NEITHER RAIN NOR SLEET NOR HAIL NOR SNOW.

This is actually my first of two trips to Arizona this month. Later this month I will be taking my pops to Winslow Az to see his younger brother who had a mild heart attack [but is doing well now]. My dad has this feeling of urgency to return home and see his family.

As for this recent trip I made, it was to help my grandfather with some legal paperwork in regards to my grandmothers estate...plus I wanted to get away for a few days.

Last year at this time the weather had eased up and you could just feel spring was on the way. Not so this year. It's remained cold since the end of October and will be in the 20's tonight.

The past few weeks especially have been wild in western and northern New Mexico. Interstate 40 between Grants and Flagstaff has been treacherous. A new storm from the north was moving in when I decided to leave Sunday afternoon. By Tuesday a storm from the west was supposed to hit the Albuquerque area which meant I would be driving smack dab into it as I drove to Arizona.





Once you hit Grants the weather changes dramatically. Grants is at the base of Mt Taylor, which is 11,301 feet and is itself almost 6,500 feet above sea level making it higher in altitude then Albuquerque.

I first hit the ominous clouds...then light snow....then sleet....then hail. The landscape transformed. Infact.....

With the cloud cover, night fall came early. My new mp3 player sure kept me awake and entertained. Even so, I decided to see what was on the airwaves of the southwest....




It's about a four and a half hour drive from Albuquerque to Winslow, Az. It's one I love. When I pulled into town it was pretty much dead. Not only is it Sunday evening, it's Superbowl Sunday. I had been up since 2:30 that morning. At work since 4 am and without a nap, made the drive to Az after work. [Thank you Mountain Dew!!].

I was looking forward to falling back in my bed at the La Posda, the restored railroad hotel I've yakked about so much here.

I had only seen the hotel during the day and had never actaully stayed there so I was pretty psyched. The hotel is pretty much made of wood, brick and mortor. At times it felt almost mid-evil. Long hallways, wooden and brick floors, rivets in the doors. The lighting added much to the effect. I LOVE this place.





And if you plan on 'gettin it on' with your significant other, be warned sounds echo down the hall way...hahaha. The floors are all hard wood. You almost feel like you are on a ship by looking at the size of the wood planks used, big thick muthas' I was wearing my harness boots and you could hear me coming down the hall to the end of the hotel...lol.

...my room: 208

Notice the thick wood planks. They were used on the floors and doors. I'm so use to swinging light modern doors shut that when I swung the closet door shut it went BOOOOOOOM! I'm sure I was not the only one in the hotel it made jump.

These small door panels are another reason why you can here what's going on in your room down the hallway. They open so you can see who is at your door

.

After having worked early that morning and then driving four and a half hours I was ready for bed. I had been thinking about falling into a soft plush matress all day. Well......

The matress is not so much tempur-pedic as it is serta 'bedrock slab'. I fell back and 'thuddddd'. the matress felt hard as a rock!!!!! What is wrong with this picture. Did they pull the original 1930 matresses out of storage or what??? Oh well...I was so tired I slept like a rock and felt great the next day. Little did I know that while I slept...Old Man Winter would have a suprise for me the next morning.....

...to be continued...

I'm out.