Going Back to Cali

Yesterday, we drove from Prescott to Irvine.  Well, Dad did all of the driving.  

The trip took 7,5 hours and thank goodness for air conditioning because it was wicked hot.  It was 45,5 ℃ (114 ℉) at the Arizona-California border.

I was one happy Mexican when we got to my sister's house because she had a feast waiting for us. #fatandhappy 

I need to make sure that I don't put on 5 kg while I'm on holiday. 

Day Trip to Montezuma Castle

Yesterday was wonderful road trip with my parents.  First up was about an hour's drive, 72 km (45 miles) from Prescott, to Montezuma Castle National Monument.   

Montezuma Castle, one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America, is 27 metres (90 feet) high up a limestone cliff.  

The name is deceiving as Montezuma had nothing to do with the dwelling.  When American explorers first found the ruins in the 1860s, they mistakenly believed the the Aztec emperor had something to do with it.  Even though the dwelling was abandoned more than 40 years before Montezuma was born, the name stuck.  It's also not a castle.  

The dwelling was built and used by the Sinagua people from around 1100 to 1425.  It's about five stories and has 20 rooms.

In 1906 it became a U.S. National Monument.

About 40 minutes away is Sedona.  With mild winters and warm summers, after the Grand Canyon, it is one of the the most popular tourist destinations in Arizona.  It's a popular place for people to retire to.

Sedona is lovely.  The pink sandstone formations are simply gorgeous and there are hundreds of hiking and mountain bike trails.

Day Trip to the Grand Canyon, AZ

Today was a day trip out to the Grand Canyon.  It was a beautiful day.  

Even with a few sudden downpours it was still a great day.  

Before we left this morning, Mom bought tickets online for the IMAX show at the Visitor Centre.  There were electricity problems and the theatre was closed so we missed out on it.  Hopefully she can pass the tickets on so that they won't go to waste.

On the way back we stopped by Williams and Kája got to see part of Route 66.  

Tomorrow's adventure is Sedona and Montezuma's Castle.

Czeching out Prescott, AZ

So far it's been a couple of relaxing days in Arizona with my parents.  It's been a pretty low-key visit so far which has been really nice.  My folks had doctor's appointments this morning in Prescott so while they did that, Kája and walked around Whiskey Row and the courthouse.

The Palace, a saloon that opened in 1877, is the oldest business in Arizona.

Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday were frequent visitors here back in the day.  I think that Kája got a kick out of the western cowboy vibe in the city.  I don't know if he was expecting Lemonade Joe to show up or what.  

The Yavapai County Courthouse was built in 1916 and in 1977 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.  Arizona is a "new" state having become one only in 1912 so it's interesting that an early 20th century building is historic.  In Czechland, historic places tend to be several hundred years old.

It was a beautiful day to just walk around and we made a Costco run after the doctor's appointments were done.  

Costco was a wee bit overwhelming for Kája.  So big, so many different things, everything jumbo sized, cheap prices but without sales tax included.  I expect that we'll go back again before we leave.

Family friends, Keith and Janet, came over for dinner tonight and it was a lovely time.  Tomorrow's adventure will be the Grand Canyon.

No More Masks...Sort Of

As of yesterday face masks are no longer required even on public transportation and in public buildings.  Face masks are still required in hospitals and medical facilities.  Prague still requires masks on the metro.

As far as restrictions go, all pubs and restaurants have to close by 11 pm.  The maximum number of people at public events is 100.

While things are getting better here in Czechland I'm worried about bad things are getting in the USA.  Especially in Arizona where my parents live.  Arizona isn't mandating masks but my parents are wearing them.  Thank goodness.  Yesterday there were 4,753 new COVID-19 cases in Arizona which has a population of 7 million.  That's more than the entire EU which has a population of 446 million. 

A Week in Arizona

This was a very busy week.  It started off with a seven hour road trip from California to Arizona.  Thank goodness for air conditioning because the desert drive was 43,3 ℃ (110 ℉).  Way hot, but that's Arizona in July.

On one of the days we went on a historic walking tour of the centre.  It was interesting to see the "historic" sights.  Of course here, historic means anything over 100 years.  In Europe, that's nothing.

Shopping was something that left me gobsmacked at times.  There are so many choices when it comes to shopping.  I couldn't believe how many choices there were for something as simple as sandwich bread.

On one of the shopping trips to Costco I noticed that they had Moravian cookies.  It's funny that I actually live in Moravia and have never seen biscuits like these.

"No chip yet"

I noticed that my debit card worked but not quite the same way it works in Europe.  Over here, debit and credit cards are chip-and-PIN cards.  You enter your card and PIN.  My bank card is contactless so in Europe I just waive my card over the terminal.  I only need to use my PIN if the amount is over 500 Kč (~$22).

