Pam has arrived ...

and none too soon! Not many pictures to share, but a new hospital story.

Pam arrived Saturday in Phoenix and I met her at the Courtyard Motel that evening after a seven hour drive from Santa Fe. We immediately went for dinner and began plans for our adventure together. Pam already had some high points identified. Sunday morning off we go.

Somewhere during the week in Santa Fe I caught the cold that was going around. No biggy right? Wait and see.

Our first stop was at the Hassayampa Wildlife Preserve. I made Pam's birding an extra challenge as every time we would sneak up on a bird, I would start a coughing fit and scare it off. One should not go birding with a cold and cough. We were lucky enough however to see the Vermillion Flycatcher above and the hummingbird at left. The hummingbirds black head shimmered bright yellow when he spread his neck and head feathers. It was great fun.

After a bit we headed to Yarnell for lunch at the Buzzard Cafe. No beer, but great mesquite smoked pork to sooth the throat and postpone the cough. Pam did spot a shopping mall she wanted to stop at in Yarnell as well. Although interesting, I struggled with hauling "dead stuff" all across the country with me.

Finally the last segment of our day. Off to Sedona to photo some sunsets. I handed the reigns of the Highlander to Pam so I could take a nap. As you all know, I have a strategy to visit a hospital in every city I visit. Why should Sedona be any different?

So, the bride tells the story: Bill wakes up from his nap and immediately starts a major coughing attack, then all goes silent. The light turns green and I start driving, looking over at Bill who has slumped in his seat. I drive and call his name with no answer. I call his name much louder with no answer. I drive and scream his name with no answer, so I reach over and shake him with no response. I drive, scream and shake him and then he finally raises his head, looks toward me bug eyed and starts to shake all over. When he stops shaking, he looks at me and says "what?" and then the sweat starts to roll off his face. He has no idea that he had passed out and I have no idea how I didn't wreck the car.

I see a sign for the medical emergency center and since I am driving, that's where Bill has to go. The doctor says with Bill's history, the elevated blood pressure and the 101 degree fever, that tests are in order. After blood tests, EKG, chest xrays and a significant amount of poking and proding, the doctor's diagnosis is viral bronchitis. It seems that you can cough hard enough to stop the flow of blood to your brain (of course, neither Bill nor I can remember the technical term for it) and you pass out. Dr says it's not uncommon to shake all over as you are coming out of it. Easy for him to say. So, we left with a prescription for codeine cough syrup to this beautiful sunset outside.

Needless to say, the Sedona piece of this trip has been a scratch. No hiking, no shopping, no drinking, minimal eating, no scenic driving, no picture moments. Tomorrow we start anew.

Long Week

Well it has been a while since I have been here to visit. And you all thought I was on vacation. Little did you know. Away on a trip like this, the laundry needs to be done, the groceries need to be brought in, the oil changed in the car, the car washed, etc. etc. That took up Sunday, except for a little diversion to the Guadalupe Cafe for brunch.

Right now I am back in the laundry room washing so I can pack later tonight and head to Phoenix tomorrow after class to meet my lovely bride.

The Santa Fe Workshops class has been amazing and a real workout. It started with a session going late into the night Sunday and has started every day at 8:30, gone until 2 or 2:30 then photo assignments and back for evening sessions. The only evening with nothing on the plate was Tuesday. Today, Friday, we have another evening session with non-competitive (yea right!) slide shows between the five different classes currently going on. How non-competitive? Well the expectation has been set that we will "kick their ass".

The pictures I have submitted have been some good some bad. The class has participants from Germany, France, and South Africa. To say nothing of the big hitters. One guy was a fashion photographer in New York and did LandsEnd catalogs. The French guy specializes in equine photography. There was a woman from Spokane who got the altitude sickness and had to head home. Dan Hoffman from Wisconsin shoots for boat company ads. Etc., etc., etc. I am clearly the rookie but for the most part have held my own.

