Arizona 2013

In a very short time I'll be fulfilling a childhood dream. Literally. I'll be spending a week (OK, in my childhood dream it was more like a few months, and by childhood I mean I was 14, but still...) driving around Arizona. Below is my approximate route. Some roads aren't marked on Google Maps, and one is currently closed (damn you 89!), so there's a bit of a detour. I'm going to blog at the end of every day, explaining why Arizona, what I see, where I go and no doubt including a few photos as well, so you're welcome to tag along if you want. 

I'm so excited I can't begin to describe it. 

Back from the Road

So, the two weeks on the road are over. The roads of the US, to be precise. Or somewhat precise. The roads in the South Western US to be more so. I'd not been since 1999, so was expecting some changes and I wasn't disappointed. Luckily, I was never dismayed at the changes. I suppose 13 years is a long enough break to accept from a distance that there is no way things would be the same as they were. Besides, over 13 years you also change a lot as a person. 

It was a super two weeks and I've no doubt I'll be back. Next time I plan to do some hiking in Yosemite and Bryce Canyon, as well as some serious rafting on the Colorado. This was my third time in the South West so I think I need to start seeing things from another perspective. I've also still to go back to New Orleans and the South, but that's for the time after next. 

We went from San Francisco to Las Vegas, through Yosemite, Bodie and Death Valley. Then on to Zion Canyon and then Bryce Canyon. After that we hit Page and Lake Powell, then down to The Grand Canyon and Flagstaff. From there we went a little more east to see the Meteor Crater, then headed back west through Jerome, Prescott and on to Kingman. From Kingman our last stop was Lost Hills before making it back to San Fransico. It was a busy trip - we covered approximately 2000 miles (or 3200 km), but I loved every moment.

The things that really struck me were the adverts on TV - fast food ad, heart surgery ad, fast food ad, followed by latest-diet/exercise-fad-to-loose-wait-without-really-trying. No wonder the second thing that struck me was the size of people. There were some seriously, seriously obese people - whole families - all over. When did that happen? How did that happen? The price of fresh fruit also shocked me. How can this happen? The whole country is going to explode. Las Vegas was also a slap in the face. Everything (and everyone) seems to have tripled in size since I was last there. Over indulgent, decadent, excessive and enough to make you sick to your stomach. But we had a blast.

I loved it all the same, much as I thought I would. But then, it's the actual country that I love. The views, the nature and the beauty of it all. I'll never get tired of it. Never. It's a wonderful country full of wonderful people.

Here are some Instagrams. You can see all the photos here, if you want. 

It got hot in Vegas.

Arizona sky.

The best burger I've ever had. If you're in Page, Arizona, find Slackers and have the ½ pound cheeseburger. You won't regret it.

Meteor crater.

More than happy to tell all if anyone's interest in our route.

Summerhouse Bliss

Last weekend we went off to a friend's summerhouse for the weekend. Summerhouses are funny things. I suppose in the UK they'd be known as 'holiday cottages' or something, but they're essentially a house you use in the summer for long weekends, holidays, and general relaxing. Some people have massive mansion-type summerhouses, which in my opinion, defeats the purpose. There should be dust, a musty smell, a wood burning stove, and clear evidence of multiple different family staying there over a long period of time. 

Anway. So off we went. It was lovely. Lazy days, lots of chocolate, bad TV, duvets on sofas and long walks on a chilly beach. These weekends work wonders. I highly recommend it. Here are some photos. Oddly enough we didn't take any photos of the house. Not sure why, it was beautiful.