Orange

Orange in Orange County, that is. And my final day really on this trip, unfortunately. Although it'll also be good to be home again to make sense of everything I've seen over the past 3 1/2 weeks, and to see my cats again. It's a good thing I was provided with cats to pet on several stops along the way, especially here at my friends' place as they have two adorable kitties.

Anyway, today I decided to explore Orange a bit (or to be more precise what they call Old Towne Orange). I walked around and took in the incongruence of palm trees and plastic snowmen and Santas. I sat outside in the sun with my coffee, just listening to the people around me, which was fun and interesting and entertaining. The script writer who complained to his friend that all the movies that get made these days suck, and why wasn't anyone getting his brilliance ... The two friends who bitched about (I guess) their husbands. The business meeting two tables down that ended in a what-is-the-best-college-football-team discussion. All the while I'm enjoying the sun, the warm breeze, and just the fact that I'm here.

On my way to Orange, though, I stopped at a scary place. The Crystal Cathedral. Yes, a church. I know they shouldn't be scary but this one is. I can only imagine what it cost to build, and I actually don't want to know. I also don't want to know what happens when a major earthquake hits this mammoth made of steel and glass, although I can imgaine that much more easily than the money it cost to build. Let me put it this way: when that earthquake hits, I don't want to be anywhere near this building. As I was standing there looking at the place I couldn't help but wondering how many poor people could have been helped by the money that went into building it ... Of course I took some photos nonetheless - and couldn't shake the feeling I was in Miami. For some reason the palm trees being mirrored in the glass facade reminded me of it.

The rest of this, my last, day I spent with more of my friends, which was the perfect way to end this vacation. Good friends, good conversation, good food, and a couple of cold beers. Perfect.

Just like this vacation.

Orange






Crystal Cathedral

Boxing Day = Shopping Day

Yes, shopping. We had a nice, quiet morning first and then hit the mall in Orange in the afternoon. That of course meant having to fight gazillions of other people for parking spaces but we did finally manage to find a spot for us. I bought a couple of pairs of jeans and the book that I wanted to buy in New York City but didn't and so far hadn't been able to find anywhere else.

We had dinner at a nice Mexican place at the mall, and I'm embarrassed to say that it was the first time this trip that I actually had Mexican food. Oh my, you'll say ... how can you travel through the Southwest and not have Mexican? I don't know - it's just what happened. Wait, I actually did have Fajitas once but that was at the Grand Canyon and therefore probably doesn't count as real Mexican food. It was good though.

Tonight we'll relax with a little movie watching and playing on our respective computers. It was a good day, and I'm winding down nicely from all the excitement and great sights of my trip. I've made some plans of what I could go see and do while here but there's nothing that's an absolute must for me, which is a good feeling. I might go to the Getty Center and to the Huntington Library, however, and maybe drive to one of the beaches. And if all else fails, there's always The Mouse just around the corner from here.

Merry Christmas!

Just a very short entry today.

I spent a great Christmas Day with my friends' family - getting up early in the morning, heading over to their house, drinking coffee, opening presents, ... My friends gave me a very lovely necklace, which was even nicer because I didn't expect anything. :-)

In the afternoon we went to the movies and saw "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", which I can recommend. Just please, take tissues.

After the movie we had a scrumptious dinner and then just sacked out on the couch.

I loved it.

Oh, and it does rain in Southern California ...

To California

500 miles, give or take a few. More or less along the Mexican border, on the I-8. Which of course means that there were also three border patrol checkpoints on the way. Seriously, I haven't had my passport checked this much ever before. To me, this borders on paranoia. You can't drive 20 miles in this area without seeing at least one border patrol car on overpasses, on the median, or just driving around.

Anyway, I made it to my friends in California in good time and without any problems. It was nice to see the ocean after all the desert and snow-capped mountains I've driven through the past two weeks. As a bonus I made it to the Pacific just in time for the sunset. Nice touch.

Now I'm chilling on the sofa, winding down from the long drive (all in all about 9 hours). I have now managed - so far - to drive about 3,400 miles. In fifteen days. As much as I love cars and driving, it'll be nice not to use it to go anywhere tomorrow.

Imperial Dunes close to Yuma



Rugged landscape in the mountains



And another border patrol on the I-8



Sunset

For roadside assistance, please call ...

