It's early Thursday morning and we just arrived back in Atlanta after a night time flight. We spent 4 or five hours in Las Vegas in the afternoon yesterday while waiting to go to the airport. This was new for us, and it became old very fast. We realize many people love the city and its hotels and casinos, but for Two Dogs, Spotted Dust, and Looks At Clouds, we prefer the reservation.
So that's it for the 9th summer of random travels. The scenery was spectacular, but, as is often the case on these trips, the people are the ones who we remember the most. Like our Navajo friends Anna and Lynn. And helpful rangers and tour guides. Booger Bob and Kasey in Tombstone. My old friends Buddy and Mary. Kathy our food server in Tuscon. And Sunshine - our savior on Sedona's trails.
We were able to do 12 good deeds - so if anyone would like to help out the Lawrenceville Co-Op by donating any amount you want per good deed, then please click on the Lawrenceville Co-Op link to the right of this page. And if you purchase my book on Amazon the proceeds also go to the Co-Op.
Thank you, or as the Navajos say ... Ahehee'!
Link to "Backroads, No Plan, Good Deeds, and Pee Wee":
Carlsbad, NM
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
2017 Day 8
First stop and most of the day was Sedona. We heard quite consistently over the past 7 days, "Go to Sedona!" They were right and if you haven't been there, put it on your bucket list. The pictures below don't do it justice. Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, the Chapel of the Holy Cross and the view from it were simply spectacular. The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a Catholic church built high up in a magnificent red rock formation and is breathtaking. Thousands of people visit there daily. Most arrive in awe and most leave spiritually filled. Many pray - you can see Barry praying for Kathy - the food server from our Phoenix restaurant two days ago.
We took way too long in the Sedona area - we stopped at every single pullout. Sedona is the name of the town north of Phoenix and is situated in simply one of the most scenic areas you will ever see. It was difficult to leave, but around 4:00 we headed north.
We stopped for the day in Williams - the town at the junction of I-40 and the highway heading north to the Grand Canyon. We had no idea what a great little tourist town it is. The main strip is a few blocks of the original Route 66 and is bristling with old west type activities, stores, and even gunfights. By the way, the temperature in northern Arizona this evening was 58. Two days ago at Casa Grande in central Arizona it was 117.
Our first of two good deeds today centered around Sunshine. During our one mile hike to see Cathedral Rock we met a lady hiking to see the same rock formations we were heading for. We exchanged just a few pleasantries and she headed off in front of us. We made it to the area where we obtained some good photos and then turned back toward the parking lot. We stopped for a while to cool off in a popular swimming hole in a beautiful creek running alongside the trail. Several minutes after resuming our hike back we noticed surroundings that were new to us. In other words we were lost. About that time, Sunshine - the lady we met earlier in the hike, was coming toward us. She was lost too, but she had a hikers' GPS, so we followed her to the right trail and to the parking lot. On the way there we explained our trip and we learned that she works at a homeless mission near the Alamo in San Antonio. We wanted to do some kind of good deed for her but she said that since she works in a homeless shelter that her good deed for us should suffice. We said OK, but then we saw her at a Subway later and bought her a lunch. So tough luck Sunshine - we still did a good deed for you after your giant deed for us.
The second good deed centered around our rental car. We will be returning it tomorrow night at the Las Vegas airport. When we picked it up a week ago it was loaded with stains on the front two seats. The rental company managers are aware of it but they may be surprised when they see that the stains have been removed due to our purchasing of upholstery cleaner followed by some tough rubbing.
That's it for our last full day. We will be heading in the Las Vegas direction tomorrow morning and will make sure we arrive early for our flight home tomorrow night. Arizona, Utah, and the west - we had an awesome time, but there's some people in the east pretty important to us.
We took way too long in the Sedona area - we stopped at every single pullout. Sedona is the name of the town north of Phoenix and is situated in simply one of the most scenic areas you will ever see. It was difficult to leave, but around 4:00 we headed north.
We stopped for the day in Williams - the town at the junction of I-40 and the highway heading north to the Grand Canyon. We had no idea what a great little tourist town it is. The main strip is a few blocks of the original Route 66 and is bristling with old west type activities, stores, and even gunfights. By the way, the temperature in northern Arizona this evening was 58. Two days ago at Casa Grande in central Arizona it was 117.
