Day 14-15 • Tempe & home

Day 14: Friday, August 7—

The hotel offered a sumptuous breakfast spread, which we very much enjoyed, as we did our refreshing dip in the nearly empty pool in the courtyard with its splendid view of the San Jacinto Mountains. Eric as ever was content to sit on the pool steps. After checking out of the hotel, we drove through town stopping at several shops looking for last-minute souvenirs. And it was hot. Oh yeah!

One of our first stops looked to be a promising store for finding high quality Hawaiian shirts. But right after we entered, the salesman yelled at the boys for running inside the shirt racks. Sharon and I both thought this man’s behavior was out of line, so we promptly exited the air-conditioned store. Outside, it was extremely hot.

We piled into the sweltering car, drove a few blocks, and checked out another air-conditioned store. And then got back in the sizzling car, parked, and did some more shopping. I bought a Toucan figurine in one store and a necklace made of guitar-strings for Sharon in a shop called Solo. We spotted a most becoming dress there and agonized over whether to buy it but, in the end, decided to leave without it. Then it was back into the broiler.

We got drinks, which Sharon and the boys drank in the shade, while I ran back to the car for something or other. Then we dined at an Italian restaurant and ate pizza and drank beer. The owner stopped by our table and told us he’d been in business for 40 years, or something like that, and in all that time, he’d met a great many celebrities who’d dined in this very restaurant while visiting Palm Springs. One of those celebrities, he told us, was Babe Ruth. How about that, two (or is it three?) degrees of separation from the greater ballplayer of them all.

Back outside, we did a wee bit more shopping, but before long Sharon and the boys couldn’t take the heat a minute more. So again we climbed into the inferno that was our car, cranked up the air conditioning, and hopped on U.S. Interstate 10 east. There isn’t much but desert between Palm Springs and Phoenix, so traffic on this 280-mile or so stretch of was very sparse. And having the Interstate pretty much to ourselves, I averaged a cruising speed of about 90 mph with a top speed of 103 to 105 mph. But our speed and the lack of anything in sight but desert should not be taken as indicative of a dull drive. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and hauling ass through the Southwest. And as it so happened, we made very good time.

At a point very near the end of our road, we stopped for a snack and a last picture of Travis and his dad.

A little before dinnertime, we reached Tempe and looked for Kevin and Rose’s house, where we intended to spend the night because if was uncertain if Paul and Dottie would be at home. (Paul may have left town to pick up Matthew.) Anyway, finding Kevin’s house proved to be quite difficult. Eventually, we found it, and Kevin and I went out for takeout food and beer. Afterward, we went to Paul and Dottie’s house. Dottie was home, so that’s where we spent the last night of our fabulous journey.

Day 15: Saturday, August 8—

Not much adventure this day. We returned the rental car and flew home. Dottie was nice enough to give us a ride to the Phoenix airport. And my parents were nice enough to meet us at the airport in Philly and drive us back to their place, where we chitchatted before finally driving home. And that was all she wrote.