7:30 am March 28/26 Leave park model Viewpoint 1204 clean; keys on cupboard, homemade eat more bars given to a friend; cans recycled. Wrote to my cousins who have their dad and husband in palliative. Answer my sister’s text that we have left. Weather report reviews 3-4 weeks of March Record Breaking 35-40 degrees every day; 95 and most days over 100 Fahrenheit. Today air quality is worst it’s been. Dust. Can hardly see the mountains as we travel the 202 to the 101 to Highway #17; headed to Flagstaff Az; going to a high of 34 degrees.
Daily question in book I’m writing in: Something I’m Happy I Did This Week: I write: Be with friends; Took care of myself; (ended tennis when toes cracked; floated in pool; Said good-bye to next year’s landlady and friends; Lupe’, Renee and other cleaning staff around the pool area; have been there this year for people’s sharing’s re their sickness, deaths, life events, I can still clean and be organized.
Started making a list of license plates we are seeing on our way to Flagstaff. End of Saguaros. Hills have some green areas. Drier than dry and soon will be wildfire season. Same time see as sign: Wildfire threat: Danger HIGH!
Climbing, climbing, climbing to top of a mesa. Like pure yellowish white, grassland, pastureland looking land for miles with dusty mountains in distance. Now 5% grade going down. Glad no squealing from the car this year. Every ten to fifteen miles see a pure yellow tree in bloom. Desert landscape golden brown. Cracked rocks in bunches.
Texts from friends and family. Very nice. Some sick with colds and flu. Eight miles of 6 % downhill grades and now the vehicle shifts funny times two. FLAGSTAFF – like our Prince Albert National Forest except mountains are close by. Pine smell. Cooler. Twenty degrees. Get gas. A sign says there are margaritas to go there.
Red rock mountains as we get close to the Grand Canyon. Horses moving around on Native Reserve Land. Fine jewelry being marketed. Roadside stalls with blankets; south-western style. Then we drive by grey stone like cement like mounds; then back into cathedral style red rock. I am so in awe.
Mount Cardinal outside of Bryce National Park as a cemetery up one hillside. Scenery is spectacular. Green grass in the valleys with irrigation. Rocks shops; ice cream shops; lots of churches of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints. Houses that look like cabins. Signs with Zion. Apple or Cherry Blossoming Trees. Saw first lake or slough or little bit of water since leaving Az that was not dammed water. Seeing more water, cabins, beauty, trees like Scotch pine. Spent an hour or more with youngest granddaughter on phone.
Found the I-15 in Utah; six trucks front of us passing us; three lanes happening; a beautiful few hours of scenery; a blue-sky day. Craxy Cow Café, cleaner, funner, more up to date; wonderful staff; great meals; supper and breakfast came with the hotel room for the Best Western Hotel at Beaver, Utah.
Lots of family time; fun loving in evening; as a cousin died late afternoon so many phone calls, text messaging later; good sleep and on the road at 7:30 am Sunday morning. We travel about 75 mph on the I-14 and one hour from Salt Lake City see mountains in the distance with snow on them. 103 exits since last looked at a map from start to finish as we went through Salt Lake City. Now into Rangeland. Lots of baby calves and all the cattle I’m seeing are black as we move into Idaho. Now it’s an 80 mph speed limit; 70 for trucks.
Unique rock formations; must have missed them previous years; like grey and black rock of stone on hillsides; like 3D. First time we see someone golfing; close to Idaho falls; have our lunch packed; had enough food for 2 days; I cannot throw away food. 49 km/ hour winds are pushing us from behind. See a hawk and then a murmuration of birds. Miles and miles of cows with new born calves; so, had to phone my two friends; who we connect as a threesome as one of them told us would like to sit and watch cows all day. It’s kind of what I am doing.
Most Deluxe Rest Area I’ve even see just before Butte, Montana. Bob loves the Interstate; easy on cars, the body; east exits for gas; a more relaxed drive. Up over the continental divide again and like we are flying going down. Glad wind is behind us. A little bit of rain; sounded like sleet on our windows; but is 12 degrees as we in high country; and now 19 degrees. Back to blue skies. Helena at 4:30 pm. Found our Best Western Hotel we were looking for. $119.00 with taxes. The Greatest Mexican Restaurant is still there and was so good.
Great sleeps for both of us; and supposedly is supposed to be plus four degrees all the way to the Canadian border. We shall see. It’s 7.30 am and it’s 2 days and one night till Bob has a commitment in Saskatoon at 9:30 am. Three Deer in front of our hotel front door as we are leaving. So much time processing grief with family on the car phone amid the beauty of the scenery as we are leaving the high country of Montana. The sun is rising somewhere bouncing lovely pinks, blues and great splashes of white off the clouds. Forgot to pick up our grapefruit that fell out and rolled under the middle of our vehicle. Someone is going to enjoy. This Ford Edge vehicle has treated us well after we spent $5000. Replacing the transaxle last year following this similar trip from Mesa to Saskatoon.
