January 13, 2009

January 13, 2009

With our unpacking nearing an end, we took the day off and went exploring. Our first stop is a return to the Whitewater Draw wildlife preserve a couple hours east of Tucson. According to the local paper, this wetland is the winter home for 24,000 giant Sandhill cranes. Last year we visited in April and these migratory birds were long gone. My goal is to get a close-up photo with the field of view entirely filled with these flying birds. As soon as I get out of the car, I know we screwed up again. It is very quiet and I don’t see a single bird anywhere on the water. We walk around the lake and stop to get an explanation from a “birding” couple with a spotting scope. They explain that you have to be here at dawn (or dusk). At sunup, the cranes fly off to feed in the local farm fields. They won’t return until sundown. I am not waiting that long for any photo.

Trying to comfort me the couple points out a bald eagle sitting in a small tree on the other side of the wetland. I am not satisfied as I can barely even see the tree. A little later they point out a very colorful Vermillion Flycatcher darting around eating insects and a monstrous Great Horned Owl roosting in a barn-like structure by the parking lot. As we are getting in the car to leave, we hear birds in the distance and use the binoculars to spot huge flocks of birds soaring in the distance. We stop to watch them for a while. Soon they soar overhead like a squadron of B-52’s and we hear their distinctive honking, a loud and throaty pigeon coo. Although it is nice watching their aerial dancing, these 4 ½ foot tall birds never land.

Trying to avoid a busted day, we drive an hour west to the Coronado National Memorial. This National Park site straddling the Mexican border is dedicated to Francisco Coronado’s exploration of the southwest. The park sits near the spot where he crossed the border in 1540 looking for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. All he found was cactus and sand. The park is a snoozer. The park is pretty but the connection with Coronado is weak. Our only excitement is the three-mile drive to the top of a local ridge for the scenic overlook. The last two miles are along a narrow dirt road with an exceedingly steep drop off. Aimee closes her eyes hoping we don’t slide off. She doesn’t know I did the same thing.

December 31-January 2, 2009

December 31-January 2, 2009

Neither Aimee nor I are big long-distance drivers (I would never make it as a truck driver), so we stop a couple more times before arriving back in Tucson. Unfortunately because of the holiday we have to bypass several historic sites. The only extended stop is in Amarillo to spend New Year’s Eve with Aimee’s sister and enjoy a good home-cooked meal.

We are both happy to be back in sunny warm weather but even more excited about having our own furniture again. It is a little worse for wear after bouncing in a truck for 1800 miles but still better than rental. The only downside is the unpacking. We have loads and loads of boxes to unpack. Despite renting a small storage unit for half the boxes, we still have a bedroom full to unpack. It is going to be awhile before things return to normal but in the meantime I finally have a stereo again to play soothing music for the chore.

After several days of unpacking and schlepping boxes back and forth from storage, I can see why people want ever bigger and bigger houses. To store stuff! After living with little “stuff” for the last 2-½ years we have become very comfortable living in tighter accommodations. Now that we have begun to refill our 2-bedroom apartment with personal “stuff”, our formerly spacious apartment is turning cramped. I sense another round of “stuff” abatement coming.

December 30, 2008

December 30, 2008

From Godfrey, IL we get an early start hoping to skirt the St Louis metro area before rush hour. Heading southwest we drive across Missouri stopping just shy of the border. Needing to stretch our legs, we stop for a quick visit at the George Washington Carver National Monument. This first National Park site dedicated to a black man is Carver’s birthplace. He was born a slave near the end of the Civil War. After his father died in an oxcart accident (This just begs for some detail) and his mother kidnapped by slave raiders, George was taken in and raised by his former owner. Brilliant and intellectually curious he went on to become the most famous black scientist. Carver, who was devoutly religious and very frugal, joined the Tuskegee Institute and devoted his life to agricultural research. Although known for finding 1000 ways to use the peanut, his real legacy is finding alternative crops for the struggling Deep South farmer after King Cotton was humbled by the Boll Weavil. We watch a very good film on Carver's life and legacy and then breeze thru the crowded exhibit area. We pass on the ¾ mile walk around the former farm and return to the highway but not before getting lost trying to take a route closed to trucks. I hope nobody saw me cross that little bridge with the 5-ton maximum weight.

We continue driving on I-44 until dusk stopping at a small town east of Oklahoma City.

December 29, 2008

December 29, 2008

If we needed a reminder of why we spent the last three winters in Tucson, we got it when we made the ride up to Chicagoland. We were greeted with blasts of subzero temperatures and daily additions to the snow total. Don’t get me wrong, I actually like snow; I like to watch it come down, I like to walk in it, and ski over it. I just detest driving in it, and with the stressed local economies cutting back on salt and plowing, it was downright treacherous venturing out.

With that extra motivation we hired a couple brawny movers today to lug all our household goods out of storage and into a rented moving truck. We had gone back and forth on towing the car versus driving separately. Finally deciding it would be more convenient having Aimee with me “guiding” me along, we opted for the added car trailer. Unfortunately after we got the truck loaded and returned to Budget, the trailer had yet to show and the "last day” manager wasn’t sure of its ETA. So we punted and left without it. Secretly I was relieved. I wasn’t looking forward to driving an unwieldy and very long “train” 1800 miles cross-country.

Leaving Chicago in a blustery biting wind we headed south back to my parents home in central Illinois. It was an uncomfortable ride. The rental truck was very Spartan. No CD player and no cruise control. My right leg was almost numb holding the pedal down for five hours. Plus all I could think about was what piece of furniture was getting nicked every time I went over a giant pothole. And there are plenty this winter!!