In the USA, chips have been added to cards only over the last couple of years.  Cards here tend to be chip-and-signature cards.  Even with the chip, the card is processed via the magnetic strip and then you provide a signature instead of using a PIN.

One day we went to the movies.  I was shocked to see a sign on the front door that said "No Firearms Allowed".  Incredible.  In Arizona, unless a person has been convicted of a felony, anyone over 21 can legally carry a concealed gun.  





It was great hanging out with my parents all week.  One of my favourite days was our trip to the Grand Canyon.

This was also my most stressful day.  On the way I got a message from my boss letting me know that I needed to be in Connecticut for a Monday morning workshop.  Fortunately, British Airways made it easy to change my ticket to fly home a day early.

I ended up flying from Phoenix to London Heathrow to Vienna.  I made it home at 11 PM Saturday.  I had enough time for a long, hot shower, pack my suitcase, and grab my work laptop before catching my 2:30 AM bus back to Vienna Airport.  Then an Air Berlin flight to Düsseldorf and on to JFK.  I haven't been to the USA in five years, now twice in a month, but I could have done without a 15 timezone trip to get to Connecticut.

Grand Canyon National Park, USA

The Grand Canyon National Park is the top tourist attraction in Arizona with about five million visitors every year.

It became the 17th U.S. National Park in 1919.

The Grand Canyon is the result of erosion and was carved by the Colorado River about five or six million years ago.

It is 446 km (227 miles) long, 1,857 meters (6,093 feet) deep and 29 km (18 miles) at its widest point.

The train from Williams to the South Rim of the canyon takes 2 hours 15 minutes.







I had an awesome time visiting the Grand Canyon with mom and dad.

Definitely a day I'll always remember.

Williams, Arizona & Route 66

My parents live in Prescott, Arizona which is only about four hours from the Grand Canyon but I've never been there.  So today we drove from Prescott to Williams which is 109 km (68 miles) away on AZ Route 89.

Williams was founded in 1881.  It's a small city with just over 3,100 people.  Williams is known as the "Gateway to the Grand Canyon".  The city lives off of tourism so there are a number of inns, motels, and restaurants.


Williams was on Historic Route 66 and it was the last city that was bypassed by Interstate 40.

U.S. Route 66 was the Will Rogers Highway and it was one of the original highways established in 1926.  It was also known as the "Main Street of America" and as the "Mother Road".

The highway ran from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California and covered 3,904 km (2,448 miles).  Between Illinois and California it passed through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Most people know about it from the song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66".

Part of the old Route 66

Interstate 40 was opened in 1984 and the following year Route 66 was removed from the U.S. Highway System.  In order help keep towns going economically, many states have adopted parts of the old U.S. 66 into their state road networks.

Part of what's helped kept Williams going is the Grand Canyon Railway with daily service to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.  The trip is 105 km (65 miles) north and takes 2 hours and 15 minutes.



Prior to getting on the train there is an old-fashioned western show.

On the train today, on the way back from the Grand Canyon to Williams, we saw a barn or a house on fire.  Hopefully no one was hurt.

The Pac-10 is now the Pac-12

In the USA, collegiate sports are a big deal.  Many people go from collegiate athletics to professional athletics.  Collegiate sports is not something that exists in Europe.

The governing body for American collegiate sports is the NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association.  Schools are broken down in to different divisions and based on skills and geography.  Division I is the highest level.

Having grown up in California we had the Pac-10 Conference which was made up of the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, University of California - Berkeley, University of California - Los Angeles, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, University of Southern California, Stanford University, University of Washington, and Washington State University.

I've been living in Czechland so long that I didn't know that the Pac-10 is now the Pac-12.  In 2011, the University of Utah and the University of Colorado - Boulder joined the conference.  Pretty bad for a California boy to not know that the conference expanded.

Then again, I moved to Atlanta and lived there for 13 years before moving here.  So while I grew up in California, I would say that the South was home.  Well that is prior to moving here.  But that requires explaining my permanent address which is a story for another time.

In the South, we have the SEC which is the Southeastern Conference.  The SEC is a powerhouse for collegiate athletics.  The schools making up the SEC are the University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, University of Missouri, University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, University of Alabama, University of Arkansas, Auburn University, Louisiana State University, University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, and Texas A&M University.

In the South you cheer for an SEC school and the rivalries between the various schools is quite fierce.  I graduated from Georgia State University which is well known for academics and less so for athletics.  GSU belongs to the Sun Belt Conference which also includes Appalachian State University, Arkansas State University, Coastal Carolina University, Georgia Southern University, University of Arkansas - Little Rock, University of Louisiana - Lafayette, University of Louisiana - Monroe, University of South Alabama, Texas State University, University of Texas - Arlington, and Troy University.