Grand Canyon and Historic Route 66

South from Kanab, UT, I stopped at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I'd been to the north rim almost 40 years ago and remember how breathtaking it was.  It still is - I can't imagine another place in this country that can match the Grand Canyon!!  I used my phone camera because I just wanted to drink it in, and not worry about figuring out how to use my better camera at that stage of the game.  Lady made friends (as she always does), and someone took a picture of us.  There is no picture, no professional photograph even, that I've ever seen that does justice to seeing it in person.  All I can say is, if you haven't gone, put it on your bucket list. Now!

From there, I drove south again ...

Nat King Cole had the most popular version of the song "Route 66" which is why I've chosen to put it here, but so may others have done it that it's worth looking up on YouTube to see! Everyone from Chuck Berry to The Rolling Stones to John Mayer!  Even Depeche Mode. (I know, right? Hope you're reading this, Viva!).

I started on Route 66 in Flagstaff, AZ.  Not a lot there except a short strip, so thought I would catch more down the road. Historic Rte 66 runs tandem with the "new" I-40 and, while I had read there was still a lot to drive on, most is gone.  Next stop was in Winslow, AZ where I stopped at the information center to see how far I could go on Rte 66.  Alas, there wasn't a lot.  However, I have to say that of all the towns I stopped in to catch a glimpse of "America's Highway," Winslow cornered the market. Most of it has to do with the Eagles "Take It Easy" (standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona) and they don't care - they are taking advantage of it! This is a live version when they were young - but a little trivia a lot of people don't know - Jackson Browne actually wrote the song (and if you know me, you know how much I love him!).

I'll pause here for a moment to explain why Route 66 has so much meaning to me.  My parents divorced when I was 2 or 3 years old, and they'd lived in LA since the late 1940's.  My grandparents (Mom's parents) lived in Garden City, KS. I think almost every year of my life until I was 14 we moved from California to Kansas, or vice-versa, and of course the only road then to travel on was Route 66.  I don't remember a lot - mostly that I rode in the backseat of a pretty packed car, and stopped at places like Stuckey's and fresh bing cherry stands, and an occasional Native American stand. I think that's when I developed my wanderlust.

So ... next night in Albuquerque, NM, then on to Amarillo, TX.  I was mostly on I-40 because I just wasn't sure where or how to find the old road, except in cities/towns that had a little piece still preserved.  Going through Gallup, NM was almost just like I remembered as a kid - a place I never cared for. Although I couldn't name the reason then, I think it was because of the poverty I saw there more than most places.  But the fun part was Elk City, OK (after leaving Amarillo) where I got to see another cousin, Glenna (a first cousin to my mother) who owns a café and gift shop on Route 66 (The Country Dove - stop and tell her I said hi), and her French Silk Pie recipe is found in the Route 66 cookbook. It was as delicious as I'd hoped it would be! We had such a great time catching up on family, and reunions, and what cousins are up to - I just wish I'd had more time to spend there! We talked about how much fun another reunion would be ... Here are pics of us, and one she took of Lady who was a good traveler, but getting tired of the backseat:

Next stop was back to Emporia, KS to see my High School bestie again!  Only got 2 days this time, but had to start working my way back home.  Just before I got there, her husband Steve had shoulder replacement surgery, and I have to say he was doing really well.  Shelley did a great job of taking care of him, which helped.  It was sad to say goodbye, but I'm hoping I can talk them into coming to NY for a visit in the not-too-distant future!

So the next 3 nights (Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania) have all been stops just to get me closer to home.  I'm in Erie tonight (yay - finally caught up on my blog!) and tomorrow I'll go to Syracuse to go "full circle" - seeing friends from the beginning of the trip.  It will feel good to get home ... I'll add a few pics from Syracuse, and a couple of "thoughts" about this trip as a "PS" once I'm home, unpacked, and have started to rest and do laundry.  I know Lady will be SO excited to be in her own backyard again! 💗

Starting East

How can I not start my post about Las Vegas without "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis?  I admit, I was more a part of the Beatles generation, and didn't care for Elvis until on one of my Thelma & Louise summer trips with my friend Sally, we stopped at Graceland in Memphis.  Loved it! And I developed a whole new appreciation for what a beautiful voice he had, which was stifled by his manager in terms of pigeon-holing him into stupid movies.  Another favorite song about Vegas is "Let's Go to Vegas" by Faith Hill.  It always makes me think of a friend (who shall remain unnamed) - but a fun way to get married.  Ironically, both of those songs are about the Vegas strip and the stereotype we have about "Sin City" but my cousins Kristie and Randy don't live near there, and only go when company wants to go. I saw enough of the strip driving by on the way to their house (although Kenny and I went twice and both times saw the Beatles' Cirque du Love - highly recommended!) 

Kristie is a cousin I grew up with in LA - we all lived in the South Bay (beach) area - they were in Manhattan Beach.  She has 2 sisters (that unfortunately I didn't get to see on this trip), Lorie and Jodie. Kristie and I were trying to figure out exactly what kind of cousins we are - my Mom and her Dad were first cousins; my grandmother and her grandfather were brother and sister.  Again, a missed opportunity for a selfie, but below is the family picture of our grandparents, their parents, and all their siblings.  There were 16 children; 2 died in infancy and one at age 16 - the other 13 all lived in southwest Kansas, or the Oklahoma or Texas panhandles, and were very close to each other.  Kristie's grandfather (my great Uncle Emmett) was top middle with the curly hair.  My grandmother (Lona Belle) is standing next to her mother with the cute pigtails.

So Kristie and I spent a lot of time catching up, and sharing family memories.  We even got cousin Treva on the phone from Denver to tell more stories of family - and Kristie was able to share some things that Treva didn't know.  We went out for Mexican food (I tried as many Mexican restaurants as I could on this trip) - which was delicious! The second night I was there I got to meet her granddaughters (who came to dinner with Mom & Dad), Ellie and Piper and they were adorable! I hope to get back there again and spend more time with them. And did I mention she has a fenced in yard so Lady was beyond happy?  

I drove north from Vegas to Salt Lake City where I was asked to work at the OPALS/MediaFlex booth with Julie and Ann (two recently retired librarians) and Harry (owner/CEO) and his daughter, Andrea. Numbers for this year's national AASL (American Association of School Librarians) conference were low - I didn't get numbers but probably 25% - 33% of their usual participants, largely due to the pandemic we're still dealing with. Even so, quite a few interested librarians stopped by the booth to chat.  What I learned is the amount of work that vendors have to put in to setting up and taking down their booths!  Next time you're at a conference, hope you'll take time to appreciate that!  OPALS is the library automation system that we supported at WSWHE BOCES where I retired as the School Library System Director - it's a great system, and the service and support that we get from Harry and Andrea and their staff is phenomenal!

I had planned on boarding Lady during the conference, and put her in the first day but was really distressed at it (cold concrete floors, small spaces, a LOT of loud, barking dogs) so when I found out the hotel I was in was pet-friendly, I sprung her as early as I could the next day. (Did I mention I cried when I was driving away?) She had to stay in her crate in the hotel room while I was gone but I took her for a good walk each morning before leaving, came back for another walk at lunch, another when I got back in the afternoon, and another night walk. Needless to say, I got more exercise than I had planned on - but worth it!

After AASL, I headed south to get on Route 66 (next post). I stayed in a town called Kanab, UT which was so picturesque; in fact, they're known for several western movies shot near there.  It had a great park for Lady to walk, and the scenery was beautiful. I'd have to say that, other than the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Utah as a whole had some of the best natural beauty - recommend taking a trip there if you haven't already.

Next up - Route 66.