Road Trip Recap

It was a little difficult returning to work today. This is the usual post-trip phenomenon and it will pass in a day or two once I get back to the routine. The first thing my staff commented on (before launching into questions) was just how brown I am now relative to before I left. I have Portugese ancestry, so such darkening is expected after a few days in the sunny Southwest.

Anyway, to recap the roadtrip:

• 
  It took us four days to travel from Norfolk to Phoenix. We left Norfolk shortly after noon on Monday and arrived at our destination around six in the evening on Thursday. The one day we really pushed it was Tuesday and that was to get though Tennessee as fast as we could. No particular reason for this other than not wanting to linger in Tenn. Otherwise we took our time and stopped here and there for breaks and a little sightseeing. I'll post later about specific sighseeing stops (including a few pics). The daily breakdown (for anyone interested in such trivial detail) is as follows:
  Monday: Norfolk to Bulls Gap, Tennessee
  Tuesday: to Fort Smith, Arkansas
  Wednesday: to Laguna, New Mexico
  Thursday: to Phoenix
• 
  One positive thing about Tennessee was they had the cleanest rest stops of any state through which we passed. There is no word to describe them other than immaculate. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Virginia. Rest stops here were just nasty. This is my home state; I am ashamed.
• 
  Texas was by far the most visually boring state through which we passed. Entertainment was limited to counting State Police cars parked out of approaching traffic's view behind overpasses or similiar obstructions. As we crossed the panhandle, we didn't have to endure Texas for very long. This was a good thing since counting police cars holds ones interest only for so long, no matter how many there were waiting in ambush.
• 
  We stopped at small "local" restaurants as often as we could along the way. Chain restaurants are largely the same wherever you go, so locally-owned places were selected to enhance the feel of the area. This turned out to be both good and bad. The absolute worst was the Incident of the Mouse Dropping in My Rice (MDIMR) at a small Mexican restaurant in extreme Southwest Virginia. I ordered one of the house specials and it turned out to be just that. Ick. On othe opposite end of the spectrum was this local place (I think it was called Dell's Restaurant) in Tucumcari, New Mexico. The atmosphere and food were great and I would certainly revisit were I ever again to find myself in Tucumari. I would also recommend Nick's Barbeque and Catfish just east of Little Rock. Sure, it's typical southern food and a little greasy as one would expect, but you really can't criticize a place that has fried okra on the menu.
• 
  New Mexico and Arizona were by far the most visually stunning states and as such were the settings for most of the pictures I took during the trip. Rocky terrain, butes, cactus, mountains, and all the pine trees around Flagstaff. Absolutely wonderful.
• 
  Though I spent only a few days in the Phoenix area (Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, and Maricopa) I can honestly say it's a place I would love to live. It is charming in a Southwestern way (particularly the above cities just outside of Phoenix proper) and very beautiful in terms of geography and architecture. I will certainly have to spend some more time out there.

Anyway...I'm off to bed. Need to catch up on some much needed sleep. Will post some pics next time.