Just to prove how flexible we are, another change of plans has occurred, and we're now headed home tomorrow.
It all started last night around 7:00 when Barb mentioned that serious storms and flooding were predicted for the greater Phoenix area. I checked the radar, and sure enough, the storms were there. Now what do we do?
Well, we took a look at both routes home: the original route we had taken to Las Cruces and the revised plan that would add another day to our trip. Comparing the two routes with the radar projections, we decided to head home the way we came. My biggest concern was the drive down Interstate 17 from Flagstaff, which drops about 6,500 feet in elevation over some pretty steep grades and through several canyons. That was not a stretch of highway I wanted to tackle in heavy rain or stormy conditions.
We finished up last evening packing as much as we could and set an early alarm.
Promptly at 5:00 AM, Robert Schumann’s Träumerei began playing softly, but at just enough volume to get us moving. Our preparations the evening before paid off, and we were on the road by 5:27 AM.
One stop to fuel the car and another for breakfast, and we were set. Service at breakfast was so slow that we began to wonder if we would even be making the trip that day. Eventually, though, we enjoyed a good meal and were ready for whatever the storms had in store for us.
There were a few sprinkles as we started the day, but they didn't last long. Before long, we began to wonder if we had somehow missed the entire weather picture. That thought didn't last, though. About an hour later, the skies opened up, and one of the heaviest rainfalls we had ever experienced began. It got really, really dark, until I suddenly realized I was still wearing my sunglasses. Taking them off helped a little, but it was still plenty dark—just a lighter shade of dark. Eventually, with rain pounding the windshield, spray flying from passing vehicles, and the lighter shade of dark making visibility almost impossible, everyone began driving with their emergency flashers on. It was about the only way to tell there was a car ahead of you. It was no miss. The storm had clearly lived up to the predictions.
Just as good things must come to an end, so must bad things. About the time we transitioned from Interstate 10 to Interstate 8, the good guys finally won out. For the first time that morning, a hint of blue sky appeared through the clouds. It was a welcome sight.
The rest of the drive home was smooth and quick. However, dark clouds began appearing off to the west, and the weather app was once again predicting rain in the very near future. It was right on target! Within minutes of our arrival home, the rain began. Talk about cutting it close.
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