Days 6 and 7: July 26-27

We're in Vegas baby. And it is really something. The heat, the endless glitter and neon and the fact that we have been on the road for a week have exhausted me. So much so that I am going to completely steal (with permission of course) Katharine's fun facts about Vegas:

• It’s hot. Mind bogglingly so. We use the remaining dregs of our humor to joke about being unprepared like a girl who died in the Grand Canyon. But it’s hot. It’s 6:45 am and I just stepped outside and the heat already is oppressive.
  
• It is powered by the Hoover Dam! I honestly can’t say how I learned this in the last 24 hours; I was hoping that it was from our brief stop at said Dam that I haggled eliz for yesterday. ‘Cause that would validate my request for the stop; if I’d actually learned something. And I love the idea that I am doing something great for the environment; Nay, I am nearly Al Gore by sitting here in this hotel room with the air conditioning blasting. Hydro power. Leave no footprints.


• It’s windstorm like. Why don’t I know about this? We got sandblasted walking down the strip last night. It may have been some crazy promotion from a Casino (those guys will do anything..) but damn. I had to keep pulling over from my stroll because my contacts were in mortal peril.

Katharine sums up a few important things here that I sure was unaware of. First of all, as a southerner I pride myself on being able to handle heat. I even love heat. The past two years I lived in an attic apartment that reached ungodly temperatures in the summer and though it was uncomfortable, I felt I had the unique ability to handle it. However, this does not prepare me in the slightest for Vegas in July. I am absolutely oppressed by the heat here. I feel like it is actually closing in around me and I just want to get out of it. As Katharine said yesterday, "Being in the casino is great because we get exercise AND we are in airconditioning." In fact there are really whole cities in each of these casino buildings so you really don't have to leave them.

I'll return to the Hoover Dam in my tales but the other incredible thing Katharine mentions was the sandstorm we endured last night. I had grit in my teeth and my face was covered in it. People screamed and turned around as it swept by. How have I never heard about this? But before I continue about Vegas, I should back track a little.

Day 6: New Mexico

I'll admit, the days are running together a little at this point. Thursday we woke up and saw Petroglyphs a mere exit away from our hotel.




Petroglphs, as Katharine read to me from the kid friendly guidebook we bought, are neither heiroglyphs which represent words, nor are they merely for decoration. They have cultural meanings that are beyond us. We walked around for about 20 minutes before I was totally done appreciating them and ready for an airconditioned car. From there we sped to Santa Fe and promptly met a rainstorm which cooled things down significantly. (This was merely the beginning of our new respect and admiration of rain)

Santa Fe came recommended by everyone we spoke to. So, maybe because our expectations were high or because we were exhausted, it failed to live up to its praises. Katharine swiftly decided that she hated it and I feebly tried to stick up for the place, reminding her that we barely saw anything. But this was useless and though we had a great meal and our first buffet, neither of us was wowed.


I think this is a parking garage but, being a tourist, anything adobe will interest me.

This is a staircase in the Loretta chapel that supposedly defies all architectural logic. There was beautiful rennaissance choral music playing in here that was recorded by a local group.

DELICIOUS. We love the buffet.

From here there were some painful decisions to be made. Katharine had her heart set on Jimnez Springs but it was 3:00 and we had plans of making it to Flagstaff. Somewhat discouraged and unable to cheer each other up, we headed out. Trying to drive across the country and actually see the sights is a delicate balance and we may have swung too far on the sightseeing end here.

Ok, from here I should be able to skip to the next day because all we did for the next six hours is drive. But this is where this trip continues to amaze me. Parts of this drive were better than any sightseeing we could have done. Giant rocks creep up and amaze us. Their deep burnt orange and lines of colors are stunning in the sunset.

And a sunset it was. We watched all the forces of nature come together-- the sun streamed around the clouds while we watched the rain pour like a steady sheet in the distance. At one point the clouds looked like they had opened over one small patch, with dark unruly clouds all around. Katahrine and I sat in silence when I wasn't taking pictures like it was a photoshoot. Finally the rain and the sunset collapsed upon each other and it felt like a symphony rising.

this is a pueblo we saw earlier in the day after pulling off at an overflook.

OK, in typical Elizabeth fashion, I have run out of time in the hotel room to work on this. Katharine, the lucky devil, was up early and is now out exploring a shark tank somewhere in Vegas.