Our first of two good deeds today centered around Sunshine. During our one mile hike to see Cathedral Rock we met a lady hiking to see the same rock formations we were heading for. We exchanged just a few pleasantries and she headed off in front of us. We made it to the area where we obtained some good photos and then turned back toward the parking lot. We stopped for a while to cool off in a popular swimming hole in a beautiful creek running alongside the trail. Several minutes after resuming our hike back we noticed surroundings that were new to us. In other words we were lost. About that time, Sunshine - the lady we met earlier in the hike, was coming toward us. She was lost too, but she had a hikers' GPS, so we followed her to the right trail and to the parking lot. On the way there we explained our trip and we learned that she works at a homeless mission near the Alamo in San Antonio. We wanted to do some kind of good deed for her but she said that since she works in a homeless shelter that her good deed for us should suffice. We said OK, but then we saw her at a Subway later and bought her a lunch. So tough luck Sunshine - we still did a good deed for you after your giant deed for us.
The second good deed centered around our rental car. We will be returning it tomorrow night at the Las Vegas airport. When we picked it up a week ago it was loaded with stains on the front two seats. The rental company managers are aware of it but they may be surprised when they see that the stains have been removed due to our purchasing of upholstery cleaner followed by some tough rubbing.
That's it for our last full day. We will be heading in the Las Vegas direction tomorrow morning and will make sure we arrive early for our flight home tomorrow night. Arizona, Utah, and the west - we had an awesome time, but there's some people in the east pretty important to us.
Monday, July 10, 2017
2017 Day 7
We began with the Pima Air Museum near Tucson. When you travel with Barry Gillespie you cannot call it a complete trip without a stop at some kind of a WWII museum or Air Force Museum. The guy always amazes me with his knowledge of all things WWII. He amazed me, Pee Wee, and even some of the tour guides. For me though, the highlight was standing next to a P-39, which is the plane my father flew as a fighter pilot in WWII.
Next we drove to Apache Junction where we hit a dud. It usually happens once per trip and the Goldfield Mining Company near Apache Junctions was this year's low point. We were a little late for the $7 tour of the mine, but not late enough. And enough said.
Then we took a 20 mile drive up the Apache Trail and then back down. The scenery was great and there was even an element of danger when the paved road became dirt and then narrowed to one lane at about 6000 feet of elevation.
Barry and Pee Wee were nice enough to allow me to finish the day in Scottsdale with my good friends Buddy and Mary Ramos. Buddy and Mary were teachers with Kathy and me in Butler, MO in the late 1970s. We share the same last name but we aren't related, although it certainly seemed that way at times. We've only seen each other once over the past 40 years so it was great to see them and catch up.
We're staying in Anthem, Arizona and will probably take the advice of many people for tomorrow's adventures. Two more days ... as usual this trip has been a blast, but the visit with Buddy and Mary made me think of loved ones and home, and it's good to know that will happen soon enough.
Next we drove to Apache Junction where we hit a dud. It usually happens once per trip and the Goldfield Mining Company near Apache Junctions was this year's low point. We were a little late for the $7 tour of the mine, but not late enough. And enough said.
Then we took a 20 mile drive up the Apache Trail and then back down. The scenery was great and there was even an element of danger when the paved road became dirt and then narrowed to one lane at about 6000 feet of elevation.
Barry and Pee Wee were nice enough to allow me to finish the day in Scottsdale with my good friends Buddy and Mary Ramos. Buddy and Mary were teachers with Kathy and me in Butler, MO in the late 1970s. We share the same last name but we aren't related, although it certainly seemed that way at times. We've only seen each other once over the past 40 years so it was great to see them and catch up.
We're staying in Anthem, Arizona and will probably take the advice of many people for tomorrow's adventures. Two more days ... as usual this trip has been a blast, but the visit with Buddy and Mary made me think of loved ones and home, and it's good to know that will happen soon enough.
Sunday, July 9, 2017
2017 Day 6
Went to Tombstone to start the day - the Tombstone famous for gunfights - especially the OK Corral gunfight. We saw a reenactment that set the record straight. All the shooting was done with the enemies within ten feet of each other in the corral. They didn't aim that well back then so close quarters were needed for some gunfights. It's a history laden town and we soaked it in.
