Homeward Bound

Our husbands missed us. I know this because at least two of the three indicated that they expected us to be on the road driving home before we were even out of bed. When I talked to mine he said, "So you'll be home by 6:00?".... oh, honey, don't give me a time! This was our last hurrah and I wanted to be open to whatever the day might bring. So I was a little snarky and said we might find a bar in Chicago to celebrate. I didn't mean it, but then again.....

The last day of driving was sunny and clear once again. We really did feel as though we were being given the red carpet treatment the whole way home. Well, with the exception of the gas station where all the pumps were out of order. Even going through Chicago was a breeze.

As it turned out, we did stop for one fantastic last dinner. Vivian's uncle and his family own the Popolano's restaurants so we stopped at the one in Chesterton, Indiana. Not to be cliche, but OMG. The food was outstanding. Stella had the Crespelle which was incredible, while Vivian and I had the Eggplant Strata. Soooo delicious. Seriously thinking we need a road trip back to Popolano's! I took home half my meal and ate it Sunday night for dinner while my family ate whatever. I don't even know. All I cared about was my strata. Hmmm.... who's free for a road trip to Chesterton on Friday?

Then it was back in the car for the last hour and half home. Even that went fast. We cheered when we saw the Michigan sign and Kristen made note when we hit the big hill just past Constantine. We cruised through Three Rivers with mixed emotions. Obviously, the greater part was longing to see our families and hear about their week, give them hugs and stretch out in our own beds. But a small part was sad to see the trip end.

I do take some comfort in the fact that we're talking about the next road trip already. Whether we can convince someone to buy a car in Maine -near Acadia would be nice- or we can find an excuse to head to the gulf to do a little research for a novel- I know there is another Operation ___ in our future. If it is Operation A, Vivian has already called dibbs on being Amelia...

Nebraska to Iowa

By the time we reached Nebraska, V was showing her miles in terms of dirt. Don't get me wrong, she wears it well, but she was a little camera shy after that. Not that there was a ton of things to take pictures of, anyway. I did steal a couple pictures out the window of the frost, though- because even though it couldn't compare to the day before, it was still pretty. Plus we had blue skies and sunshine, so no matter how cold it was outside it at least felt cheerful.

We ate at Quizno's in Kearney, then stopped in Underwood, Iowa for gas. The attendant there, Joni, asked us how we liked Iowa. How to answer that diplomatically? I'm sure Iowa is a fine place to live but we had just spent the last two days seeing mountains and monoliths. In comparison...... well, I think I just responded with something like we'd only seen 17 miles of Iowa, in the dark, so it was hard to say. She was sweet enough to step outside and show us that we could see Mars right next to the moon. Seriously, even Iowa held super friendly faces and natural wonders!

We stayed that night in Des Moines and had a midnight pizza call into Domino's. Did you know they had a fantastic vegetarian thin crust pizza? I didn't, and I didn't even think I was hungry. But it was fantastic- with fresh spinach and feta cheese. This did not even remotely resemble the greasy Domino's pizza I remember from my college days.

With full tummy and weather channel promises of sunshine and clear roads, the last night was the first night I slept hard. If I snored, girls I apologize.

Grand Junction to Denver

When we reached Colorado it was dark, but that full moon continued to illuminate the snow on the mountains and I can't say enough how gorgeous the landscape was. We hit patches of fog and finally stopped for gas when it was really thick. We decided to grab a bite to eat at the AandW in the gas station and even the service and food there was better than we expected. It is always nice when someone willingly goes out of their way for you and we experienced that more often than not throughout this trip.

When we got back on the road the fog had mysteriously lifted. About the time we started hitting tight curves and tunnels, we also hit light snow. We noted how pretty Vail and Breckenridge were as we passed them in the night, but Vivian kept one eye on her rear view mirror as we turned and descended to make sure none of the semis got too close. I give her some major props because 30 miles of that would have been a little nerve wracking for anyone but you'd never know it to see her.

