No, I haven't crashed the smart car but I have blown up somewhat myself. Whether it is heat exhaustion or eating something dodgy (or visiting Gallup, NM) I don't know - but we are holed up in Prescott, AZ, approx 465 miles from Los Angeles, California and the cooling Pacific breeze. Like countless travellers before us we are at the point of wondering whether we will ever get there.
So yesterday we decided that we would not be going to the Grand Canyon or to Scottsdale where the temperatures have been hitting 116 degrees. The front page of The Arizona Republic this morning says "Record Heat Kills 3 Men." Apparently the temperature is 9 degrees above "normal."
Instead we decided to cut south-west for three hours via the resort town of Sedona, Cottonwood and through the pass at Jerome, where the smart climbed to 7,023 feet, with spectacular views in all directions. Deprived of the Grand Canyon this was considerable consolation - depite feeling thoroughly second-hand I couldn't help but enjoy the trip.
We are now spending two nights at the Holiday Inn Express in Prescott, AZ before attempting the last leg of Stage One of the tour. We plan to cross the Mojave desert tomorrow night. Sorry no pics as yet but processor padlocked here.
Monday, July 18, 2005
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3 comments:
It was a pleasure to meet you at the KOA (we're the couple on the bicycles). What a joy to see a Smart in the U.S.! We've seen them all over Europe when we were on vacation and often wished that they would be available in our country. It seemed quite natural to see the car at first, until we remembered that they aren't supposed to be here!
Sorry to hear that the Grand Canyon didn't work out for you. Since you ended up going to Prescott we should have made sure we gave you the info on that Crepe restaurant. In case you are still there, it's Le Crepe Company on Gurley Street opposit the courthouse. Best crepes we've had without going to Paris!
Enjoy the rest of the trip!
Ernie & Linda DeVries
Flagstaff, AZ
the heatwave in the USA made the UK news today (along with some more bombs on the tube).
i've got a pic of your last smart car; any way of posting it to your blog?
Andy Reeve wrote: "From the sound of your "unwellness" I really must play you Cledus t Judd's "Refried Beans" when you are in Blighty in November :-))"
You can always tell a true friend by the degree of sympathy they exhibit in your troubles! ;-}
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