Road Trip...

On Saturday, Rich called me up out of the blue (but not really, because we talk a lot on the phone...when we're not in each other's actual presence, which is marvelous) and asked me if I wanted to ride along on a drive...

Let's see:

• Good music?
• Good conversation?
• Good photo opportunities?
• Beautiful Arizona?
• Beautiful people?
  

Well, between all the good and the beautiful...it seemed like the best thing going for my Saturday...We met at the shop, because I happened to be teaching my mother iPod basics so that she could continue to have groovy tunes in the store...and we were off...

It's wonderful to travel anywhere with Rich, because we happen to have most of the same food allergies...in the car there is usually no less than 3 full water bottles, a package of rice cakes, nuts of some sort, rice snacks, some kind of chips, a baggie of cereal...something sugary...really, you gotta' love a man who packs good road snacks...Not to mention lotion for the hands and lip stuff (you tend to get chappy in Arizona) Kleenex, at least 3 cameras (2 of his, 1 of mine) 2 iPods (one for each of us...we have a few different music choices on each) 2 cell phones, the Ham Radio set up, and probably various other things I have yet discovered that he carries with him...

Mobile wise? We're probably just about ready for anything...
Either that, or traveling with us is quite like traveling with someones grandma.



The other day when we were out at Skull Valley and various other parts known and unknown, I had mentioned that, "I love that really cool town...you know? Out there...um...that one you get to before you go down that BIG hill? Hmmmm...I don't quite remember what it's called...but there are the greatest trees...." and then I launched into some fantasy where I was totally self sufficient and lived off the land...and I didn't check, but Rich may have been rolling his eyes, either at the fact:

1. That I have lived in Arizona most of my life and I still don't remember what towns are named
2. Or that there are trees "somewhere in the distance"
3. Or that I just launched into some other fantasy

(but, he probably wasn't because he's really not like that)

And...lo and behold...guess where we went Saturday? To that really cool town!

Now...

Either he listened to me and wanted to surprise me by taking me somewhere I really love, or he wanted to go back to the crazy switchbacked mountain that eventually led him to discover me...um, I mean Prescott...Whatever the case...there we were...singing along to music and doing the required road trip car dancing (you gotta' love a guy who really knows how to dance) All the way through Peeples Valley and Yarnell...right down the hill...to the turn off for California (See? I got some of the names..and I think they are in order as well)


So, this drive brought back a million memories to me...Early mornings jumping in the car (about 5 am...I'm a get up and travel early kind of gal) to drive to California...where my sister now lives...and quite a lot of my family, including my father still live...




Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, insane thrift stores and the beach...

There was a part of me that half expected to end the day at dinner with my father and a quick dip of the toes in the cold cold winter ocean. But, Rich needed to work the next day, and I was going to Phoenix with mom and Rozz...so the ocean will have to wait until another day...

sigh.

I did get to see the elephant that is painted on a random rock on the switchbacks of the highway...and I did get to see the large frog rock that someone has painted in the middle of the desert...I got to see a really wonderful copse of desert plants (Joshua tree, saguaro, Palo Verde, and Ocotillo) and the inside of a Texaco restroom (all that water, you know)

I also think there were large parts of both of us that wanted to keep on driving, I know that bouncy look that Rich gets now when we're gearing up to head out in the car...and the abandon we both feel when we get all road trip singy and put our heads back to belt out a tune...and the giggly anticipation of what's right around the next corner...

But, you can bet that there is a longer road trip planned in the near future for sure...

You can not let all the singing and good snacks go to waste you know...