We arrived in Georgetown (just west of Denver) and decided to stay there for the night so we could see Denver in the daylight. The Super 8 was even cute with its chalet feel. That night we wanted to update but for some weird reason I could get wifi on my ipod but Viv couldn't get it on her laptop. So we checked the weather and sighed with relief that everything seemed to be clear the rest of the way home. Then turned in so we could get a decent start the next morning.

Our room at the Super 8

The view. Wanted to check out Mad Mike's but either the snow was fresh or the river was high and he was closed- at least that's what it said on the sign.

In the morning we admired the view and grabbed our free breakfast at the motel before setting our sights on Denver. We stopped at a Walmart to get the essentials: cheap sunglasses, trashy magazines, sangria. We didn't realize that 76 was going to come up before Denver so we missed out on actually seeing Denver itself. We expected to see foothills most of the rest of the way until we got to Nebraska but we were wrong. We weren't on 76 long before the scenery turned into flat grasslands. It felt like we left Colorado without saying a proper goodbye even though we hadn't actually left Colorado. I believe it is one place we're all destined to return. We all grabbed a tourist magazine at the hotel and I bet we each plan a future vacation there. Maybe someone else could buy a car so we could get a vacation? Any volunteers?

Little Colorado River

Almost as soon as we left the park, the sky grayed over and soon the cloudy fog was concealing the canyon. I don't know whether it was just due to our location or if the fog was moving across to obscure all of the south rim, but I do know we were instantly transported back to winter. We took 64 to 89 and stopped at a scenic overlook of the Little Colorado River Gorge. It doesn't look very little, and you really can't even see a river, but it was a very beautiful, although barren, landscape.

By this point, my eyes were feeling pretty tired and gritty. I tried to snuggle up with my blanket and pillow and nap, but I couldn't help but feel I was missing everything. The drive was gorgeous! Foothills, mountains, rock monoliths... varied, unique, and beautiful. We stopped in Cameron (best gift shop) and made our way toward Moab. My cell service was out from the time we left the Grand Canyon until we hit Moab. Then we turned onto another scenic byway and my signal disappeared again.

Stella and Vivian could probably fill in a lot of details from this day, but I want to mention the 42 mile jaunt on twisty-turny road around Arches National Park. The full moon lit up the snow on the rocks and unfortunately none of us have a camera that would have been able to capture it so we didn't even try to get photographs. But it was definitely one of the most memorable parts of the drive... singing, laughing, river on one side- surrounded by rock formations, bathed in the light of the moon.

The Vault of Heaven

On our way to the Grand Canyon we were struck by a few things. First, that stopping at Chloride set us up to stay in Williams instead of driving on through and deciding to skip the Grand Canyon because the timing didn't work out. We very well could have kept driving, thinking we stop somewhere neat in New Mexico. If we had driven into the storm we probably would have been stuck. It easily could have been miserable. That stop in Chloride caused us to spend the night in Williams where we got the warning to go north before it was too late.

 We talked about the signs: three butterflies on the wall at the Volvo dealership, three butterflies on a house as soon as we turned into Williams. V's everywhere we looked. It felt very much as though we were being guided on this trip and it was up to us to believe that we would encounter clear roads and safe travels.

Can you see me now? V's in the power lines.

Finally, we were awestruck by the sheer beauty of the day. The sky was a vivid blue with spots of fluffy clouds. We knew it was going to be a great day to see the Grand Canyon. And we were right.

As we approached the observation area, the only word that would come out was "breathtaking." No photograph ever fully captures the canyon. You can't appreciate just how vast it is without standing on the edge and having that first hand perception. It was amazing. It was worth every inconvenience we might experience getting home. It was incredible.

Stella doing her What about Bob impression.

From the top, the railing looks about two feet high. We all joked there is no way we're taking our kids here!

