Navajo Art

My original plan was to haul a bunch of stuff back on our road trip. We were going to scour Midwestern antique stores, desert swapmeets, city flea markets, and maybe even check out Navajo roadside stalls, but when the car died and we had to fly home, I knew "pack light" would have to be my new modus operandus.

The things I did purchase were small and light, and coincidentally enough, all Navajo.

Placemat purchased at Monument Valley 

Thunderbird sand painting also purchased at Monument Valley

Small rug purchased from Route 62 Vintage Marketplace on the western outskirts of Yucca Valley

And this last item was actually a gift from a friend of mine in Joshua Tree.

Desert sandpainting

I really wish I could've brought back some bigger items, like a rug or vase, or even a piece of furniture, but alas, that will have to wait for next time!

-J

Home Sweet Home

I've been back for a week now and I guess I've been hiding because a few unforeseen circumstances on the trip have inconvenienced my business - and life - in a significant way.

Our road trip was progressing successfully. We made it safely from Ontario to Monument Valley, Utah, with virtually no hiccups and then the morning we left for Arizona, everything started to go wrong. My car broke down in the middle of nowhere on Navajo land and just as AAA was coming to get us, a storm cloud proceeded to hover over us. It poured 10 minutes before the AAA guy arrived and about 10 minutes after we left. What a coincidence.

The head gasket blew on my car. Repairs were not worth the vehicle value so I sold it to a guy in Flagstaff for $200. We decided we would still drive to California to finish our trip but we had to rent a car; it happened to be graduation week in town so there were literally NO rental cars available. I got some help from one of the guys at the auto shop where we were at; he said he had an Avis/Budget car in the shop that we could take.

So we drove west to California on no food, the blistering Arizona sun cooking us from above, and when we got to our Airbnb after 8 hours (we blame Phoenix traffic for that one), I collapsed from exhaustion and was bedridden for 4 days. On the 5th day, hubby got sick.

I'll say this. Despite the troubles, we had a good time. Things could've worked out better, yes, but we got to stand in Monument Valley and watch the stars illuminate the world, we got to drive through snow-peaked rocky mountains and across saguaro-dotted desert valleys, I got to experience all day McDonald's breakfast. So I no longer have a vehicle and do not have enough money to buy another one; that just means Thrift Haul posts will be more infrequent.

Ah well, you live and you learn.

Some highlights from the trip!

Colorado

9,075 feet elevation pitstop in Frisco

View from Candlewood Suites in Parachute

Utah

Iconic Monument Valley

View of Monument Valley from View Hotel balcony

Monument Valley at dusk

Hubby and I on sunset hike

Crazy tree

Cat we met in the valley whom we named Juniper

Yucca blooms

Arizona

Horseshoe bend. Last good memory before car death.

Arizona on the way back out.

California

Camouflage cabin in Morongo Valley. 

California sunset

Cabin was situated on a horse ranch.

What a beauty.

Outdoor bath

Datura

Yucca swap meet

Out and about in Yucca

Trailer belonging to a friend in Joshua Tree

Nothing like a JT sunset. The world looks like it's on fire.

Last outdoor bath of the trip.

Last California sunset

-J

California!

Off to California! Hello desert and sunshine!

This photo was taken in San Francisco, which we won't be going to, but I have no other California photos on this computer so it'll have to do.

Happy thrifting!!

- J

Desert Dreaming

The hubby and I are going on a cross-country road trip in a few days so the blog posting of recent has been a little dismal. We're driving from Southern Ontario - so let's just call it Detroit - to Morongo Valley, California. We'll hang out in California for a bit and then head back via New Mexico.

Joshua Tree

Creosote bush drying rack

Joshua Tree sunset

A few years ago I did a Southwest roadtrip solo and I put zero planning into the trip. I left California without an itinerary, phone, GPS, or even a map. As a lone woman, it was liberating and exciting, and the prospect of adventure was my priority. I stayed in crappy motels, slept in my car, picked up a hitchhiker, lived off Lay's chips and Walmart pastries, met some really nice people, and got terribly lost more times than I can count.

Now that I'm doing this with another human being and the distance has been multiplied, a lot more forethought and planning has gone into it. Some personal requirements need to be met, expenses are split so we have a bigger budget for hotel rooms, and wasting time circling back on freeways will be more frustrating when we have destinations we need to get to.

Pioneertown

My friend's trailer in Pioneertown

Desert cat

But there are numerous advantages to having a companion as well, especially someone as loquacious as my boyfriend. He's a constant joke and storyteller, a calm and decisive navigator, and my best friend (he's also pretty to look at). It'll be nice to have someone to talk to along those really tedious 8 hour stretches of driving through flatlands; it'll be nice to have someone to curl up to at night when you're in a shitty motel bed and the temperature drops; and it'll also be nice to have someone to share those breath-taking moments when you're at the top of a mountain overlooking a desert valley.

Met this cool guy at the Yucca Valley swapmeet

Peace

Super excited!

- J