Getaway

Spring Break has begun. My 2 spring semester college courses didn't have enough enrollment and it looks like my late start class won't either. Enrollment has declined steeply at the community college(s). Even before the pandemic that has worsened the issue. Both of the colleges I teach for are in a time of flux. Change is difficult, especially in the academic world. There is the usual talk about innovation, new programming and student service. Unfortunately the educational environment is steeped in tradition, heavy on administration and slow to adopt meaningful, fundamental change. 

Meeting students where they are while maintaining academic rigor (the current directive) is a challenge. Add in ever changing social norms that require emotional intelligence, compassion and flexibility while teaching, supporting and sustaining student accountability and guess what? The educational landscape feels like a minefield.

So, my unplanned break feels well-timed. Luckily my college spring break, teaching or not, has almost always coincided with my daughters public school calendar. I planned a short road trip for us to get away. This is my first vacation since the initial shut down. Abby and I drove to visit family between shut down one (March 2020) and two (July 2020) and last year I flew to California for a funeral in June. There was definitely some joy in seeing family and a bit of fun was had but these trips were fraught with anxiety, sadness, confusion and concern. Let's be honest, the last couple of years have sucked. Vacation mode activate!

I worked until noon on Friday and my daughter had a half day. I took my pug to the dog sitter for a sleep over before work and a wonderful friend took on the task of cat management. Despite plans, we got a late start for our trip but I refused to be stressed or annoyed. I was pleased my daughter was willing to leave her boyfriend and take a road trip with me, even a short one. It is normal for children to begin creating a life of their own as they approach adulthood but it's still hard and lonely for me at times.

So we got on the road and chatted for a bit, then she listened to music on her AirPods that we had to run back for. We hadn't gotten far when she realized they weren't in the case so it was no big deal to turn around. I listened to the classical radio station I support and she listened to her music. Heading to Winslow on the Beeline Highway (we both love the name) traffic wasn't too bad with the usual mix of traveling speeds, hills, and curves but reasonably light overall.

As we drove I watched the temperature drop on my dashboard thermometer. We started at a high of 74 degrees and dropped to a low of 36 as we headed north. Along the way the clouds covered the sun, dancing between ominous and cheerful. There was very little traffic once we passed the small towns of Pine & Strawberry. We encountered rain showers and snow flurries but no ice on the road. Abby dozed, we listened to a bit of an audiobook and chatted some more on our three hour trip to Winslow, Arizona.

When we arrived it was sunny, cold and windy. I had brought an extra jacket that Abby initially declined but ended up wearing. We checked into La Posada Hotel, found our room, made a dinner reservation and settled in. I had been intrigued by the historic hotel for a long time and decided it would be a good first foray. Since it is Women's History month, the fact that La Posada was designed by a woman architect along with the name, the resting place, affirmed my choice. Though I love to learn and explore, it takes me a while to research and plan. I was happy to finally say yes to a little get away.

Before I made the reservation I had asked Abby if she wanted a room with two queen beds or the deluxe king with whirlpool tub. We agreed the whirlpool tub was worth the extra cost of accommodation. All settled in, we walked the grounds before it got any colder, explored the hotel and arrived punctually for our dinner at the Turquoise room.

The menu was eclectic but I don't eat red meat and Abby is a vegetarian. We are also small people so, we ordered the Signature Soup and the Southwestern Caesar salad to share. Abby wanted a quesadilla but it was not on the menu. I asked if it would be possible to make one and they did! Abby chose the green salsa, I ordered a glass of Old Soul wine and we asked to have everything come out together.

The portions weren't huge (not small, just not typical American 2-3 servings on one plate) but that was perfect for us. The soup was delicious! The bowl was divided with a sweet corn on one side and a spicy black bean on the other, married with a chile cream drizzle. Abby preferred the spicy black bean but I liked the combination. The quesadilla was good but unremarkable though the green salsa won a favorable review. 