We watched this guy leap from the edge of the canyon and take flight. It was quite a sight. Having ate at the Red Raven, then seeing ravens pop everywhere (even in terms of how many miles the canyon is across: "as the raven flies..."), Stella was feeling that they were a good omen, one of God's provision for us on our journey.

"And He said to His disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!" (Luke 12:22-24 RSV)

While talking with other travelers at the canyon we learned that the day before there was snow and heavy fog and it was impossible to actually see the canyon. Had we made it there the day before we would have left disappointed, like the bus tour they told us about that had traveled from Vegas to see the canyon but instead saw only snow and fog which created a veil concealing the view. We got chills when we talked about seeing the flooding in Vegas on the news, the flooding which we had just escaped. Then we walked into the gift shop and saw a photo book titled, "Grand Canyon, Vault of Heaven." Maybe you will dismiss it as coincidence, but of all the words in the English language, vault? a V word? Then another called the canyon the Veil of the Soul. I'm not making this up. It is hard to not wax a little spiritual in a place of such overwhelming grandeur and beauty, especially when there were so many little things pointing to a larger message. 

We stayed a little longer than the Griswold's, but we knew we had to head north. We had a message from my friend Linda in Colorado that there was a chance of snow but no ice and that the weather there should be pretty clear. We decided to head toward Utah and take a scenic byway through Monument Valley and around Arches National Park toward Grand Junction. We'd try to get outside Denver then the next day head up to I80 and come home through Nebraska and Iowa. It was the route deemed most beautiful but also the most potential for bad roads. I80 across the plains is notorius for drifting and even freezing rain, and we knew there wouldn't be much to see once we got to Nebraska. At that point we didn't have many options, though, so we stole one last glimpse before venturing north.

Get your kicks

The next morning (Thursday, if you are keeping track) we woke up to sunshine. Oh, it was cccc-old, but the roads were clear and the sun was shining. We had packed french vanilla creamer to make the weak hotel coffee drinkable and even the two-day-old danish from the continental breakfast couldn't bring us down. It was gorgeous.

Before we left Williams, we had to get pictures of Route 66. Stella started a trend of getting her kicks which Vivian followed:

Stella

Vivian

I knew without a doubt that I'd fall flat on my ass if I tried to be clever so I'll spare you my half-hearted effort from this photo op. I will say, though, that who wouldn't be having the time of their life with friends this fun?

Williams, Arizona

True to the advice from the welcome center in Chloride, we arrived in Williams, Arizona, after dark. January is clearly the off season as many of the businesses were closed. We got a cheap room in a little motel and headed out for dinner. Because we were on historic Route 66, we had it in our heads that the best place to eat that night was the Route 66 diner. We drove up and down Rte. 66 in Williams looking for it and then realized why we hadn't seen it. The place was closed, dark as the cloudy night.

We went back to a little place that was open, the Red Raven. The Red Raven looks pretty unassuming and the tin ceiling and exposed brick reminded me of Paisano's in our home town. They had an extensive wine list and fine dining. Our meals were divine, really delicious. The server/chef/owner had a dry sense of humor. He gave Vivian a hard time for a simple request, stopping just short of being annoying, but when he brought out dessert I think he redeemed himself. I personally didn't have room for a single solitary bite of the heavenly chocolatey creation, but Vivian and Stella assured me it was pretty much orga- well, you know. Delicious.

During dinner we got the alert from Stella's husband. GO NORTH. Go north now. I had seen a little snippet while surfing online on my phone earlier about ice storms in Oklahoma City and he warned us that it wasn't just Oklahoma, it was our whole planned route. GO NORTH!

Of course we went right back to the motel, turned on the weather, and it was all they could talk about. A 2,000 mile storm, settled right over our entire way home. We were all thinking, "you've got to be freaking kidding me!" We're all Michigan girls so if it was snow, it wouldn't have stopped us. But no, they were calling it the triple threat: freezing rain, sleet, then snow. Oh joy. Closed roads, power outtages, emergency shelters. No thank you.

