I could see the mountains on the east side of the highway and flat desert on the other side as I drove south into Arizona. There was quite a bit of traffic and a long hold up due to construction.
On Nov 6, as I was driving southward, I passed by Lake Powell. The lake is a reservoir, created by the Glen Canyon dam along the Colorado River.
Shortly after crossing the bridge over the canyon, I arrived in Page, AZ where I discovered a Walmart to stay that night. To my delight, I also found out that I had arrived there on the week-end of the yearly hot air balloon festival and that they would have a display in the Walmart parking lot that night. I was able to help a bit and got a chance to sit in the basket while learning more about this unusual hobby. It is a very costly hobby, according to a woman pilot I spoke to. She and her husband own a small balloon costing them about $60,000 for the balloon (made of nylon) and equipment. She told me they had to take ground school and flyng lessons similar to that of airplane pilots. They also had a truck and trailer to carry the equipment and a crew of 3 others.
I noticed their balloon had a Walmart and Coca cola logo on it and think that they must get some money from those sponsors.
Getting a balloon ready for flying is a fair bit of work. First, the balloon is laid out on the ground, then using 2 powerful fans it is slowly filled with air while 2-3 crew hang on to it with ropes , and a couple of peolpe sit in the basket to keep it from flying away. Once it is filled enough, the pilot lights the propane fire on and off just enough to make it rise but not take off. It's a tricky balance. When all is ready, they can increase the flame, cast off the ropes and fly.
At Walmart that night, they just stayed on the ground.
The next morning I got up early to watch dozens of balloons take off. The sponsors got to go for a ride. I longed to go too as have always wanted to have that experience. It will have to stay on my bucket list for now!
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| Blowing air into a balloon using 2 powerful fans |
As soon as it got dark, the pilots and their crews laid out their balloons all along the main street. You could watch them filling the balloons with air then lighting the fires on and off to keep them from flying away .It was magical.
The next day, they were flying again, this time taking the crew for a ride.
I drove on , south to Flagstaff and found out they did not allow RV parking overnight. Evidently, some of the local campgrounds got upset that they were losing too much business from Walmart.
So, I ended up parking at a Cracker Barrel restaurant and being welcomed to stay there that night.
I had heard of a concert in Flagstaff that night and decided to go. It was at the Coconino Arts Center with Brazilian musicians, singers and dancers. The center was small and the tickets only $10 but what a fabulous concert! As a finale, they invited the audience to dance with them and it was fun to dance to the sound of singing and drumming.
It was below freezing that night with some snow on the sides of the road. I was happy to have my furnace! The reason for such cold weather is that the area is at a high altitude.
The next day, it felt good to be driving mostly downhill to Phoenix which is much warmer. From an elevation of 7000 ft to almost sea level meant travelling from snow on the side of the road to T-shirt weather and palm trees!
Phoenix is a major city with a population of more than 1.5 million within the city. Driving was a huge challenge after the quiet roads I had been on. The expressways were congested, people cutting in and out and most driving faster than the speed limit. I kept reminding myself to stay calm,breathe ,and tell myself "I can do this!" Once again I parked at a Cracker B restaurant.
I spent a couple of days in Phoenix exploring some of their wonderful museums.
First, I spent the morning at the Musical Instrument Museum.
What an amazing place, filled with all sorts of musical instruments, many I had never seen before. I heard music from countries and cultures I didn't even know existed. It's sad we don't learn more about these interesting cultures in our school system.
After that treat, I stopped to wander around the Desert Botanical Garden, a delight for the senses. An unexpected sight was a sculpture by Dale Chihuly who works with glass and is one of my favourite artists.
I've been continually surprised by how
desert there is in the US, all in the west.
The Sonoran desert is just one of four deserts there.
It's always interesting to see how so many different types of plants evolve according to the climate of an area.
After parking overnight in another Cracker Barrel restaurant , I visited one more centre and that was the Phoenix Art Museum. I decided not to see the whole display as that has been my tendency in art galleries which has resulted in not remembering much about it. I learned this valuable lesson many years ago when I had an afternoon to visit the National Art Gallery in Ottawa. I asked for a map and was going to do start at the top and work my way down when they advised me to take the tour which was about to begin. I will never forget that tour. During the tour, we focused on 5 paintings, each from a different period! We did see others nearby but the majority of time was spent discussing the specific paintings. I have never forgotten those paintings.
I remember that experience whenever I am tempted to want to see everything, rushing around.
And so, while at the Phoenix Art Museum, I focused on the display of miniature rooms by N. Thorns (1882-1966).
I did admire the glass sculpture in the lobby:
I Left Phoenix the next morning for the 2 hr drive south to Tuscon, and that is a whole other story!
"Stop trying to find a ladder that will reach the sky.
Stay still and the sky will touch you."
---from "Notes from the Song of Life" by Tolbert McCarroll
"There is no zest like that of exploration, no longing like that for desert places, no call like that of the unknown."
--- Clyde Kluckhohn "Beyond the Rainbow", 1933
whyknotrvmaria@gmail.com
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