Thursday, January 31, 2019

Deep Impact......

7:29 am - Thursday - January 31st - Winslow, AZ - 26º F, 73% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the east......partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 61º F.

I had a 10 am doctors appointment Wednesday morning......originally I had both appointments scheduled for Tuesday, but about 2 weeks ago one of them had to be changed to Wednesday, so we had to make the 110 mile round trip into Flagstaff once again.  We left home at 8:30 am so we would be sure to arrive 30 minutes before my appointment, and we succeeded.  In all my appointment took about an hour, and  then we were free to roam the streets of Flagstaff to our hearts content.

First up was a visit to Findlay VW on the east side of Flagstaff where we ordered some parts, and scheduled an appointment for February 1st to have them installed, so we will make another round trip into Flagstaff then.  We had work done on our Beetle at Findlay about 5 years ago, and were very happy with the work, the price and the service.  From there we drove a couple of blocks over to 'Savers' Thrift Store to see if they had anything without which we could not live, and they did.  I don't think we have ever been there when we did not come out with something.

At last it was time to revisit one of our favorite local breweries.....Beaver Street Brewery for lunch........


....about 10 minutes later we were walking in the door and ordering some brews.....Yelp gives them a solid 4 stars on 1,152 reviews, and we would agree.   I ordered their seasonal Shandy, and TLE an Oatmeal Stout......both were very good.  For our entrees I had their Chicken Caesar, and TLE their 'Personal 3 Smoked Meat Pizza' and a salad....


.....soon it was time to head back to Winslow, but we had one stop to make on our way home.....'Meteor Crater National Landmark'.  Like the Petrified Forest, we have driven by this site numerous times on our way east and west on I-40.  It is located about 1/2 way between Flagstaff and Winslow, and is about 6 miles south of the Interstate.  Meteor Crater is the best preserved meteor crater in the world, and is where scientists learned how to identify other meteor craters around the world, of which there are estimated to be over 200.  The iron/nickel meteor traveling at some 26,000 mph impacted here 50,000 years ago, and is estimated to have been about 150 feet in diameter, weighing in at several hundred thousand tons.  In seconds a crater almost 1 mile in diameter, and 700 feet deep was created.  The explosive force created by the meteor impacting earth, which formed the crater is estimated to be equal to 20 million tons of TNT.  The rim of the crater stands over 150 above the desert floor.  Over 50,000 years erosion has reduced the depth from 700' to just over 550' today.  In another 300,000 years it will be completely filled.....

 The largest fragment found to date of the meteor


 Pano of Meteor Crater


Pano of the surrounding area

......the crater is privately owned by the Barringer Family, and all of the facilities on site were built by them under the auspices of Meteor Crater Enterprises, Inc.  In 1967 Meteor Crater was designated a National Landmark.  With the senior discount our combined admission cost was $30.....a little steep by our standards, but we are happy we decided to pay the fee, and thoroughly enjoyed our time there.  The fact it was a windless, clear blue skies kind of day only served to enhance our experience.  There is an extensive museum providing a lot of very interesting information....we recommend Meteor Crater very highly.

We were home just before 5 pm and settling in for the evening....what a beautiful day Wednesday was!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Wednesday, January 30, 2019

The appointment.....

6:26 am - Wednesday - January 30th - Winslow, AZ - 27º F, 71% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the southwest......partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 56º F.

Tuesday I had my first doctor appointment in Flagstaff at 3:15 pm, but what to do until it was time to make the drive?  When in doubt, take a walk, and that is what we did around 11 am.  We just set out with no particular goal in mind just walking west down Route 66 about 1.9 miles then turning around......here is some of what we saw that was interesting.....





     

   
.....we continued walking east on Route 66 until we came to the La Posada Hotel, then returned to 'The Corner' to the Sipp Shoppe (4.5 stars on Yelp, and the same on Tripadvisor) for some coffee, and people watching time.....



An Americano for moi

Watching the tourists take the obligatory pictures by the 'Standing on the Corner' statues

.....we returned home from our walk around 12:30 pm having covered 2.9 miles.  Essentially the most prosperous part of Route 66 through Winslow is contained in a 4 block stretch (two blocks either side of 'The Corner'), and if that is where you spent your entire time in Winslow you would come away thinking Winslow was doing alright, but it is not.  Once you get beyond that 4 block stretch you find about 70% of the storefronts are shuttered, and about 40% of the homes.....and the homes being lived in appear neglected.

We were in the VW heading to Flagstaff by 1:50 pm for my 3:15 appointment.  It's about 55 miles to Flagstaff from the Elks Lodge in Winslow, and we arrived at the surgical center around 2:45 pm....perfect!  The drive was beautiful......




......I met with my doctor (ENT specialist) who will perform the parotidectomy (removal of the saliva gland cyst).  My surgical appointment was set for February 25th, so now we know the 'when'....now we have to figure out where we will stay until that date....we have some great ideas, and I will talk about that soon!

We were back in Winslow by 5:30 pm, and decided to head directly for the Turquoise Room at the La Posada Hotel, and specifically to their Martini Bar......

The elegantly intimate setting

.....I am not a Martini kind of guy.....in fact I do not believe I have ever had a Martini, but who doesn't want to say just one time to a bartender....."....shaken, not stirred...", right?  TLE ordered the Sea Salt Caramel Martini, and I the Desert Orchard Martini.  Both were spectacular, and a great way to end our day.....



....we enjoyed our Martinis and then headed for home, arriving just in time to catch this wonderful sunset.....


.....thanks for stopping by!

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Tuesday, January 29, 2019

2018 In Review - The Road to Maine - Part 1

We began 2018 working at the Desert View General Store in the Grand Canyon......

 Our journey from Desert View (Grand Canyon) to Fontana, CA, and ultimately to Southwest Harbor, ME

From Southwest Harbor, ME to Cedar Key, FL with many stops in between


......and ended 2018 in our beloved Cedar Key,FL.  The following is a pictorial review of our year.....






Getting our radiator cleaned in Albuquerque, NM


Tucumcari, NM



St. Louis Elks Lodge

Visiting with new blog friends Ed and Jackie in Illinois



Buckeye Stadium in Columbus, OH



Elks on Lake Erie in Ashtabula, OH


Need I say more?


Elks in Lockport, NY



Baseball Hall of Fame

Salem

Boston





Near Portland, ME!


Portland Head Lighthouse


One of many lobster rolls eaten







 






Ensconced at Smuggler's Den











Another lobster roll


 Good friends from Smuggler's Den


 Riding the Carriage Trails




Bar Harbor Inn, Bar Harbor, ME with my sister and her family who visited us in Maine



 Jordan Pond House



 Lots of hiking, and the ubiquitous granite staircases



 Lobster BLT





 Beautiful Somes Sound as seen from Acadia Mountain




Staying on the property of Tony and Janet for 5 weeks


 Visited by more family and friends


 Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain



......Part 2 will cover from Southwest Harbor, ME to Campbellsville, KY......