Welcome to Sweltering Arizona

So, Arizona is hot. This we knew already, but it is one thing to look at the weather report and see that it’s 98º in Phoenix and quite another to be in 98º heat moving boxes into your new apartment! It is 98º right now, anyway (it’s early afternoon). We didn’t actually check the temperature while we were moving in, but given that the observed overnight low on Saturday was 80º, it must have been plenty hot enough while we were moving in during the sunset hour. And it’s not “dry heat” either. As long time residents in the Ohio Valley we know humidity when we feel it.

On Thursday we left Pismo Beach. We sent almost the whole day packing the trailer and then the car. When we were ready to go, we drove to Los Angeles. It was sad to see all the rolling hills we have come to love roll away behind us for the last time. We spent Friday in L. A. just relaxing. We had a big, fancy dinner with family and then went to bed early to be ready for our much longer drive to Phoenix. On Saturday we were on the road by 9:30, which is unheardofly early for us. It’s a good thing we did get going that early as the drive turned out to be looooong.

It’s about 350 miles from L. A. to Phoenix. That’s a six hour drive at most under ideal conditions. However, one can never count on finding conditions ideal plus were pulling a trailer and driving up-hill a lot in an under-powered vehicle. By 12:30 we had only come 140 miles! In Banning, California filled our tank and despaired. We had to get to Phoenix before 5:00 because that’s when the apartment office closed. There was no Plan B. Arriving on time was the only plan. Over-all the drive itself was uneventful. There just isn’t a lot along I-10 in that part of the county except for sand, rocks and scrubby, desert plants. We crossed into Arizona close to 2:00. We saw a huge dirt devil some time after that. Driving between Big Horn Peak and Saddle Mountain was also pretty neat. Other than that there isn’t much to say about the trip.
We had made better time in Arizona and were cruising through Phoenix at about 4:40. We were just two miles from our exit when we hit a major slow-down. There was an accident blocking the two left lanes right after an on-ramp joined the highway. Basically there were three lanes all trying to move their way over into the far-right lanes to get past the accident. We slowed to a craw! Maya called the apartments and told them our issue and they assured her that someone would be there until 5:00. So we crept by the wreck with one eye on the clock getting more and more agitated. We did eventually slip by and got off the highway and to the complex with a mere seven minutes to spare. Unfortunately the office was already locked up!

Matt sat with Asher (poor, hot rabbit) and shook his head while Maya paced around in front of the office periodically banging on the door and calling the office number. She could head the phone ringing on the other side of the door but no one was answering. Rage was rising. Eventually, maintenance-type guy happened along and his fist on the door did bring out an office person from whom Maya got our keys. No Plan B needed, whew! We moved our stuff in as the sun went down and effectively crashed after that.

On Sunday we began to set up our new apartment – just a little. Mostly we explored our new home. First we returned the trailer. There is no better feeling than getting rid of such a huge attachment as that. Then we found the local Taco Bell for lunch. Next we drove down to the hospital so Maya could get a good look at her route. It’s a huge complex, although her part of it is relatively tiny. One of the main buildings has an incredibly unique look. It seems to be invoking the look of a pueblo or something. We also found our way to the local World Market, the Target and Fry’s – the local version of Kroger.

Here are some fun facts about Phoenix: It is currently the fifth largest city in the U. S. by population. Louisville is 29th largest, Palatine is close to 400th and Punta Gorda is small enough that it appears on no list we could find. Phoenix is the most populous state capital. The surrounding county is Maricopa County, which (thanks to Phoenix) is the fourth most populous county in the U. S. You can watch a map showing Maricopa County’s growth over time on Wikipedia’s page. The name “Phoenix” was suggested after names such as “Stonewall” and “Salina” were rejected by the community. The name refers to the fact that the irrigation canals which made settling here possible were built overtop of those formerly used by Hohokam Indians.