Road trip USA

Two Wednesdays ago I left Brooklyn with George, who’d decided to move to California because his favorite technology (speakers) were developed there. I joined him for the ride on the condition that we don’t drive fast and make many stops along the way. I chose our route (66) and made our couchsurfing arrangements….

Pittsburg, PA (7 hours) was our first stop, Cincinnati, OH (5 hours) the second, and St. Louis, MO (6 hours) the third.

Pennsylvania

Corn in Ohio

In St. Louis we went to the City Museum, a body arcade (slides, caves, interesting stairs, arts&crafts) constructed out of recycled industrial material inside and outside of a rundown building.

Slide going from the 7th fl to the 3rd

Wall made of recycled glass bottles

another slide

St. Louis is bisected by the Mississippi so I also got my first look at the River of Huck Finn!

Mississippi river

Our next stop was Oklahoma City, OK (8 hours) where we also spent two nights. We visited the memorial to the 1995 bombings there.

Writing left by fire department rescue team

We left Oklahoma City after noon on Wednesday and spent the night in a motel 6 in Amarillo, TX (5 hours). This city had four Wal-Mart’s and TWO gas stations on every corner =(

homage to the first Phillips 66 station

Ten Commandments along Route 66

2nd largest cross in America, Groom TX

New Mexico

Arizona

Our drive to Flagstaff, AZ (9 hours) was a weary one. We argued a lot and eventually stopped talking. When we finally reached our host’s house in Flagstaff, George left me there and drove away…

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Flagstaff is 85 miles away from the Grand Canyon (a 5.4 million year old gorge, 277 miles long, 4-18 miles long, and over a mile deep). I’ve wanted to visit this canyon for a very long time. By studying the rock layers in this gorge, geologists have been able to discern what’s happened to the earth in the last two billion years!

Yesterday I took a shuttle to the canyon. There was one other passenger, a 21 year old English guy, and together we hiked halfway down the canyon to the Indian Gardens. It had taken us less than 2 hours to walk down 4.6 miles and I only gave passing attention to my thoughts about the need to go back up sometime. A sign at the 3 mile mark said: going down is OPTIONAL, going up is MANDATORY.

I struggled incredibly on the way up. My heart and lungs almost gave up. Once I tried to take a shortcut instead of the following the route around the mountain. I climbed up the rocks and patches of dessert grass but my camera swung violently on my chest and my feet slipped on the unstable rocks so I decided not to take shortcuts again. Plus I was just as out of breath as I would have been had I walked around.

It was past 5 when I finally reached the top and the shuttle I had arranged to take me back to Flagstaff had left without me. I decided to hitchhike. At first no one picked me up. A lot of people waved. A Hawaiian employee of the canyon drove me my first three miles, then a contractor of the canyon drove me another 20. As I stood, holding out my thumb the mesmerizing sunset glared back at me. I was tired and cold and no one was stopping for me but I was happy, very very happy.

Then a man picked me up. From his fair face and radiating goodwill I guessed (correctly) that he was Mormon. He also worked for the canyon. He drove me 25 miles to the ramp going on the I-40. It was pitch black when I got there and there were few cars. The next person who stopped for me was native and employed by the train that served the canyon. He worked on transcribing traditional native music using western rhythms. He did not consider himself a native American and refused to pay taxes to the government. In his youth, he’d hitchhiked throughout the states.

This morning my muscles are sore and walking hurts. Later tonight I’m going to Phoenix to visit a friend. Then I’ll got to LA. Then to SF. Then home.

Shana Tova everyone!