“Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself.”
– Justice John
J. Ellington
Phoenix.
Cottonwood.
Sedona.
Lee’s Ferry.
Marble Canyon.
Page.
Grand Canyon.
Cave Creek.
Phoenix.
She likes to go. And I like to stay. However, when she says we’re going, I go.
Listening to the wheels drop down from the belly of the Delta Jet, I looked over Fenn and out the porthole. Hmmmm…not an oak tree in sight. All I could see was rows of tightly tucked houses and chunks of rock. And then after a few squawks of rubber and a great deal of barking brakes, our time in Arizona began.
Hustling through the airport, we met a ride on the curb to our transportation and home for the next seven days. A 2021, 24-foot Freedom Elite motorhome. After adjusting the side mirrors and getting a tutorial on rolling plumbing, I released the emergency break and we hit the road.
Settling in behind the wheel, I kept my eye on the tachometer and watched the side mirrors like a tennis match. In the rearview mirror, I could see our boys at the kitchen table and the full-size bed by the bathroom door. However, it was worthless for seeing anything outside the coach. And as the sweat began to dry between my palms and the steering wheel on the six-lane, I was reminded of similar feelings on the road when I was driving our two sons’ home from the hospital after their births.
Considering Arizona has been cut short on rain for at least the last 200 million years, it sure is a beautiful state. We were able to see from Phoenix at 99 degrees to Page during a 40-mph windstorm, and over to super naturalism of the Grand Canyon during a snow that got down to 14 degrees. And the saguaros cactuses. It was like we were in an episode of The Road Runner Show. Did you know they can live to be 150 years old?
Wandering around in the Arizona desert and mountains was a stark change from our home state. Being a fan of water current, paddling down the Colorado River from Horseshoe Bend to Lee’s Ferry was my favorite part of the week-long adventure. Petroglyphs on the red cliffs quickly reminded me of those who came before us. And how good we have it today.
Yes, I was glad the Freedom Elite had a 50-gallon gas tank. As we found ourselves in some quite remote places. And cruising and hiking along, I was reminded of Justice Ellington’s quote. He’s right that “in the middle of nowhere you do find yourself.” Or, reconnected to what you love in the majesty of God’s nature.
Folks, we live in some of God’s greatest geography right here in Northeast Georgia. And I love Georgia and especially Habersham County. It is always good to see other parts of America, but there’s also nothing like coming home.
Alan NeSmith is the chairman of Community Newspapers Inc. Reach him at anesmith@TheNortheastGeorgian.com.