A week in the desert

[illusionofjoy]

It has been a while since I've taken a "real" vacation - you know, the type where there are no obligations aside from not missing one's flight at the beginning and end of the journey. Generally my vacations consist of me booking shows as Illusion of Joy for however many days I can pack in however many venues and then hitting each one as each scheduled date comes up. Granted, I love doing that (and would do it all the time if I could), but there is something to be said for travel for travel's sake.

I'm a big fan of going places and seeing things that I haven't before. I'm my time alive, I've lived in various temperate climates (Pittsburgh, PA; Potsdam, NY), visited lots of mountainous regions, lived on the tundra (Iceland) and lived in the tropics (Puerto Rico). However, I've yet to see a desert live and in person. So, when I was given the opportunity to visit Phoenix, Arizona, I jumped on it.

One habit I've never really gotten into is taking photos of where I've been. So, there's no visual aids for me to share with this block of text. I will say that while I could never live here, what with the constant sun and heat, the scenery is beautiful. This is a landscape of red, white, brown and gold dotted with the pale green of sagebrush and cacti. The other day we took a drive up the mountains to Payson, along a divided highway where the northbound and southbound lanes switch sides to go through different valleys along the route. The vistas were nothing short of breathtaking; it's a drive I will have to take again before I die. I place it right up there with The Taconic Parkway in New York and US 7 north from Massachusetts to Burlington, Vermont (so New England-centric am I).

I'll be back in Pittsburgh tomorrow evening. While I welcome the cooler weather and familiar scenery, more trips to the mid/southwest are in order for me in the years to come.

Comments

[joi-division.livejournal.com]

You should have included the picture of the dog!

[joi-division.livejournal.com]

and BTW- did you get your hair coloured finally? LOL

[slinkybetty.livejournal.com]

Sounds awesome. Wish I was in the desert right now. The Taconic really is beautiful this time of year. I usually just take 87 all the way upstate because I like to drive fast and have access to rest-stops every 30 miles, but the scenery is not as nice.

[illusion-of-joy.livejournal.com]

There are actually plenty of bathroom stops along the Taconic, so long as you don't mind parks and sit-down restaurants. If I go up that way again, I'll likely pick the Taconic over the I-87 leg of the Thruway; nicer scenery and no tolls.