Today wasn't nearly as beautiful as yesterday. Well, not all days can be perfect - and I had many perfect days on this trip - but today had precious few highs and one big low. Which ended in sort of a high ... but let me start at the beginning.

This morning I woke to the sound of pouring rain. It was raining cats and dogs or better, considering the fact I'm in the southern Arizona desert, bobcats and coyotes. Since my room is facing the pool, I could sit inside and watch the raindrops make tiny waves on the water surface. Great, I thought, a day in bed. But as soon as the rain let up a bit, I was up and out. Why is it I can't sit still when I'm on vacation?

I should probably have stayed in bed.

I decided not to venture too far today, just to downtown Tucson. Apart from some art and very few older buildings, Tucson's downtown area is pretty ... boring. The typical inner city with banks, offices, and lots and lots of parking garages.

I got out of the rain and into the tiny museum of the Arizona Historical Society. I talked to the volunteer who sold me my ticket for a bit, then looked around. Lovely displays, including a bit about prostitution in old Arizona - a veritable and regulated business back in the 1880s - and a very old slot machines. And one room just for the story of the capture of the infamous bank robber John Dillinger who was arrested in Tucson in 1934. All in all, a nice museum for a short rain break. When I left, Jim the volunteer called after me, "Have a great day, Bonnie!" Seriously, where else would you get that?

After that I decided to explore the university district (very nice) and funky 4th Avenue. I was looking for a bookstore there and found it quickly enough: Antigone Books. Part gay and lesbian bookstore, part used books store with a nook for any other topic under the sun. Very warm and welcoming place, which also has the funniest collection of cards for all occasions I've seen in a long time.

It was after I left there that trouble came to find me in the form of a 3-inch bolt that apparently was lying around in a puddle on the street. I had the misfortune to drive over it, and the bolt drove itself into my right rear tire straight down to the rim. Bang! Not a nice sound, and the feeling of driving on a flat, even the small distance to the nearest parking lot - which was just 50 yards or so away - is nothing I particularly liked. I was lucky though that the parking lot was near. After a short moment of OhGodswhatamIgonnadonow I looked around. I had, as you're wont to do when something bad happens, left my cell phone at the motel. For the first time this trip ... Figures. OK, got to find a phone first to call the rental agency.

Then my eyes fell on the most wonderful sight in the world: the parking lot was right across the street from an auto shop. YAY for my good luck in a stupid situation. I went inside to make my phone call. The rental car guy said he could send someone over to change my tire but that it would likely be a few hours before he could get someone there. Given my location I suggested that I try to get someone from the auto shop to change the tire for me, and he agreed to that, even telling me I'd be reimbursed for any cost I might have.

The first guy in the shop, however, shook his head and sent me to the manager because none of the employees were allowed to leave the premises while at work. Great, I thought ... but the manager just looked at me and told me to go back to my car and he'd have someone meet me there in a minute. And yes, in no time at all a nice guy came out, lugging his equipment behind him, and within minutes he had the tire on my car changed. And they didn't even charge me anything. So I tipped him a twenty and thanked him, grateful that this happened a) in Tucson and not on the interstate, and b) in the States where service still matters and not, say, in Germany somewhere. At home, I'd probably still be waiting for someone.

As an aside: it's not that I'm entirely unable to change a tire but it's hard to do without any tools, and unfortunately my Rav4 is completely devoid of any. Besides, I didn't get nearly as dirty and wet as I would have if I had changed the tire myself ...

Anyroad, I've decided to call an end to my road adventure and drive to California in the morning. Basically, there are two reasons for that: first off, I can't wait to see my friends there, and two days more are, well, two days more spent with them. Secondly, I really don't like the feeling of driving any extra miles on a spare tire. So, tomorrow morning I'll hit the road for the 7-hour drive to L.A., hoping the tire will hold.

Downtown Tucson









Arizona Historical Society

Tucson

It's sunny here, and warm. I spent all day outside - in a T-shirt - exploring Saguaro National Park and the Arizona Desert Museum. Both are wonderful places and I took heaps of photos.

Saguaro National Park is a bizarre, mountainous area, covered in Saguaro cacti, and I do mean covered. This park is host to the densest copse of Saguaro anywhere and it's quite surreal to walk around between them, feeling dwarfed. The best thing, however, was that it was so quiet in there. I was sitting on a rock for a while and all I could hear was the wind gently moving the ocotillo trees and a bird playing around in a nearby Saguaro.