To top it off the instructor is Patrick Donahue of Corbis. He has an incredible amount of knowledge and understanding of the stock photography market and is very generous with his time. In addition he is a darn nice guy. I would take another class from him in a heartbeat!

So what was our only night off? Fat Tuesday of course! After a relaxing dinner at The Shedd (chicken enchilada, beef burrito, red & green chile sauces and margharitas) I started to walk back to the car. Yes, even here in Santa Fe they celebrate Mardi Gras. So I followed along for a bit. About 20 to 30 folks in various stages of public drunkenness going from bar to bar with music. Check some of them out.

Well I will sign our for now. I am back on the grid. I will head out in the morning. Weather report/forecast -

SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT
UNTIL 5 AM MST SATURDAY
Wswabq

Urgent - Winter Weather Message... Corrected National Weather Service Albuquerque NM 245 PM MST Fri Feb 23 2007... Snow And Blowing Snow Advisory For The Northern Mountains Above 7500 Tonight...A Late Winter Storm Moving Across Northern New Mexico And Southern Colorado Will Generate Snow And Strong Winds In The Northern New Mexico Mountains Overnight. Northwest Mountains Including Jemez-Sangre De Cristo Mountains- Including The Cities Of... Chama/Los Alamos... Red River/Taos/Santa Fe 245 PM MST Fri Feb 23 2007

WooHoo! Could be an exciting drive.

Last Travel Day For a While

Well this is the last travel day for a week. Today's challenge seems rather uncomplicated. What time is it really? When I arrive in Gallup, the alarm clock in the room is one hour ahead of what I thought the time should be. But how could the time have changed? So I assumed that the hotel clock was right and set the alarm for 6. So up I hop, flip on the TV and discover that the local coverage is not yet on. Oh well, shower, shave and oh never mind. Finally, the local newscast comes on and I see that the room clock is wrong. Now I am up and ready to go much earlier than necessary. So I might as well get on the road.

Rather than going straight to Santa Fe as I had planned I figured I could hit a couple more National Monuments that I figured I would miss. So off I head to my first stop El Morro National Monument. Not knowing what to expect I was surprised by this stop. I am fascinated by this kind of stuff. As a result, I used up any extra time earned from the alarm clock. Now you all have to put up with my silliness since I am sure I put up too many pictures. But tough!

It basically is a big wall of graffiti. This place had a water hole that attracted early Native Americans, Spanish Conquistadors, Camel caravans, California bound folks, and railroad planners. Each group marked their name and arrival time in the sandstone wall. So petroglyphs of unknown origin, Spanish soldiers conquering the land for Spain, experimental use of camels for transport, emigrant trail users, and Union Pacific Railroad planners. Some of these early grafitti artists were pretty impressive.

I gave my blog address to the Ranger at El Morro. I hope she will correct any of my memory errors.

After finishing the walk at El Morro I headed to my next stop, El Malpais National Monument. Being from volcano country, another monument with cinder cones, lava flows and lava tubes doesn't take a lot of time to explore. The Ranger however gave me a great idea for a later stop; the Acoma Pueblo. I will try to catch it some time in the trip.

Finally, I headed to my perch in Santa Fe. One place for seven days, I won't know what to do.

On the Road Again...

Well, I left the Grand Canyon and headed east. I planned to get as far as Gallup, New Mexico so I had time to make a couple stops between here and there.

First stop, Wupatki National Monument. This is the site of several pueblo ruins. Perhaps they were related as they appeared to be in several different clusters. The website is attached as well as several pictures.

After leaving Wupatki NM, I visited Sunset Crater National Monument. You won't find any pictures of this one. When you live in the heart of volcano country another cinder cone and lava field does not cause one to waste many digits (i.e. since I shoot digital, not film).

Finally, I thought I was on my way heading down the homestretch but...