We also made friends with Booger Bob and his wife Kasey - local retired people who filled us in on some history and fun stories. I even good deeded Kasey when she almost fainted due to the heat. Check out photo.
We left Tombstone around noon and you know you're close to Mexico when you get stopped by the border patrol:
Next we went to the Titan Missile Museum site south of Tucson. This is where missiles with thermo-nuclear warheads were at the ready in case of a nuclear attack. Our tour guide was super knowledgeable - a little over our heads at times but that was OK. We got the gist - if the Titan missiles (now not operational) ever had to be used it would have been mutual suicide between us and the Russians.
Then on to the Saguaro National Park northeast of Tucson. This park is peculiar at times, different but astounding, and full of cacti but empty of visitors, except for us. Which meant we had an opportunity to get out, run around, and regress to our preteen years. That happens on this trip sometimes and no details will be related.
The good deeds were the story today. The thing about them, they break down barriers. When we explain what we are doing and how we would like for them to pay it forward, relationships are immediately formed. That happened with Kasey and her husband at Tombstone. Then this evening, Barry helped out the servers at our hotel happy hour by taking out their trash bags to the dumpster. They loved the paying it forward part when they read our cards and were already talking of what they were going to do.
Then tonight we ate at El Corral - the 2nd oldest restaurant in Tucson and a famous one. John Wayne used to play poker there late at night between movie shootings. Our server was Kathy - a kind woman from Wisconsin who has been through some hard times. She lost her husband and son a few years ago and her daughter is dealing with addiction problems. She told her two managers about our desire for good deeds -we were told how their tables were not being cleared fast enough because they had a new bus boy. After the 3 of us got to work on the tables they got caught up.
Back to Kathy, she asked us for two favors. One was to pray for her daughter Ronnah. That was easy, has already been accomplished, but we don't really count that as a good deed - it's just what you do. But she told us how her CDs won't eject from her CD player in her truck. So we all went out in the dark parking lot and improvements were made. So a good day, and rewarding. But a little sad too - even though the relationships built on doing nice things for each other only lasted maybe 30 minutes, saying goodbye wasn't easy.
We also made friends with Booger Bob and his wife Kasey - local retired people who filled us in on some history and fun stories. I even good deeded Kasey when she almost fainted due to the heat. Check out photo.
We left Tombstone around noon and you know you're close to Mexico when you get stopped by the border patrol:
Then on to the Saguaro National Park northeast of Tucson. This park is peculiar at times, different but astounding, and full of cacti but empty of visitors, except for us. Which meant we had an opportunity to get out, run around, and regress to our preteen years. That happens on this trip sometimes and no details will be related.
The good deeds were the story today. The thing about them, they break down barriers. When we explain what we are doing and how we would like for them to pay it forward, relationships are immediately formed. That happened with Kasey and her husband at Tombstone. Then this evening, Barry helped out the servers at our hotel happy hour by taking out their trash bags to the dumpster. They loved the paying it forward part when they read our cards and were already talking of what they were going to do.
Back to Kathy, she asked us for two favors. One was to pray for her daughter Ronnah. That was easy, has already been accomplished, but we don't really count that as a good deed - it's just what you do. But she told us how her CDs won't eject from her CD player in her truck. So we all went out in the dark parking lot and improvements were made. So a good day, and rewarding. But a little sad too - even though the relationships built on doing nice things for each other only lasted maybe 30 minutes, saying goodbye wasn't easy.
Saturday, July 8, 2017
2017 Day 5
We began the day with a short trip to Winslow, Arizona. It was such a fine sight to see while we stood on a corner next to a flatbed Ford. There was a girl my Lord, but Kathy I told her I was taken.
Ten feet from that famous corner we helped out a Native American for good deed #1 of the day. She and her two children were attempting to set up her jewelry tables for the day. The task went much quicker when Spotted Dust, Looks At Clouds, and Two Dogs took over.
From Winslow we went south into a national forest and ended up at the Tonto National Monument. It seems that the Lone Ranger felt it necessary to honor his traveling companion with some national recognition. Thus the Tonto National Monument. (This is actually far from the truth, the area is preserved by the federal government due to the Tonto Apache cliff dwellings in the area, which were very cool to see). And Looks At Clouds and Spotted Dust - forget about any national recognition.
