A customer ask Abbie and I if we would go to Arizona with them so I said sure. Hell, we drove 7 thousand miles to New York and back in October, what's another 2 or 3 K. Just wonderin who's cities we might be travelin thru? Leavin early Sunday mornin and going thru Boise, Jackpot, Elko, Las Vegas, Lake Havasu City, Yuma, Bisbee, Nogales-Mexico, Tombstone, Tucson, Phoenix, South rim of Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Salt Lake City and back to Idaho. Like I told ya, I love this whole damn country. Be gone till Feb. 26.

-- Boswell (cjseed@webtv.net), February 10, 2001

Answers

What about Laredo?

-- KoFE (your@town.USA), February 10, 2001.

Boz, Ya might want to go back northward via I-17 and check out Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon and maybe Flagstaff on the way. Are you going to the South Rim on your way home or on the way down? Oak Creek Canyon is more enjoyable for the driver if you go to Sedona first and then up to Flagstaff on HWY 89. If you REALLY have time on your hands, detour through Prescott and then up over 89A to Jerome (old ghost town - now more of an art colony) and then drop back down to Cottonwood and thence on to Sedona. It's cold in Northern AZ but not as cold as where you are! You might also enjoy Hoover Dam if you are coming down that way from L.V. Check in with Doc and Patricia if you really do go through L.V. They are REALLY great, fun people! Aunt Bee can likely best give you the Southern AZ perspective, and she is WONDERFUL, too! Keep in contact in case I happen to be over in NAZ as you are passing through. It would be fun to meet & entertain you, if you're so inclined. After last year's shindig in L.V., and finding all to be wonderful people, I'm jazzed about the prospect of eventually meeting others.

I actually have my home in NAZ, but have been spending most of my time (unfortunately) in Silicon Valley for the last 6 months or so. I try to get home about every 3 weeks. Have FUN on your trip!

BTW my email address is real.

-- Flash (nazflash@northlink.com), February 10, 2001.

Hello.....I "divined" I was mentioned ;-)

Bos, if you spend any time in any particular place, make it Flagstaff. I came through there on my way out here last year and I wanted to stay a couple more days. It's a beautiful town; Old Route 66 goes through it. The scenery is absolutely amazing.

Drop me a line if you spend any time here in LV.

(((Flash!!!))) Hope you are well, friend!

-- (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), February 10, 2001.

Bozzy baby. Isn't it hard to drive when you have your head up your ass?

-- Manny (No@dip.com), February 10, 2001.

Boswell-

You may wish to research the following sites:

-Azstarnet.com (many southern Az links to activities) -desertmuseum.org (formally known as the Az-Sonora Desert Museum) -weather.com (for temps/history/forecasts)

Depending on when you go thru the various deserts, you are likely to encounter an amazing display of wildflowers, due to the large amount of rain we have had since summer.

Have a safe trip!

Flash--

Nice to see you are still checking in! Hope you radar detector is still working during those trips home!! Come around more often when you can!

-- Aunt Bee (Aunt__Bee@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.

Hi Aunt Bee!

Great to hear from you, too!!! Thanks for the advice. I usually do take my radar detector and it has probably saved me about a dozen times! Although my older one seems to work great, I'm seriously considering buying a newer one and pointing one of them backwards, as sometimes the fuzz come up from behind and zap you with a beam, as well as lurking up ahead. I hate it when they wait until they can see you and then "pulse" you for a quick speed read. With the newer Ka-band radars which seem to be shorter range, they've often got you before you can slow down.

Recently I was "Flashing" along from Silicon Valley to Flagstaff and made it in 10 3/4 hours, a record for me! After I arrived, I realized that my wife had not put the current proof of insurance in her car which I had barrowed, and I also couldn't find the current registration. I just about fainted as I was usually going about 79 mph most of the way. She insisted that the registration was in there somewhere and I eventually found it among some maps in a side pocket. It is supposed to be in the glove box along with the old ones!!!

If anyone plans to travel between the SF Bay Area and Flagstaff AZ, let me know and I'll tell you the areas the cops frequent the most. Also Arizona has at least one aircraft that sometimes cruises I-40, and California probably has more than one. I've seen a CHP plane taking off and landing at a strip next to Harris Ranch on I-5. I don't know if they are able to use aircraft-based radar to clock us on the ground, but if so, we could detect them that way. Unless one has a moon roof it is rather difficult to watch the sky.

Is Old Tucson fully open now, I don't know if that would interest Boswell and his friends, but isn't it sort of close to the Desert Museum? It might be possible to take in both of them in one day.

-- Flash (nazflash@northlink.com), February 10, 2001.

Hey Flash!

Yes, Old Tucson is fully opened now, but just isn't near what it was before the major fire. I personally don't think it is anywhere near worth the $15.95 admission fee! In order to really take in all the exhibits at Az-Sonora Desert Museum takes a whole day. They now have a gourmet restaurant, where you can dine alfresco and watch the sunset this time of year-absolutely wonderous views I might add.

Flash I'm glad to hear you squeaked thru all the radar in record time, without a hitch! Thanks for the tips on the radar traps, although I don't get up north much. Nice hearing from you!