Vivian spent that evening pouring over the maps. How far north do we need to go? Could we head up to Colorado then over through Kansas? Or did we need to go further north? If we went to Salt Lake City to pick up I80, would it be open? How was the weather up north? That evening and the next morning were a flurry of texts and phone calls to help us map out the safest and fastest route home from the Grand Canyon. Sleep was a little elusive that night, wondering what the next day would bring.

Hoover Dam

Neither Stella or Vivian had seen the Hoover Dam in person so we stopped to take a look. It never fails to amaze me that something so immense, so huge, was constructed in five years. Two years ago when I toured the dam with my family, the construction on the bypass had nothing in the middle. Two roads ended at the edge of the earth, the gaping void between the two seemed impossible to fill. Now there is a middle indeed, we even saw workers climbing up there.

While we were at the dam, Vivian siezed an opportunity to be a photographer for another traveling trio, in hopes that they would then return the favor. They were obviously having a blast on what we assume was their own little side trip from Vegas. I wish I could copy their Jersey accent in type, but I'd fail. Stella nails it in person, so ask her to do her impression next time you see her. "I gotta tawk to ya about dat camra."

The traveling trio

Waking up in Vegas

Ha! Did you really think I was going to tell you about what happened in Vegas?

Here's all you get to know: we arrived at the Four Queens and met up with one of Vivian's besties and the crew she was visiting Vegas with. We had fun at Fremont Street and then cabbed it down to the strip. We had lots of warnings to stay away from jagermeister on the rooftop and I can assure you the only rufie on our trip was Stella's pet Rufus.

There were no tigers or Mike Tyson sightings. We woke up with red eyes from lack of sleep and walking through smokey casinos- "that's what you get for waking up in Vegas" -but visine vanquished that.

Ate breakfast at the Four Queens then headed out to walk around in the rain. We did hit the $10 store at the Californian and came home with a few goodies before loading up and setting our gps for the Hoover Dam.

California to Vegas

My niece and nephew graciously gave up their rooms for us to sleep in. They are such sweethearts, I wish we'd had more time to visit with them and my sister-in-law than just in the morning before school.

Victor had picked up V earlier in the week for us, in the torrential rain (who says it never rains in California?). He was a big part of making Operation V work, I volunteered him for all of it without asking first and he rose to the occasion like a champ. Thanks, Vic! We all oohed and ahhhed over V while enjoying the California sun. Here is the view from Victor's house in Corona:

Michigan is pretty, but even I'll admit we don't have this kind of view from our driveway.

After snapping a few pictures we loaded up and headed to Ontario to the Volvo dealership. We figured we'd grab a bite to eat while we waited for the official 'she's ok to drive 3,000 miles.' As we mentioned in an earlier post, there were no restaurants in the area, just car dealership after dealership. The Volvo guys suggested the cafe at the Toyota dealership which turned out to be wonderful.

J.T. at Volvo was great. He was honest, informative, and went out of his way to make sure we had exactly what we needed to get on the road, even giving us a crash course in what some of the many buttons are for. Vivian's car has got a LOT of buttons!

Finally we were off to Vegas. We stopped in Victorville to get loaded up with water and snacks. I had mentioned stopping at the Mad Greek on the way, but lunch was so good no one was hungry and we had dinner plans in Vegas. I think it was leaving Victorville where I felt like the road trip was really in full gear.

"road trippin' with two of my favorite allies

fully loaded we got snacks and supplies.

It's time to leave this town it's time to steal away,

let's go get lost somewhere in the U.S.A.

Let's go get lost, let's go get lost...."

Chloride, Arizona

After leaving the Hoover Dam, our next stop was Chloride.

The road to Chloride

We saw the official blue Welcome Center sign and had certain expectations of what that would mean. We didn't expect it to be 4 miles off the main road. We didn't expect it to be in an authentic ghost town. We weren't expecting 'Pack Rat's' front porch inviting us to come sit a spell, the bizarre cow catcher, or the outhouse. No, folks, I can say with complete honesty that Chloride may well have been the surprise of the trip.

