EV's Are Great. Are We There Yet?

My favorite car! Mercedes Benz
300 SL Gullwing seen exactly like this.

When I was in the second grade my parent's hired a babysitter to watch over me until they came home from work. Clara, though as old as my grandparents, was an adventurous old soul and we had many afterschool adventures. Our favorite was visiting all the car dealerships on Broadway in Portland, OR.

Our favorite dealer was the Mercedes dealer who had a silver Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing with a bright red, leather on display. It cost over $5,000 then but what a car. When they spotted us they would open the gull wings and let us sit in it with me pretending to drive. Little did I know then it would be worth millions 70 years later!

I have always loved cars for their designs and once upon a time, colors. Who can forget a vermillion and white Oldsmobile convertible or white, pink and black Dodge, red or pink 1959 Cadilliacs with rocket tail fins? They had style and chrome and most of all color. Cars, however, were not always gasoline driven.

World's first electric car

Historically, electric cars have actually been around for two hundred years. A Hungarian priest developed a battery in 1828 and actually attached it to a coach. 

A Frenchman developed a rechargeable battery in 1859 that with a small Sieman's motor was able to propel itself in Paris. It was improvements in the battery that led to mass production of batteries in 1881 and tinkering with better batteries on coaches that led to Thomas Edison creating his own electric car in 1912.

Batteries just couldn't overcome the range limitations gasoline engines didn't have, or charging times, a problem we are still struggling with today.

However, 1950's and 60's beasts were not very fuel efficient and probably a large contributor to global warming. There was recognition by automakers that something had to be done but the money kept rolling in and it was largely ignored until smaller, more efficient vehicles started arriving from Europe                                    (the VW bug) and Japan (Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi) and Fiat.

I can clearly remember Detroit's response in 1960:  the Ford Falcon, Chrysler Valient and Chevy Corvair, a rear engine car like the VW bug. All three had respectable sales and while smaller than normal sedans were still far larger than Fiat 500's, any Toyota or the Datson 510. 

For me design is the thing. I could never buy an ugly car despite its internal spec's. I was never a mechanic only knowing rudimentary facts on how a car runs. For me, a "good" car was one that started and didn't make you cringe every time you drove (Pontiac Aztec).

Saturn SL-1

Before college in 1963 we encountered a Chrysler Turbine car, one of about 50 made and test driven around the country. It could run on about anything, even a bottle of Scotch but that soon petered out and they were recalled and destroyed. Not efficient enough.

GM was next in line in 1990 when they introduced the Saturn SL-1. A fully electric two seater vehicle, it had a range of about 100 miles before needing a charge. A friend leased one and it was quite nice but impractical in LA. Everyplace takes 45 minutes to get there. Today probably longer. They tinkered with the electronics getting up to 150 mile range that required overnight charging using a 240V line. Few were leased.

Tesla Model X

Fast forward to 2012 to Tesla's offering the Tesla Model S, a full sized, all electric passenger sedan that could go over 200 miles on a single charge. It had breathtaking speed with some models going 0 - 60 mph in under 3 seconds. Best of all it didn't use gas and didn't add to pollution at the car level. As we soon realized, a great deal of pollution went into making the car.

Next came Tesla's Model X an acknowledgment that car buyers were buying SUV's, not sedans. It looked like something out of a Batman movie and has never sold well. It suffers with quality control issues that can't seem to be overcome.

Tesla Model 3 and Model Y

Much more successful have been Tesla's Model 3 and the Model Y, the most sold SUV in the world at one point. They share many of the same components and constant improvements in manufacturing have eliminated parts and weight. In fact they are so successful giga factories in China and Germany were built to satisfy demand. Sales have slowed with Mr. Musk's affiliation with the Trump administration. He didn't seem to realize many early adapters tended to be liberal's hoping to save their world. Affiliating with conservatives he became anathema to his leftward leaning buyers. That and increasing quality problems.

Nissan Leaf

Now other companies weren't standing still. Nissan introduced the "Leaf" again a car with merely 100 miles range. A second iteration more than doubled that but was never a great seller. 

Of course the Big Three were beginning to show signs of panic especially after states like California passed laws stating NO gasoline cars could be sold there after 2035. The German's weren't far behind while China's government encouraged electric cars and over 100 companies started making EV's.

Chevy Bolt EV

All the "big" western companies announced grand plans with billions to be spent on EV's. Chevrolet offered first the Volt a hybrid type of car where the gasoline engine charged the batteries. While a nice little car it was soon replaced by the even smaller Chevy Bolt that got over 200 miles of range and despite its size was amazingly comfortable. In the Coachella Valley there was a respectable amount until the flaming battery recall. And, it was affordable made more so with the $7,500 tax rebate on all electric cars.

