November 3, 2018

On The Road Again: Adventures of a Wrinkled Wanderer

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My sister Jan, aka the Wrinkled Wanderer, has been traveling again! Last time she headed northeast, and this time she headed off in the opposite direction. In case you missed her first post, you can find it here. https://cookiesandcursewords.com/adventures-of-a-wrinkled-wanderer-retirement-fun-by-Jan-Milbradt Enjoy your travels!

Off We Go!

Hello everyone. The wanderlust hit me, and I took to the road once more. For this adventure, I headed west, waaaaay west!

October 17, 2018

After my 9:30 a.m. art class, I hit the road, traveling to the beautiful state of Colorado, where I visited my cousin Rosella at her home in Colorado Springs. I headed north to I-70, choosing a quicker route than a more southern one. After several hours I stopped at “the biggest Van Gough in the world”. This is located in Goodland, Kansas, and is definitely worth stopping to view. The easel looms over the little town as if it is guarding it against possible invaders. I have no idea who really painted the picture of the sunflowers, but it is a passable imitation. The easel and picture are so large that they are visible from I-70.

Epiphany #1 Even the smallest of towns have something interesting to offer. You just have to look in the right places.

I arrived at Rosella’s just in time to go out to dinner. We opted for Olive Garden, and afterwards visited for awhile and then went to bed. We tried making sugar cookie witches fingers, but these were another of my famous cooking fails.

This is the view from Rosella’s deck.

October 18, 2018

Gallup, New Mexico here I come! Heading south on the very busy I-25, I followed the magnificent Rockies through the Raton Pass to Santa Fe. This is the last part of the Santa Fe Trail. The scenery was stunning, and since I was in the the pass for most of the way, the driving wasn’t too frightening. This more information concerning the pass. https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/american_latino_heritage/Raton_Pass.html At Albuquerque, I hopped on I-40. Part of I-40 travels along the iconic Route 66. If you are not afraid to hop off of the interstate you can see some pretty interesting sites. Desert, desert, desert. Nothing but desert (with a few mountains in the distance) for miles and miles. Soon, I had to make a pit stop, and where else would I go but a handy dandy casino right along the interstate.

My luck wasn’t as good as it was on my trip to Wisconsin, so this stop was VERY brief! Soon, I arrived at Winslow, AZ, and yes, I experienced “standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona” once again.

Winslow also hosts one of my favorite places, La Posada Hotel, which I plan to visit on my return trip. Shortly, I arrived at my hotel in Gallup, NM.

Epiphany # 2 There is nothing better tasting than pizza delivered to a hotel room, except maybe eating it in bed while watching tv.

October 19, 2018

I disobeyed my IPhone’s directions and opted to go a different route to my sister in law’s house in Prescott, AZ. Instead of turning south at Flagstaff on I-17, I stayed on I-40 until I reached highway 89 that went into Prescott. In Williams, AZ (known as the gateway to Grand Canyon National Park) I stopped at McDonalds for a bite to eat. While at the McDonalds I met a new friend. It was perched atop the McDonalds sign as I left the restaurant. I stopped to take a picture and someone came out and threw a piece of bread on the ground for it to eat. As it flew down to eat it I snapped a picture and went to my car, which was very close. The crow (Raven? What’s the difference?) kind of followed me, and landed on on a yellow pole next to my car. Then it flew to the trash can directly in front of my car. Amazingly, it’s next stop was TO THE MIRROR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY CAR! I opened my car window and threw a piece of bread out for it to eat. I have name the bird Beggy McBeggerson. Obviously, it’s done this many times before!

I must say that this little episode made my day and I periodically grinned until I pulled into Linda’s driveway in Prescott, in the late afternoon.

Epiphany #3 The random simple things in life can bring everyone so much joy, if we just recognize and appreciate them.

October 20, 2018

Prescott AZ is one of my favorite places to visit. There is always something to do in Prescott, and what could be better than doing it in a quirky mountain town? But on this day, we left Prescott to it’s own devices while we drove 1½ hours to the beautiful town of Sedona. We met Linda’s son Grey, who lives in Flagstaff, and his girlfriend for lunch. After lunch, Linda and I drove around, admiring the scenery. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Sedona, I recommend it. Sedona is popular among spiritual healers because it contains several vortexes. Vortexes are locations where the geomagnetic lines of the earth cross each other and form whirling pools of energy. They are “power spots” of energy and healers use them much like acupuncture. If you are into such things you can take a Red Rock Tour to experience the effects of the vortexes. If experiencing the vortexes is your thing, that’s great, but for me the stunning views of jutting stone that is a deep red hue was enough for me.

We took a different route back to Prescott and went through the little town of Jerome, which is a former mining town. We didn’t stop in Jerome, but we did stop so that I could take this picture of a disobedient tourist.

October 21-October 25, 2018

The next four days were spent visiting, going to movies, and going out to eat. One of my favorite places to eat in Prescott is the Liquor Store Deli.

Mac and Cheese from the liquor store deli

You can have your lunch and then buy a six pack to take home. How cool is that?! On Friday morning I loaded my car and headed home.

October 26, 2018

Although I had every intention of visiting La Posada in Winslow, AZ, I became embroiled in the podcast I was listening to, and drove right by it. For those of you who listen to podcasts, Alice Isn’t Dead is a great one. Since I have been to La Posada many times, I have a lot of pictures, some of which I have included here. La Posada used to be a Harvey Hotel and is now owned by an artist who displays her work at the hotel. It houses a Top 3 restaurant called the Turquoise Room. Hotel rooms are very reasonably priced (around 140 dollars). If you are ever traveling on I-40 this is a stop worth taking. http://laposada.org/

I finished the day’s driving at the town of Santa Rosa, NM. One more day until home!

October 27, 2018

What could be a more fitting end to my trip than a stop to Dorothy’s house in Liberal, KS. I followed the yellow brick road to her house and even saw the tornado shelter that saved her family’s life. Toto I have a feeling we Are in Kansas again.