Ah the Holidays have come and gone and as usual it was a
wonderfully delightful time spent with family and friends. We had decided to
spend this Christmas with my family, who lives 3,112 miles away in the San
Francisco Bay area. Moreover, because our rescue puppy, Gearo, is nowhere
nearly socialized nor certified as a service animal, so we had to make the trip
via roadways. That’s right, we drove there and back again.
I can honestly say it was a fun drive out, the first day or
two we had the gloom of the eastern seaboard through Arkansas, it was a dreary
drive. Our side trip was to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. We
actually walked around and did our surface hunt for precious and semi-precious
stones. It truly is a one-of-a-kind adventure hunting for real diamonds, over a
37 1/2-acre plowed field, the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic crater that
100 million years ago brought to the surface the diamonds and some of the
semi-precious stones the lucky few find. While we were there, someone found a ¼-carat
diamond, which was announced over a loud speaker so it was exciting. The week
before, one of the largest diamond found there had been found by a 14-year old
girl on vacation.
We then took what we believed to be a short cut to Oklahoma
City only to realize we were driving for a very long time through several rez’s
and while I have experience being on the rez, because of my work with HHSA, it was Lisa’s first time. I think any time
anyone enters a rez for the first time and sees how Natives live they are
shocked.
We blazed through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona the next
day, managing to get to Holbrook AZ, a town situated on historic Route 66. Oh
what a sad state of affairs that was. So many closed down and abandoned
buildings and businesses along America’s Highway. We managed to see the Wigwam
Motel, and even glimpsed the inside of a room.
Our goal was to reach Calico Ghost town in CA before it
closed. We made it, however, we had a half-hour before they closed so we
promised to come back on our way out. We
managed to catch Navajo Radio and heard “Silent Night” in Navajo, very cool.
I won’t bore you dear readers with the daily activity for
the Holidays, suffice to say it was a chance to see friends from long ago and
to celebrate with family that we haven’t seen in years.
I will say that we managed to make a side trip to Sonoma to
visit the old town area, grab some wines and just relax in the warmth before
heading back to the, ahh, “Artic Vortex” that was descending on the country.
We stopped at the Grand Canyon. I cannot with all the words
of the English language at my disposal, describe with any hope of the majesty
that is the Grand Canyon. If you have never been, and simply believe that it’s
a hole. I beg to differ, it is so much more, it is awe inspiring, especially
when the sun is going down casting long purple-black shadows.
On our way back we stopped on Gallup New Mexico, very early,
standing in line at a Starbucks, which was located in a grocery store. So we’re
standing there, a Gallup PD officer was in line next to us. Behind us, a
cashier was telling a customer that he was unable to buy the dog food and water
because his card had no money or not enough money. I think this stands out for me because the
only two people to turn at the sounds were myself and the police officer. The
man, a Native, turned away. I started reaching for my wallet when the police
officer beat me too it. She paid for his groceries. I didn’t get her name, but
she made me proud, being a former investigator, it always makes me proud of
that thin blue line when I see someone show compassion this way.
It may not mean much, but police officers get bad raps and it’s
the small things that they do, the things many people don’t see, mean the most.
I see dear reader, you are making note of my mention of
coffee, asking yourself did we eat along the way? Absolutely we did.
Wright’s Dairy-Rite in Staunton, Virginia. Served us a hearty
lunch, great burgers and it is a classic drive-in, if you get a chance try it.
The place we stopped there and back was The Loveless Café in
Nashville, Tennessee. My goodness gracious, if you like good food, stop here.
The peach preserves on the biscuits are heavenly. Kylie, the host, is a very
funny young lady. She told us that they get hundreds of people in a week and
she doesn’t remember faces, but when we came back three weeks after our first
visit, she said “I remember you guys, you have the two dogs right?” We were
floored when she said that.
Right then and there, we decided that whenever we are in Nashville,
this is our first stop, much like El Pollo Loco or In and Out Burgers are must
stops in California.
Well we managed to get back in time for the coldest
temperatures to hit our little bit of Pennsylvania in years. Yeah I wonder why
we came back to -5 temperatures. Seriously, we are now thinking about moving to
Texas, Round Rock it you must know or Scottsdale Arizona. I am tired of the
cold and snow, sure, it was fun when I was younger, but I realized I hate
shoveling snow.
I shall be back to scouring science and writing articles,
posting my short stories and my adventures with my writing group.
