I deviated from Old Route 66 on April 20th, when I headed from Flagstaff to Yuma (per the directions of a cowboy at the Pow Wow Lizard Lounge in Tucumcari), with the intention of making my way across the Mexican border the next day to visit a dentist. (Stay tuned!)
I chose a route that took me through Sedona, though I only made a few quick stops at pullovers and parking lots to grab pics, as opposed to spending any meaningful time in the area. (Read: I can’t really comment on any alleged energy fields thereabouts.)
I watched the thermometer in my car climb as my elevation did the opposite, and as I crossed the sizzlin’ Sonoran Desert all I could think about was the oasis awaiting me in the form of the pool at my Budgetel Inn in Yuma. Expedia said they had a pool, and the concierge had no comment when I said I was excited to use the pool, so my first order of business was to change into my bathing suit and walk the 10 paces from my room to the gate of the pool upon arrival.
The fact that there was no one in the pool on a 97 degree day should have been a sign that there was something amiss, but I still allowed myself to be confounded by the lock on the gate. I went to ask the concierge if I needed a key, and he (yes, the same one who had failed to react to my pool-going plans in the first place) said they were closed for COVID. Which– fair! But, the internet said! And I thought Arizona was wildin’! This was supposed to be a vaccication!
(I didn’t actually respond with a series of useless exclamation-point-laden observations, and was glad I’d maintained a shred of composure, because later when I came to get my key reprogrammed for the third time because my phone kept inactivating it there was an entire biker gang hassling the same guy about pool access and I realized he probably dealt with it all damn day.)
The next day I went and got my teeth cleaned, but per the cowboy’s warning the border closed at 2 so I had another afternoon to tan in the grass by the closed pool and eventually venture to Old Town Yuma for dinner.
Angela Calonder 
Yes, I remember that part of Arizona. In 2009 I worked a 30 day outage at the Palos Verdes nuclear plant in Tonopah, south the of I-10. One Sunday I drove into Yuma with the intentions of digging for dinosaur fossils at some place right off of I-8 but, due to poor planning I went to late in the day and didn’t get the opportunity to hike or dig. So I got myself a late lunch then drove back to Tonopah. I had always intended to go back to Yuma but never did. And the Sonoran desert with it’s miles and miles of Saguaro cactus 🌵, what a beautiful picturesque view. Glad you got see that part of the US.
Peace ☮️
Richard
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