Home Bound from Snowflake

After assessing all my discombobulation, I decided I needed some distance from it so I took off, heading home, planning to get to Flagstaff while thinking on route and knowing if I decided I needed to stay longer I could always turn around and head back to Snowflake.

“Standin’ On the Corner in Winslow, Arizona”

Winslow was on the way to Flagstaff and this town was exactly how I had hoped Snowflake would be! It has a real main street with an historic downtown. The neighborhood houses look like the historic districts of Phoenix with eclectic little houses in various styles. 

At the main intersection on the street is a huge Route 66 logo and on one of the corners is a statue of a guitar player standing on the corner to commemorate the Eagle’s song “Take It Easy.” I’ve looked forward to seeing this roadside attraction the whole trip having read about it in a book.

 

 

 

 

It didn't disappoint! I also took a walk in the historic La Posada Hotel built in the 1930s. Beautiful. The art collection was wonderful. Although I really liked the town, outside the historic main street the place feels depressed with lots of closed businesses and rundown buildings.

Starvation

Unable to get much in the way of food in Snowflake might have contributed to my overwhelming desire to leave (besides my introverted need to turn off all the people). Next stop was Flagstaff where I looked for New Frontiers Food, a health food grocery store much like Nature’s Oasis in Durango and Whole Foods although both are much better than Whole Foods. I definitely overdid it, buying all kinds of bad things, and one big salad! They had gluten-free pumpkin pie!!!! I couldn’t help myself and felt so much better after gorging.

The Vortex

My sinuses cleared outside of Flagstaff and I took this as a sign. Instead of west, I headed south to Sedona and Prescott via 89A. Beautiful. The 200 foot ponderosa pines were gorgeous and it was so nice to see more green and shade. The pine smell was lovely and the twisty/turny drive down the mountain was scenic.

On the road between Snowflake and Sedona I had time to think. I can still turn around and go back to Snowflake, rent the house in the middle of nothing and have myself an adventure. Now that I’ve stepped back from Snowflake and escaped to a greener and slightly less dusty environment, there is something depressing about Snowflake with the desolated landscape filled with sick people. Maybe that’s what’s bothering me? All these people seem much more sensitive than me and most have EMF sensitivities. The insides of their houses are lined with tin foil and most have all metal furniture. It feels very institutional. It looks ugly. Living like that would be a constant reminder of illness and substandard health. I could take that twenty acres and make it beautiful. It would be a wonderful challenge, but once the challenge is over could I survive in such a soul-sucking atmosphere? Would my own self-created beauty be satisfying enough?

More importantly, do I really want those people showing up at my house unannounced like they do at the Incredibly Generous Woman’s house?  I think she is extroverted and has encouraged that, but I’m an introvert. I don’t want constant guests even if I need people like me in my life. I want visitors on my terms. I could set boundaries, but I fear that would alienate people and I wouldn't want to do that. Still, those people are MY PEOPLE. It would be so nice to be surrounded by people who get me. Or maybe I just need lots of land lacking in toxic neighbors in a beautiful area and I’ll be great. The problem is how to afford that without going into major debt. Twenty acres for $25K is too tempting to write off so quickly…hmmm…

The vortex is not what it once was. Fifteen years ago I remember Sedona as a tiny little town with a few health food stores, a few more new age shops and that’s it. It’s suffering greatly from urban sprawl and it is now a gigantic tourist attraction. I stopped to get information on camping then headed to Prescott. This took me down, down, down into the valley where the landscape changed back to desert and the temperatures rose from 59 to 75. I took one look at the desert landscape and realized I had had enough of desert. I changed my mind, did a fast u-turn, and headed back up to the forest area.

 

I selected a free campsite up above the valley in the ponderosa pine area called 535 which is an unmarked road to the left. There is another free camp area called 237 which was to the right further up the highway. I didn’t want to drive in too far and most of the sites at 237 were right next to the highway so I went back to 535. I really wanted to camp at the Cave Springs camping, but the fee was 18.00 and the store closed at 4pm where you could buy a shower token for $4. It was past 4pm when I went back. More importantly, I was worried I’d spend all that money and be surrounded by a forest fire of campfires. I value my lungs. So I’m up at freebie camping, all alone in the woods. It is much warmer here than Snowflake at about 50 degrees, and I don’t think there are any car-eating rats around. All night cars and trucks were driving up this dusty dirt road, even at 5am. It’s Friday night. I wonder if it’s kids having a party? The dust did a number on my sinuses. I don’t like dust.

California

Left early around 6:30am. In Flagstaff the highway was white with ice and the temperature read 23 degrees. It wasn’t nearly that cold at the campgrounds. An exit sign outside the city read “Devil Dog Road”. HA! That road has history!



 

The scenery along I-40 was desert and desolate. Blah...blah...blah. Kingman was 70 degrees. I was planning to camp just north of Barstow but the town was like an urban ghetto: lots of rundown buildings, degenerate-looking men and homeless women with filled shopping carts wandering the streets. I was uncomfortable stopping for groceries, although I didn't see any grocery stores. There was no way I'd camp there even in the vicinity. It didn't feel safe.

