Scenic Flagstaff, Family Time, and Altitude Woes

Let me start with a couple of pictures I forgot to include in my last post.  We saw tons of these oil wells driving through both Texas and New Mexico.

Did I mention how hot it was in New Mexico?  I took this picture around 4pm.  At 9pm, it was still about 87 degrees.

Driving down the highway, this pickup truck full of skulls passed us... not something we see everyday.  It’s not a real clear picture, but if you zoom in, you can see what looks like cattle skulls.

The scenery around Flagstaff, Arizona was really beautiful.  The forested landscape was a bit of a change from where we’d been.  Nearby areas also have some very interesting rock formations, especially the Granite Dells in Prescott, AZ.

 
Our reason for being there was to visit some of my family; I have an aunt & uncle and cousin who live in Prescott.  My aunt and uncle sold their house and traveled by motor home all over the North American continent for over 20 years after they retired.  Their sons have always been avid campers and hikers as well.  We had a really great visit, sharing our plans and receiving valuable tips and advice from the three of them.  It’s great to share stories and compare notes with others, and to hear about things we have yet to experience.  Between the three of them, they had plenty of knowledge to pass along to us, which we are most grateful for.

When we first arrived at our hotel, I discovered that we had a passenger with us since we left the campground in southern New Mexico!

I thought he was pretty cool, maybe because of how big he was, or maybe because of his pretty markings.  Ken thinks I’m crazy either way, and was not nearly as amused by our hitchhiker as I was.  I’m just impressed that the little thing managed to avoid being squished by all our gear.

We stayed in Williams, AZ, which is situated with Historic Route 66 running through its center, and is self-described as “The Gateway to the Grand Canyon.”

There was plenty to see along the main drag, with several steakhouses, Old West gift & souvenir shops, classic & home-style restaurants, old-fashioned gas stations, and even an inn with a working girl mannequin beckoning patrons from a second-story window.

One difficulty we’ve encountered is acclimating to higher altitudes.  Both Ken and I were besieged with fits of yawning, and have experienced unrelenting drowsiness.  Every time I would attempt to write updates for the blog, whether in the Jeep early in the day’s travels or after settling in the evening hours, I would quickly doze off.  Ken has found me asleep at the keyboard on a few occasions!  He didn’t seem to succumb quite as easily, either.  From everything I’ve read on the matter, it can take one to several weeks for the body’s processes to adjust to the lower oxygen content of the air, depending on how high of an altitude you are at.  Drinking lots of water seems to be the most recommended remedy.   Apparently it helps your body flush the additional lactic acid buildup and cope more effectively, so that’s our plan.  I’m gonna have to drink gallons of water daily, the way things are going!  Maybe that will help all the other things that are too dry, like my skin and sinuses… which is another story for another day.


Check out the rest of the photos here!