Arizona....Rocks

From Vegas to Zona

Arizona was also a pretty cool state and there is much to see.  I met up with my cuzsters Kris and Shay (I call them that because although technically they are cousins, we grew up together and they are basically sisters to me).  After all the stress of the past week or so, it was so nice to see them and I finally felt like a had a piece of comfort from home.  We met up in Flagstaff and took a trip up to the Grand Canyon. 

I tell you what, I’ve gotten into some messy situations along this trip but nothing scared me more than riding in the backseat of a BMW letting girls take the wheel.  Not that they are bad drivers, I just haven’t left control of the wheel to someone else in nearly two months!  I got used to it after a while and even fell asleep on the way back but at first I was a jittery as a bug.

The next day we parted ways and I took a trip off to I-40 to see the big meteor crater.

The Girl In the Flatbed Ford and Mr. Najavo. 

I kid you not, on my way to the meteor which is close to the town of Winslow, Arizona the Eagles song “Take It Easy” came on the radio.  An Omen perhaps.  So I drove to Winslow after seeing the crater and come to find out there is NO girl in a flatbed ford.  The radio ad said “get your picture taken with the girl in the flatbed ford” so I thought as a tourist attraction they actually paid a “ten” to be out there all day taking pictures for tips.  No, what the radio ad failed to mentioned was that if you want your picture taken with a girl in a flatbed ford you have to bring your own girl!  Rip Off.

I’ve always admired the Navajo people for their contributions during WWII.   But their history is kind of a brutal one as is a lot of native American history (not us Cherokees of course, we are peaceful ;) )  I originally wanted to take a night and spend it on one of the Navajo reservations up in Monument Valley where some tribes still live closely to the way they did a hundred years ago.  I couldn’t find where to do this trip at, so stopping and talking with some Navajo’s and Apaches who were selling some ‘authentic’ Navajo stuff was good enough.  The guy I talked to was a descendent of Manuelito, who I think was the last official Chief of the Navajo’s.  He had quite an interesting perspective on history, and just life in general.  A lot of the natives I found were sort of quiet, not quite sure if they are shy, or just say more by saying less, but it was interesting.  Continuing south I passed through the Red Rocks in Sedona.  Sedona was the epitome of a Cowboy down and like Moab in many ways.  Would love to go back there.  On the way south I stopped at the Montezuma Castle where the Sinagua people dwelled for hundreds of years before vanishing around 1400.  The people themselves didn’t vanish, but for some unknown reason they fled this little cave dwelling which was a fascinating piece of construction.   

Phoenix: Land of Crime & Hunnies

I was fortunate to get to meet up with my friend Jared in Phoenix, whom was a part of my small group at the Church I go to back home, and stay at his place for a night.  He just moved to Phoenix about 3 months ago and just moved into his place about a month ago.  In addition to that, a few weeks prior somebody had thrown a cinderblock at his backdoor and stole a tv (left the remote though).  We took a quick journey over to this famous burger joint in Scottsdale called Greasewood Flats.  What I learned about Phoenix, according to some, is that there is a 10:1 Girl to Guy ratio.  It’s consistently warm, so for you single guys I recommend it as the place to be.  Some other places I’ve discovered are perfect for single guys, and these are just based on my observations are Austin and Charlotte, Phoenix is definitely right up there with those two cities. 

The Shoplifter.

The next morning, I left Jared’s house early and went to get some gas at a nearby gas station.  After paying and putting the cap back on, a guy comes running out of the convenient store followed by the cashier running and hollering after him.  I’m not sure how much he stole, but I decided what the hay, I’ll follow the guy to see where he’s going.  He had run over to a grocery store that was across the road so I was in a perfect position to follow him.  I followed him (in my car) to a nearby rundown neighborhood so I went back to the gas station and reported to the cashier where he went.  He thanked me and told me the guy comes in almost everyday and usually pays so he was astonished that the guy would steal from him.  It wasn’t enough to call the police over, but if it happens again, at least the cashier knows where the police can find the guy if he ever does it again. 

My final stops in Phoenix were at the state capitol, and the Hensley’s Budwieser distribution (owned by John McCain’s wife), the guard there must have thought I was a little nutty for wanting my picture taken in front of it but it was a classic shot.  Next Stop…California.