Day 129 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways
Carefree, Arizona
Another lazy day in Carefree is just what I needed. We went to breakfast at Fluff’s favorite coffee shop. It was rather crowded for a late morning on a work day. The shop had an inside and outside counter with barstools, an outside patio, a few lounge chairs and a few inside tables. It also had four beers on draught because a few nights a week they have live music.
We chose coffee and a breakfast sandwich this morning and ate at the outside counter so Petey could hang out with us. As we chatted about where I was headed next, Fluff informed me a section of Hwy 1 in California had washed into the ocean! I didn’t know that. I will have to do a little more rerouting of my trip. Before we left, a biker came in with his cat on a leash (I’m glad Petey was outside). That’s the second cat on a leash that I’ve seen on my journey so far. The other was at a campground in West Texas.
On the way back to the house, we made a quick stop at the resort to take a peek at the main room and dining room. Fluff said, “You’ve hardly seen anything since you’ve been here, and your mom is going to ask, did you see this? What about this?” It was fine with me to “not see much”, though I felt like I saw quite a bit.
Besides how many people can say they’ve seen a baby hummingbird in its nest? In addition, I planned for more down days on this leg of my journey just to rest and address odds and ends that come up. And, anyone that knows Fluff and Charlie, knows it’s just plain FUN to sit and chat with them.
VANilla
We lounged around the house waiting on VANilla. The mechanic in Scottsdale was supposed to have it ready by noon. Unfortunately, they ordered the wrong parts. So with that, we decided to do a bit more wandering as VANilla wouldn’t be in tip top shape until late afternoon.
The Sundial
We strolled around the shops and restaurants in Carefree and stopped at the Sundial, the largest in the USA. Judging from the shadow created by the Sundial, it was around 2 o’clock. Also, I picked up a nano geocache hidden in the area. Hidden in plain sight, it blended in quite well. As we headed to Big Earl’s for a milkshake, I got the call…VANilla was anxiously waiting to continue our journey.
On the Way to Indio
By the time I got VANilla back to the house, packed up, and water tank filled, it was rush hour, so we waited until six before going west to Indio, California. A lovely sunset unfolded as we left the outskirts of Phoenix, so I decided it was a good time to fill VANilla up with gas and snap a picture. Soon thereafter, we drove in the dark crossing through Quartzsite, a town that caters to snowbirds, and Blythe, a place I was told to stay below the speed limit. The exits on I-10 were few and far between for the next few hours. It was a good time to insert the CD full of songs that Fluff provided me. I imagine a few songs of the day will come from here. ETB
PS. Fluff and Charlie, thank you for a wonderful visit!
Map of My Road Trip Across the USA
For a summary about my road trip across the USA, click HERE. For the interactive map, see the below link.
Other Articles About Arizona You May Like
Day 123 – Arizona Indian Country
Day 124 – Grand Canyon Loop
Lower Antelope Canyon Tour
Day 125 – Call of the Canyon in Red Rock Country
Day 126 – Red Rock Country – Part 2
Day 127 – Red Rock Country – Part 3
The Grand Canyon’s North Rim
Day 170 – Grand Canyon Loop – Part 2
Day 128 – A Day in Carefree
Shop
Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.