Lucid, a new startup introduced the pricey Air with nearly 400 miles of range that by tinkering has increased. Beautiful sedans they come at a time Americans want SUV's. Their new Gravity may improve their fortunes as the pickup and Rivian SUV's have. 

The elephant in the room all American automakers fear is China and with good reason.

Xiami Yu-7

On a visit to China in 2024 I was stunned at just how many EV's there were. They are easy to spot. Gas cars have blue license plates, EV's green. At every traffic light is was about 50 - 50. And, they are really nice too. My partner doesn't own a car so if weren't using his scooter we rode a Didi (like Uber here).We rode in at least 10 Chinese EV's and a Tesla Model 3. Seriously the Tesla is the model T of EV's. The Chinese EV's are like limo's. Huge spaces in back, dead quiet and powerful offering amenities Tesla can only hope for.

Like Tesla they have small showrooms in malls and several phone companies are making EV's. Get you on your phone and tethered on the road. Really, you'd see complete phone offerings and a choice of several EV's to clamber in. I fell in love with a Neo SUV in a beautiful smoky lavender. That's another thing, they are not afraid of color either and some I really like - NOT white, black, grey or silver.

The Big Three know, if Chinese cars were allowed in the U.S. market there probably wouldn't be one left standing. And, they know it too. It's already panic time in Europe with Germany crying the loudest! The reason is that most sedans and EV's in China compare in price with ICE vehicles, so why not go electric? Car tags are cheaper too.

I was puzzled by Buick. There are Buick's in China we never see but they had an EV station wagon that was very popular. Again quiet, powerful with many of the same amenities we had noticed on Chinese brands. Why isn't it here? Far nicer than a Tesla.

As much potential as EV's have, there is still the dilemma of range and charging times. Friends that have them like them but rarely talk about the issues they face which can be:

    * Any repair that might cost $2,000 on a gas car could be $20,000 on an EV

    * Insurance costs are much higher because they know repairs are expensive

    * Tires last at best 25,000 miles because of the extra battery weight. Rotating tires is mandatory

    * New tires are expensive

    * Charging, where and when. Many freestanding stations are often crowded, damaged and take far             longer than say 5 minutes filling a gas tank. If you live in a condo or apartment it would be a hassle to         create your own charging station. California says you must allow it but YOU bear all the expense

   * EV's cost $10-20,000 more than a comparable ICE car. Worse EV's plummet in resale value. Some                drop 50% after you drive off the dealers lot.  

    * There is a learning curve after driving a gas vehicle. Braking has a whole new meaning

    * Few if any knobs. Everything is on an iPad like screen. For me, too distracting and not a good place to       be if you're driving

    * While operating the EV is nearly pollution free, gathering the materials to make it and the costs of             disposing of it are high and worrisome. New technologies need to be invented to reduce the pollution         these type of batteries being made create and safe and non-polluting ways to dispose of or recapture             these materials without affecting our environment.

    * MOTOR TREND usually has an article where a staffer takes a trip with an EV and they are not                 flattering. I know I panic when my Mazda gets to 1/4 full and having my EV stating you have 20 miles         left would send me over the edge.

    * Going on a trip? Be SURE to have Plan B maps if the station is damaged. No gas can will help you.

    * The $7,500 tax credit has expired. Manufactures and buyers are looking more closely at an EV's cost

    * Be prepared for a milage tax. You're driving for free meaning you aren't paying a gas tax. Your                  vehicles are heavy and wear roads out faster

    * Believe it or not you still need a 12 volt battery. When that goes dead you are deader than dead as all         the cars electronics won't work anymore.

    *Paying for charging on the road can almost rival the cost of a tank of gas

    * Finally, no one is sure what the cost of new batteries are. Battery replacement in a hybrid wipes all those years of gas savings. A electric EV? Anyone's guess.

I know that on a recent trip to the hinterlands of northern Arizona, lower Utah and the high desert of California we saw one EV and drove for hours with no signal nor gas. Siri said turn left in the middle of nowhere so we did. Driving an EV there isn't a place I want to be. I wasn't happy driving as gas stations were as scarce as EV charging stations. Luckily we got up to 39 mpg. Whew.

2026 Prius, grand daddy of hybrids

We have made great strides in electric vehicles but in general the infrastructure is not there yet. There are over 145,000 gas stations in the US with probably four or more pumps. You can expect each pump to work. While there 138,000 charging plugs oftentimes they are disabled or just don't work. Considering there are over 280,000,000 vehicles in the United States with 4,000,000 EV's of all types we have a long ways to go. Especially if you venture out into rural areas like the west and midwest.

