We were disappointed that as we crossed the border from Arizona in California that the paparazzi weren’t there to welcome us. They must all have been busy in LA welcoming some bloke called Beckham. I did say to Linda, that shopping in Walmart, was not really a lifestyle of a celebrity! I have found out that Chelsea are playing in LA next week, whilst we are in the area – and there are tickets left.
We are now in Blythe, just over the border and about 220 miles from LA. The good news is I can see Starbucks from the bedroom window!
We got up late this morning, about 6.30am, and I did some work on the computer, and we had breakfast before hitting the road about 8.30am. It was going to be a long drive, about 400 miles to cover. We left Tusayan, and took the main road for about 30 miles, and then I took the 180 highway through the San Francisco Mountains (which are fortunately nowhere near San Francisco otherwise we would really be lost) to Flagstaff. Last time I did this it was snowing, but today was nice and hot. We found a Starbucks in Flagstaff, in fact saw two, a bit like buses, none for ages and then two come along at once! So I filled up my flask, and we carried on. Linda has given up on the navigating role, her excuse is that the maps wrong! So I had to drive and look for the right exits. We joined Intestate 17 and the long trek of 180 miles down to Phoenix. It was an interesting route, through the mountains, across the desert, past the town of Prescott (better known as Two Jags!), through the Forest, past Black Canyon, and a place called Camp Verde. On the outskirts of Phoenix Linda saw a Walmart, and so we had to stop. She went shopping, and we were here for 2 hours! Linda bought some new jeans and a few other items. I got a couple of country CD’s so we could listen to them in the car. One was a song reminding us that we come in with nothing and got out with nothing, it uses the words ‘have you ever seen a hearse with a luggage rack’
The traffic was heavy around Phoenix, even though we used the loop (101) and then onto I10 for the 120 mile trek to Blythe. We did have a nervous moment when the petrol light come on, as garages are not very visible on this route, fortunately we managed to get to one before I found out how many miles you can go with the petrol light on. We had seen lots of different scenery and huge Cactus plants along the roadside.
We got to the Best Western Hotel about 5.30pm and checked in. I checked the temperature and at 6.30pm it was still about 104 degrees and so we both went for a swim. Linda had gone first, and by the time I had finished checking my email and the news, she had got talking to an elderly American couple in the pool – must be the PCSO training, if she sees someone she feel she has to talk to them!
I have uploaded a few photo’s at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/simon.werrett. The folder is Desert.
We are now in Blythe, just over the border and about 220 miles from LA. The good news is I can see Starbucks from the bedroom window!
We got up late this morning, about 6.30am, and I did some work on the computer, and we had breakfast before hitting the road about 8.30am. It was going to be a long drive, about 400 miles to cover. We left Tusayan, and took the main road for about 30 miles, and then I took the 180 highway through the San Francisco Mountains (which are fortunately nowhere near San Francisco otherwise we would really be lost) to Flagstaff. Last time I did this it was snowing, but today was nice and hot. We found a Starbucks in Flagstaff, in fact saw two, a bit like buses, none for ages and then two come along at once! So I filled up my flask, and we carried on. Linda has given up on the navigating role, her excuse is that the maps wrong! So I had to drive and look for the right exits. We joined Intestate 17 and the long trek of 180 miles down to Phoenix. It was an interesting route, through the mountains, across the desert, past the town of Prescott (better known as Two Jags!), through the Forest, past Black Canyon, and a place called Camp Verde. On the outskirts of Phoenix Linda saw a Walmart, and so we had to stop. She went shopping, and we were here for 2 hours! Linda bought some new jeans and a few other items. I got a couple of country CD’s so we could listen to them in the car. One was a song reminding us that we come in with nothing and got out with nothing, it uses the words ‘have you ever seen a hearse with a luggage rack’
The traffic was heavy around Phoenix, even though we used the loop (101) and then onto I10 for the 120 mile trek to Blythe. We did have a nervous moment when the petrol light come on, as garages are not very visible on this route, fortunately we managed to get to one before I found out how many miles you can go with the petrol light on. We had seen lots of different scenery and huge Cactus plants along the roadside.
We got to the Best Western Hotel about 5.30pm and checked in. I checked the temperature and at 6.30pm it was still about 104 degrees and so we both went for a swim. Linda had gone first, and by the time I had finished checking my email and the news, she had got talking to an elderly American couple in the pool – must be the PCSO training, if she sees someone she feel she has to talk to them!
I have uploaded a few photo’s at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/simon.werrett. The folder is Desert.