We kept heading south and traveled through some amazing countryside with a plethora of gigantic cactus plants, known as saguaro. These beautiful plants are found almost entirely in Arizona, and old westerns. Upon returning to our rental Corolla and heading south again, we noticed the reading on the car thermometer - 114. And we weren't done as you can see from the photo below.
We tend to look for "largest ball of twine" stops, and found one in Superior, Arizona. We stopped at the "World's Smallest Museum" there - but it was closed. It didn't really matter because if it had been open the tour would have lasted at the most 5 minutes. We noticed almost everything else in the tiny town of Superior was closed down, most for good, so we have renamed the town "Inferior." At least it has a better name than the ranch we saw below which must be owned by an angry rancher.
We ended our day's touring with a visit to Casa Grande National Monument between Phoenix and Tucson. This famous "Big House" is basically an adobe mansion built approximately 700 years ago and miraculously is still fairly intact. The heat was intense whether it's a dry heat or not, so we sped up and finished our Casa Grande Tour. We're finishing the day in a Best Western near Tucson. We're getting closer and closer to Mexico and we may get even closer. Pee Wee ended the day with a second good deed when he helped a food server with the popcorn machine during happy hour at our hotel. She was struggling with a bunch of burned kernels but Looks At Clouds saved the day.
Ten feet from that famous corner we helped out a Native American for good deed #1 of the day. She and her two children were attempting to set up her jewelry tables for the day. The task went much quicker when Spotted Dust, Looks At Clouds, and Two Dogs took over.
From Winslow we went south into a national forest and ended up at the Tonto National Monument. It seems that the Lone Ranger felt it necessary to honor his traveling companion with some national recognition. Thus the Tonto National Monument. (This is actually far from the truth, the area is preserved by the federal government due to the Tonto Apache cliff dwellings in the area, which were very cool to see). And Looks At Clouds and Spotted Dust - forget about any national recognition.
We kept heading south and traveled through some amazing countryside with a plethora of gigantic cactus plants, known as saguaro. These beautiful plants are found almost entirely in Arizona, and old westerns. Upon returning to our rental Corolla and heading south again, we noticed the reading on the car thermometer - 114. And we weren't done as you can see from the photo below.
We tend to look for "largest ball of twine" stops, and found one in Superior, Arizona. We stopped at the "World's Smallest Museum" there - but it was closed. It didn't really matter because if it had been open the tour would have lasted at the most 5 minutes. We noticed almost everything else in the tiny town of Superior was closed down, most for good, so we have renamed the town "Inferior." At least it has a better name than the ranch we saw below which must be owned by an angry rancher.
We ended our day's touring with a visit to Casa Grande National Monument between Phoenix and Tucson. This famous "Big House" is basically an adobe mansion built approximately 700 years ago and miraculously is still fairly intact. The heat was intense whether it's a dry heat or not, so we sped up and finished our Casa Grande Tour. We're finishing the day in a Best Western near Tucson. We're getting closer and closer to Mexico and we may get even closer. Pee Wee ended the day with a second good deed when he helped a food server with the popcorn machine during happy hour at our hotel. She was struggling with a bunch of burned kernels but Looks At Clouds saved the day.
Friday, July 7, 2017
2017 Day 4
Our sunrise at Monument ... Holy Smokes again!
Then we wandered nearby and saw a sign saying a demonstration for a Navajo hogan would take place at 8:00. It was almost 8:00 so we pulled into the hogan parking lot and entered the Navajo residence that is similar to an igloo, but made out of wood, bark, and dirt. The demo and talk we witnessed was actually for a tour group of 8, but we kind of tagged along and acted like we were part of the group. It was an interesting few minutes of learning more about the Navajo culture.
We stopped in Mexican Hat - Pee Wee and I actually stopped there 9 years ago in journey number one. The rock formation that gives the town its name and looks like a Mexican hat is still there, and probably will be for a few thousand more years.
Being around Navajos gave us the inclination to form our own names, so Barry is now "Spotted Dust," because he saw some spots in the dirt at Mexican Hat that were put there by some rain drops last night. Rain here is that rare. Pee Wee is "Looks At Clouds" because every now and then he looks at the clouds and tells us the animals he sees in the clouds. I'm "Two Dogs," because I noticed several dogs today and they were always in pairs.