In a good way.

The tourist information was off to one side of the gift shop/general store. It was staffed by a wonderful woman who didn't mince words. There was no way we were going to see the Grand Canyon that day because by the time we'd get there it would be dark. Sometimes you just know that you take a detour for a reason and other times it becomes apparant after the fact. This was the latter. Driving to Chloride, we were a little skeptical, wondering if maybe we shouldn't just turn around and head back to the main road. This stop probably saved us more headaches than we can ever imagine.

We asked for recommendations and she suggested we consider staying in Williams. That would put us close to 64, less than an hour from the canyon, so we could get up to see it in the morning. She explained when we'd be on Route 66 and sent us on our way with maps that proved to be better than what they gave us at the park entry the next day. Chloride, for all the misgivings I had when it didn't meet my expectations, was proof that sometimes the best stops are those you stumble upon by accident.

the facilities...

cow catcher (found art? recycled junk? you decide)

The Details: Getting There

I've mentioned we have a few stories to tell so I thought I'd try to share those today. To make it a little easier for anyone reading the blog in the future, I think the best thing will be to break it up into locations. That will keep this from being one novel-length entry and break it into smaller chunks.

If you didn't catch what Operation V is all about, you have to go back to the beginning and read the first post. That will give you the what and why. To get from Southwest Michigan to California, we had to get a flight. We found $103 flights on Orbitz ($130 with taxes) on US Air. First we flew from Detroit to Phoenix, then on to Ontario. Vivian's husband Vinnie drove us to the airport. We made great time and after we bought our luggage tickets ($25 per bag on US Air), we breezed through security. I wasn't sure how tight it would be since the bomb attempt last month but for our domestic flight it wasn't crowded at all. After consulting Gate Guru (love that app!), we grabbed a snack and a drink at Ruby Tuesday while we waited for our flight.

The flight itself went fantastic. Viv doesn't really love to fly so I thought I'd distract her. However we pulled away from the gate practically onto the runway. Takeoff was almost instantaneous. It was kind of like ripping off a bandaid... it might have stung a little but she didn't really have time to be anxious. I could tell that my attempt to distract her wasn't working anyway. "Are we really taking off right now? We didn't even taxi? Seriously, we're taking off? Are we in the air?" Yep, it was that quick.

US Air gives you a soda. If you think you're going to get a bag of pretzles or peanuts, you are very mistaken. When Viv asked the steward if there were any snacks provided he practically laughed at her. Then something about they are in the red and have been in the red all year.... TMI!!! Was there enough friggin' money to fuel this plane? Good gosh, man- SHUT UP. Alrighty then.

Landed in Phoenix and our flight to Ontario appeared to be leaving out of the same gate we just landed at, but there was going to be a 40 minute delay. After a quick text to Victor, our ride in Ontario, we went to the Tequileria for a snack and a drink. We were almost done when I glanced over and saw that there was no one, not a single person sitting over at our gate. Now, that seemed a little odd so Viv jumped up to check the departure screens. Flight changed gates, now on time, pay and dash to the end of the concourse where we had to hurry up and wait.

When they ask you to hurry, why do they load the plane from the front?

Finally got on board, buckled in, ordered to turn off electronics then they decided we needed to fuel the plane to get to Ontario. Sure, sounds like a plan. Finally it was time to pull away from the gate and then -stop- a pin broke on the tow vehicle. Nothing major, just a little more waiting. During that time, Vivian found out that the guy sitting next to her was not exactly thrilled with flying, either. So when it came time to lift off she counseled him through it like an old pro. Now we know what Viv needs: someone who has a harder time with take-offs and landings than she does.

We landed in Ontario and then I think it hit us all. We were in California. There were palm trees. We were really doing this!