From Arizona Back to Alabama: We Did It! There's No Place Like Home.
- Connie Pearson
- May 12
- 3 min read
Home again, home again, jiggedy-jig!
14 days.
11 different hotel rooms.
Exactly 3850 miles added to our odometer.
9 states explored or at least touched.
Marriage still intact.
New appreciation for the beauty of Western United States.
Renewed appreciation for the beauty of North Alabama.
100% glad we were able to take this trip.
100% glad to be back in our own bed, showering in our own shower, NOT living out of suitcases, sitting in our favorite chairs, going to our separate corners.
If you have the opportunity (and the stamina) to make an epic road trip, I recommend it. There's nothing like seeing the landscape change dramatically from state to state, eating foods other than Southern comfort foods, and encountering people who have a different perspective of "how things ought to be." Just be prepared that it takes a lot of work and effort to have this kind of fun.
We're tired. I readily admit it. Plus, it takes work to get everything back to "normal" when you return. Unpacking, doing 5 loads of laundry, washing and vacuuming the car, going through the mountain of accumulated mail, and restocking the fridge and pantry. If it ever stops raining, the grass will need to be mowed.
A few new appreciations I've gained and insights I've gleaned:
1) My Silver Fox takes very good care of me. I am so blessed that he is healthy and attentive to me. As a side note -- my mild-mannered, Baptist deacon and Sunday School teacher husband becomes slightly less mild-mannered when he's driving. Before we left, I declared that he'd be allowed only 2 rants per day. He met his quota, :) but I'll have to say he did surprisingly well over the many miles we covered. The non-interstate roads were the best.
2) Time changes can mess with a person. We left home in Central Daylight Time. New Mexico and the Navajo Reservation are in Mountain Daylight Time, but the rest of Arizona is in Mountain Standard Time. We were constantly asking ourselves, "What time is it here?" and "What time is it at home?" We expect such things when we're out of the country, but it's unnerving when you're driving in your own country, or so it seemed.
3) Sharing meals is the way to go. Even with all the heavy Mexican meals, steaks, and fried onion burgers we consumed, we didn't gain any weight. Woohoo!
4) I knew Steve had his morning and bedtime quirky routines, but I realize now that I, too, have a few quirks. Surprise, surprise. When you're confined in a car or in a hotel room with a quirky person, you learn to make concessions rather quickly. We're happy to be back home to our quirks. :)
5) It had not registered with us just how mountainous New Mexico and Arizona are. . . or how different their plants are . . . or how much adobe is used . . . or how truly bilingual the people are. We were glad for the Spanish we know. Also, once we crossed back into Alabama, we realized how different OUR part of the country would seem to folks who had spent their whole lives in NM and AZ.
6) Texas is HUGE. Period.
7) We understood a tiny bit more about the plight of Native Americans in the U.S. So. Much. Poverty. How difficult it must be to maintain their heritage and culture.
8) Mexican food comes in many varieties.
9) Wind turbines and the vast stretches of land that appear to be unpopulated (but are probably just very sparsely populated) were surprises.
10) The concentration of artists and craftspeople in Santa Fe and Sedona wasn't necessarily surprising, but the price of their creations was a huge shock. Whoa!!
11) Maybe chain hotels and restaurants aren't so bad after all. I still prefer unusual, historic, locally-owned, one-of-a-kind places, you understand, but sometimes you just crave something familiar. There. I admit it.
12) We expected to experience a hot, dry, arid, desert climate. Instead, it was chilly and rained almost every day. Was this a fluke or did we arrive in time for ALL of the yearly rainfall? Who knows?
13) Not everyone understands the concept of Southern hospitality or looking people in the eye and smiling . . . but we did encounter some nice people.
Why didn't we go on to California? We've already been.
Why didn't we visit the Grand Canyon? We've already done that, too.
Thank you for following along on this journey. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you, God, for your protection and provision.
Stay tuned for the next destination that will be attempted in an entirely different way. . . . but still by the same Geezer and Geezerette. :)
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