We stopped for ten minutes in Bluff, Utah because Spotted Dust spotted the Twin Rocks, which are well known rock formations.
Then we drove an hour to the Four Corners Monument, which is the only place in the nation where you can stand in one spot and be in 4 states. Those 4 states are Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. We covered all 4 states in our photo.
While at Four Corners, we were able to do another good deed. Pee Wee made friends with an old Navajo woman who was selling jewelry in a booth. She told Pee Wee she was hungry but could not leave her booth. So after our photo session at the 4 corners spot we presented her with Navajo frybread from a concession stand far from her booth. She was very happy and loved hearing about our trip.
Then on to Canyon de Chelly. We met a man yesterday who told us it would be a great stop and he was right. We all thought the canyon actually holds more beauty than the Grand Canyon, just not as astonishing.
Our last stop was a 28 mile drive through the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest National Park. All I can say is Arizona is loaded with much more than its fair share of beautiful and incredible sites. Our car is filled with "Unbelievable!" and "Look at that!" and "Incredible!" The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest did all that and more. Spotted Dust and Looks At Clouds are sitting on one of the petrified logs and Two Dogs is looking out at the Painted Desert in the photos below.
We don't know where we're going tomorrow - we're staying in Holbrook, Arizona - not far from Winslow. Maybe we'll stand on a corner there and look for a flatbed Ford.
Then we wandered nearby and saw a sign saying a demonstration for a Navajo hogan would take place at 8:00. It was almost 8:00 so we pulled into the hogan parking lot and entered the Navajo residence that is similar to an igloo, but made out of wood, bark, and dirt. The demo and talk we witnessed was actually for a tour group of 8, but we kind of tagged along and acted like we were part of the group. It was an interesting few minutes of learning more about the Navajo culture.
We stopped in Mexican Hat - Pee Wee and I actually stopped there 9 years ago in journey number one. The rock formation that gives the town its name and looks like a Mexican hat is still there, and probably will be for a few thousand more years.
Being around Navajos gave us the inclination to form our own names, so Barry is now "Spotted Dust," because he saw some spots in the dirt at Mexican Hat that were put there by some rain drops last night. Rain here is that rare. Pee Wee is "Looks At Clouds" because every now and then he looks at the clouds and tells us the animals he sees in the clouds. I'm "Two Dogs," because I noticed several dogs today and they were always in pairs.
We stopped for ten minutes in Bluff, Utah because Spotted Dust spotted the Twin Rocks, which are well known rock formations.
Then we drove an hour to the Four Corners Monument, which is the only place in the nation where you can stand in one spot and be in 4 states. Those 4 states are Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. We covered all 4 states in our photo.
While at Four Corners, we were able to do another good deed. Pee Wee made friends with an old Navajo woman who was selling jewelry in a booth. She told Pee Wee she was hungry but could not leave her booth. So after our photo session at the 4 corners spot we presented her with Navajo frybread from a concession stand far from her booth. She was very happy and loved hearing about our trip.
Then on to Canyon de Chelly. We met a man yesterday who told us it would be a great stop and he was right. We all thought the canyon actually holds more beauty than the Grand Canyon, just not as astonishing.
Our last stop was a 28 mile drive through the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest National Park. All I can say is Arizona is loaded with much more than its fair share of beautiful and incredible sites. Our car is filled with "Unbelievable!" and "Look at that!" and "Incredible!" The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest did all that and more. Spotted Dust and Looks At Clouds are sitting on one of the petrified logs and Two Dogs is looking out at the Painted Desert in the photos below.
We don't know where we're going tomorrow - we're staying in Holbrook, Arizona - not far from Winslow. Maybe we'll stand on a corner there and look for a flatbed Ford.
Thursday, July 6, 2017
2017 Day 3
Our first stop was Antelope Canyon near Page - we had to do the lower canyon because sun doesn't hit the upper one in the right places until later in the day. Brook was our tour guide and is a full blooded Navajo and proud of it as she should be. She is a student at Arizona State, and since she is studying to be a teacher we hit it off quite well. She gave us a short history lesson on the Navajo Nation which we enjoyed and needed. We had no idea the Navajo Reservation is the largest in the country - about the size of West Virginia. She also took us on an incredible tour of this famous slot canyon that was formed by flash floods. The picture below is just one example of its beauty. And just as many "Holy Smokes" were exclaimed as yesterday, and today by more than just Barry.
