Sunday, January 17, 2010

Tucson, We Have Landed

Settling In

Dear Readers:

It has been quiet here on this blog this past week. I did set up some postings before My Dear Wife and I departed from our home in London, Ontario for the winter warmth of Tucson, Arizona and the simplicity of motor home life for a while.

On Monday morning past, I headed off to our local auto service centre to have our snow tires removed.  I then beat a hasty retreat back home; we packed up and hit the road about 9:30 am.

Aside from being hassled at the border by an eager defender of the US side of the frontier, who must have finally concluded that I did not have a bomb in my pants, that I was married to the woman at my side, and that we only brought glad tidings for the US economy, we had a relatively uneventful trip.  It was however 4 lengthy days of driving, followed by sleeping, and then driving again.

We crossed at Port Huron Michigan, and drove for a time through light snow and blow until we made the turn towards Chicago.  We passed (I Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo, and Gary, Indiana.





But, as we neared the turn at Joliet Illinois, to head south west, Route 66 came to mind.



Now, it's not like we really were on Route 66.  We were on the interstates, but we did stay in or pass many of the towns named early in the song.

It winds from Chicago to LA.  (Check on Chicago.)

Now you go through St. Louis, (Check - stayed there one night)
Joplin, Missours (Check - passed by)
Oklahoma City is mighty pretty.  (Check - stayed there too, well actually Yukon - on the outskirts)
You see Amarillo (Check - saw it - ate at an Olive Garden there)
Gallup New Mexico.  (Nope turned south at Albuquerque.

Well, can you imagine trying to fit Albuquerque into that song?

Now, I did say we stayed in Yukon Oklahoma.  It happens that Yukon is the birthplace of Garth Brooks.  So here's Friends in Low Places.



We also passed the place of his youth of The King of the Road, Roger Miller at Erick Oklahoma.  So here's a song from him for you.





1 comment:

Joshua S. said...

Michael, what an excellent musical itinerary/recounting of your journey that was! I enjoyed every minute of it! Especially Roger Miller! What an incredible talent Roger M. was! His gorgeous swansong, the soulful gospel musical BIG RIVER, remains one of my all-time favorite stage musicals.

Enjoy Tuscon and the wonderful weather. I'm a little green with envy, but nonetheless sincerely hope you are having a wonderful and warm time!