Range and especially costs are what holds most people back. For now hybrids seem to be the answer. Around town you may just run on electricity; my daughter does in her Venza. I know friends who have gas and EV vechiles. The EV is for town. Long distant trips they use gas.

We will get there but for the majority of us, we just aren't there yet. China encourages manufacturers, so should we.

Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction  with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.

Please be sure to visit my store, KrugsStudio.etsy.com on a regular basis. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.

OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!

NUREMBERG: The Final Judgment of Evil

NUREMBERG is a movie all Americans, from high school on up, need to see. It takes a unique approach to the final accounting of Nazi Germany and the players that made it all happen. Lest we forget, Hitler had a plan, a "design" for a new and greater Germany. This movie focuses on the relationship between Herman Göring and psychiatrist Dr. Douglas Kelley one of several doctors sent to consider the sanity of Nazi officials on trial. One could consider their actions from 1933 to 1945 to already be a kind of insanity.

However, there is another movie one should see first, one whose horror builds so quietly you are enveloped in it before you realize it. THE ZONE OF INTEREST is a quiet almost documentary movie about the Höss family. The father, Rudolf Höss, was the commandant of Auschwitz, the infamous concentration camp in Poland.

This film shows a typical German family living well with garden parties, housecleaning, family outings, the humdrum of family life. Only this idyllic setting is literally next door to Auschwitz. The horror slowly builds. Nearly every scene shows black smoke in the background reminding us of what happens next door as if the shouting, dogs barking and gunshots aren't enough.

One scene, quietly horrific in a way I wasn't inspecting, is when a Polish maid brings in articles of clothing gathered from the cast off clothes, of mostly Jewish women led to the showers, had brought with them. The item is a gorgeous mink coat. Mrs. Höss tries the coat on and when reaching in the pockets finds a lipstick. Going over to the mirror she tries it on, approves and puts in her pocket. You slowly realize this once belonged to a Jewish wife who is possibly being incinerated that very moment. Then you find out she had been a maid to a wealthy Jewish matron and this was her payback.

Before seeing NUREMBERG, I had just finished a book by a German journalist called VERTIGO. It recounts the rise and fall of Germany's Weimar Republic created from the ashes of World War I and Hitler's overthrow in March of 1933. It's an instructive book filling in much between the war's history most Americans and probably Germans don't know.

My Opa immigrated here in 1925 and brought his wife and two children here in 1926. My father was four. While in college I spent several Christmases with my Oma and Opa and we talked briefly about Weimar Germany. As he explained and was recounted in the book, inflation reached dizzying heights. One American dollar equaled, at one point, one trillion marks! I wish we had talked more because he arrived after this inflation so lived during it. Germans were tired. They never accepted democracy and missed their Kaiser. When Hitler kept hammering on the creation of a new and better Germany many were ready to listen.

The not so great escape.

NUREMBERG has Russell Crow playing Herman Göring who we first see trying to escape, with his family, to Austria. He was Reich Marshall, second in command, just below Hitler, and in that sense responsible for everything happening during the Third Reich.. All the Nazi general staff prisoners are brought to Nuremberg, site of several infamous Nazi rallies, to be tried.

You learn there had never been a war trial before and when US Judge Robert H. Jackson is given the task he literally started from scratch. His first job was getting all parties involved to agree on a trial. One judge each came from France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union. Jackson was the prosecutor. He also had to get the Catholic churches approval so when the Pope demurred Jackson reminded him of the churches complicity.

Göing in the docket

The real interest comes from the interplay between Rami Malek, who plays Dr. Kelley and Göring. Göring fails to see the error of his ways and bows down to no one. I must admit, though, for a two and a half long movie I never looked at my watch. To see such certitude in this evil is mind bending. It is only at the end, when Jackson has run out of questions his British counterpart asks Göring point blank, "Do you regret what you have done?" "No." There, in that one word you realize evil exists among us and it is our duty to keep it at bay.

Another issue is that it was clearly apparent none of these officials ever thought they would pay (with their lives) for what they had done. Trials of this sort were new and they seemed to think they would face no penalty. Today, however, there is a different reality and that is what citizens of this world expect. The lesson here, if we can yet remember it, if we forget get the past we are condemned to relive it. As this movie clearly shows there IS evil among us and it is our duty to stamp it out before it becomes a fire!

Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction  with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.

Please be sure to visit my store, KrugsStudio.etsy.com on a regular basis. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.

OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!

We Are Paying $139.99 A Year For Prime Because?

This is the notice I received from Amazon today for an order placed November 12, 2025. The original delivery date was today, November 15, 2025. Now, I should point out they didn't send a notice, I had to find this in my order portal. So now, instead of a two-day window, it's eight (8) days. And I'm paying Prime prices for this?