About 4 miles outside of Flagstaff, I saw a sign for the Walnut Canyon National Monument. Wasn't planning to stop but since I had plenty of time why not? I didn't even know the reason for this monument. As it ends up, it was cliff dwellings throughout the canyon. I have always been intrigued by these so this was a real bonus. Want to see what I saw? Check out the pictures.

Not only was it cliff dwellings, but it was a test of the ticker and new hip. Two hundred twenty steps down the canyon wall to the mile long trail. Doesn't sound too bad right. Well once you walk the mile you have to climb all those stairs back out. Huff and puff but all parts worked fine.

Fine Dining

Eating in a National Park is always an adventure. When you avoid the hamburger/hot dog cafeteria, and try to find a sit down meal all bets are off. So I end up in the Arizona Room of the Bright Angel motel. Steak, pork chop, chicken and lasagna. The waiter (from Lake Oswego) wrinkled his nose when I asked about the lasagna so it looked like a meal of meat would be preferable.

So I chose the pork chops and accompaniments. As I described my meal to Pam, she was horified that they served both a potato and canned corn, two starches in one meal.

I was very proud to call her the next night and explain that two starches was nothing. At a restaurant in Tusayan, outside the park, my pork chops were accompanied by 1) potato, 2) corn on cob, 3) roll, and 4) baked beans.

Oh and both nights, ice berg lettuce salad!

The Big Ditch

Arrived at the Big Ditch (Grand Canyon) at sunset on the 14th and spent the 15th exploring the length of the park. Beautiful place but after a bit each pullout began to remind me of Greece. While in Greece we visited a number of ancient temple ruins. The first few were exciting but by the end of the week it became just another stack of old rocks. Now each pullout is becoming just more ditch.

But imagine all the poor folks who had to dig this sucker.

Anyway, it is a beautiful and breathtaking place. Now I head to Gallup with a couple stops on the way.

One observation that I wanted to share:


Don't believe I have ever had an inclination to have a drink, much less need to be warned off by a sign.

Cheers!

He shoots, he scores!

Upon arriving in Gallup New Mexico this afternoon, I first searched the room for a shower cap. Once again disappointment. But...

In the fine print it says they have them at the front desk. So down I went and asked. The faces of the two desk clerks indicated some surprise at my request. But a shower cap they did produce.

A significant improvement in my average - 2 for 6 or .333. My hopes for recovery are reignited.

Scorecard Update

Thinking it was a sure bet for the shower cap collection, I decided to stay at the Holiday Inn Express at Tusayan, near the Grand Canyon. I checked in for two nights, thinking that the averages would improve significantly. On arrival I searched the room and found NONE! What a dissapointment. And to think I am stuck here for two nights.

In an effort to make amends, I snuck down the hall this morning and cased the cleaning carts in the hall. NO SHOWERCAPS! Panic is beginning to settle in.

So now...

One shower cap from five nights of motels. If this dosen't improve soon, I will be camping.

Updated shower cap average - .200. Clearly will not make the all star team at this pace.

The Mother Road - Route 66

Taking the backroad from Needles to Williams and then on to Grand Canyon. Most of Route 66 has been covered over by new highway. However, some of it remains.

Described as perhaps the most beautiful section of the route, it begins flat but quickly enters the desert hills. Big country, desert, mines, and quirky places. Heck, I felt right at home.

First stop, Oatman, old mining town reinventing itself for folks like me.

In Oatman I met a number of the local residents. Some smelled better than others. So a quick refresher in the Oatman Hotel Bar, and added a dollar bill to the wall (among thousands of others). Escaped town before the gun fight erupted.

Initially, watching my budget, I thought I would stay the night near Peach Springs. No chance for a shower cap here as the facilities were down the hall. After briefly reviewing the options, and determining that a midnight trip to water the cactus was risky, I decided to head on.

Some of the businesses along the route make the most of the notoriety of the highway. A number of pictures are attached including some Oatman residents and a number of businesses encountered.

