I too am enjoying reading your trip report and the way it is written.
Dave.
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I too am enjoying reading your trip report and the way it is written.
Dave.
How else do you do write a report? It has to be in my own voice style.
May 15-- MORE weather reports of severe weather, directly where I am heading. Ohhh well. This is an adventure.
I did look at how to do photos, but I am posting photos on 3 different platforms, and am at the point where I am not going to try to figure it out for here for another 13 days (I will be at a longer term stay at that point).
May 10 Barstow CA to Cottonwood AZ
Add: forgot to put it on May 5th: In passing Mt. Shasta, there is a Quantum Leap story line that takes place in the area. Love that the female protagonist wants to make a contribution to life, and to just make herself invisible. It is a storyline that many can relate. Now, if I was just home to figure out the title of the book.
447 miles 9 ½ hrs.
I was suppose to be heading for Phoenix, but due to family schedules, I decided not to detour down to Phoenix, but stay up on I-40. Will need to schedule to head that way another time.
Wishing I was able to type while I was driving. Making small comments on notepads while driving makes it hard to figure out what the scribbles mean later. Hoping the phases of my thoughts make some kind of sense to me when I flesh out the thoughts.
The whole area that I am traveling through shows signs of its volcanic heritage. The composition of the mountains, the flow of many of the rivers. The cinder cones. The collapse volcanoes.
Purple mountains majesty. Today, the mountains in the distance were showing off their hues. The closest ones were tans and sage colors. The middle distance mountains were darker hues of browns and evergreens. But the far ridges are in the deep blue and purple hues.
The land is so wide, but the mountains are creating a boundary to it. It gives your eyes a point to focus on it, and I have time to contemplate on what I am seeing.
Going up and up and up and up. So high I could touch the sky.
Photo from Desert Oasis Rest stop along I-40 AZ
Today had a detour. Oh yes, one of my famous… OH LOOK! That looks interesting. I saw the signs for Mojave National Preserve at the Providence Mountains SRA Essex exit. What a wonderful desert beauty. Felt very small. The vistas are awe inspiring. The road is rough with lots of potholes.
Photos of the mountains, and flora.
It was Sunday. Thoughts today are of how beautiful and diverse the earth and sky are. That the shadows playing with the hills give constant changing images to focus on. But also with thoughts of how much greater God is, as He is the One who created the land and the sky.
Psalms 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Psalms 90:2
Before the mountains were born, You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Taking a road trip gives you time to focus and mediate on your surroundings. I was able to watch a hawk circle and glide with the winds. He seemed to be enjoying the gliding, as I watched for about 30 min.
And today, this moment, I get to enjoy this beauty. This time and space. It will not happen again. The vehicle behind me will not see it the same way that I do, as they will see it with slightly different eyes. Even if I was to travel this stretch of road again, it would be different. So for now, I will enjoy the beauty that God has created for me to luxurious time.
Such a dry place. But even here, life has made a way. The rodents, the birds of prey, the wind, the flora. It is all surviving. It has for ages. It will for ages to come. The Yuccas and the scrub trees are able to survive on so little. They have long roots. That is how our faith is to be. Able to have long roots to get the nourishment we need to give life to others around us. The bush to shelter the lizard. The yucca to hold water in its base.
The rocks would cry out to God. I can see these mountains crying out in deep rumbles. BOY! Would it freak me out if they choose this moment to do it.
Mojave Titles (I am including my class notes along with everything else. This way I will have less scrap papers to monitor.)
-Meet the Wild SW by Weit
-America’s Deserts by Wallace
-Desert Tortoises by Blomquist
-The Mojave of California and Arizona by Williams
- Gathering the Desert by Nobhan
-Native American Animal Stores by Coduto
Stopped in Needles, CA. The check light came on: Check your wheel monitoring system. It if Sunday afternoon at 2. There is not much open. I stopped at the NAPA store. Mike checked the air pressure in my tires, even though it was after his closing time. He assured me that my tires are fine. And that many of the cars of my make and age have sensors that give false readings when the tires heat up. He was so kind.
Had originally thought of detouring down to Lake Havasu City to see London Bridge. But thought my day would be long enough without it.
I took the Ash Fork exit to head down to Cottonwood. Everything was fine and it was beautiful. NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT THE PASS OVER TO JEROME!!! I passed 4000 Ft level. I passed the 5000 FT level. AND still was going up. I wanted so much to take photos of the beauty. But there was so few places to pull over or if there was a spot, the trees blocked the view.
AND THEN I went DOWN from Jerome… down to 3500 ft level. As I was coming down, I could see a green oasis in the sea of sand. It was my stop for the next 2 nights: Cottonwood.
Jerome is an artsy town that was once a mining town. Now it is a quirky town built on the side of a mountain.
TIP: Large RVs would have difficulty traversing this route on 89A
Pick up an inexpensive digital recorder and dictate your thoughts while driving. Transcribe them later.Quote:
Wishing I was able to type while I was driving. Making small comments on notepads while driving makes it hard to figure out what the scribbles mean later.
glc just has beaten me to it. I record my feelings and the things I want to remember, as if I am talking to someone else. That helps me when I type my report, as it is often weeks later. I have a tape recorder, but if you can use and figure out a digital recorder, it would work just as well. The bonus is you have your emotions as well as the facts.
Another great post. Loving them.
Lifey
If you have an iPhone 5 or 6, you can use Siri to dictate notes to yourself for later. If not, GLC's idea of the digital voice recorder is a good one. You can pick one up at Fry's or Best Buy for about $30 for a cheapie -- I think some Wal-Marts and Targets carry them too.
Donna
Guess who THOUGHT she had PACKED her old tape recorder. Guess who FOUND out that it was a player ONLY.
Thank you for the positive comments.
May 19
Today was a great day.
Jeannie and I went to the Chickasaw Culture Center. I can say that they did a fantastic job.
I will continue the day… Later. I need to write what is happening RIGHT NOW. And shortly after.
Today we had tornado warning for 2 hrs. With heavy storm advisory. Our phones went off several times with warnings. But, it stilled showed the cell being about 20 miles away, and maybe coming this way.
THEN the siren went off. We did not hear it. We were watching the tv.
The neighbors called Jeannie and said, “Get to the shelter, NOW. The Tornado Siren is going off.
We grabbed our bags (a bag with my electronics and a bag with water bottles and my purse). Went out the back door (the other one does not open from the inside due to being repaired). Across the muddy and very wet back yard of grass. An inch of rain or more had already fallen this evening.
In going through the fence gate, Jeannie went first. I went next, but due to rain, couldn’t see the muddy hole under the gate. I slipped. (I will be sore tomorrow on my left side, very bruised.) Got up with pulling up on the fence.
Went on down into the storm shelter. The neighbors had their car on the grass with the headlights showing the opening to the shelter. I went down the concrete steps slowly… Not wanting to fall a second time.
There was the older neighbors, their daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons, Jeannie and me. Oh, don’t forget Duke ( a Shitzu), in the shelter. One of the boys were completely asleep the whole time.
One touched about 2 miles away, and one in the sky but didn’t touch. The hail was ½ dollar size.
There is another cell headed this way. But no warnings are up.
So glad to hear you are safe. Hope you will be able to continue your roadtrip soon.
Lifey
This part of the trip might be called "Rolling on the River". The Red River in Shreveport, LA is under flood watches. It is at 28.5 feet and 30 is flooding in the city. There is a warning going out because it is suppose to be rain this whole weekend.
I am on a hill over 50 miles away in Shongaloo, LA. Having a lovely time with my first cousins who are in their 80s.