UMTravels

The end of our stay has come, parent’s are out the door at 7am after a hug from me (before I go back to bed until 8:30).

Got packed up while drinking coffee, cleaned the kitchen a bit, set the laptop up for GPS and headed to Arcosanti, which is an hour north of Phoenix. Arcosanti is an urban experiment in the middle of the dessert that was started in 1970, and still is very much “in process”. Here is the “blurb” from the website:

In 1970, the Cosanti Foundation began building Arcosanti, an experimental town in the high desert of Arizona, 70 miles north of metropolitan Phoenix. When complete, Arcosanti will house 5000 people, demonstrating ways to improve urban conditions and lessen our destructive impact on the earth. Its large, compact structures and large-scale solar greenhouses will occupy only 25 acres of a 4060 acre land preserve, keeping the natural countryside in close proximity to urban dwellers

Missed the 11am tour, there was no noon tour, and the last was at 1pm which was too late for my schedule — but the docent told me the way to the visitors trail which gets a great view of the project for lots of good photos. Guess it means that I need to come back. In some ways, it reminds me of the intentional community that is Brietenbush Hot Springs, with owner/workers running a new-agey retreat/conference center. The visitor’s trail was a nice hike through an arroyo and up the other side for stunning views of the complex. Check out the photos at:

http://www.twango.com/channel/markso.arcosanti

Back at the car — the car does not start. Not even much of a click, click, click. It is amusing that the radio still does work — and it is the car talk boys. Well, I have AAA — call the national number, wait due to heavy call volumes. What state are you in? when I finally get a person…. annoyed? Arizona — I’ll transfer you… to another telephone queue. Figured it was easier to just keep asking people who came out if they had jumper cables.

Got jumped by a car from Connecticut — a resent transplant, and I was back on the road south towards Tucson, with a stop at the Phoenix Airport Payless Rent-A-Car counter to get a different car. The shimmy in the steering wheel at 75 I could stand. A battery that doesn’t work — that doesn’t work. So I trade in the Gold Taurus with 30K+ miles on it for a Green Chrysler Sebring Ragtop with 20K+ miles on it with a bunch of golf ball size dents. Here is my guess to the Payless business plan — buy the leftovers from Hertz, Avis, Budget and continue to rent them out. My word to consumers — note EVERY dent, nick, whatever. Having rented an $11 a day subcompact (which apparently they don’t have any of), I’m happy to have a convertible in it’s place.

Running an hour late, I’m back on the road to Tucson and Joe and Nikia.

Must stop for a snack before hitting their place and Taco Hell is the only place I can find. Well, at least it isn’t a burger.

Laptop dies, but I’m close enough to remember how to get to their place (thank god he hasn’t moved in years). The dogs (two rescued greyhounds) greet me, and I resist the urge to strip off my clothes as I pass through the house on the way to the pool.

Dinner is vegan fajitas (well, Joe and I have cheese and sour cream) that are wonderful. Now back to work.