I still need to write about Day 7: Grand Canyon and Vegas but that will have to come tonight at our next hotel. There is too much going on.

Day 5: Wednesday July 25

Today I hit the wall. Exhaustion, which I knew was bound to rear its ugly head, did so with a vengeance. I was tired, had a headache and became grouchy. Poor Katharine is all I can say.

This morning we went to breakfast and then saw the memorial for the Oklahoma City bombing. It is huge and beautiful. Beverly was about two buildings away when the bomb exploded so she was able to tell us about these events first hand. Then we got on the road and began the marathon journey to Albuquerque.

Things started off well. Katharine pulled off the highway to take a picture and stumbled on to signs for route 66. We had been talking about this mysterious highway and wondering where it went so we were delighted to also find a little shop and one room museum. This is really what has been so amazing about this trip. We did not plan lots of activities, nor do we even necessarily know what we will do in a given city, but we have been able to stumble upon and discover places and are continually delighted with what we find. We got directions to the historic route 66 and drove on it for half an hour or so. It is a tiny two lane road that is a little overgrown. It runs parallel to route 40 much of the time, veering off to pass farms and small houses. It's a bit slower than the highway so after enjoying the charm, we get back on our faithful friend I 40.

Shortly after this detour my headache set in and I became useless for several hours. We listened to a This American Life, I looked at magazines and slept a little. I also spent some time pondering why I was having this bout. My best theory is that since the initial excitement of the trip (and corresponding adrenaline) have worn off a little, my body remembers that I have just undergone an incredibly stressful few weeks of little sleep and too much worry. With that in mind, I tried to just be ok with being a slug while Katharine took charge.

Meanwhile, the scenery continued to change and I remained in awe for the rest of the day at how different everything out the window can look in a short period of time. In Oklahoma and Texas everything became more expansive, shrubbier, drier. The wind was powerful and whipped my hair against my face. The clusters of stripmalls and restaurants that littered the highways for much of the south were gone, replaced by a few billboards. Bright red clay began to show up in patches and even though this phenomenon exists in Georgia I am still impressed by how bright it is. There is just more space here.

When we entered New Mexico I noticed even more changes. On the horizon to my left and right, things looked hazy and I began to notice large rocky mountainous structures. But not like in the East. These were jagged and sometimes color cut into the sides.

We had dinner of fantastic Mexican food in Amarillo Texas and I drove the last leg into New Mexico. And a long leg it was. I was absolutely ready to be in Albuquerque a solid 100 miles early. Katharine had become mesmerized with the GPS device (called Tom Tom) and barely uttered a word for half an hour while she delved into the many functions of this tiny machine. The more she worked, the more pleased she became with the possibilities while simultaneously frustrated with her difficulty to create the glorious itinerary she knew was possible. But I knew I had her back at the end when she began using her bizarre munchkin voice to talk to Tom Tom and told me that it would be nice if he could sprout legs and wear tiny fluffy tennis shoes. Perhaps she was a little tired too.

Tomorrow we will spend the morning in Albuquerque-- Katharine is interested in some kind of petroglyph monument-- and then we will head to Flagstaff in the afternoon. Just a warning: I don't think we will have internet access in Flagstaff so it is unlikely I will write again for a few days. Friday we will see the grand canyon and then end up in Las Vegas so I have no idea when I'll write there. But I have added lots of pictures to yesterday's post. Thanks to so many people for responding in various ways to my entries. This is a fun and bizarre way to communicate with people and I love hearing back. Today I will leave you with a picture I took at a Stuckey's gas station/gift shop in Texas.

Days 3 and 4: July 23-24

My parting words in the last entry may need some explanation. About four years ago I traveled to New Orleans with my friends Rebecca, Phil and Tania. It was pre-hurricane Katrina and we were excited to see Bourbon Street and soak in the fun New Orleans had to offer. Upon leaving our hotel on the day we arrived I looked around, breathed in the heavy air and proclaimed (rather like a cheerleader, I'm afraid) "Yay the South, We love the South!" Insert claps at the first and last word of each phrase and you have the effect. This unbridled enthusiasm took me by surprise and I wondered about what it was that so moved me. The warm, humid air? (I know you New Englanders cringe at the thought) The rich green foliage? I am not sure. Well, this trip has rekindled all of those musings as we swung through Tennessee and Arkansas over the last two days.

