views are stunning.  And once again, we had the place to ourselves.

In all truth, we tend to park the Ghia in somewhat remote areas in case we have to push start the car.  And along those lines, we haven't had to do that since Winslow. The car is doing great.  We gave it a quick wash in Wickenburg. We get a ton of compliments. Young men (16-21) seem to be drawn to it and want to know what it is.

After leaving the hospital, we drove to Joshua Tree. It was dark and the drive was all up hill. We climbed several thousand feet. Tomorrow it is Lake Forest (near Irvine).

Day 10 - Grand Canyon to Prescott, AZ

Just another incredible day!  And the Ghia just keeps going and going.

Well.. the weather couldn't be perfect forever.  Today was cold and rainy.  Just a very dreary day.  We went back up to the Grand Canyon to take a peak.

We couldn't see a thing, so we turned around and headed back to Tusayan (that little town right outside the park) to see the National Geographic IMAX Grand Canyon film. Apparently, it is the most watched IMAX film ever. At $14 per person, somebody is making a fortune. I thought the film was pretty good; Angela thought it was hokey.

From here on out, it was a day of elevation changes.  From 4,000 feet to 8,000 feet - back down to 4,000 feet - then 6,000 feet - then 3,000 feet... and so on.  The Ghia was magnificancent.  At these high altitudes and steeps grade, the car did great. Every time I open the engine compartment to check the oil, I look at that tiny engine and say "way to go little guy".

We took a scenic route back down to Flagstaff to go by AZ's highest peak at 12,633 feet. An incredible climb; and with this weather, it was mostly in the clouds.  It was up this road that we saw our first coyote (sans roller skates and jet pack).

Flagstaff is surrounded by National Parks.  In fact, 42.3% of Arizona is Federal Park, Federal Monument, military base or some other federal property (e.g., Yuma Proving Grounds).  We know that over a quarter of the state is Indian Reservation (see yesterday's blog) and 42% is Federal property.... that leaves less than a third of the state for the rest of the population.

We passed through Flagstaff on our way to Sedona. We were retracing the bike route I took in 2009 and 2010. It was an incredible back road that, in one section, climbs about 1500 feet over a 4 mile stretch.

Check out the switchback to the right

On a map, it looks like this: 

Even covered in clouds, Sedona was gorgeous. I had been through the town twice before, but it was much bigger than I remembered.  Very upscale.

From Sedona it was onto Cottonwood and then to Prescott - again, all along roads that I had biked. Angela took the wheel as we headed up to Jermone - a former copper mining town that has been converted into an artsy community. We couldn't see 50 yards in front of us, and the drop-off was lethal. There was a 5 mile stretch where it was impossible to get the Ghia up into 4th gear.

You have to appreciate something about this car... it is a bit older than you think. It was actually built in October 1970 (the date imprinted upon the frame).  But the design is from the early 1950's - and it is virtually unchanged. Just look at the back of the car. It has fins! Seriously... what car in the 70's still had fins? For that matter, what car in the 60's still had fins? For such an underpowered car, it handles these roads like a charm. We're not the fastest car on the road, but we are the ones having the most fun.

We stopped in Jermone, and again in Prescott, to check out some art galleries.  Very, very impressive. I wish we could do something similar back in Amelia. In Prescott, we stopped at The Palace - the oldest continuously open saloon in Arizona. We sat at the same bar as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. There were a few characters there this evening obviously trying desperately to channel Wyatt or Doc, and to some extent they succeeded.  Great food and friendly owners.

Tomorrow we head to Palm Springs.

Day 09 - Winslow AZ to Grand Canyon

The day started off in Winslow, and I was determined to give this town another shot.  We drove through town again to where I had stayed on my two previous bike trips – right by the interstate. We made one wrong turn, and ended up by the hospital, which appeared very nice. And we saw what appeared to be a new Walmart. But other than that, this town is just not a happy or happening place. We hopped on the interstate headed to Flagstaff and could see a bit more of Winslow. There was a nicer subdivision with new construction, but it was right on the interstate. I don’t understand the appeal of building a 4,000 square foot brick home with the front door facing an endless parade of semis - while the views outside the town in any other direction are absolutely stunning. Strange.

Weather was a bit chilly (in the 40’s) and overcast. Our goal was the Grand Canyon and we needed to get through Flagstaff.  It was a 50 mile drive on the interstate.  As mentioned, the landscape out here is stunning and vast.  It is a beautiful sea of sage prairie in all directions with mountain ranges miles in the distance. While it is gorgeous, it is also very desolate. It was along this stretch of interstate that I was biking to Winslow in both 2009 and 2010 – 50 miles of interstate biking right on the heels of 70 miles in the morning through the mountains.  Looking back, it seems very surreal.  And that is exactly how it felt at the time.  The last time I did, it was snowing – making it even more bizarre. Even though I biked way over on the shoulder of the highway, bicycles don’t belong on the interstate.  But out in the west, you can do it in certain sections.  However, other than the people in my group, I’ve never seen another bicycle on the interstate.

