Last Bargain Hunt In Arizona Part 1

Why did I come home?

While I was gone, Summer Storm Jerkoff came and dumped 8 inches of rain the past couple days and for the forth time in four months, we ended up getting water in the basement once again.  The fucking frustration that has been this year weatherwise continues. Can't wait for Summer Storm Kunt if and when it gets here.

While I was gone, the readership made last month the 2nd best month. Thanks for your continued support.

While I was gone, last Wednesday storm knocked power out of here for 5 hours  and the most intense heavy rain came in sideways and everywhere it can come.  While I was gone, Lowden became a raging river in its city limits.  While I was gone, the Wapsipinicon River went up to 19 feet in Anamosa but thankfully they kept their sandbags up in the low lying areas and therefore managed to avoid more disaster.  Coming home I noticed the Cedar River was past flood stage for the third time in as many months.

I'm surprised that with my continuing to bitch and give Mother Nature the finger for every damn rain storm we get (I was doing that down there while watching the Weather Channel) that I continue to get ratings beyond expectations. I didn't think we would clear 3,000 views even before submitting Al Kooper's top ten. But thanks to the lonely Russian women sites, they managed to make the Neil Young Review number 2 with 613 views behind the 719 for The Brains blog.  Most of the ratings went to the archival stuff, only two came from June but overall I guess I can't complain.  But you know I will.

If you read this far, The Last Bargain Hunt In Arizona was another attempt to locate the forgotten stuff while doing the fun things I like to do in Arizona.  Like hanging at Zia's, Hastings and FYE, going up to the north country, doing the Route 66 thingy, then on to Lake Havasu City and then two days in Tucson.  The big news was the Doce Fire that was in full brunt when I arrived there and when I left a lightning sparked the Yarnell fire that claimed 19 firefighters, the worst loss in US history since 9/11.  I drove past Yarnell a week before on the way to Prescott and then to Flagstaff.  Yarnell is on AZ 89 and basically a tourist town, not a lot going in there and there were a few empty buildings in the business district.  But without rain, it was dry, the vegetation and grass was brown and a slight spark would set off a fire.  That would happen a week later, as the beginning of the monsoon season begin Sunday Afternoon, when a dry lightning strike set up a blaze that would eventually take out half the town.  Sad to say that 19 fire fighters died when shifting winds shifted the fire to being on top of them.  Either way, it was a sad way to end a vacation that was at the moment uneventful.   Arriving at Prescott a half hour later, they had a bluegrass festival going but I was trying to get through town.  So I didn't stop.

A change of plans, I got off the road to Sedona cuz I wanted no part of that tourist trap, I continued up 89 to Ash Fork and heading on I-40 to Flagstaff to spend the night there but sad to say that the Hastings that used to be next door to Bookman's closed up shop so it turned out to be a wasted trip. So I spent the night at a Super 8, hoping to catch Ice Road Truckers but came to find out that they didn't even had the History channel.

Monday, back on the road but before I went west, the Bauhaus store caught fire and they had to get people out of that store.  Never quite knew the cause of it but it made the news.  Off to Crookton Pass one more time to enjoy the sunshine and maybe see some trains but only saw 2.  And got sunburned badly in the process.  The sunshine and gusty dry winds didn't help either.  Stopped in Seligman to Angel's Barber Shop but he wasn't there, but I did managed to spend about 50 dollars in shirts, magnets and a autographed photo of Angel Delgadillo that they sold for 15.99.  I didn't think I would be back for a long time and at least I would have a memento of the last remaining link to the original Route 66.

Made it to Kingman for a night at my adopted town and got a room at the Motel 6 next to the train tracks and at El Paradiso downtown for Mexican but for the first time ever, not one train came through downtown. And didn't see any till I saw two going in different directions when I got the motel. Found a few interesting CDs at Hastings.  More road music on the way to Lake Havasu City.

Tuesday, was Bullhead City to Lake Havasu City and I stopped at Laughlin to feed the goldfish that they have outside the casino.  It got up to 111 in the shade so I got burned again but it was fun feeding the fish but at the same time feeding two ducks that seemed to get all the fish food rather than the fish themselves.  Then it was off to Needles, home of the five dollar a gallon gas and the Hastings at Lake Havasu to which I found Jeff Beck Beck Ola for 3 bucks new.  Funny thing about the Hastings stores is seeing all the trailer trash folk, with their kids running up and down the aisles, they seemed to have lots of that motley crew, especially the Kingman and Prescott stores.  Must have been Wal Mart rejects.  Then a walk up and down London Bridge before heading to Tucson.