I think maybe it's time for Steve Bezos to get off his obscenely expensive yacht and take back the reins of the company his entire fortune is based on. The Starbuck CEO had to do that as have other CEO's.

Deliveries are getting more iffy each passing week. Can you imagine the forthcoming Christmas rush?

This isn't the first time either. After waiting several weeks for two different orders, they were simply cancelled. No notice. No warning. I had to go to my orders to find they were simply cancelled ...by Amazon! I re-ordered one of the items and it did arrive in two days. I found the other locally cheaper. (Thank you Walmart). 

Money is tight right now and, as the saying goes, "Every penny counts" and believe me it does especially if you're an 80 year old senior. Are the items critical? No. Would they be useful yes. A lot of things can be ordered for $140.00 a year. It saves driving time I realize but if you need something quickly...I'm just say'in.

As I write this, I just received a text from Amazon that the movie, normally left in the mailbox, was undeliverable. They will try later. They have used that mailbox 100 times over nine years. It was never delivered.

I'll tell you one thing, I would never switch my medicine sales and delivery to Amazon. You just might be dead by the time you got it!

AI and robots may be in our future but we're not there yet. We've discovered despite their massive data base, just like humans, if they don't know the answer, they make things up. Not something you'd want on a flight to Mars!

Just a warning before the Christmas rush. Have a back-up plan!!!

Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction  with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.

Please be sure to visit my store, KrugsStudio.etsy.com on a regular basis. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.

OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!

At 80!

 I've always wondered, as I grew older, why "old" people, and that concept definitely changes as we get older, were so impatient. I turned 80 this week during a few days of incredible pain realizing "we" are so impatient because we can hear the clock ticking. Not a tick tok either but a booming cacophony of rings signaling "thy time is nye" according to Marley in THE CHRISTMAS CAROL

I've made my peace with the end days as I have watched so many friends, a sister and celebrities I grew up with pass on. Each day now brings a reminder. My father died at 40 so even though I inherited the blood disorder he died from and many more illnesses besides, I have outlived him by 40 years.

Also at 80, you kind of have a kind of permission to cut through all the B@#$-it of life and spit outexactly what it is. Remember, that clock is ticking louder and louder.

During my illness I still had chores to do and two involved calling banks and their credit card departments. I won't detail what we all know is the path to hell to reach a human and talk. One was answered by a man I simply could not understand. The next call was answered by a woman, just as bad. When asked where they were from, they both replied, Idaho. To my knowledge there is no city, town, region or state in what I assumed was India called Idaho. They are not fooling anyone. In my Philippine experiences there is usually a rooster in the background. I struggled to get my information and in one case the phone switched and I spoke to a another person.

What bothers me, and I don't know which is worse, a second language speaker or a AI robot. I'm just sayin'. While my children learned second languages easily, I struggle with English. These people are pawns in a corporate world that tries to save every penny while their salaries grow. It can't go on forever and as history teaches us, it won't. History can be incredibly boring, though it always fascinated me. But as Santana says, "Those who forget history are condemned to relive it." We don't even have go back 100 years for reliving history. As my daughter pointed out, "At the end of all this,  there will be a trial."

Another peeve is the bombarding of political ads. As a Democrat I get many solicitations everyday - text
messages, email and yesterday a phone call asking for $50.00! I exploded, "You gotta be kidding?" The GOP is just as bad and because I'm a registered voter I guess they assume, "hell, let's give him a try!" I'll skip some of my replies.

To me the greater issue is why is a New Yorker soliciting me for money? Or Ohio, Arizona, Texas and God knows where else? Someone opened Pandora's box and local elections have become national elections. Folks, read your Constitution (which few have). There is only ONE national election; for President and Vice President of the United States and they were once nominated and voted on separately!

Five dollars, or ten dollars, even a dollar or two over a period of a month adds up. With the "no-inflation" we are experiencing too many, as Elizabeth Warren points out, have to choose between food or their medicine. I know personally that items at COSTCO have gone up an average of $5.00 a package be it soap, coffee even popcorn. And eating out, well, where do we begin? It's cheaper in some cases to eat at a restaurant than McDonalds!!! And what's this about tips at a McDonald's? For what? For doing their job?

At one of the hotels we stayed at on our road trip they placed an envelope for a tip to the housekeeper. Tip? They should tip us. We remade the bed, re-hung towels and mercifully had our own soap. The only thing the housekeeper did was put that envelope on the dresser as we ate a bagel and yogurt.