We are in awe of the scenery and the business on this great highway infrastructure. Colors of the rocks and pines remind me of art and jewelry. Campers and motorhomes have pulled off for camping by the different river bends. Different license plates that made my list throughout this 2 ½ day trip were California, Saskatchewan, Arizona, Maine, Manitoba, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Colorado, Washington, Alberta, Minnesota, Tennessee, Montana, Utah, Alaska, Texas, Florida, Idaho, B.C., Ontario and Quebec. Most were vehicles; few campers and motorhomes.
Saw a coal train which sparked BIG DISCUSSION re the haves and the have nots of this world. Who owns; who are surviving. How some with a step up when some have no hope for survival. Speaking of survival; the low sun in Bob’s eyes driving into it; on a very high up mountain highway. New road kill from today. Must have had a few warm days as grass is green by rushing rivers. There is still lots of snow to melt on top of these mountains.
Eight degrees right now. Huge dark banks of clouds in front of us. Another ½ hour to Great Falls Montana; 72 miles to Shelby; last stop for U.S Gas at $3.79 a gallon and then another 32 miles to the border. Bob is in awe of Americans and where they put really great rest stops. Scenic places and easy to get in to.
We are packed to the rafters; (I actually mean the roof of the car) 2 guitars, 10 binders of music; writing, blah blah, blah. Set of Dishes, clothes, I need major lessons on letting go. Fun of it all. Major decision; to buy 30 beer at less than a dollar a beer. DO. Shove it in where it will fit; like the Clampetts going to California. How much we enjoyed friends this year; got to know people better.
On way home; keep having the song, “TODAY” in my head speaks about no matter what’s ahead; I have so much joy today. A skiff of snow comes towards us on the I-15 as we are ten miles away; approaching the border. Get receipt out for the $385 guitar I bought; as my 40-year-old one died just before I left; then a friend gave me one in January I am enjoying as much as the new one. PASSPORTS OUT.
A frosty minus five as we wait in line at 10:31 am. Frosty on the brown willow trees; frost hanging on the brown clumps of bush amid the yellow grasses out on the land. Maybe fifteen cars in front of us. Semis to the right. 11:06 am through the border. Few questions. Said, “Welcome back to Canada.”
Only saw one flock of white snow geese migrating; was in Montana. Can tell we are on the prairies; a CN train goes on and on as far as the eye can see. Near all potash cars.
In Saskatchewan, skiff of snow everywhere. On this hilly, golden, ranchland at minus 4 degrees; cattle out in fields and no baby calves. Bob’s looking forward to a skate tomorrow morning. I could join my old walking group; close to a river walk; end with a group coffee at a place called D’Lish. Looking forward to a good cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Not a whiff of green grass anywhere. Low cloud cover. Dingy gray. Sloughs. Ducks in the water.
Music group will meet Thursday night; could play volleyball Wednesday and Fridays. Maybe do nothing. Quiet Roads. Saskatchewan is full of trains. 136 cars; lumber and oil; grain, Industrial; 2 more trains; long ones. And then another one right after another one. Swift Current; one of our cities; ice and snow; but fresh, fresh air.
Great news from a cancer survivor friend; cancer is all gone; needs no radiation. Gas is 164.9; Less than a half tank costs $40.72. We take #4 Highway North. Our first pot holy roads. A few feet; yards; car lengths sometimes of snow covered; very few icy patches on this highway. Thank goodness. Before we get to Kyle, lots more oil storage tank and pump jacks we see; more than we have been seeing; like fields scattered with them; Before Elrose; lots; not seeing any of the pumps moving.
Roads clear till turned at Rosetown. About four inches of snow; maybe six inches; drifting snow; whole highway is covered; and when we get out in the open, this is glare ice. We have 100 km to go; which is 60 miles. I would have stopped in Rosetown; I had suggested. We kept going. HARROWING! I don’t know that I have ever seen anything like it. Was 100 km – no cars in ditches; semis; trucks, cars in line; some going seventy km/hr.
Better between Vanscoy and Saskatoon; Double-lane helped. Two hours instead of one hour for last 100 km of our trip. Back; feet a little tense for me. Backed into our driveway. I handed Bob a key; 3 inches of snow on driveway. COST MAR 28-30/26 Mesa -STN Hotel, Gas ,Food =$1046.90 Canadian;
COST STN- MESA OCT 31-NOV 3/25 STN -MESA Hotel, Gas, Food = $856.41 Canadian and didn’t count the 1 night at relatives
PS: YES, Bob unpacked the whole thing; I put away; and he went skating in the morning and loved it!!!!
ellensagh 