Brook was so helpful that we reciprocated with a good deed. At then end of the tour she had several jobs to do after we walked back to the starting point. One of them was to hand out bottles of water. But we three good deed doers relieved her of that job so she could concentrate on her other tasks.
We spent the next one and a half hours driving through rugged but beautiful desert lands to the famous and even more rugged and beautiful Monument Valley at the border of northeast Arizona and southeast Utah. Several John Wayne movies were filmed there along with others. The two hours we spent there were hot (check out our car thermometer) and included views that are absolutely spectacular, which caused moments of "verklemptness" in more than one of our group of three.
We ended up getting a room at Goulding's Lodge near the entrance to Monument Valley. The view from our balcony is breathtaking. The gigantic formations are fading in the waning sunlight as I put the finishing touches on Day #3. Holy Smokes!
Brook was so helpful that we reciprocated with a good deed. At then end of the tour she had several jobs to do after we walked back to the starting point. One of them was to hand out bottles of water. But we three good deed doers relieved her of that job so she could concentrate on her other tasks.
We spent the next one and a half hours driving through rugged but beautiful desert lands to the famous and even more rugged and beautiful Monument Valley at the border of northeast Arizona and southeast Utah. Several John Wayne movies were filmed there along with others. The two hours we spent there were hot (check out our car thermometer) and included views that are absolutely spectacular, which caused moments of "verklemptness" in more than one of our group of three.
We ended up getting a room at Goulding's Lodge near the entrance to Monument Valley. The view from our balcony is breathtaking. The gigantic formations are fading in the waning sunlight as I put the finishing touches on Day #3. Holy Smokes!
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
2017 Day 2
The day started with a quick stop at the observation area for one of the biggest and most important dams in the world - the Hoover Dam east of Las Vegas. We had some great dam views but there were too many dam visitors there.
Then 50 miles on back roads - these back roads were on the original Route 66 - "The Mother Road" in Arizona. We stopped and met people in little towns like Hackberry, Valentine, Peach Springs, and a couple others. At one little burg, we did our first good deed of the trip. We saw a Jack in the Box and when Pee Wee and I see a Jack in the Box we stop to partake in one of our staples from our high school days - their greasy tacos. The drive-through cashier must be one of the most upbeat fast food workers in the country. We took the time out of our day to let him know what we thought. We put the car in park, asked him to stop what he was doing, and to listen to us. Then we proceeded to tell him what a great worker he is and to not change a thing about his way of doing things. His gigantic smile made us feel great.
Then lunch at The Road Kill Cafe in Seligman, Arizona. That really is the name and the service was so slow that we were afraid that they actually did go outside and find some roadkill to put inside of some buns for our lunch.
Pee Wee and I visited The Grand Canyon during our first trip, but Barry had never seen it so it was an easy decision to go again in order to record Barry's reaction to one of the biggest tourist attractions and one of the most majestic vistas in the entire world. The Grand Canyon didn't disappoint and neither did Barry - his reaction was priceless. I counted 10 "Holy Smokes!" and 4 "This is insanes."
We headed north after The G.C. and stopped at a Native American roadside jewelry stand near the Colorado River Gorge. We met the owner - Anna - her easy name - her real name sounds something like Sklabesa. We know this - she is an amazing woman. We have few inhibitions on this trip so we asked her a few questions about herself. Soon she had told us some of her life story. She told us she grew up ... "up there," and pointed to the top of some close-by steep and desert-like mountains. No water and no electricity until very recently in her 50 years of living. Her work ethic is a 10, but her gentle and kind spirit is incomparable. We all wanted to repay her kindness so we good deeded her by buying some jewelry we were not at all interested in buying.
So two good deeds today, nothing amazing about them but two we probably would not have done back home. We're staying in Page, Arizona tonight and I expect that our first stop tomorrow morning may bring some more "Holy Smokes!"
