In January of 2007 I wanted to test out my new RX-8, so I decided to do a weekend road trip. I didn't have anywhere specific in mind, so I headed east on interstate 10 to Arizona. This trip resulted in a very expensive ticket, which you can read about on my blog. I did a loop from La Verne, CA, through Prescott, AZ, up to Page, AZ and back down interstate 15 to return home. I stopped over in Flagstaff, AZ, where it was stormy, snowy, and cold. It hit -9°F while I was there.

The night I arrived in Flagstaff, it was snowing, with at least 6 inches of snow on the ground, if not more. As I climbed the hill on interstate 40, I had to follow behind a semi at 30mph due to the amount of snow on the ground. My car could not go in a straight line without staying in the semi's tracks. I pulled off on the first exit that I saw lights, and promptly found a hotel at the bottom of the off-ramp. Due to the steepness of the driveway for said hotel, I was unable to stay the night there. My car only made it half way before sliding back down the driveway sideways. I had to find somewhere to park and walk about 4 blocks at 11pm to the 24 hour Wal-Mart. After getting there, I found some snow chains for my car, as well as some boots that would hold up to the snow better than my worn out Vans. After walking back to my car and installing my tire chains, I was able to drive back towards the Wal-Mart, where I found a hotel with less steep driveway and vacancies. I stayed the night there, barely sleeping because of the crappy Del Taco I ate, and left early in the morning.

I drove to Page along US Highway 89 to get a glimpse of Lake Powell in winter time. I forgot to take pictures, but the lake looked eerily cold, and the water level was quite low. The launch ramp at stateline was not fully submerged and I drove my car down to the bottom of the ramp before heading out towards Kanab. I stopped for gas and a meal in Mesquite, NV and then drove non-stop through Las Vegas and all the way home. It was a good trip, since I was alone, I was able to clear my head and think of lots of things I don't usually think about when at home. It was good practice for my future National Parks trip that I plan on doing when I get a substantial amount of money and time off from work stored away.

This was more of a whirlwind trip, and very few pictures were actually taken.