Boswell,

One last thought: I would keep my vehicle out of Sonora Mexico, if you possibly can. If you are carrying any firearms you can kiss your bu** goodbye to a mexican jail indefinately, as well as your vehicle and all it's possessions. It is not a risk I would take nowadays, and we used to travel down to Rocky Point on a regular basis. Just a word of caution. Tombstone is a great place. Get a room, and everything is in walking distance. It really is an old western town- one of my favorite weekend getaways!~! Happy trails!

-- Aunt Bee (Aunt__Bee@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.

Hi everybody!

My $.02: Get through Yuma as fast as possible. Bisbee has the Copper Queen mine, Tombstone is cool (the Boot Hill cemetery is free)...if you make advance reservations, try Kartchner Caverns.

I'm with Bee on the Sonora Desert Museum...it's the best collection of desert animals anywhere. And Old Tucson is a rip-off, IMHO.

I like Flash's idea of Sedona, as well. Beautiful.

Wave hi to me on I-10 when you go past Baseline Road just South of Phoenix....

-- Dan the Power Man (dgman19938@aol.com), February 10, 2001.

Kofe, iffin' you ever get thar - hope you'll be warblin' this tune:

~

As I walked out in the streets of Laredo

As I walked out in Laredo one day

I spied a poor cowboy wrapped up in white linen

All wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay

~

"I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy"

These words he did say as I proudly stepped by

"Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story

I'm shot in the breast and I know I must die

~

"'Twas once in the saddle I used to go ridin'

Once in the saddle I used to go gay

First lead to drinkin', and then to card-playing

I'm shot in the breast and I'm dying today

~

"Let six jolly cowboys come carry my coffin

Let six pretty gals come to carry my pall

Throw bunches of roses all over my coffin

Throw roses to deaden the clods as they fall

~

"Oh, beat the drum slowly, and play the fife lowly

And play the dead march as you carry me along

Take me to the green valley and lay the earth o'er me

For I'm a poor cowboy and I know I've done wrong"

~

We beat the drum slowly and played the fife lowly

And bitterly wept as we carried him along

For we all loved our comrade, so brave, young and handsome

We all loved our comrade although he done wrong

-- flora (***@__._), February 10, 2001.

Dan,

Right you are right on Yuma: not much there. And Karchner Caverns is already booked solid thru April. There are scattered openings but no clear sailing until Sept. You had to have made reservations well in advance. If you wish to see a limestone cavern, you can visit Collolsal Cave, between Tucson and Vail. It's history goes back to the 1800's when a band of theives reportedly stashed the stolen payload for a mining company somewhere in the cave. It is quite a sight, but do not expect to take pictures inside the cave. This requires special equipment (lighting) as well as time lapse photography to capture the reality. But the drive should be wildflower filled!! And the price is very reasonable (like $5-). However, only able-bodied people can go in, as it is quite trek, and is always 72 degrees inside. The stalagtites and stalagmites are quite remarkable!

If you go to Sedona, they have one of the best French restaurants in the state, if that is to your liking. And the scenery can't be beat!

You'll have to give a travelogue when you get back Bos! Safe journey to you!

-- Aunt Bee (Aunt__Bee@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.

Thanks, Flora, That's a good one, except I don't remember going gay. Damn.

-- KoFE (your@town.USA), February 10, 2001.

Thanks everybody for the information!! Kofe, we won't be near Laredo but would love to see it sometime. Flash, I sent you a personal email. Patricia, wifey and I were on 66 in 97 around Truxton and Weston and went thru the caves. We're goin again. Aunt Bee, we will walk across to Nogales because we've got weapons and don't want spend time in jail. Can't wait to see the OK corrall. Always liked a good gunfight...It's 1:30 Pacific time here and we're leavin at 7 so goodnight and thanks again!

-- Boswell (cjseed@webtv.net), February 11, 2001.

Hi Bos,

I sent you a return e-mail about 2:30 AM on Sunday morning. Hope you get it. Will you have any internet access during your trip?

Best Wishes... Flash

-- Flash (nazflash@northlink.com), February 11, 2001.

Bos, what a bummer. I re-checked and the email went out at 02:36 PST Sunday morning. I suspect that this was 03:36 Idaho time. It hasn't come back to me yet, and I used the Reply button, so I wonder if it went into the Bit Bucket?

If you happen to get internet access on the road (in spite of no email-access) maybe you could set up a Hotmail or Yahoo Mail account and message me from there?

At any rate, have a GREAT time and a SAFE trip!!!

-- Flash (nazflash@northlink.com), February 11, 2001.

Hi Dan,

Great to hear from you, too! Check in more often, will you? We miss you. And keep them generators running, please!!! I haven't gotten down as far as Baseline for quite some time, but may be interviewing in that area before long. When I was cavorting around down there back in the 70's, south of Baseline was all DESERT! I understand that there is a heck of a lot of high-tech stuff going on down in the Mesa-Tempe-Chandler area, and may need to extend my horizons down that far, although North Phoenix would be closer to home and a LOT easier for commuting.

Best Wishes... Flash

-- Flash (nazflash@northlink.com), February 11, 2001.