I simply don't understand why we have phones. I mean why? No one answers them anymore. I've been to state, county, federal offices where phones are ringing like mad. While some may actually be on the phone most go to voicemail. "Your call is very important to us but we are experiencing greater call volume than usual. Please leave  your name and number and we will call you back ASAP." What, in dog years? Rarely do they EVER call you back. 

Experiencing incredible back pain, a nurse practitioner I was working with said you can call at 7:55 to make a same day appointment as a few slots are left open. Call Monday morning. She calls back a few minutes later saying Monday is filled up, call Tuesday. Wait a minute, this is Friday, how can Monday be filled up if calls must be made the same day? Flustered she could only spit out, "Please call Tuesday." I wished my back pain on her.

So Tuesday I showed up at the office at 7:55 as it's about five minutes away. They too were flustered. "Can we help you?" "I'm here to make a same day appointment to see my PCP.." "You could have called you know." "And what, waited 30 minutes on the phone?" I saw him 45 minutes later.

It's not just doctor's offices, it's everywhere. And in fact, I just go in person, if I can, to make appointments. They have to do their jobs because there you are, standing in front of them.

Another peeve is the drug store. I am forced to use CVS. The lines are always long, lunch is 12:30 to 1:00 just when working people can stop by to get their meds and weekends it's 10 to 5. 

After two years we finally got their App to work on my iPhone. There is a special line if you use their App. In reality no one is there and you still wait in line when you use it. Several counter people are notorious for looking at each transaction as if it's their first. Deer's in the headlights so to speak, and transaction times are long.

As you age and I am now certifiably old, I guess you resent so much time spent waiting, at the doctor's office, bank, dentist, drug store or on the phone because there are things you still want to do. How can I paint or see a fiend, read a good book (though I bring them along as I kill the time), do my chores if the day is eaten up as dead time waiting? At 25 you never think of these things. At 80 you do, trust me.

The majority of these delays are caused by money. Over schedule, hire fewer workers and demand more work fill the corporate coffers and drain yours. My time is as important as there's as companies are beginning to find out.

Can you imagine seeing the musical HAIR in London, front row mezzanine for twenty busks? I did in 1969. A similar hit today? A thousand or more? Or all you can eat hot dog, fries and Coke for $35.00 dollars at Dodger Stadium? A beer today is $18.00, three six-packs at the grocery store. As Vegas is learning, jacking prices up and up has limits. Playing to the high rollers comes with a warning, what do you do when they move on?  Even residents there are turning away.

The history of lessons is there to study. Yet how many companies, Kodak or Marshall Fields or Packard, cities or regions have gone bust because they didn't study the shopper climate. There are so many names I remember of products and companies I grew up with that are no longer with us. Good products that just didn't innovate or change with the times. The ONLY certainty of life IS change.

I am not ready to go as there's still so much to see and do! I have made as many of the arrangements in life for after when that life is gone but, hopefully, there is still life to live. On our road trip we saw many wonderful things to buy. Gazing at some exquisite Native American pottery I had an epiphany. I would be turning 80 soon and why am I buying? Anything? At this age I should be giving things away! That moment really put a new perspective on life. It freed me from want and allowed me to enjoy beauty without the need to get more. Truly liberating.

Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction  with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.

Please be sure to visit my store, KrugsStudio.etsy.com on a regular basis. New birdhouses, craft items, photography and canvas paintings are added all the time. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates local handcrafted items about my store.

OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!

Planning A Trip: To Moab and Back!

Lower Antelope Canyon view.

My partner from China was coming for the last time before his 10 Year visa expires in October 2025 and the US Beijing embassy is taking no new appointments. He wanted to go out with a bang and wanted us to take a road trip. Since his last few visits were basically to care for me after several surgeries I thought that was a great idea. I was feeling good and wanted any excuse to leave the condo and Palm Springs.

Apparently in China a visit to Antelope Canyon in the Navajo Nation is BIG on their bucket list. As we found out, they outnumbered all other tourists there about 3 to 1. That included many Europeans, especially Italians.

With dates firmed up, I started planning (which is really a kind of designing) what we were to do and when. I discovered it's not an easy task and soon found out I mis-calculated distances more than once. On the other hand it showed us a part of America we might never have seen.

And since we were going as far as Page, AZ, why not go to Arches National Park in Utah? I had always wanted him to see the five National Parks in southern Utah. We would be close so I added Arches, Bryce and Zion National Parks to our itinerary for a total of nine days on the road. Since I would most likely do the driving (he has a Chinese drivers license but has never owned a car and his driving in Palm Springs is a white knuckle experience)  I limited each day to about 6 hours driving or less.

