I’m back from Tucson, AZ. On Saturday Aug. 22, Adrienne and I flew out to Tucson to help our daughter move from there to Asheville NC. For me, the most disconcerting thing about flying to Tucson is arriving almost before we departed, since AZ does not use Daylight Savings Time, so that puts them at a 3 hour time difference from NC. But more than that, is arriving in such a different environment – it was 106 degrees. Another thing about flying there, is that Delta has a screen on the seat backs, and I could watch in real time, our airspeed and altitude, and see the flight path, and look out the window and know pretty much where we were. Having traversed most of the country many times by car, it’s a little unsettling know that what took us 4 days to accomplish on the road, was done by our 737 at 550 mph at 34,000 feet – in 3 hours. Looking down in some places was like being over Mars. In other spots, the varied topography was a visual feast. The window seat is my preferred place on a plane, and I just don’t understand why so many people are content to sit inside a darkened metallic tube hurtling across the continent, when there are interesting sights to be had.
As we approached Tucson, we passed over the aircraft boneyard, which is pretty darn cool. My window had haze in it, so my photos were not great. Here’s my photo followed by the one from Google Maps. I shot with my Panasonic GF-1 with the 7 Artisans 18mm f/6.3 pancake lens.
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| my photo |
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| from Google Maps, the idiots that allowed "Lake America" |
Exiting the terminal into the desert heat was… memorable. The high for the day was about 106. Compound that with the heat radiating from the asphalt, and it was like the proverbial oven. I’ve been to the SW many times before, but it was never as hot as this. I don’t know how people expect to do anything outside in the daylight. Jorie picked us up at the terminal, and we were off to find some lunch and then the hotel. Our stay was in the Comfort Inn and Suites on Tanque Verde road. A sort of retro place that was built in 1982 in a Mexican hacienda style architecture with courtyards and mature trees, fountains, and high beamed ceilings, elegant tile-work and exterior wood railings and steps. It was originally known as the Tanque Verde Inn. Our room was quite pleasant.
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| The courtyard at Tanque Verde |
We didn’t have a lot of time to do much – as the next day would be for loading the U-Haul. However, I managed to get outside early – just about sunrise – to go for a brisk morning walk before things heated up. One morning I brought the Panasonic GF-1 along; the other, my Spotmatic F. Certainly in the “golden hour” for photography, too. Here are a few images from the GF-1 with the 14mm lens.
On Sunday evening, we were able to drive over to Saguaro National Park East at sunset, and watch the lightning displays and monsoon clouds to the west. It was a great place to be as the dark enveloped us. Jorie, ever the local naturalist, pointed out a number of tarantulas and other spiders, and we saw a kangaraoo rat, a grasshopper mouse, and a desert cottontail. It’s just a peaceful place to be in the evening, surrounded by the Saguaro sentinels with those clouds in the distance. It was a serene way to say goodbye to Tucson, as we were leaving for NC Monday morning.
Monday, we started out of Tucson to I-10. Taking Speedway Blvd. to I-10 seemed to take forever, as that road traverses the width of the valley. As we went north towards Phoenix, I could see some very interesting extinct volcano cores thrusting into the sky. Phoenix, the largest city we would encounter on our trip, just keeps sprawling. I have to wonder how the future will look for a place that was never supposed to have that many inhabitants as climate change and human activities deplete the water supply. We got into I-17 to go N to Flagstaff and started to gain elevation. As we climbed in elevation, we lost the Saguaros, and eventually conifers became the dominant trees. Flagstaff reminds me a lot of Colorado, and of course, it should – the same climate and biomes at that elevation. The last time I was in Flagstaff was in 1980. It was late May, and there was plenty of snow on the peaks around the city.
We headed E on I-40, and we would stay on I-40 all the way home. Our route took us past many places that lie along sections of old Route 66, and some of the famous landmarks that were once quirky reminders of what was there have been ruined by taggers and vandals. This year marked the 100th anniversary of Route 66. Places that have been well-maintained as tourist attractions are still there, and other places that have surrendered to decay look worse each year. I think the best time to have traveled 66 would have been about 1970-1980, before I-40 rerouted all the traffic.
Our first night on the road was in Grants, NM. Grants used to be known as “the Carrot Capital” of the US, then it became the Uranium Capital. I hear it gets glowing reviews. One of my friends calls it an armpit of NM. I’m sure there are worse places. I did hit the Blake’s Lotaburger, after also visiting in 2025. Their NM burger with Hatch chilies was great.
On the road Tuesday morning, with our goal of ending up in Weatherford, OK for the night. Driving through Albuquerque was not fun. A 5-car accident on 40 delayed us for a while. We stopped in Tucumcari, NM for lunch and I highly recommend Dell’s Restaurant. Everything we ordered was really good. Tucumcari is more than Route 66, although that’ss what they are known for. Some of the places have been well-kept. I stayed at the Roadrunner Inn in 2021, and loved it. Other places along 66 have declined or closed, but you should drive the side streets to get a better picture of Tucumcari. I finally shopped at the Tee Pee Curios to get a new Route 66 key fob, a mug, and some postcards.
On the way to Tucumcari, we passed the ghost town of Cuervo. From I-40, it looked pretty much the same as when I stopped there and photographed it in 2021.
Texas… what can I say about this crazy state that hasn’t been said before? We did stop at the Buc-ees in Amarillo, and it was nearly empty compared to ones I’ve been to in other states. That certainly made it more tolerable. Filled up with gas, too, which at that point, was the cheapest so far at $3.62/gal, about a dollar cheaper than Tucson.
We arrived in Weatherford, OK at sunset. Our hotel was nice, and the next morning the TV was on while we were eating breakfast. The talking heads were discussing the death of Dolly Parton, and a woman getting coffee in the breakfast area announced to us that she could not stand Dolly’s voice. I thought to myself, “there goes an unpleasant person.”
I wanted to see the Major Tom statue – a 30 ft tall astronaut. I thought it was the Stafford Air and Space Museum, but it was actually in the middle of town. From what I could see, the Air and Space Museum looks like a great place to visit. As we drove around, it was obvious that the city has really embraced the legacy of Thomas P. Stafford, an astronaut that was on Gemini, Apollo, and the Apollo-Soyuz mission. There are lots of cool little signs and murals for this “space city.” A local photographer could really have fun documenting them. Major Tom was fun to see, and as he stands along Route 66, he dwarfs all the “muffler men” that you might encounter.
It was a very long day on the road, and we ended up in Brinkley, Arkansas for the night. At some point, we passed by Eric, OK which I stopped at in 2021. It’s where the 100th Meridian passes through, which is the point in the US where the East turns into the West and desertification starts. As one goes eastward in OK, the grasslands disappear and you start seeing more and more green. Once you get to Arkansas, it’s a lush green landscape. Brinkley lies in a big agricultural area, and our Days Inn was adequate. We went local cuisine that night, and I came back to the motel with a big aluminum pan with deep-fried catfish, hush puppies and onion rings, which we all devoured, grease be damned.
Our last day on the road was also a long one, as we drove 583 miles to Weaverville, NC. Apart from gas and bathroom breaks, there were no meaningful stops along the way. Crossing the Mississippi is always a bit exciting. Traffic in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville was horrible. I think Knoxville was actually the worst, with starts and stops for no apparent reason. When we got to the Pigeon River Gorge on I-40, it was one lane each way due to the rebuilding from Helene. I can’t imagine that they will be done in another year. It seems impossible. We arrived home at 6:45, for nearly 12 hours on the road. It was great to be home again.
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| The U-Haul site near Tucson |
Driving the 15 ft. U-Haul truck across the country gave me the benefit of sitting up high with a good view. My back never bothered me during all those long hours on the road. I think one of the benefits of a cross-country trip, whether it’s I-40, or any other highway is that you actually SEE the country – how vast it really is, and the gradual differences as you travel. I love the New Mexico sky, as well as the varied topography of that state. Arizona is even more varied, and more dramatic. The Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts have their own particular charm, and face it… those states can be a harsh place to live. There’s the vastness of west, and so many interesting little places to explore. I much prefer the hum of the tires on the road to the roar of the jet. I look forward to my next visit to the wonderful skies and vistas of the West.
The Panasonic GF-1 was a good choice. I had the 18mm f/6.7 7 Artisans pancake lens and the 14mm Panasonic lens for it, which worked well for the purpose of the trip. I shot two rolls with the RETO Ultrawide and Slim, and 2 rolls with the Spotmatic F. I will develop those films in a week or so.
Wherever you drive, be safe.
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