TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS, AND OTHER GRAND ADVENTURES

The fun just never ends. Life just seems to be a never ending swirl, at very high speeds, that blend trials, tribulations, and grand adventure into a dizzying sensory extravaganza.
As noted previously, last week we were enjoying delightful spring like weather. Then came the weekend and a snow storm.
This morning the air was just cold enough to make the morning commute to work via a 1.5 mile walk quite invigorating. By mid afternoon the sun was out and it was warm enough to make a sweater somewhat uncomfortable but yet still cool enough that a sweater was needed. Meanwhile, I understand that in Chicago it was hovering around 80 degrees. 

The storm prevented my accountants return from California so the tax preparation scheduled for yesterday has been rescheduled to some evening this week. To ensure the week is filled with delightful and thrilling escapades of a similar nature, I will be discussing the closing of my mothers estate with an attorney as well.
The day started with a completely clogged bathroom sink and flurry of good, bad, potentially bad, and potentially promising email exchanges. All of them fueled the frustration that comes from current state of existence in limbo.
There is a pending book contract, currently on hold. The publicist and I are working on a summer promotional schedule but first we will need to evaluate the current reprint status for Ghost Towns of Route 66. The marketing department informed me that orders for this book as well as a couple of others is escalating but the reprint is delayed.
I arrived at the office twenty minutes before opening to find several customers who had arrived early in the hope that they would be the first ones in the door. As it turned out their eager anticipation was quickly dampened as I have a commercial customer every Tuesday morning whose schedule dictates an earlier than opening pick up.
I was open and ready for business by the scheduled time but a few issues with down units, and one extraordinarily fussy and nit picking customer slowed the exodus from Kingman, Lake Havasu City, and Bullhead City to Kingman. During lunch I composed notes for an exciting new project, a mile by mile guide book for the segment of Route 66 between Crookton Road and Topock on the Colorado River (the longest remaining uninterrupted segment of Route 66) that will be published in an ebook format.

My hope is to be able to tie the first segment of the research (a drive from Crookton Road to Kingman) in with the photography of wildflowers for the Route 66 in Mohave County exhibit and another project that requires photographs of the black footed ferret in the Aubrey Valley west of Seligman. With the recent spat of rain and snow, if it stays warm all week, the flowers should be pushing up by next week which means road trip and picnic.
The day at the office ended much as it began, with customers rushing to beat our closing time. But there was a delight surprise that balanced the day out quite well, my dearest friend stopping by to give me a lift home.
Now that I stop to think about it that last half hour was my life in condensed form. There are the blessings made manifest in the fact I have a job, in my dearest friend, and in the beautiful day. There is the turmoil of the lives I interact with that are as whirlpools, and the turmoil of my life that acts as whirlpools for those around me.
Somewhere in between is that peace and serenity that comes from the assurance that this is life at its best. This is simply a life where trials, tribulations, and grand adventures are woven into a rich, diverse, and colorful tapestry that exudes a pulse stirring vibrancy.

A TOUCH OF SPRING WITH A HINT OF WINTER

Before turning to the topic of the day, weather, I would like to call your attention to the gift shop page (tab under heading photo). Utilizing the security of Paypal, we now have available autographed copies of all four of my travel guides. In the coming weeks we will be adding select prints.
I am not attempting to stampede anyone to ordering books. However, I would be remiss if it were not noted that I have only six copies of Ghost Towns of Route 66 remaining available and it could be a few weeks before my next order arrives. If your order is delayed, I will notify you immediately.
Now, the big news maker, our snow storm. Most of the last ten days were delightful with temperatures hovering around seventy degrees. On Friday we had one of our "breezy" spring days with winds whistling in gusts exceeding forty miles per hour.
On Saturday afternoon it began to rain and hail. That evening it snowed and then it cleared up, and snowed some more on Sunday.
For the uninitiated, that is situation normal as far as late winter and early spring goes here in Kingman. I have seen storms such as this occur as late as the first weekend in May. My wife's grandfather, a born storyteller, claimed that when he was working in Chloride during the 1940s, they had 2 foot of snow in mid May.

Storms of any kind add stunning beauty to the vast landscapes. Winter storms with a dusting of snow on the mountains transforms everything into something truly awe inspiring.
The great thing about the snow  in Kingman is that we usually get just enough to enjoy the stunning beauty of the stark desert frosted with snow framed by majestic snow covered mountains. It is also just enough to remind me why I choose to live here rather than Minnesota, or Michigan, or Montana, or Wisconsin.
With most snow storms it only stays on the ground for a day or so and seldom do accumulations exceed four or five inches. However, Hualapai Mountain Park 12 miles south of town, and everything 15 or more miles east of here, usually takes a pounding during these storms and as a result, I-40 and Route 66 are often closed.
The one exception was back in 1978. We had almost a foot of snow and temperatures stayed below freezing for a week. As luck would have it, I was care taking an unfinished house on Oatman Road (the pre 1952 alignment of Route 66) and working at a sawmill in McConnico at the time.
As the snow has a tendency to vanish rather quickly around these parts, my dearest friend and I rushed out shortly after sunrise to see what unique views we could capture. Specifically we wanted some photos of the old wagon road at White Cliffs with a rare dusting of snow. These will be submitted for the Mohave County exhibit being developed for the Powerhouse Visitor Center, a state centennial project.
I will post the results of our little expedition later this week. In addition, I will post a few others taken this morning at the site of Fort Beale and along segments of Route 66.
A couple of quick, unrelated notes. Does anyone out there know of any surviving Studebaker Scotsman models?
Last but not least, this bout of much needed moisture, and the expectation of warm temperatures in the next week or so, should result in a stunning display of wildflowers soon. You will have to be quick as they seldom survive long but I will keep you posted.