Since my Mazda CX-5 is 9 years old I took it in for service but with only 47,000 miles on it it only needed some rubber gaskets replaced and they recommended a new battery “just in case.” Since we would often be in the middle of nowhere, good advice.

As a AAA member I have always used their battery services. However, I was shocked that the battery I bought a few years ago for $125.00 was now $225.00. Don’t tell me there’s no  inflation. It WAS a good choice though. There were many areas where there was no phone signals and fewer cars!

He arrived September 4th and had a week to get over jet lag and prepare a dumpling and Yangzhou rice feast for my Game Night group. However, a glitch soon arrived with me developing a case of sacroiliac pain in my right lower back and hip, first mis-diagnosed as sciatica. We got my medicine but between pain killers and muscle relaxers I wouldn’t be able to drive if I took them. Sitting, like driving, was okay and the 5% Lidocaine patches made it tolerable. Walking more than a few steps became nearly impossible. Saturday morning, September 13th we loaded up and hit the road by 9:00 am.

DAY 1

Heading east on I-10

Our goal was Sedona but we ended up 6 plus hours later in Cottonwood, AZ. No, I hadn’t heard of it either and Sedona was still an hour away. We checked in and asked “if” there are any good places to eat. Blink and you might have missed Cottonwood. Our host said there was a good Italian restaurant  next door. We unloaded the car, I napped and we went back down to the restaurant. It WAS very good indeed. I would recommend the Lux Verde Hotel. As we drove through Sedona the next day I realized it was just another touristy town like Palm Springs with stunning scenery behind it.

Another lesson was that in trusting Apple Maps, who gives you several options including shortest times, you go places you might never go. We started on I-10 east and were soon on a two lane parallel to the interstate with no one on it. My partner was in awe of the vast empty space that continued with a jaunt on the I-17 then another state highway finally pulling into Cottonwood when it said we would. In fact, despite certain misgivings, Apple Maps got us everywhere and I’m sure we saw areas we might have missed otherwise in the “shortest” possible times!

Day 2 & 3 Antelope Canyon Lower & Upper Tours

We were on the road again at 9:00 after breakfast at the hotel. I thought things would be calm since the kids were in school but it seems that’s when the seniors hit the road! Sedona was packed as we drove through on our way to Page, AZ.

The famous Horseshoe Bend outside
Page, AZ

Another Chinese bucket list item is Horseshoe Bend that we discovered just outside Page that is city owned. The $5.00 entrance fee allows you to park and walk to the cliffs edge to peer at a huge bend the Colorado River that was created over millions of years. I could barely walk down or up but made it to find green waters far below that created an amazing bend in the river. A thousand foot drop, we could see tiny objects in the river. Turns out they have kayaking tours there as well.

We headed into Paige and our hotel. We discovered that Page, a town of 7,440, had nine churches all in a row. Most were evangelical but Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist and Baptist were there as well. All looked prosperous.

This was the first of nearly all motels we discovered were operated by East Indian owners or managers. It was a strange room with no table lamps. In fact our room was one of several without bedside lamps. Being two rooms, the A/C was in the  back room so the door had been removed so air could blow out front. Jet airplane sounds come to mind.The TV didn’t work despite replacing the remote’s batteries. I guess we expect too much on the road.

Dinner at the corner was Texas BBQ. After a rest we ambled up and ordered a dinner and huge salad we shared. The meat literally fell off the ribs. Very, very good but not cheap.

Lower and Upper Antelope Canyon
 Tours had many ladders

Since I couldn’t read much from the single overhead light we went to bed early. I was tired  anyway. Breakfast the next morning was bagels and yogurt. Then over to our morning tour at the Lower Antelope Canyon Tour at 10:45. You had to show up at 10:00 but we were never sure what the real time was. My watch and phone said one time, the car another, my partner’s another. Leave it to Arizona to buck time zones straddling Pacific and Rocky Mountain time. I love time in China. The entire country, a bit bigger than ours, has one time zone. You never have to worry what time it is anywhere else in China!

You walk to the Lower Canyon’s entrance and they do keep the groups small. A huge tour group from China came out as we went in to an opening you would never guess was there. You were very limited into what you could bring. No bags, backpacks, nothing you couldn’t carry in your pockets. The weather was cool once inside but sandy and at times narrow.

Formed over millions of years by wind and rain you are immediately submerged in a world of rusts through deep mahogany colors that swirl all around you with light filtered from above. It is almost impossible to describe. It’s like being wrapped in millions of years of creation. You continually look up in awe at the swirls above you. I was so glad I visited, back pain and all.

Our Indian guide gave us a demonstration of how this formed. It’s a slow, long process but a beautiful temple of nature. When I turned back to look at our exit I wasn’t sure I could even find it!!! 

