The Journey Home

Last Wednesday morning (and by this I mean back during our road trip), it was still raining.  As a Virginian, and more importantly, as a William and Mary alum, I am quite used to pouring rain that continues for days on end.  However, Wednesday was epic.  Weather like this doesn't happen every day in the southwest.

Hail-covered road near Flagstaff, Arizona

Our projected route took us out the south entrance of the Grand Canyon, southeast to Flagstaff, Arizona, then further east to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  As we checked the weather report for Flagstaff, there were predictions of thunderstorms, a chance of hail, and even a few brief tornado warnings.  Being that I am incredibly impatient, I insisted that we leave as planned.  It started hailing as we arrived in the small town of Williams, about twenty-five miles west of Flagstaff.  A cop was directing traffic off of Route 40.  Thirty minutes later, we made it onto the highway - only to find out that there had been several accidents.  The chilly temperatures (42 degrees F) allowed hail to accumulate on the road.  It looked like the area had been blanketed by a dusting of snow!  About ten miles from Flagstaff, we saw demolition caused by a tornado, right by the side of the highway.  Thankfully we got through the storm safe and sound (without seeing Phoenix's tennis ball-sized hail), and did not stop until the dark stormclouds were far behind us.

Central Plaza in Santa Fe

It was pretty smooth driving for the rest of the day - blue skies and white fluffy clouds all the way to Santa Fe.  Once we arrived, Paul and I strolled around town and looked around the cathedral.  Santa Fe is a beautiful Spanish colonial town - its layout reminded me so much of Antigua!  Lots of shops, churches, and a few museums that I'd love to return to visit someday.

On Thursday, we drove through Texas.  There was not much in Texas except farm towns and dust, at least along our route.  We made it to Mesquite, an eastern suburb of Texas, for the night.

At Cafe du Monde!

Friday we drove through the rest of Texas, then made our way through the beautiful bayous of Louisiana.  The landscape was quite refreshing.  By late afternoon we arrived in New Orleans.  I must say that in all my traveling, I had never experienced real culture shock until this moment.  The streets and cars and buildings and people were just a little too much for me to deal with after several months in the wide open spaces of Colorado.  All the same, I enjoyed our time in the Big Easy.  First we visited Cafe du Monde to try some fresh beignets and coffee.  Both were, of course, delicious.  We walked around the French Quarter a bit, then slipped into a brewpub for some craft beers, after which we found a little hole-in-the-wall place for gumbo and more local brews.  The walk back up Bourbon street was not nearly as awkward on the way back to our hotel as it had been on the way towards the French Quarter.  Thank you, beer.

New Orleans at dusk

Saturday took us through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and into Georgia, where Paul and I stayed with my Aunt Sharon.  It was nice to catch up - I hadn't visited her house since my family stayed with her during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.  And finally, on Sunday, after a very early morning Mass, we drove back up to Virginia (and a home cooked meal).  Finally.

It's funny how quickly I seem to have acclimated back to life in the east.   It's a whole different world - traffic lights and houses and highways and trees.  The sky isn't so big here - there's always something obstructing the clear blue (or gray and rainy) sky.

So what's next? you might ask.  I'm in the second week of an internship at the National Museum of the American Indian.  I work in the Repatriation department at the Cultural Resource Center in Suitland, Maryland - and I'll be there until right before Christmas.  I'll be sure to update soon (what is repatriation, anyway?)