We got off on Route 66.  Actually, US66 no longer exists.  It is arguably the most famous highway in the US.  Movies, TV shows and books tell the stories of Route 66. In the “Grapes of Wrath”, Steinbeck described it as the “mother road”. However famous it was, the interstate system killed US66; the highway was officially retired in 1985.  Here in the west, you simply don’t need a US highway if you have an interstate.  The landscape is just emptiness for hundreds of miles and that second highway is superfluous.  Not only did Route 66 highway number die, in some sections they laid the interstate right over the road.  Having said that, some states (like AZ and NM) have gone a long way to preserve Route 66’s memory.  Old sections of the highway, now labelled with different route numbers, are also assigned a “Historic Rt 66” designation.  Sometimes it’s little more than a frontage road running parallel to the interstate. In Albuquerque, it is a major road with a large neon sign spanning from one side of the road to the other.

Wow… that was a lot of background information just to say that we drove on Historic Route 66 for about 4 miles and it was the roughest section of road we have encountered since Louisiana.  I think I lost a filling.

From Flagstaff, there are basically two roads that can get you to the Grand Canyon.  Apparently, we took the one less travelled.  The benefit was that it brought us right by another National Park system - Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater National Monument.  We took a tour through these parks.

You may know that volcanoes are common along the continental plates; but what you may not know (I certainly didn't) is that the area around Flagstaff is a hotbed of volcanic activity that geologists cannot explain.  In the middle of the North American continent is this region that has a (relatively) frequent occurrence of volcanic eruptions.  The most recent of which occurred only 1,000 years ago and displaced all of the local natives.  Today, you can see the lava flows and the volcano cones.

Continuing along this park, you come across multiple early American pueblos. These were absolutely beautiful and looked like condo's specifically placed to view the wide open plains.

click on these pics to see the actual size (not 1" = 1", but you know what I mean)

Archeologist believe that this particular pueblo was occupied for only about 90 years.

At another site (miles away), there was an entire complex complete with what is believed to be a ball court.

This particular park (like all the others) was gorgeous and we had it practically to ourselves. I quizzed one of the park rangers on what it was like in the summer. 

"Is it packed in the summer?"

"Well... there are a lot of people that visit us in the summer months."

"But it is like a mad house, right?"

"Well... it can be a bit crowded."

"But it is like Disney on a school holiday, right?"

"Well... the Federal Government doesn't pay me enough or allow me time off to take time to visit Disney World on a school holiday, but ... it can be a bit crowded."

"Well... you'd be an idiot to come here in the summer with all the crowds"

"I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that...."

Yeah, right.  They know how to toe the company line.  It is a madhouse in the summer.

One quick thing... we saw some jack rabbits in the park. These things are HUGE!  We get bunny rabbits in our yard back in Florida, but what we saw today looked like small kangaroos.  

Upon leaving these parks, we continued northward towards the Grand Canyon.  As I said, there are two ways of entering the park from Flagstaff.  Our way takes us through the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. The word "Indian" may not be politically correct these days, but.. that is what it is called... so deal with it.  If you've never been through an Indian reservation, let me tell you that they are incredibly poor.  I've been through several and they are not necessarily pretty.  The landscape is gorgeous - but it is not fertile land.  If it was fertile, we wouldn't have given it to them. We gave them land that had almost no value. And if we gave them land that was subsequently determined to have value (like an uranium deposit), we took the land and moved them. Not a proud moment in our history.

Over 25% of Arizona is Indian reservations.  Navajo, Hopi, Hualapai, Apache and so on.  On this type of land, it takes 50 acres to raise a single head of cattle (i.e., a cow). So even though there are millions of acres in the reservations, they don't produce much. As you enter the Grand Canyon from this direction, it is a beautiful sight from a landscape perspective - but you really feel for the native Americans.

Cutting to the chase... everyone says the same thing about seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time... it is indescribable.  What did it look like?  I can't describe it.  Didn't I just say that? But to try... it is huge beyond what you can imagine.  I personally believe that the curvature of the Earth prevents us from seeing anything on this scale.  But because the Grand Canyon has carved out an enormous chunk of the Earth, we can see so much more for miles and miles.  And the best part? We had it to ourselves.

Like every other one of the Grand Canyon, the picture above simply doesn't do it justice. The day was cloudy and cold, and the Canyon was still absolutely stunning.  We traveled along the rim for another 25 miles... stopping at various points to hike or admire the different views. It was always breathtaking.  

Bit of trivia: In 1956 (and I'm not making this up), a United Airlines DC-7 and a TWA Super Constellation collided at 21,000 feet above the Grand Canyon.  Right above the buttes in this picture.  The debris rained down right in the middle of this picture.   

We saw elk and deer.  At the first elk sighting, we went crazy. "Stop! Stop! Look! Look! OMG!" in a high pitched little girl voice.  And then Angela said "Ok..Ok...calm down... I see them."

We spent the night right outside the park in a "town" named "Tusayan" - the polar opposite of the Navajo side we entered.  It was clean, modern, prosperous. The Best Western we stayed in was the best Best Western I've ever stayed in.  And it was cheaper than the one in Winslow AZ. It even had a bowling alley.

As a closing note, the Ghia is doing great.  No problems starting all day today. The car was warm and cozy. We are both really amazed at how well it is performing.