We drove back for lunch and rest before going over to our afternoon tour a few blocks away. This tour takes you to the entrance in a ride of your life. Our Ford van gave us literally a “E“ ticket ride as we bounced through the red sand and dirt. Truly, I would have hit the ceiling if my seat belt wasn’t fastened!

Entrance to Upper Canyon discovered
in 1934.

It appears the Upper Canyon was discovered in 1934 by an 8 year-old girl who is still alive. Looking around at the total and complete isolation I wondered what parent would allow that? We quickly descended on a series of ladders and while called the upper canyon it was in fact darker than the mornings tour. Still it was beautiful with light streaming from above creating some interesting formations.

Our guide explained that after a rain, tours stop and they must clear the paths we walked on of debris. At some points the water can be 10 feet high.

Shapes were fantastic. Here's a heart.

Our guides were wonderful, stopping for and taking photos of us as we wound our way through the channels. They used our phones better than we could for spectacular photos.

On our way back to the car, we rode side saddle seats.  The bumps weren’t so bad.

The intrepid travelers.

Would I recommend a visit? YES! You need to add this to your bucket list. There’s nothing like it anywhere else.

Dinner that night was at The Mongolian BBQ. Yup, in Page, AZ. And quite good too.

DAY 4

We got a 9:00 am start and my partner decided he would like to drive. We were heading to Monticello, UT where I thought we would be close to Moab, UT itself. WRONG. It was still an hour away.

We got in to town, another blink and you’d miss it, in the early afternoon and found there were three restaurants in town - pizza, Thai and Mexican. The Mexican looked good so after checking in we went there.

But first a stop at the Family General store for some flip flops. I hate going barefoot and medical non-slip stockings don’t cut it. It was closed. Yup, at 3:00 pm. A small sign announced it was closed due to a lack of help. And it never opened, at least when we left two days later.

At the restaurant we asked our waitress, “Where do you buy things here? How do you live?” She said she “Had a love affair with Amazon.” The nearest Walmart was 100 miles away. I guess you could go to Moab but it too was over was 55 miles north.

That evening we drove in to Moab and became tourists visiting a few stores and found some beautiful things. I had an epiphany when the urge to buy something made me pause. I turn 80 in October. At my age I should be giving things away, NOT collecting more. It was both a sad and liberating feeling. Sad because I love beautiful things and happy as there’s that much less to clean and worry about. We both admired things but bought nothing eating dinner instead.

DAY 5 

Ancient Petroglyphs.

We hit the road earlier to get to Arches National Park about 15 miles further north from Moab only to find you needed a reservation. Really, I asked flashing my senior National Parks pass. Yup. There may be an opening at 11:00 but we had to go online to make the reservation at a waiting area we passed coming in. We turned around and went back only to find the waiting area had no signal of any kind. There was a group there as we all tried for a signal. People from the UK, Germany, Australia, the East Coast were all trying to get in. Like us, they were on a timetable and couldn’t come back. Calling later we found there were NO reservations available from September 11th to the 24th. The park is huge, why the limits?

We finally drove along the Colorado River to see petroglyphs before having lunch in Moab.

My partner drove back and I realized he had mastered state two-lane highways. He wouldn’t drive a freeway though. Too fast, he said.

Back in Monticello we rested and I napped letting my back rest. Finally around 7:30 we were hungry so decided on pizza. One place was closed and when we entered the second they didn’t want to make a pizza at 7:45 so we left. If I lived in a place like that anyone walking in with money is worth a few extra minutes. Young local people don’t want to work. I say that because the Mexican Restaurant we went back to was bustling! And probably a better meal anyway.

DAY 6 

Siri led us to Panguitch, UT which is near the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park. Another bleak and arid drive. My partner mentioned in China they talked about sending people to the moon or Mars for more room. “Why not just send them here? “ he asked. “There’s certainly enough room.” True I noted, but not water. Looking about he agreed. 

The Bryce Canyon Rim View

There was no problem entering Bryce though the roads are scary. He handled it like a pro and we were soon walking the canyon’s rim. We had had nothing but clear weather and views were majestic. He had seen nothing like this either and was deeply impressed. it was a glorious day  as we drove around the park.

Our motel was about 10 miles out of town but on the road to the Bryce Canyon entrance. We returned that afternoon for me to rest and by 6:00 were ready for dinner. It was either driving back to town or choosing the dicey looking place next door.  