Then 50 miles on back roads - these back roads were on the original Route 66 - "The Mother Road" in Arizona. We stopped and met people in little towns like Hackberry, Valentine, Peach Springs, and a couple others. At one little burg, we did our first good deed of the trip. We saw a Jack in the Box and when Pee Wee and I see a Jack in the Box we stop to partake in one of our staples from our high school days - their greasy tacos. The drive-through cashier must be one of the most upbeat fast food workers in the country. We took the time out of our day to let him know what we thought. We put the car in park, asked him to stop what he was doing, and to listen to us. Then we proceeded to tell him what a great worker he is and to not change a thing about his way of doing things. His gigantic smile made us feel great.
Then lunch at The Road Kill Cafe in Seligman, Arizona. That really is the name and the service was so slow that we were afraid that they actually did go outside and find some roadkill to put inside of some buns for our lunch.
Pee Wee and I visited The Grand Canyon during our first trip, but Barry had never seen it so it was an easy decision to go again in order to record Barry's reaction to one of the biggest tourist attractions and one of the most majestic vistas in the entire world. The Grand Canyon didn't disappoint and neither did Barry - his reaction was priceless. I counted 10 "Holy Smokes!" and 4 "This is insanes."
We headed north after The G.C. and stopped at a Native American roadside jewelry stand near the Colorado River Gorge. We met the owner - Anna - her easy name - her real name sounds something like Sklabesa. We know this - she is an amazing woman. We have few inhibitions on this trip so we asked her a few questions about herself. Soon she had told us some of her life story. She told us she grew up ... "up there," and pointed to the top of some close-by steep and desert-like mountains. No water and no electricity until very recently in her 50 years of living. Her work ethic is a 10, but her gentle and kind spirit is incomparable. We all wanted to repay her kindness so we good deeded her by buying some jewelry we were not at all interested in buying.
So two good deeds today, nothing amazing about them but two we probably would not have done back home. We're staying in Page, Arizona tonight and I expect that our first stop tomorrow morning may bring some more "Holy Smokes!"
Day 1 - Kind of
We flew into Las Vegas today - that's basically all we did. So the wandering, the good deeding, the real trip starts tomorrow. We did drive down the famous Vegas strip, which was pretty nice to see but also convinced us we need to get on some back roads tomorrow and stay away from big cities. At least we saw the most amazing Independence Day fireworks display we've ever seen... as we flew in to Las Vegas the sky was lit with multitudes of bursting fireworks. It was pretty amazing. And we hope to see more amazing things in this great country over the next 8 days...
Saturday, July 1, 2017
2017 Journey
We will be starting our 9th journey of random travels in 3 days. We plan to leave on Tuesday, July 4, and will begin our summer excursion in Las Vegas. There are 3 of us this summer - Barry Gillespie, Pee Wee and I will fly to Las Vegas Tuesday night, will rent a car, get out of that big city as fast as possible, and then get off the interstates and travel around the west. There are some fires out of control in parts of Arizona and neighboring states - hopefully they will die down before we arrive.
We still have a goal of 3 good deeds per day and have asked our contacts to pledge any amount of money they want per good deed to donate to the Lawrenceville Co-Op. The Co-Op helps feed hungry and homeless people and helps out with utilities, but promotes self reliance at the same time. Anyone who wants to help out can pledge any amount of money they want per good deed, and then make a contribution at the end of our trip by clicking on the Lawrenceville Co-Op button on the right.
I'll do my best to update our blog every night with updates of where we are and any good deeds we've been able to do.
Please feel free to leave a comment. We like comments. Also, if you haven't ordered your copy of my e-Book concerning our travels, the link to order your copy is below. The proceeds from the book also go to the Lawrenceville Co-Op (food bank) - I've already sent them a couple checks since the e-Book was released on April 1.
We still have a goal of 3 good deeds per day and have asked our contacts to pledge any amount of money they want per good deed to donate to the Lawrenceville Co-Op. The Co-Op helps feed hungry and homeless people and helps out with utilities, but promotes self reliance at the same time. Anyone who wants to help out can pledge any amount of money they want per good deed, and then make a contribution at the end of our trip by clicking on the Lawrenceville Co-Op button on the right.
I'll do my best to update our blog every night with updates of where we are and any good deeds we've been able to do.
Please feel free to leave a comment. We like comments. Also, if you haven't ordered your copy of my e-Book concerning our travels, the link to order your copy is below. The proceeds from the book also go to the Lawrenceville Co-Op (food bank) - I've already sent them a couple checks since the e-Book was released on April 1.
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