I knew passing up my planned camping spot meant a long day of driving. I considered twice turning right and going up the east side of California. I regret not doing that. For some reason I thought California would be lush and green. I was wrong. Dropping into the valley at Bakersfield was horrible. The smog was so thick I couldn’t see anything. This is just like Los Angeles and I'm pretty sure the air was blown up from L.A. Lots of agriculture along the highway but viewing it through brown-gray haze was anything but appetizing. Lungs were heavy but not nearly as bad as it was in Boise which leads me to believe the haze was smog rather than agricultural poisons. I was determined to keep driving and not stop until the sky cleared.

I headed north on I-99 hoping to reach my friend’s house in Chico. The roads in California, even the highways, are in such bad shape with pot holes and patchwork, but the California drivers drive them like a race track. Everyone is going at least 10 miles over the speed limit. Lots of traffic, too, even for a Saturday afternoon. 

The smog stopped around Modesto and my body stopped just north of Stockton. My right leg started cramping up from all the sitting and driving. It got dark really fast and I needed a place to stay. There were two RV resorts at one exit and I impulsively pulled off. One didn’t take tents and the woman told me to go to the other just on the other side of the freeway. I was disappointed they were both next to the freeway. But I couldn’t find the other one! After driving up and down the road, I finally figured it was actually about five miles down the road. (Idiot woman!) Very expensive, $38 with a discount, but showers, laundry and wi-fi were included. Most importantly hardly anyone was in the tent camping area so I was isolated from campfires. It was very quiet and the temperature was much warmer at around 58 degrees all night. It was wonderful to be warm!

Woke early, took a gloriously long, hot shower (first one in a week!) and left around 7:30am.

 

Drove state highway 12 to Mendocino through Napa, Sonoma, Petaluma, and Fort Bragg. Beautiful towns with gorgeous vineyards as far as the eye could see, but the road was really horrible. Mendocino is my friend Urfa's home town. She visits it a lot and talks about it all the time. I've always wanted to see it so I can picture it when she tells me things. Mendocino is gorgeous!!! Right on the ocean. Very artsy, hippy-ish and expensive. I wish I could live there. It’s depressing not having the finances to live where I want. The twisty/turny forested roads in and out of Mendocino were stunning along with the ocean views, but they were very time consuming so I didn’t get as far as I would have liked for the day.

Going north up the coast I got off Hwy 101 and took the scenic Avenue of the Giants with the enormous redwood trees on each side. Who would ever think a tree could get so large?

At one point I checked out one of the Humboldt State Park campgrounds: overpriced at $35! The ranger was rude and unaccommodating so I left.

 

I raced down highway 101 trying to get to my free campground before dark, but didn't make it. I had no idea where it was so I found a campground on route at Big Lagoon State Park just south of Crescent City for $20. I’m in the trees next to the beach and I can hear the waves roar, but it’s dark so I can’t see a thing. Love it. It’s off-season so hardly anyone is here, but if it were during the summer I’m pretty sure all these closely situated sites would be filled and the campfire smoke would be unbearable.



Entrance to my campsite from beach

 

Between yesterday and today my patience is running thin. I’m irritable and snappish. California does that to a person. I think I’m tired and eager to be home. OR maybe it’s because I haven’t eaten any rice in a week? I feel like I'm starving all the time. It must be the lack of rice.

Woke early after a great night's sleep and hit the highway for home. I came upon a warning sign "Elk Crossing". Yeah, how many of these did I see in Colorado? This one didn't faze me until I dipped down into the valley and came upon a whole herd of elk all over the road and surrounding landscape. There must have been two hundred of these huge monsters unfazed by my van. I was tempted to stop and take a photo, but I didn't know if they might view my van as a threat and those antlers didn't look safe. I didn't want to end my vacation being maimed by elk.

Drove up the northern California coast and into Oregon looking at Crescent City, Cave Junction and Grants Pass, all places people have suggested I might like. I really loved the dense green landscape. The best town was Grants Pass. At 34,000 it's more like a city, but it has a quaint feel about it. The air smelled really clean. They have a good health food grocery store called Gooseberries and a little section in the historic part of town for other businesses catering to the healthy minded. I really liked it. Stopped a few times to check real estate prices. Nothing compares to Snowflake's cheapness and of course, everyone tells me construction loans are nearly impossible. This is always discouraging and I hear it too often.

Arrived home around 8pm after a scary drive in the dark on Suicide Highway. I survived! So did the van! It's nice to be home.

Sinuses cleared in northern California and stayed that way all the way home. I really hoped a higher elevation would cure me of all discomforts, but it seems it really made no difference. The dust and dryness at higher elevations was a problem. I anticipated walking into my house and having a respiratory reaction or smelling something bad from being away from it, but nothing. The house was freezing cold with no heat, but other than that, I was fine. I'm happy my house is safe for me. And then I went out to visit Peter and give him a good massage. He missed me. With rabbit fur flying, my sinuses congested and throat started itching. After all that driving to find a safer home, Peter is the cause of all my discomfort. I guess I kind of knew that already. I love him, but he is a pain in my ass on so many levels.

For my next house-searching road trip, I plan to scout eastern Oregon.

Still contemplating Snowflake...maybe I'll drive down again in the spring when everything is in bloom.