PhyllistheAuthor

Ah, California. Sunshine and crystal clear air, flowers everywhere, Napa Valley wines, and the pleasure of seeing family and friends made leaving Calfiornia difficult.

The Miata did great. It was exhilerating to drive at 80 MPH with the top down, playing tag with mammoth trucks. And everywhere we enjoyed the big sky over places like the rich, sunflower-filled fields of Kansas and rolling green hills of Oklahoma.

Trip highlights include sampling different varieties of olives with our son Alex, touring my friend Carol's house and garden, lunch in Santa Rosa with Anja, a former student and friend, and getting an oil change in the Miata.

An oil change? Let me explain. Because the Miata is brand new we needed to have an oil change in California. My husband asked Shaun Del Grande, owner of Oak Tree Madza to work us in to the busy schedule for the oil change. Mr. Del Grande turned us over to Robert White



and the skillful care of Tim Trompeter.

When the car was ready, not only did we get a discount on the oil change, but the little car had been cleaned inside and out without charge. So the sparkling little car that we left Williamsburg with was returned to its pristine condition thanks to the kindness of strangers.

The most interesting restaurant we visited was one in West Virginia with a mural containing a BMW with working headlights.



The second most interesting restaurant was one with elk, antelope, and steer heads on the the wall in Wyoming.




We saw herds of antelope in the fields of Wyomng, but no buffalo, except the outline of one on a mountain.




We saw herds of windtowers crowning hill tops in several states.



With skyrocketing gasoline prices, it was encouraging to see the use of wind power with these powerful windmills.



A highlight of the journey home was our visit to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert in Arizona.












I was especially taken with the prehistoric petrogyphs. As a writer I felt great affinity for these ancient artists whose drawings proclaim: "I was here and this is how I see my world."








Most of our accommodations were predictable. However, one in Nevada offered on-site slot machines.



Another sported a bed of roses.



On our last night, we got a souvenir of the trip.



Colby, Kansas calls itself an oasis on the prarie. This oasis has a grove of plastic palm trees.




IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD!