Climatic Considerations

As we left Vegas a feeling of relief began to waft over me. But it did not reach full force until we had climbed to 5,000 feet above sea level, where I could feel the mercifully cool air out the window, and see rolling green hills all around us.

After much furrowing of brows, Adam and I decided on our destination (with the help of a friend who's been there): Flagstaff, AZ. At 7,000 feet, the climate would be tolerable - even pleasant! After the Sierras, Saline and Vegas, climate had shown itself to be of utmost importance. Without basic temperature comfort, we realized how difficult working (Adam on WebGlow stuff, me on writing and both of us just doing normal everyday stuff) would be on this trip.

As we drove in to town, my spirits lifted. I dig this town. We arrived a bit late to eat at our restaurant of choice (a Thai place recommended on Chowhound). But, we found a brewery with good food by asking around. This was our first of many instances that we heard, "go to the other side of the tracks."

We stayed that night at a funky hotel where our friend Emily has stayed before. It was a little funkier than we originally thought: ready to save a few bucks and get a shared bathroom, I discovered the shared bathroom had no sink. Maybe it's because I was pretty tired by that point, but I suddenly insisted on getting the room with a bathroom. We could have just gone downstairs to the visitor's bathroom for the sink, and in retrospect, that would have been fine. But it made the place less funky and a little more enjoyable, and it seemed worth it at the time.

I tried trout and eggs the next morning, apparently a common dish as we're in trout fishing country. I think that a fresh-caught trout would taste worlds better than the trout I ate at this restaurant. In fact, nothing at the restaurant was good. Strike 2, but the climate and laid back vibe and pleasant surroundings of Flagstaff make up for it.

Adam discovered at some point in our trip planning phase (more of a six-month constant event) that WalMart allows overnight camping in their parking lots. Ever since then, he was anxious to try this out. I was not so enthused, given that...it's WalMart...and it's a parking lot. But, it is free. We got some camping recommendations from a woman we met while parked in a thicket of pines re-organizing our van, putting on the black-felted curtains, and re-wiring our various power chargers to come up through the dash. We felt somewhat inclined to stick around town, however, and a little leery of guerilla camping on forest service and other roads. So, we found the WalMart and chose a spot. Unfortunately, we ended up needing something and went into the monstrosity to get it. I felt an immediate wave of depression upon entering. It was worse than the Costco (there's one in Santa Cruz). I said afterward that I hoped to never go inside again, knowing we may well camp at more of them during our trip.

We spent the next night there as well, and this time rented a DVD at the nearby blockbuster to watch on Adam's laptop. I have been known to look down on this practice: watching movies while camping. But, I have since relented and now feel that life on the road is different from a week camping in the desert, where the stars are more appealing to me than a flick I can watch at home.

We discovered a coffeehouse and I promptly decided I would like to live there (which we sort of did for 2 days). The photography adorning the walls had me looking thrice, the people were lively and friendly, and the food was uniquely delicious. I had couscous with fruit and nuts for breakfast. I guy with 3-inch long hair, all sticking straight up, came up to ask us how our internet connection was going. (It was spotty, but we had the cell modem and used that instead).

I went food shopping for the first time since Sacramento's Whole Foods. I was very happy to find a store with organically raised chicken and the like. We dug Flagstaff.