No, we did not meet Eugene Levy, who has a fun series, The Reluctant Traveler (on Hulu, I think). I concur with him that the desert "is not for me." Yes, great to visit and enjoy some of the spectacular scenery, but 110F for months? Nope.
We flew into Phoenix, rented a car, and them made our way to our daughter and son-in-law's house at Camp Pendleton, CA. I have never seen so many big, muscular guys in one location. We made it a point to attend a Memorial Day ceremony at the chapel. It's a shame so many Americans forget the sacrifices made by our forbearers and know little or nothing about the meaning of the day other than beer and cookouts.
Day 2: Midway ship and museum in San Diego, a lovely city, or at least the part of it we saw. My hot wife, Mary, and I were reminded how many of these flyboys were still, well, boys during this battle, barely out of their teenager years. It was a decisive point in the Pacific War that turned the tide against the Imperial Japanese. Heck, some of these young men on the ships were teenagers. Just let that sink in for a moment. Sadly, many made the ultimate sacrifice for America. We should never forget.
Day 3: President Reagan Library in Ventura County. On the way there I was singing the band America's "Ventura Highway" in my head. This library is the largest and often rated among the best presidential libraries, and seeing Air Force One and Marine One was exciting for us. My friend and very liberal U.S. history college professor from my West Virginia University days, whom I still stay in touch with, somewhat surprisingly recommended I see it, and said it was perhaps his favorite presidential library. It was a nice history lesson including the, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" speech and so, so much more from the 1920s to early 2000s. The guides were the best, and almost unbelievably friendly and approachable. They wanted to engage you with conversation. What a breath of fresh air compared to some museums and other places we have been.
Day 4: Hiking along the beach and nearby trails, and visiting my SIL's workplace where he is a HIMAR crew chief. Once again I was astounded at the level of responsibility we place on very young people to defend our country, which made me proud. I mean, this is some serious stuff. I'm feeling patriotic.
Day 5/6: Death Valley. 105F in the shade. Stunning sunsets from Dante's View and Zabriskie Point, and hiking the sand dunes. The desolate beauty of the desert was mesmerizing, and looked something like what I'd expect of Mars. Not crowded at all, thankfully.
Day 7: Hoover's Dam on the way to Flagstaff. I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. Maybe my expectations were too high. I read somewhere that during the tour you could feel the power of the water rushing through the tunnels, but nothing like that occurred when we were there. The tour guide acted bored and lacked any real enthusiasm for his job. Bummer. We were quite impressed at how they built such a structure with 1930s technology, although 96 men died. Kudo's to American ingenuity and its can-do spirit.
Day 8: Grand Canyon. We hiked the rim for several miles and were most captivated by The Abyss. I was worried that Mary might push me over the edge to get the insurance money, so I was a little nervous. The elevation was 6800 feet, which explained why we were unusually tired and slow. We particularly enjoyed learning about the American Indian tribes and their culture. One Navajo tour guide mentioned a confrontation with an Apache tribe, ending with a gruesome scene where the Navajo burned some of the Apache men hiding in a cave. She said, "They deserved it." Apparently the Apaches raided a Navajo village, raping and pillaging, so there you go.
Day 9: Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest. The best part of these sites was learning about Earth's geologic past and how dangerous it can be on this blue dot of a planet orbiting the Sun amidst a shooting gallery of space.