Apparently my daughters boyfriend has a Dad that is known for his green salsa that has become the gold standard for my girl (I'm dying to try it). She found this green salsa to be a close second. The Caesar was delicious with roasted red peppers, pumpkin seeds and Parmesan cracker bread but I was surprised that the dressing was traditional. I expected a Southwestern twist with a little heat. The most delicious surprise was the prickly pair butter served with the bread basket. It was sweet (but not too sweet) and we had to forgo dessert because we were nicely full from our meal.

We retired to our room and took turns enjoying a bath in the whirlpool tub, and getting ready for bed. I slept reasonably well but woke at 4 am. Abby used the bathroom and was able to fall asleep but I could not. A little after five, I went downstairs, threaded my way through the gift shop and found the complimentary coffee. The clerk was friendly as I returned and I asked when people usually started stirring? He said around six and told me I was the first one. Aha! The benefit to being an insomniac...fresh coffee, and it was good.

We packed up, checked out and returned to The Turquoise Room for breakfast. It was much less busy than dinner and reservations were not necessary. Abby had an iced chai and ordered the Prickly Pear Bread Pudding.  Having already had my coffee and also a cup of tea, I drank water. Since we were sharing, I ordered a side of black beans and a side of scrambled eggs with green salsa. I figured the protein and savory would balance the sweet. Everything was delicious and the bread pudding was a yummy breakfast dessert.

We made the short drive to "The Corner" and proceeded to stand. The sun had come up but there was a cold wind blowing and it was impossible to get a picture without crazy hair! We did a little shopping at the Take it Easy gift store that was all things Eagles & Route 66 with a few other items.

From there we headed to Meteor Crater. The wind had picked up even more and I thought my moon roof was going to blow off as it whined and moaned. It was a quick 20 minute drive and the facility was beautiful. There were no tours because of the high winds and the 4D experience had been vandalized so, it wasn't available. I was disappointed that we couldn't get the full experience but it was still worth seeing. Visit their website to learn more and save on tickets: Meteor Crater 

We explored the museum and Abby bought a couple of things at the gift shop. The crater was amazing and I took some pictures from inside because I thought I might get blown away when I tried to step outside. There wasn't any shelter from the wind like there was near the front of the building where we took a couple of the photos below.

We headed toward Flagstaff with the intention of strolling downtown before continuing home. Along the way we had occasional bursts of rain, that later became snow flurries. The closer we got to Flag the darker the sky became and snow began to fall swirling all around us in the wind. I decided we better head home before it worsened and we got stuck.

I stopped for gas and hid behind the pump to minimize the amount of snow and wind coming at me. The guy pumping gas on the other side commented that I was smart as as he stood gathering snow on his person. Abby laughed when I got in the car still covered in snowflakes despite the shelter. It was about 1:30 and I figured with the amount of traffic on the road and mid-day temperatures likely to be the highest, we might be able to get out of town before the storm hit full force. Luckily, I was right.

The temperature dropped to 32 degrees but there was plenty of traffic keeping the road from icing, along with a squad of ADOT snow plows moving the slush from the shoulder and on/off ramps. I was a little nervous but I kept my grip light, did some deep breathing and trusted my skills. Abby dozed and I knew she relied on me to get her home safe. I wasn't gonna let her down.

The snow lessened, became flurries, then rain, and eventually stopped altogether as we traveled south. It was a relief to only have to deal with the normal twists and turns, along with the other drivers operating different vehicles at various speeds as we wove our way out of the high country and back to our slice of the desert. There was an enormous tumbleweed, heavy with rain, that had rolled into the slow lane and stopped tumbling. I was glad the weather hadn't stopped me from getting home where the temperature was in the low '80's with a light breeze.

Abby took this photo in the Art Gallery at La Posada. It was a random and interesting collection on display. While in Northern Arizona, I experienced everything from sun to snow in the same day. I think bi-polar bananas is a pretty accurate description of the weather. Despite the changeable climate we had a wonderful whirlwind (see what I did there?) getaway.