Off the old highway to Williams then north to Grand Canyon for a couple nights. More on that later. Enjoy!

Keeping Score

Just before my departure from home, I accidently (yes, it was an accident) knocked Pam's shower cap into the cat's litter box. Knowing the odds of Pam picking up the shower cap and placing it back on her head were slim to none, I committed to collecting (i.e. stealing) motel shower caps on my trip. I am beginning to realize that providing guests shower caps is a direct reflection of the quality of the lodging.

So far:
AAA 3 diamond hotel - one shower cap
Unlisted Death Valley hotel, negative 3 diamond hotel - no shower cap and had to hide my previous theft so others would not borrow it.
AAA 2 diamond hotel - no shower cap

Cumulative result: currently 1 for 3 or a batting average of 333. I will keep you updated.

Change of Plans

Woke up this morning to socked in clouds and rain. It's not supposed to do this in Death Valley. Further confirmed my choice not to stay put for another night.

Began my journey into the park hoping the weather would improve. First stop is about 21 miles off the main road near the town of Wild Rose. One house, one Rangers office, and two outbuildings does not a city make. Six miles of washboard gravel beyond Wild Rose are the Charcoal Kilns. Why did anyone ever decide they need a charcoal business way way out here? Remember rain at the beginning, up here it was snowing. I know I have a good hat and gloves in the car somewhere.

Returned to the main road and headed on to Stovepipe Wells. Near here are the sand dunes that are so often photographed. Crummy sky, bad light, and big wind convinced me that a hike among the lizards and diamondbacks was not really necessary.

So what do I do now and where will I stay tonight?

Of course! I head to the Mojave Desert. At least it sounds dry and warm.

This one feels much more like what I imagined as a desert. Lots of nothing and big skys. Warm and dry? Not necessarily so.

Actually, rain all around and lots of flash flood warning signs. So a couple pics and then on to the fine metropolis of Needles, California.

Tomorrow I plan to head up Old Hwy 66 from Needles and end up in the snow at the Grand Canyon. Shorter drive and I plan to perch there for a couple days.

A Long Hard Drive

Today was a long day with a couple short breaks. Mostly I wanted to get in the Death Valley area to continue the exploring we started a year ago. However, along the way I had to see some sights.

First, Lava Beds National Monument. This parks primary claim to fame is its large number of lava tubes. So if that is what floats your boat, you can crawl around with a flashlight and a hard hat in the mud. Being a bit claustrophobic, I can't say that sounded like a barrel of laughs. So I went down the one that was lit, had a sidewalk and a ladder. Much more civilized.

The second stop was at Mono Lake. This is an odd place with Tufa spires. What is a Tufa spire? That is today's lesson.

I finally ended the day at Panamint Springs. It looked good on the internet. Don't believe everything you see on the internet! I think this just may be the decendants of Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters waiting for Jerry Garcia to arrive and begin a sing-along. Kinda earthy. Get this, no public phones but this place does have WIFI. Paper thin walls. I think the guy next door had too much party this evening and has been worshiping the porcelin God. I originally planned to stay two nights but after a bit (a very short bit) of reflection, I'll be moving along.

I did get a couple pics however. Have a look.

I'm off

Well I'm off. After a wonderful evening with my bride celebrating Valentines day - yes she agreed to be my valentine, I finished loading up and got on my way. South via Starbucks in Eugene. No stop at my mom's since her rehab home has the creeping crud. Next stop, Drain Oregon. How's that for a place to live? My dad was at the vineyard pouring wine so we missed connecting.

Tonight, Klamath Falls. I cut across the Siskyou mountains on Hwy 68. Wow, what a ride that would be on the Harley. Not today though, too much snow, sand (? big rocks to be sand) and 30 degrees. But a nice summer day? Whoa!

Only two critters today - one bald eagle and one owl, a great horned owl I think. It was huge.