We entered a kind of open air shed with a few mismatched chairs and tables. They had several hamburger offerings and a stew. Since we had hamburgers at lunch we decided to try the $19.95 stew special. Asking what we wanted to drink my partner opted for water. I chose the lemonade. She brought him a bottle of bottled water and me a small sized lemonade. The stew took awhile to come and as we waited we gabbed with the waitress who was from Poland. As we gabbed she was busy swatting flies near the ceiling. The stew finally arrived on disposable plates with white rice, a ketchup sauce based topping with a chunk or two of meat and a sliced piece of cucumber, tomato and lettuce leaf. This grand dinner was $52.00. The water was $3.00, my lemonade was $5.00 and stews $19.95 each. We looked at each other in disbelief, laughed and left.  We laughed about that dinner for the rest of his visit.

By now the pain was getting worse and if I took the painkillers I wasn’t to drive. The muscle relaxers were no better and I was never to take them together. The lidocaine patches helped but not enough. So I called and canceled the night in Vegas. I’ve heard everything has been  marked up to the absurd so not going there was no loss. I cancelled our stay in Hurricane next then reason set in. He asked how far to go home tomorrow. Eight hours. Too long. How long from Hurricane … five plus hours. Then we should go to Hurricane, see Zion then go home the next day. “You paid for the room and won’t get a refund!” He was right.

So, for the next three hours we called Expedia, then the motel going back and forth to reinstate the paid room. Finally the Econo Lodge motel manager said he’d  call us the next morning with a decision. We went to bed.

DAY 7

We were up early waiting for the call and preparing for the long drive home. We would

One of several tunnels on our trip.

be in the middle of nowhere for hours probably without phone signals. We didn’t relish the prospect. Finally we ate breakfast and at 8:30 I called and finally the manager agreed to honor the reservation. 

My partner drove to Hurricane via a drive through Zion National Park. It was cloudy, cleared a bit but finally we got a downpour during lunch in Hurricane. Zion, as always, was beautiful in the partial gloom and again, worth the trip.

On the way to Zion

While I had never heard of it, Hurricane is a thriving, bustling place that started to boom during Corvid. When people could work from home low prices for bigger homes brought many there. Most chains were there now and a spiffy new Walmart was just outside of town.  We relaxed and didn’t do much as walking was too much pain and effort.

We found a local cowboy themed restaurant for lunch and I enjoyed a wonderful local beer and we both had delicious hot sandwiches. We both watched a thorough downpour before heading to the motel. Together it cost less than $52.00 and we were stuffed.

DAY 8 

My partner driving the moonscape!

Before setting out on our final driving trip home,  I asked Apple Maps for the fastest route home. Siri recommended one nearly an hour faster. There were several options but I chose “fastest” as the plan was to drive directly to Immediate Care when we got to Palm Springs. Well, it may have been the fastest but at times we could have been driving on the moon. My partner started out on a state road that seamlessly ended on the I-15, something I didn’t mention until we were on the freeway. I asked how the driving was? “Fine.” We are on the freeway," I said. “Notice any difference?” “You can drive faster, you can go 80,” he said. Then stomped the pedal to the metal. That, however, didn’t last long.

This route may have been faster but I truly had no idea where we were for hours until

Somewhere in California

we finally arrived in 29 Palms just outside Joshua Tree National Park. For hours there was no phone signal and even fewer cars. I was never so glad to see buildings again. If your car broke down, well, WHAT would you do? My baby just kept on running getting at times 39 mpg, not a bad feat for a 9 year-old SUV. I took over driving after lunch at a Subway and we pulled into Immediate Care around 3:00.

When seen again I was told you don’t have sciatica but sacroiliac pain … by the same doctor who said it was sciatica two weeks ago. Prescriptions were written but the nightmare getting them is another tale. Suffice to say I have plenty to say about CVS. 

Then to wrap up our trip I come home to a condo complex with no running water. I nearly lost it!. But by 8:00 pm meds in body and water restored, after a hot shower I finally calmed down rather fragile nerves.

 

While we were treated well, the fact my partner was Chinese caused a few odd looks and in fact other than Native Americans you rarely saw African Americans or even Latinos anywhere. We were told ICE was not a problem as there were few illegals there. I’m sure my rainbow colored T’s generated more gossip.

It WAS a wonderful trip in so many ways. For me it was an escape of being homebound for a year, a chance to show my partner my country, places many of our own citizens have never seen and, for me, a city slicker, to see how red counties and states live and the issues they face, which are many. 

We saw great poverty and very wealthy farmers whose machines probably cost millions to buy and maintain. A middle ground was rare rather than exception. If you ever wondered who buys Jeeps and huge pickup trucks, take our trip. Gas was on average a dollar cheaper a gallon than California. In the middle of nowhere gas could be even cheaper than in towns. 

Our trip was 1,874.2 miles and went without a hitch.

It was worth every moment and a memory to cherish in the time I have left.

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