Anywhere Left?

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Map of Arizona with John and Caroline's travels highlighted

This map of Arizona has been with Caroline and me since shortly after moving to Arizona in 1995. The dark black lines are the roads traveled to date. A few other roads have been taken but are not highlighted as I drove them myself without Caroline; this is a record of our Arizona travels made together. When we bought the map, some roads weren’t paved yet, and some roads didn’t exist. There are some short segments we haven’t taken, although we have driven all of the surrounding roads, and as of yet, we haven’t returned to close those gaps. Often, we have seen so much of an area that we are certain the short road won’t show us any more than that which has already been seen. This weekend, we will fill in a small area of dirt roads around Willcox, Arizona. November 11 and 12, we will drive the Buck and Doe backcountry dirt road from Peach Springs to Grand Canyon West before we visit Meadview, Temple Bar, Pearce Ferry, and the ghost town of Chloride. On this trip, we will also return to Oatman – another ghost town, this one on old Route 66 to take the gold mine tour we missed out on a previous pass-thru. After that, there is an area on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation left to visit, along with a 25-mile road through the Colorado River Indian Reservation.

Stained Sky

JWise Photo of the Day

Blue sky and little fluffy clouds over Phoenix, Arizona

I am enamored with Arizona skies. The sky over Arizona may be the single thing I will miss the most when Caroline and I move. Very rare is the day I don’t take a minute or two and look above to see what is floating overhead. Caroline has even suggested I post the Sky of the Day photo here on my blog. In all of my travels, the greatest skies I have laid eyes upon are these right here in the Southwest.

Fall Colors

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Fall colors seen along State Route 288 near Young, Arizona

This weekend, we took a drive on the last untraveled road as far as our Arizona travels are concerned. State Route 288 winds its way over the Sierra Ancha mountains and through the Tonto National Forest on the way to the remote community of Young, Arizona, in the idyllic high country area known as Pleasant Valley. We came up from the south via Mesa, Superior, and Globe, turning off at Roosevelt Lake, catching about 25 miles of pavement before hitting about 45 miles of packed dirt and gravel, offering awesome views and diverse vegetation, including pine forests. The roads within the town of Young are paved, but just outside of town, on our way north to catch Highway 260 towards Payson, the asphalt gives way again to dirt for another 26 miles. Taking a break from the gorgeous drive in Young, we stopped to pet and say hi to three donkeys, which grabbed the attention of four short-legged ponies and a horse who trotted over to share the attention. After that, we found a bite to eat and some conversation with Bill and Alice at Alice’s Restaurant and Cantina – open every day but Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., the bar stays open till 1:00 a.m.

Rangoli for Diwali

JWise Photo of the Day

Caroline Wise helping draw a Rangoli for Diwali in Phoenix,Arizona

Another year, another Diwali, and with it comes a Rangoli celebrating this joyous time of year – well for Hindus anyway. Caroline is seen here helping Rinku, who actually drew the Rangoli. Caroline helps fill in the color. And this brings me to a point that also might help answer a question, what am I doing recognizing Diwali? Heck, I would like to celebrate everyone’s holidays. We are approaching the end of Ramadan in a few days and Eid al-Fitr is upon us as the Festival of Breaking the Fast – it is feasting time and Muslims are obligated to share their blessings, naturally, I’m all for that. In a little more than a week, Mexicans will celebrate Los Dias De Los Muertos or The Days of the Dead – great, let’s celebrate our relatives who have passed. End of November is Thanksgiving, let’s ask the world to feast on our celebration day, too. Next up we have Chanukah, Christmas, New Years’, Valentine’s Day, and four days after that is the Chinese New Year. If we are going to have globalized business, I’m voting for globalized holidays!

Higher Education

JWise Photo of the Day

Clouds reflecting off the glass facade of a building

Beyond the walls of higher education, up in the sky, clouds slink by admiring themselves in the reflection of the glass facades of anonymous buildings. Caroline meanwhile is hidden away behind these windows taking yet another final on her quest for the almighty degree. Another English class trounced her confidence as she sheepishly crept through the door to face her terror. This dread of taking tests is an age-old bane of Caroline’s as she has been tormented in her dreams by them in addition to worrying about them in her waking days and hours prior to taking exams. Her knees buckle as she attempts to console herself with the idea that if she can just get the minimum she just might pass the course – and of course, she gets another A. Sheesh, what a drama queen I’m married to.

Signage: Inviting

JWise Photo of the Day

Homemade sign at intersection announcing a "Yard Sale"

Homemade and primitive, but not illegal, this inviting sign is also of a temporary nature, camouflaging a warning. This yard sale announcement may be an invitation to find bargains or possibly even undervalued treasures for some, yet I see it for what it is, a warning that someone with too much junk is wanting to make a few bucks from someone else wanting more junk. While I grudgingly accept that this is better than dumping the lot in the trash to find its way into a landfill, my solution is to simply haul it off to a charity, take the tax deduction, and allow my worn stuff to become someone else’s almost new stuff for a good cause. Maybe being a guy and hating shopping adds to my disdain.