We made it to AZ, had a great time, missed the snow, and now we're home.
Good: I have to give credit to Northwest for canceling our flight 1.5 days early. This enabled us to organize our rebooking from home, rather than going to the airport on Thursday night and praying for a flight that was never going to take off. On Wednesday afternoon, we had the choice of a late Wednesday departure or an early Friday morning departure. Thinking Friday flights would be almost as problematic as Thursday's flights, we choose to go late Wednesday night. And, in some sort of reward from the travel gods, we were put in first class seats on the 9:30 p.m. flight.
Bad: Our flight was delayed and then our plane needed de-icing. We departed at 12:15 a.m. and arrived in Phoenix at 2:15 a.m. (Mountain Time).
Fucking disgusting: Because of our hurried departure, I had to get us a hotel for Wednesday night. I went to Orbitz and booked something near the airport that offered 24-hour shuttle service. Most hotels were already booked, so I took what I could get. But, I ended up with the WORST hotel room I've ever had. And, given the time we arrived, there was nothing we could do about it. We went to sleep and checked out in the morning. (Some of the problems: We were supposed to be in a King room, non-smoking. We got a smoking room with two little beds. The rug was unvacuumed, the air conditioner didn't work, there was a large spear of wood sticking out from the TV stand, the bathroom was full of mold, the sink stopper didn't work, the clock was set incorrectly, the alarm was still set (which then woke us up two hours after finally getting to sleep), and the shower head was placed only four feet from the bottom of the tub, making the shower almost useless (and there was no way I was sitting in that tub.))
Good: The weather was sunny, but not hot. We had a great time exploring the nearby mountains, an indigenous settlement, a local reservoir/boat ride, a local botanical garden (with a butterfly exhibit), old-town Scottsdale, Organ Stop Pizza and other local restaurants.
Bad: East Mesa has a dearth of hotels. Ours wasn't great. It was clean, but there were too many issues for the price.
Weird: East Mesa (the east side of Mesa, not a city called East Mesa) is a strange place. There are over 30 RV parks which, during the winter months, are packed full of people. People bring their own motor homes or they rent single- or double-wide manufactured homes. There are also some condo/apartments. What's interesting is the distance between the homes. There is none. So, for three or more months a year, the population per square foot is tremendous. But, each of these different parks have many, many activities to keep the retirees busy.
Good: My parents live in a small apartment for two months each year. They have become good friends with some of the other apartment dwellers. It is good to see them, particularly my dad, socializing with other people and being in good spirits.
Good: Our rental car was upgraded for free. We drove around this cute, sporty Chevy HHR.
Good: Our flight home was uneventful. And, in another blessing from the travel gods, we didn't have a third person in our row on the flight home, so it was very comfortable.
Good: I walked a bit without a lot of pain (some, but manageable). At one point, we walked a 1/2 mile up a path to a ruin and a half mile down. I was slow, but I was pretty happy that I could do it without stopping to rest my foot.
All in all, it was a great trip. I'll post a slide show to the left later today. Here are a couple pictures to get you started.
That hotel story is hideous!!! Mold in the bathroom! YIKES.
Posted by: Shan | March 06, 2007 at 02:25 PM