It's late again and I don't expect to write as much as I might like about the past two days so here is a whirlwind tour. And, I can't upload pictures yet so check back after tomorrow night and I will try to add them.

Day 3:

We left Knoxville and headed for Nashville, making a brief stop at Target for water and frivolous travel clothes (apparently we have no pact about any other national chains.) We arrived in Nashville a few hours later, where we discovered the main drag and meandered through. A gaudy Elvis statue greeted us as did a giant guitar with a mural of coutry music stars on it. We enjoyed barbeque at Jack's on Main street and discovered that no one in the place lived in Nashville, including two tables of people from California. Go figure.

Down the street, Katharine had the good fortune of wandering in to the Hatch Show Printing Press shop, full of gorgeous letterpress prints from the past 50 years. This place is incredible, people and I highly suggest you look it up.

I decided to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, which I LOVED. I thoroughly enjoyed discovering more about the roots of country music including the fact that early influences were folk music from the British Isles, gospel, and the music in vaudville and revival shows. Plus I got to see a grogeous blue dress with sequins that Patsy Cline wore and Elvis' shiny gold car with an entire television set in the back seat. However, my personal favorite case in the museum is of two magazines in braille that Ray Charles often brought on the road with him. Two things about this:

1. For those of you who don't know, I am a closeted lover of Readers Digest and receive it every month. I get teased about this from time to time but now feel that since Ray Charles shared my great taste, I am somewhat vindicated.
2. Playboy and braille. Really?

These are the Hatch Show prints in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

On our way out of town I promptly played every song I could find on my ipod that is considered country music, including the theme song of this trip so far: "Jackson" by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Katharine and I like to sing it at the top of our lungs.

And we were on to Memphis where we arrived after Katharine spent several minutes trying to understand a GPS device on loan from my Dad and step mom for this trip. At one point when I looked over to see whether Katharine had found the welcome center I noticed that the screen illuminated a map of the entire United States. My exhaustion and exasperation turned to laughter which I did until I cried during which time we got off at an exit marked "downtown" and practically ran into the Welcome center. We may need some more practice with technology before it can actually help us.

That night we walked on Beale street, which reminded me of Bourbon street in New Orleans. The streets are blocked off, people are walking around with giant beers (labeled appropriately, "Big Ass Beer") and live music blares from every other bar. No expense is spared on the neon signs and it retains some charm. I eat my second pulled pork sandwich of the day and, tired, we head back to the hotel.

The hotel is considerably less nice than our previous choices and Katharine and I talked about whether we regretted the decision. After discussing all the places a masked murderer might stuff our bodies we talked about the degree to which our fears could be based on racism sice the clientele was mostly non white. In fact, being out of the north east where I am primarily surrounded by people who are white IS a shift. I may not like to admit it but I am really not pressed to think about race on a daily basis. Food for thought. (And for you parental figures out there, the hotel was FINE, we were completely safe.)

Day 4

We woke up and pondered our choices for the day: Graceland, Civil Rights museum, Little Rock and the 7 hours of driving that must be completed to make it to Oklahoma City where my sister (of the half variety for those of you who are confused) lives. I decided that in good conscience I could not see tacky Elvis memorobilia instead of a Civil Rights museum so off we went. As we pulled into the parking lot we discovered that the musem is set inside the motel at which MLK was assassinated. I was shocked to see in real life the place I had seen on film: Martin Luther King standing on the balcony speaking to friends before the shot was fired. As we approached the museum I got goosebumps and Katharine became teary. It looks exactly the same as the footage on Eyes on the Prize I had watched many times while I prepared a unit on the Civil Rights movement 2 years ago. I was deeply moved just standing there and took several pictures. As I looked over at the entrance, however, a crowd of tourists gathered looking at a sign. To my dismay we discovered that the museum is not open on Tuesdays!! Having become so excited to see and learn more it was a major disappointment. I actually considered staying another day and rearranging the time on the latter end of the trip but Katharine reminded me that we really do have to keep going.

We sped by Graceland, not going in but buying a fantastic candy treat I will share by picture later (oooh the teasers!)

