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Memorial Day
Road Trip to
Pete & Joanne's
May 25th
to
May 30th, 2006
Queen Creek, Arizona
via New Mexico and Utah
~ 1,980 miles
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Journal created:
Friday, June 02, 2006
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1:48:26 AM
Journal last updated:
Friday, June 02, 2006
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1:48:26 AM
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Too long.
I hadn't seen Pete & Joanne for over a year. In fact, the last time I saw them both was January 2005 when I drove them both to the airport in CT for their departure to LA. Since then they have recently moved to Queen Creek, Arizona. Well, Colorado borders Arizona so, this was the perfect opportunity for a little road trip (well not entirely little - 900 miles each way) and visit!
 The drive there went very well: I left Thursday late afternoon and headed south through Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and eventually into New Mexico. After driving for about 425 miles I reached Santa Fe around 9:00 PM and grabbed a hotel. I left Friday morning and headed southwest through Albuquerque and into Arizona where I ventured through the Petrified Forest National Park. The remaining part of the drive was very beautiful and after I ventured off of I-40 the drive became even more amazing. The interstate rest stops turned to amazing wooded areas before giving way to swarms of cacti in the Sonoran desert landscape. The drive from Payson towards Scottsdale off highway 87 was especially amazing; I really enjoyed the mountainous terrain and rolling cactus fields. I finally reached Pete and Joanne's beautiful new home around 4:00 PM or so, and after exploring the area a bit, the three of us had a great time just catching up on old times.
 After a great Pete inspired breakfast Saturday morning we headed out for a drive east on highway 60 where we experienced some amazing desert scenery and views of the Superstition mountains. Our route took us over to San Carlos Lake and the Coolidge Dam where Pete covered his new car in dirt (it was sad for him) and we ate lunch before heading over towards Roosevelt Lake and Dam. The entire Roosevelt Lake area was absolutely amazing. I truly enjoyed seeing the area and learning about the building process. Heading south we explored highway 88 and saw the magnificent innards of the mountains as we passed Apache and Canyon lakes before making our way through Apache Junction into Queen Creek.
Sunday we ventured over to Scottsdale and visited the downtown section of
Old Scottsdale. The shops were very beautiful and the entire layout seemed a combination of southwestern and tourist. It was clear the area is more upscale than other surrounding communities; however, it had a distinct style of class absent from many other small towns. I thought it was interesting to see such lush greenery in the middle of the desert; lawns, palm trees, gardens, and other non-desert plants mingled next to the cacti and red dirt. For lunch, we ate at San Tan Flats, this very cool western bar and grill before heading back for some local R & R right at Pete & Joanne's place. Memorial Day on Monday was much of the same; however, Pete ended up grabbing some local brats from
The Pork Shop
for the special event. Nothing better than good food and great conversation with awesome company; in my mind, that's as good as it gets.
Tuesday morning I headed out early for the drive back to Colorado. Rather than repeating the same route I headed north through the amazing town of Sedona before passing through Flagstaff and into the Canyonlands area of Utah. The drive through this country, including Monument Valley, was truly awe-inspiring. Amazing land in the middle of nowhere, much of it untouched, was just there to look at peacefully. VERY FEW cars made it even better; this was not the city, and for that, I was VERY excited :). Before entering Colorado again I also passed through Moab where the surrounding scenery was truly breathtaking (note to self: plan a multi-day camping trip to the area very soon). Although the day was long, the drive was amazing. I ended up back home in Colorado around 11:30 PM.
Well, you already know my life motto that "Life's a journey, not a destination." In this case, the entire weekend was a journey. One with great scenery, amazing natural beauty, and most importantly, great company.
To Pete & Joanne,
You guys are the best! Many thanks for the neverending hospitality, awesome cooking, and great friendship!
Love Always,
Adam
Trip Photos & Map
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