02/09/02
- 02/10/02
Rev. 02/22/02
Florida Adventure - continued
2/09 - 2/20
Santa Fe, heading west
02/09/02
- 02/10/02
My main reason coming to Santa Fe was to see Bill and Sue. Its always fun to visit them.
But another reason was to look at Japanese stone lanterns. There is a shop here in Santa Fe that carves them out of granite. I wanted to see the quality of their work and what different styles they make.
02/11/02
Bill suggested I go down to Socorro, south of Albuquerque, and
take US-60 west -- said it was a scenic route.
Just beyond Magdalena the road went through the radio array of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The array of dishes stretches for miles on the bed of an ancient lake -- impressive. You can see dishes stretching off into the distance, along the railroad track they move them on.
A bit further down the road I crossed the Continental Divide, at an elevation of 7796 feet. Guess I'm on the down hill leg of this trip now.
And
just over the next ridge I came upon Pie Town, New Mexico. Yes, there
is such a place, even has a Post Office.
Finally called it a day at Springerville, AZ, just across the border from New Mexico.
02/12/02
Daylight in Springerville illuminated a surprise bit of information about the town -- it appears that John Wayne, my favorite actor, either filmed a show there or had a ranch there. Saw his name a picture a number of times -- going to have to find the connection.
The road from Springerville drops down into the Salt River
Canyon, about four thousand from the level of the edge -- and then climbs
back up the other side.
At the edge of Phoenix, US-60 merges into I-10 -- just one big Freeway. Finally got into Phoenix early afternoon.
Bill, in Santa Fe, told me to look up John Kemmeries, who has the Ultralight Flight Center in Peoria, AZ, just north of Phoenix. Periodically Bill goes down to Phoenix to fly Trikes there. These little planes are call Ultralights or Microlights or Trikes, depending who you are talking to and what part of the world you are in. I learned a lot about them from John, and then took a flight with him.
The controls are quite simple, almost intuitive, and I was
surprised how stable these machines are. I read a description of them
-- sitting out in the open, they are to airplanes, like motorcycles are to
cars. Having ridden a motorcycle for a number of years, I can appreciate
the comparison.
The airfield is shared with glider towing. The Trike hanger
is to the right of the picture -- and if you know where to look, you can
barely make out my Roadtrek down there.
At about a thousand feet, John killed the engine and went searching for thermal updrafts -- and found them. You could feel the lift when he got into one. Haven't had so much fun in a light plane since flying as a kid.
The more I think about it, I'm definitely going to have to look into this when I get home.
02/13/02 - 02/15/02
Called Ronnie about nine in the morning -- a very groggy answer.
Seems they got home about midnight, after almost two months in Hawaii
-- they arrived in Honolulu the day I left there. Met them at their
home about noon. Shortly after, Phillis' brother Richard and his wife,
Laureta, came over. Chillis was the agreed choice for lunch
-- seems Ronnie lost a bet on the Super Bowl, to Laureta. In the picture,
right to left , is Ronnie, Phillis, Laureta, Richard.
During
the day and that evening, I got caught up on how the family, in Hawaii,
was doing -- and what's going on there locally.
02/16/02
Saturday, I left for Las Vegas. On the way, driving past the Ultralight Flight Center, one was taking off -- I stopped to watch.
Climbing up the hill out the Phoenix basin it, seemed like there were thousands of Saguaro cactus. They literally cover the hills.
Beyond
Wickenberg, AZ, the road goes through the Arizona Joshua Tree Forest.
The forest stretches as far as you can see. Many of these trees
are quite large.
Phillis
had made me a nice lunch for the trip to Las Vegas. And of course,
I had to stop at Nothing, a mandatory stop, to eat the lunch -- yes, believe
it or not, there is such a place.
The route from Nothing to Las Vegas, crosses over the top of Hoover Dam. Now, after 9/11, all commercial traffic and large RV's are banned from crossing the Dam. They must go by way of Laughland, NV. It used to be a extremely congested, with all the large trucks slowly creeping down hill to the dam -- then climbing, inch by inch, up the steep road on the other side. Doesn't take near as long now.
From
the dam to Las Vegas was a short run.
02/19/02
Late evening, packed and ready to catch the plane tomorrow morning. It has been an intersting trip -- in many ways.
02/20/02
That morning, driving west on Flamingo Blvd, to put the Roadtrek away
until the next trip, the rising sun bathed the mountains with a pink glow
-- beatiful scene to end the trip on. The trip is