Then it was time for the moment we have all been waiting for, me with unbridled excitement, Katharine with trepidation: Waffle House. We actually drove 15 minutes to Mississippi to go because I had an irrational fear that they would stop appearing so frequently past Tennessee (this was unwarranted we later discovered. There are Waffle Houses in Oklahoma.) Waffle House is a brilliant place. It's cheap, fast, has an unmistakeable syrupy, greasy smell and the waitresses are very likely going to call you one of the following: sweetie, honey or baby. Our waitress used the last of these with abandon. I ordered a waffle, an egg and some grits, trying to cover all of the major food groups. Katharine went out on a limb and ordered the famous hash browns all the way. This means they had everything but the kitchen sink on them: cheese, chili, tomoatoes, meat, onions, jalapeno peppers and maybe more.

From there we sped off to Little Rock, knowing we had spent more time than we should in Memphis in the morning. We were both sad to leave Tennessee. We talked about how we wanted to come back to Memphis on another visit and I began to wonder about taking tours of sights from the civil rights movement. Memphis really had it all though. It had the wild abandon of Beale street, the beautiful streets, many of which looked untouched from the 50's, tacky Graceland, and history enough to spend hours learning about. (And my friend Tania says there are ducks that go up and down an escalator every day in a row. What more could you want?)

Once in Little Rock, I felt the call of the Bill Clinton presidential Library. There was no missing this one since it is a large glass rectangle building suspended in air. I don't get it, honestly. What's the architectural appeal? But I LOVE Bill Clinton so I am willing to overlook this. However, since this is a whirlwind tour of Little Rock I had to be content soaking it all up from the lobby (which I went in and out of four times until the security guards were tired of me.)

We drove out to Central High School next after a pained search for a mailbox to send postcards. I am sorry I have to pause for a rant. There are no more mailboxes on street corners anymore!! Katharine and I have gone through two cities looking for them and have postcards that are so overdue it's ridiculous! I remember hearing about how the Post Service has removed mailboxes since they get less use nowadays. But really, people, we should be able to find one between two major cities!!

I still need to write about Central High School (home of the Little Rock Nine or Five as Katharine insists as though they were the Jacksons) and I need to write about the transition into Oklahoma. But this will all come later, hopefully with pictures.

Here's my follow up to finish day four.

Seeing Central High School, a functioning school, and how it looks exactly the same was also chilling. They have turned a gas station across the street into a tiny museum and I was reminded of the horrifying choices these teenagers and their parents had to make in order to send them to school.

From Little Rock we headed to Guthrie, just north of Oklahoma City where we stayed in a real bed and did some laundry. What a treat. And best of all I got spend some time with my half sister Beverly and her friend. We stayed up too late but it was worth it.

I will leave you with a picture of the sunset in Oklahoma:

Day 2: Sunday July 22

I got more sleep last night than I have in the last month. Easily. I was asleep by 9:30 and up at 7:00. No complaints there. We headed out and quickly sped through a corner of West Virginia. The day before in a moment of excitement when we left New England, Katharine suggested I snap a picture of the Pennsylvania welcome sign. We joked that we should get a picture of every welcome sign we passed and I laughed that this would be impossible. However, no sooner is a ritual proposed than I latch onto it with a kind of ferocity. As we headed into West Virginia I saw the welcome sign, screamed for Katharine to get the camera, she panicked, pulled it out and shot a picture of the sky. We laughed at the needless stress of it all, but sure enough a few miles later there was the Virginia sign. I loved this sign so much as we sped past that I decided we must turn around to capture it in it's full glory. Panic again as we approached but the result is fabulous.

We decided to see some of the gorgeous Shenandoah valley and drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. On our way we pulled over at a gas station/Dunkin Donuts and discovered something neither of us have ever seen in Dunkin Donuts-laden-New England: self serve. We had to capture this on film.




However, the real upshot of taking this picture was that an older man approached me and asked me why we were taking pictures in the middle of the store. I explained that I am coming from Boston, where Dunkin Donuts is on every corner and that I've never seen such a thing. He tells me that this is a "very special place" because it's the only place he and his wife can find plain cake donuts. Occasionally they are in a grocery store, but not often and today he drove TWO hours to get a cake donut from here. Shortly after he brought me over a little local newsletter he thought would give me a sense of the area. I was totally charmed and thought about how rare this kind of interchange is in the north east. More than likely someone would have noticed our behavior, wondered about it, maybe told someone but never, ever have asked the person and engaged in a long conversation. Although maybe people in the north east also wouldn't drive two hours for a cake donut.


