Road Trip

Palestine, TX

Downtown Palestine, TX


 
Leg 2 on the way to Hammond for Turkey Day.

Today’s drive was a lot prettier than yesterday and a little shorter. If your route happened to go through the middle of downtown Palestine, you’d see a lot of this because, as most larger Texas towns have done, there is a thriving section of national chain stores all along the bypass. All that is left in town are around a dozen churches, a half dozen “antique” stores, and a couple restaurants. There is the required large wall-sized mural with the town name with an uplifting saying to go with several art pieces.

We went downtown, hence the art piece photos above, to eat dinner at the Home Grill Steakhouse, and I can definitely recommend it for a good meal from its extensive menu.

Sweetwater, TX


 
Leg 1 on the way to Hammond for Turkey Day.

We didn’t stop except for a brief moment in Brownfield, TX, for a snack and a gas-up. Our original plan was to visit the National WASP Museum, but they close at 5:00pm, and we didn’t get to town until after 3:00. I figured we’d be in town around 2:00pm, but I forgot about losing an hour going to Central Time from Mountain Time. We can’t do it on the way back because they’ll be closed on the day we come this way. We’ll reschedule for a different trip.

I didn’t take the picture of the day until we stopped here in Sweetwater. I remember when Donna and I passed through in 2023, there was a big wind turbine blade right around the corner from the museum. Sally and I drove over after dinner at a place the desk clerk recommended. It is a regional chain called Skeet’s Texas Grill, and the food was excellent: chicken quesadilla for her and fish tacos for me.

Monday Catch Up

Monday Morning Mural


 
I missed a day yesterday, both here and on Instagram. It was a long and boring drive from Tucson to Santa Fe, except for a brief few miles on I-10 near the AZ-NM border where a large rocky formation popped out of the ground. I took one lone photo in the town of Hatch, NM, when we passed through, but it was not worthy. And I so wanted that to be the lead because it reminded me of driving through Vidalia, GA, because both are home to two vegetables that have become almost name brands.

Today was spent running errands, getting new wipers for the GTI, and grocery shopping for the week. Going to the gym to stretch out those stiff “sitting in the car” muscles. And, working around the house, with yard work for her and inside stuff from my “job” jar.

Cacti Everywhere

1989

2025

We left Cottonwood this morning, which is at around 3500 feet above sea level, and the drive seemed pretty much like it was all downhill to Tucson, but our destination is only at 2400′. We were way early for checking in to the VRBO, so we visited the Saguaro National Park. Where we are staying is close to the east section of the park, so we headed over and did the loop drive.

We are also really close to tomorrow’s destination as well, the Pima Air & Space Museum. Stand by for lots of aircraft photos tomorrow.

Cottonwood, AZ

Thursday’s Monument Valley Sunrise


 
Started the morning in Monument Valley and ended the afternoon in Cottonwood, AZ. In between there were dinosaur tracks outside Tuba City, a brief tour of Flagstaff, and a fabulous drive down AZ-89a through Oak Creek Canyon to the majestic red rocks of Sedona.

The stop in Cottonwood is because this is a possible landing place for me. I am totally settled in in the Portland area, but the winters, while not brutal, are absolutely dreary AF. I can get a similar arrangement here in a 55+ manufactured home community as there, but with the addition of a garage instead of a carport. The home price is more, but the land lease is smaller—not enough to break even, but I get the warmer/hotter weather and the more sunshine I’d like. The town has a vibrant downtown with quirky shops and plenty of good dining. Now if the Sedonuts Donut & Coffee Shop is halfway as good as Stomping Grounds, I’m sold. There’s also a Dunkin’ if that doesn’t work out.

Monument Valley

The View Hotel at Sunrise

This is my fourth visit here, and each time it is a different experience. They have each been slightly different times of the year, but never in the summer when it must be both too hot and crowded, always in the shoulder seasons. And the weather has varied, from hot to mild to this one’s cold and very breezy. I would like to visit again, and Sally is game, but it might not be until 2027.

I took forty-one photos today and promptly deleted a little over half of them. These eight, well nine, if you count the one at the top, are the cream of that crop.

Valley of the Gods

On our way to Monument Valley, we drove about half of the 17-mile loop in the Valley of the Gods. In a few ways this section of Bears Ears National Monument is nicer than Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. There are plenty of red buttes with different shapes (just not the iconic ones), there is no entrance fee to drive it, and there are near zero tourists there.

Seven Sailors Butte

Seven Sailors Butte


 
I don’t know the “official” name of tis one, but I’m naming it “Command Chair” because I can see Capt. John Luc Picard sitting in it.

Captain’s Chair


 
The high clouds in the blue skies are a marvel.

Blue Sky and High Clouds


 
And just looking down, you could convince yourself you are on the surface of Mars.

Surface of Mars