Yes, It's Great to Be Back in California

I'm sorry I petered out on the drive across country. I'll try to catch up here. 

Here is Friday, November 12th just as sunset was beginning at the Grand Canyon.

At this point, I had to stop -- you can see that I'm parked in a parking lot. The setting sun was at just the right angle to totally blind me as it peeked through the visor in the car. I almost ran off the road twice. I couldn't even see the line on the road. So I just waited for sunset.

When the sun finally set, I drove to the main lodge and secured a room. There are so many buildings with rooms! I finally found mine and had a good night's sleep. I was determined to see the sunrise over the Grand Canyon.

So, okay, I got lost again (and missed the official beginning of sunrise by about 15 minutes), but I made it. Only I could almost miss seeing the Grand Canyon! I went to the rim at a place called Mather's Point.  Unfortunately, I parked in parking lot 4 which was 3/4 mile uphill to the viewing stations. Puff, puff. People were coming back down the hill with blankets -- they must have gone up while it was still dark.

1. Saturday, November 13
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While walking up the hill, we (the other tourists and I) noticed a half dozen elk eating their breakfast. They were mostly biting off the tips of low hanging branches of trees. But some were grazing the grass as cattle do.

After I had taken many shots of the Canyon, I was walking back down toward my car on a paved path. I looked up to see an elk slowly walking toward me. I could hear his hooves clicking slowly and methodically on the pavement. I froze. I looked back to see a guy about 300 feet back and he advised me to come back toward him. But at that moment, the elk had decided to graze almost opposite me. I barely breathed and after munching, he walked on down behind me. As soon as I was out of his sight, I crept away. Phew!

Later on, I met a park ranger who said that an elk had attacked him last year and he thought he was going to die. I'm really glad he didn't die because he showed me how to get to the correct parking lot. The young kid who was working with him pointed me in the wrong direction so he walked me to within sight of the lot. 

After a stop for breakfast, I drove and drove and drove until I got to California. I swear I went 150 miles with no services whatsoever so when I finally found a bathroom, I had to stop. I arrived in the afternoon. The trip was 7 days but remember that I stayed one day extra in Maryland and I stopped to see the Grand Canyon. 

Sunday, November 14. beginning sunrise

I want to thank all of you who were cheering me on and wondering how I was doing. I really didn't know if I could make the drive, but I have a wonderful example in my mother who did it for years (before cell phones and GPS). Thank you, David who downloaded Waze for me -- it's a great GPS on your phone. It tells you if there's a wreck or someone on the side of the road ahead.

I counted three tractor trailer wrecks, one was still in flames as I passed. It was a two lane road and it was on the shoulder with the cab detached. I have no idea why a box would burn like that.

I met a man who was all set to buy me lunch at a rib joint, but we settled on just a nice conversation through lunch. I used my free Door Dash to get yummy Chinese food from a restaurant called Yummy Yummy, I won $26 dollars at the Route 66 Casino. What could be better? And so many people in the hotels, guests as I was, said, "Good morning" that it made me realize we can be civilized.

I wish you all a great adventure even if it's only going to the grocery store and finding a perfect apple. Cheers!

On the Road Quickie

 Leaving Amherst 7:40 a.m., just over the line into Hadley.

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It was a bit nippy as evidenced by the frost on the grass.

Before my trip, I bought new slippers. On Sunday, I was sitting at Jane and David's kitchen table and Ajax (the chocolate lab) brought one slipper and plunked it on the table next to me. He was throwing down the gauntlet wanting to play. He had retrieved it from "my" room upstairs. The other one was still there. Later on, David found one pom pom. The other is still missing. Jane said Ajax was trying very hard to train me to do his will but I kept resisting.

Color in Silver Spring, MD

The trip from Amherst was 383 miles on Saturday. On Sunday, Jane and I went to the Baltimore Museum of Art. Below is The Thinker (Rodin) cast in 1904. The original was 1880.

On Monday, I drove to Morristown, Tennessee. Rube that I am, I was impressed with the floral arrangement in the public rest room at an Ingles supermarket. They had a sign, 'Sometimes you need sweets!' right next to many peach baskets of chocolates and many other by the pound candies. That was 437 miles.

Then it was on to Memphis, Tennessee. Tenn. is a really long state! I put in 437 miles on Tuesday and as I unpacked my bags from the car, I saw this sunset.

And now we are up to tonight, Wednesday. After driving 466 miles, I am spending the night in Oklahoma City, OK. The next city tomorrow is Amarillo, Texas. Below is the La Quinta bedspread. It's very artistic. But when I first got into the room and the lights were not on, I thought it was a crime scene because the bottom right side is mostly reds , lol.

It's bed time for me. Night night.