Because that’s what you do in Winslow, AZ – right?

I almost missed my chance for a pic – this was the last Winslow exit. I had to stop.

I was thinking this would be a quick post, but silly things have happened the last couple of days.

I left Zion early yesterday and drove through the park while the day was starting. It was nice. Little traffic and a different lighting effect. Anyway, there was a completely empty view point called Checkerhead Mesa, a perfect place to park for a moment and I was really curious what a ‘checkerhead’ looked like. I got out of the car, took a look (I still don’t know what they mean by checkerhead) and when I got back to the car there was a big white hairy dog in my passenger seat!!! WTH? With two more nearby just waiting to jump in. I was pissed! It had rained the night before and there was mud and long white hair everywhere, and I had only been gone (stupidly left my door open) for a couple minutes – where in the world had they come from? There was nobody around. I yanked him out of the car and drove away, and was irritated the rest of the day looking at the mess and my car smelled like wet dog. I assumed their owner was nearby, but now I think I should have reported these random dogs wandering around. Weird.

The rest of the drive included the Vermillion Cliffs and a view that looked like a mini Grand Canyon. Sorry, I didn’t take many pictures – I think I was still irritated.

Got gas in Cameron at the Cameron Trading Post – Yay Cam! I had to text my son.

I really needed to get some work done on Friday, and thought I could make this happen when I got to Grand Canyon. Nope! Basic campground (cheap at $18/night), no electricity, and generator only 7-9 AM and 6-8 PM. Well hell. I drove all around the place trying to make my hot spot work, but no luck. I finally gave up and put everything off until Monday. Frustrating, but I had a nice long walk and went close to a mile down into the canyon.

Elaine, remember this view? Top of the trail when we thought that hiking all the way down and back up in one day was a great idea – ugh. Again, just like last time I was here, the weather changed on me. Brrrrr. I made a quick dinner and crawled inside to hide. No heat, no electricity, and we ended up with 4″ of snow! I slept under every blanket I had, fully clothed with a knit cap and gloves on. Have you ever worn a knit cap for 16 hours? My hair didn’t know what to do with itself. yikes! I decided I didn’t need to be in Grand Canyon any longer than necessary and left early the next morning.

So, I almost fired Cliff today. Last night there was a hazmat spill just west of Holbrook, AZ on Hwy 40 (look, it’s not THE 40). I thought it would be cleared up by today, but I got an alert on my phone saying it was still a mess and to find an alternate route. I begged Cliff to give me the best alternative, no luck. I stopped in Williams, AZ for help, and they wanted to send me 150 miles out of my way. I called AZ511 (it’s a traffic thing in Arizona) and the AZ Visitors Bureau and NOBODY could give me the scoop on whether 40 was open or not to Holbrook, so I took a chance since Cliff told me to. WRONG! I was stopped dead about 5 miles down the road along with hundreds of semi trucks. To the point that I struck up a conversation with the trucker next to me (Billy) and he didn’t know any more than I did. Again, I turned to Cliff for a back country route, and he was clueless! I was only 25 miles from Holbrook and I knew there had to be a way. I did temporarily fire Cliff and took matters in my own hands. Got off as soon as I could and wound my way around the mess. It still took me an hour and a half to go 25 miles, but it’s nice to know my old navigation skills are still intact and I finally made it to my destination. Cliff is back on the payroll, for now, but we will see how he does tomorrow.

My intention on this trip was to avoid cold, so the last 24 hours have been yucky, but I am plugged in tonight and my heater is working, so I am as snug as a bug in a rug (kind of a gross saying but you know what I mean). Goodnight.

Obvious tip of the day: don’t leave your door open when you stop to take a quick peak at beautiful scenery. You never know what might end up in your car!