The Desert Museum is also a great place to spend an afternoon: part botanical garden, part zoo, its aim is to present the native plant and animal life of Arizona in as natural a way as possible. You can get quite close to the animals, and since it's an open desert area you'll also see some animals outside the habitats as well. When I was in the hummingbird area, a gopher snake came by to see if it could find a mid-afternoon snack but it was picked up by a staff member and taken somewhere else before it could find something.

I had the chance to play with a nice Arizona King snake for a bit - lovely animal. It likes to eat rattlesnakes, and is impervious to their venom. Handy snake to have around in an area like this ... Did I mention I love snakes? I love how they feel, all nice and dry and smooth, and I find them fascinating.

They also have a pretty good restaurant on-site with the usual Southwestern fare - fried or grilled - in humungous amounts. I've hardly managed to finish a meal since I've arrived here ... Where do the people put all that food? Many restaurants here, by the way, have a special "Seniors" section on the menu which offers smaller servings that the snowbirds can actually manage. And there are lots of them! I've come to appreciate the fact that many of them do volunteer work in the parks and museums, so you're always greeted by someone at the entrance, handed a map and a short introduction to get your visit started. There's almost always someone on hand to answer any questions you might have, too, which is great.

I'm spending the night in Tucson again but what I'll do tomorrow, I still don't know. Footloose and fancy-free, I guess. I wonder where I'll end up ...

Saguaro NP and Arizona Desert Museum

Plants










Animals

Mountain lion




Bobcat



Prairie dog



Wolf



Hummingbird




Gopher snake

In the footsteps of Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and Spanish missionaries

Tombstone, "The Town Too Tough To Die", wasn't all that tough today, as it was mostly empty. Maybe because it was a Sunday and I was there in the morning when all those chuch-going folk were someplace else. But it was fun to walk down Allen Street, browse the stores in the old buildings, and see the old courthouse. I admit I was tempted by some of the nice Western shirts and the Stetsons, not to mention the store full of cowboy boots, but I managed to restrain myself. Loved the old cemetery - Boot Hill - and seeing the graves of the people who were shot in the OK Corral way back when.

I decided to have a late breakfast at a small-town Denny's around noon today. Nothing special, except for the fact that I was the youngest person in there by at least 20 years. I was just wondering why when I twigged that church must have just ended - the priest was sitting in a corner booth. He was greeted by half the people in there, so I figured it was probably the parish hang-out for the older folks. Still, a good place to have a cheap, fast breakfast.

My next stop was the Mission San Xavier del Bac on the San Xavier Reservation, where the local Pima or 'O'odham live. The mission church is the best-preserved and considered one of the most beautiful in the U.S. Looking at it, one can certainly see why. It's a snow-white Spanish Baroque-style building in the middle of a very arid strip of land, beatifully embellished inside and out by 'O'odham craftsmen. It was pretty crowded around the church (Sunday!), with lots of folks coming up from Mexico - which is just a few miles down the road - and from around the reservation. There are lots of stalls outside selling yummy fry bread, and it's a good place to sit for a couple of hours - in the shade, if possible - to just watch the people milling about.

The church itself is impressive, even to an old atheist like me. It's pretty clear that the people who worked on it believed in something, and it was also very clear that most people who were there today believe in the same thing. An older, not entirely sober man came up to me outside the entrance and informed me - completely out of the blue - that he was afraid of going inside because it was too beautiful and he was afraid that seeing it could change his world. Which apparently wouldn't have been a bad thing, considering that he had "failed his lady and failed his kids, and done bad things" (his words). I never thought I'd ever tell someone that I've heard that good old JC was supposed to be a forgiving guy but he looked like he needed to hear something like that. Weird moment, really.

I had to go through another checkpoint today, and this time the border patrol guys took a close look at my car. Who knows, maybe I look like I'm smuggling illegal immigrants across the border in my car ...

And, finally, a funny thing here in Tucson: the I-19 that leads down to Mexico has metric signs. Who'd have thought I'd see the words "Next exit, 1 km" in the States. Must be the Mexican influence.

Oh, one other thing: I seem to have become addicted to The Weather Channel. I have been watching it almost exclusively for the past two weeks. Fascinating stuff.

Tombstone













San Xavier del Bac