The Blue Ridge Parkway was absolutely stunning. I have never seen it before and must give credit to Jim Cradle for suggesting it to me. At first, Katharine and I couldn't help but stop at every look-out and gawk. But after a while we just tried to navigate the windy roads in order to get back to a nice, straight highway.









For dinner, Katharine wanted to use one her local chain passes and go to Perkins, which I had never heard of. We met a lovely young waitress who proceeded to tell us nearly her life story which included (according to Katharine's recollection in an email) "how she lived with her husband, best friend (who's like a mother to her) her best friend's daughter (like a sister) and the spoiled dog. All in a hotel room. We tip generously and get pie for the road." I have included a picture of Katharine and my plants (which I'll explain more about later) in the restaurant.












On our way into this little Virginia town we also found a replica of a Statue of Liberty and couldn't resist posing. Who thinks to make something like this in the middle of nowhere?? I decided to climb up for the picture and Katharine caught the climbing on film. We both think I look like a velociraptor.





We ended up in Knoxville Tennessee after another frantic attempt to capture a welcome sign on film (which isn't worth attaching). I was definitely more upbeat today, feeling farther from the painful goodbye and starting (finally) to feel a little like I am on vacation. I am also looking forward to seeing Nashville and Memphis tomorrow and feeling further connected to the South. (Yay the South! We love the South!)

Day 1: Saturday, July 21

Katharine and I pulled away from my friend’s Becca and Phil’s house around 9:30 from a small group of my good friends. I have no pictures of any of this goodbye because I was totally overwhelmed—by the enormity of what was about to take place and knowing that I was driving away from an incredibly loving community represented by my friends standing there. This moment was the culmination of weeks of seeing people from all parts of my life, reminiscing and enjoying time together. It has been intense but it was an important process for me. I have many vivid memories from these last few weeks and I will carry them with me to California.

So, after my tearful goodbye, Katharine and I made a brief stop to pick up my plants and return my keys at my apartment and we were off.

We decided to capture the end of the first mile—which was on Galen Street in Watertown—before hitting the Mass Turnpike. The beginning of a major road trip is sort of surreal. You are just headed out on a familiar highway as though you were on a jaunt to the other side of town. As you go farther, it seems just like a longer trip, maybe to visit a friend in a neighboring state or to go away for the weekend. It doesn’t really set in at first that the destination is actually 3,000 miles away.

So, Katharine and I went through Connecticut on 84 then got on 91 to head in to New York. We stopped at a delightful little restaurant called Gaetano’s in Carmel NY where we discovered this fascinating dish (look at the piece in the back.)

That’s right: pasta pizza. Why exactly hasn’t that made it into the Pizza Hut menu so that more American’s can eat carbs on carbs? Really people, this is the answer to our national dietary shortage of white flour.

From lunch we drove straight through Pennsylvania passing our original stopping point of Harrisburg and continuing to the tiny town of Hagerstown, Maryland where we spent the night. There we discovered the joys of Motel 6, which is stripped of the frivolities but has everything you really need. Katharine took a swim and I read Harry Potter book 6 (because I am not quite ready to start the last one).

Although this brings us to the end of Day 1 I realize that I have neglected to mention an important force driving (ha) our decisions during the trip. Katharine and I decided that we are making a pact not to eat at any fast food chain restaurants. Shortly after making this pact, however, I came up with an exception. Regional chains are exempt. However, Katharine chose to amend my exception with a limit of 2 meals each of the regional variety. I am not totally convinced that we will stick to this limit but I like the idea of it. I already know my exceptions: Chick-fil-A, a favorite from growing up and my beloved Waffle House. And for those of you who scoff at Waffle House, I will give a full exposition of why I love it when we go. So get ready.

Intro

I was initially skeptical about the idea of a blog. Mary Beekman (director of Musica Sacra for those of you who are not familiar with the name!) suggested I try a blog and I flatly rejected it. But as time went on I thought about how nice it would be to have a record of these events and to share them with everyone at once. However, I decided this will be a time-limited blog, covering my cross country road trip and my process getting settled in California. I don’t anticipate I will update it beyond Thanksgiving, but I suppose one never knows.

The blog begins on July 21^st as I head out with my friend Katharine, who I worked with long ago at Dearborn Academy and now lives in Vermont. She was excited to have this adventure and I was excited to have a partner in crime. Although I wrote these entries as they happened, I am uploading them days later.